Greetings!

In evaluating my life and times (mentally) I realized that after a long break, I have been doing quite a bit of reading.  Partly this is because I found a couple of good/provoking science fiction series.  [The following authors are not Christian, and should be read advisedly, but I found their work entertaining and/or thought provoking - in speculative ways: S.M. Stirling, Eric Flint/David Weber, Catherine Asaro]  The result of reading through this lighter material was that I eventually whetted my appetite for some more serious reading (and had built into my weekly schedule the time for doing so).

Of particular interest to me at the moment are works related to colonial and survival topics.  At the moment, I am reading through William Bradford's "History of Plymouth Plantation".  When I finish with that, I hope to read a couple of monograms (scholarly books on the topic), and then turn my attention to "U.S. Army Survival Manual" and "Survival: how to prevail in hostile environments".  This reading program was sparked when I realized that it has been 10 years since I lived on a farm and had any close and sustained contact with (sort of) colonial style life.

Do I remember how to build a fire, or create a shelter in the woods?  Could I find food or navigate my way through field and forest if lost?  What should one do in the case of raiding raccoons, inquisitive bears, or rampaging army ants?  How does one locate the capital of Tuvalu using a single square of TP and a rusty pruning shear?

Having read halfway through the account by William Bradford, I am freshly amazed at the active hand of God at work in their lives and adventure.  Many other settlements were attempted, and most were better manned and supplied when they began.  Yet time and again these failed, while the Plymouth settlement slowly and painfully survived and then began to prosper.  These people suffered amazing trials, were persecuted, abandoned, and betrayed time and again by friends and partners (both in England and at Plymouth), their cargos were robbed by French and Turkish pirates, and they were generally met with misfortune after misfortune.  But they persevered and trusted in God and worked diligently to provide for their own needs, to pay their debts, and to help others as they were able.  From such humble beginnings, what a might work hath God wrought in this land!

And so, with many things to ponder, I leave you to your glowing computer screens with this admonition: make sure you are well stocked with lemonade fixings - for the heat of the summer months is soon upon you!

Thor

To anyone who reads this ...

Thanks for not giving up on me.  Although, in all honesty, I would have given up on you :)

Ok, something short to start the ball rolling.  Pie [chart] economics.

For three years (8-10th grades) I taught a group of homeschoolers history once a week.  During that time we had many opportunities to discuss different economic models.  As I taught this material, especially once we reached the 1800's and forward, I came to the conclusion that there are two basic perspectives when it comes to economics.  To illustrate these two perspectives, we move to dessert - specifically apple pie!

The first group basically believes that there is only one pie, which must be shared out among everyone present at the table.  Some systems advocate equally sharing the pie.  Others share the pie out on a basis of status or power or ablility - some get more and others less.  Many insist that those with larger pieces of pie should give up (or be forced to) some of their portion until everyone has a fair share.  Etc.

The second group fundamentally believes that if one doesn't like the size of their piece of pie, then they should go and bake another pie.  Maybe they'll only have enough resources or ability to make a tart - or perhaps one likes cookies or cupcakes better.  All the better!  The more that is made, the more there is to share around.  From this perspective, one is content to get a smaller piece of any individual pie because one is receiving multiple small pieces from the several pies.

Which group will be more welcoming of new guests to the table?  The first is likely to be resentful because each new face at the table means less for them.  The second is likely to be glad to see them, because there is the reasonable expectation that new people will add to the diversity and quantity of the desserts.

That's my nutshell summary of economics.  I'll end with one thought exercise for y'all to try.

As you drive around (or ride if you're not able to drive yet), look around you at the different houses and buildings that you pass.  Try to guess how much it would cost to buy any one of those buildings (how much for a house, a townhouse, a barn, a shopping plaza, an office building, a gas station, etc).  Count the number of buildings, estimate the value for different types, multiply buildings by values, then add the different categories to a grand total.  My guess is that you'll be amazed at how much wealth is quietly sitting there as you drive past.  Now figure that this is only what you pass on your daily route.  Then go to google maps, and see how big this country is compared to your small neighborhood ...

Frankly, it boggles my mind.

So, I was reading a link from a friend of mine's blog, and the following fact arrested my attention:
 
"Three decades ago, the people in well-to-do countries were 30 times better off than those in countries where the poorest 20 percent of the world's people live. By 1998, this gap had widened to 82 times."
 
Let me rephrase that for y'all: in 1968, the well-to-do were 30 times better off than the poorest, and in 1998 the well-to-do were 82 times better off than the poorest.  From 30 to 82 is nearly three times better off (2.6 something to be more precise).
 
Now I'm going to go out on a major limb here and make a wild assumption.  I don't expect that the poorest people on Earth can have gotten that much poorer - otherwise they simply wouldn't be able to survive.  They're pretty much already at subsistence levels and have been so for a long time.
 
Which leads me to the conclusion that we in the first world have gotten a whole lot better off in thirty years.  A basic list would include microwaves, cell phones, and computers; vastly improved planes, cars, and tvs; all the advances brought on by the space race (such as the materials used in wheelchairs); medical technologies such as heart surgery, organ transplants, sonograms, CAT and MRI scanners, DNA related tests and therapies, those little camera scopes that enable surgery without opening you up like a Christmas turkey, the rich and varied supply of drugs now commonly available, and the list just keeps going on (all those advances in dentristry, for example!).
 
And, the reality is that we've brought many of those advances to the poorest in the form of medical clinics, generic drugs, foreign aid, and business investments.  So, the poorest have - to some degree - benefitted from our massive advances.
 
This is NOT to say that there isn't a big gap between us and them.  It is not to say that a little from us can't do a great deal for them.  It isn't to say that we should not do more.  But it is to say that we shouldn't feel guilty for the increase in the gap. 
 
We haven't taken more from the slice of the pie of the world's poorest .... We have gone out and made 2.6 more pies!  As we give from those extra pies, the poorest have more than they had thirty years ago.
 
So, two challenges for you.  1) Given that you're 82 times better off than the poorest in the world, yes, it would be appropriate for you to be purposeful about sharing more of what you have. But 2) Go forth and work hard, using the intelligence God gave you, to create and advance what we have here!
 
Think about it this way.  The previous generation(s), using the resources given to them, were able to increase their portion by 2.6 (from 30 to 82) times, while helping the poorest of the world.  For us to just match them would mean that in 2037 we would be 302 times better off than the poorest of the world.  And we can do a lot more now to help them, so that's even more of a challenge.
 
Future post: pie-chart economics for the intellectually hungry.  BYOM (bring your own milk).
 
Thor

Folks, after a week and a half or so of snow (that turned to ice) we're headed back to 60 degree weather.

I'm tempted to complain, but I'll resist.  Sam and I had fun slipping and sliding about for the last few days.  We regularly walk across a particular field on the way to where I have to park my truck.  The morning that the snow fell, it was very heavy, wet snow and it really captured our footprints.  Then the weather turned cold and the whole mass of snow (approx 3-4 inches thick) turned into a solid sheet of ice.  There, preserved for the entire week, were our footprints.  It was sort of like walking past the footsteps of prehistoric man. 

BigNut and I are back at it (y'may need to scroll down a bit to find it).

That's the news for today.

Folks, the internet connection is up and live, but I must soon wend my weary way to bed.

A comment: having spent portions of the evening reading other peoples' blogs - I realized that I REALLY don't have this picture thing down.  On the other hand, I don't have a camera and I don't want to risk surfing the web for pictures (talk about a potentially massive waste of time).  So, for all you folks out there who do make good use of pictures - thanks!  I am amused and inspired and too lazy to do anything about it, except make sure that I check back regularly.

Thor

I had this thought the other day, after I had spent hours crafting a particular post, and more hours in the days before writing posts and reading other people's blogs - am I a blog-glutton?

And I decided that I was definitely headed that direction.

So I went on a diet.  Actually, it was more of a semi-involuntary fast.  Life got really busy with all kinds of things.  And then when I thought it was settling down, I was convicted of laziness.  So I worked on being diligent in all things (mainly at work, but also at my house, and in my relationships - i.e. who I hung out with).
 

Now I'm back at the old blog, trying to maintain a healthy and moderate diet.  It helps that most of my friends and relatives aren't posting massively interesting things on their blogs.  My goal is to post regularly, without spending excessive amounts of time online.  If I can't say what needs to be said in about 15 minutes or so, then I need to learn how to think faster and express myself more concisely.  In short, I'm declaring my blog to be part of my ongoing education and these posts are essentially timed essays.

Note: I'm irked by changes in the way this blog-control-format thingy is running.  I can make it work, but it looks like a mess to me.  Fortunately, with the little preview feature, I'm able to assure myself that a messy workspace is not the same as a messy product.

It still bugs me.  Just not enough to actually do anything about it.  Except complain to y'all. 

Thor

Folks,
  

I am stoked (in a tired and exhausted sort of way)!  Lost, the first TV show that I'm a real follow-it-from-week-to-week-buy-the-season-the-day-it-comes-out fan of returns tonight in a little less than an hour!  When it closed down for the break, Jack was trying to free Kate and Sawyer from the Others by holding their leader's life hostage on the operating table.  What's gonna happen next?!
   

In other news, I'm also very tired for some reason.  At 6pm I basically hit a wall and just shut down for the last two hours.  Thankfully, I'm a (former) boy-scout and I know how to be prepared.  My couch and I have been having quality time together, and it's a beautiful thing.  Now I'm ready to take the hound for a walk and then settle down for my favorite show.

My serious meditation for the day has been: "How do we not make provision for the flesh?"  The flesh being our sinful desires, and provision being actions or thoughts that strengthen those desires rather than weakening them.  Most obvious is to avoid those situations that contain temptation, but sometimes they're sneaky and come in disguise.  Other times, they're inextricably linked to other activities (like the magazines at the food store - y'gotta shop to eat, after all).  The answer that Scripture gives in Romans 13 is a) to put on the armor of light and b) put on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Part b immediately takes my mind to "take every thought captive to the will of Christ" and "be conformed to the image of Christ", but what does part a refer to?  Should I be buying those glow-stick things in bulk?  A whole new line of fashion rises from the ashes - Luminesce!

Then again, maybe not.  I suspect that these passages from Col. 3 are more relevant ...

Col. 3:10 (ESV) 
    and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 

Col. 3:12-17 (ESV) 
    Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Those are the things we're thinking about today.

Thor

Well folks, it's been a busy few weeks.

First, there was the whole Christmas thing, which was enjoyable and relatively busy.  The loot was satisfactory, but more importantly the food was delicious.  And there were people here and there, but the main point is that we had some majorly good grub.  Sadly, the season of egg nog is now past, and we must wait many moons before it comes again.
  Short summary: had Christmas with my folks, we opened presents and had good times together.  Next year, because of the new in-law factor (two brothers being married), we're thinking of having the present part of Christmas on New Year's Day.  If that works, it should make everyone's life easier.  Check back in eleven months or so and I'll update y'all.

My next hurdle was our Sr High ministry's annual Youth Banquet.  This is a formal, sit-down dinner for the 500-600 students and parents in our church.  As a member of the Admin Team, there were numerous tasks to be done to prepare for the evening.  This year was, by popular and insider assessment, our best Banquet ever.  We had the perfect amount of food, swish decorations, on schedule setup/teardown, flawless leadership, beautiful weather, sufficient volunteers, etc.  In every category it was excellent.  The only downside is that it seems impossible to improve next year's, which probably means that we'll have some sort of minor disaster.  Ah well ... tomorrow's troubles will take care of themselves.

In other news, work has been increasingly busy.  For us, as curriculum providers, winter is typically a slow season in terms of sales.  But we seek to use the time wisely by working on larger projects that would be impossible in the rush of spring and summer.  These projects have been keeping me busy from the time I arrive at my warehouse until I am able to tear myself away.  These projects range from long-term planning to building projects to training new staff to mastering new technology to reorganizing work spaces.  Throughout all this, God has been richly blessing our efforts.

Among other things:
  1) I got to keep my warehouse space - which we had considered giving up, and having me move my operations into a different space.  This means that I don't have to a) move and b) make do with far less space.
  2) We finally stopped using a CD reproducer out in CA and instead have gotten our own technology.  This gives me much greater control and flexibility to produce what's needed when it is needed.  That has enabled us to launch ..
  3) Go To Egypt is the centerpiece of our new marketing strategy.  It is a three week sample tour of the curriculum we sell, along with the supplemental products we offer.  For folks whose internet connection is slow or non-existant we offer a free CD version.  Without 2) I'd be hurting to provide these discs in a timely and cost-effective method
  4) After several weeks of effort, I have nearly completed a clean/quiet room for the comfort and convenience of several employees.  One girl, who has been my right hand for the last year and a half, is unfortunately allergic to my dog.  Now she'll have a place free of his fur, and the ladies who answer our phones will have a quiet place to work (away from the distinctive screech of tape guns).

In short, my days are full of good works to be done, which is a satisfying place to be.  The briefest mention of teaching must suffice, but it's going well.

This brings me to nights and weekends :)  

  I've been hanging most often with my good buddy Jason and his family.  They're great - they feed me and let me play with their little girls.  Once the kiddos are in bed, we get to watch TV (which I don't have at my house) shows like Prison Break and 24 or play video games.  Football, now sadly ended, has been a big part of this tradition.  Usually, I'd go over for Sunday afternoon/evening games, where we would cheer for (or mourn with) the Broncos (J's team) and Patriots (my team).  This Sat we're thinking of helping out a mutual friend with a fox problem - soon I'll be posting on the competing merits of a .22 rifle w/scope vs 12 gauge shotgun w/buckshot.  Basically, we're twins separated by birth.  Did I mention that I get fed?  Cause as a single guy, this is a big deal :)
  Otherwise, I hang out with some weirdo who keeps losing his car.  It's a pity thing, really.
  If he's not available, I trade dinners with a friend from college and her husband.  I'm his lifeline to pasta (spaghetti being the mainstay of the single male) and they feed me really good shrimp.  I nearly stomped them in Trivial Pursuit the other day, but the game was called on account of early bedtimes.
  Then, as the owner of a recently acquired (and previously mentioned) shotgun, I have made it a point to go find a wise mentor to teach me the ways of the firearm.  This dude has an impressive collection (shotgun, .45 handgun, semi-auto mini-14, and .308 sniper rifle), as well as all the Babylon 5 and SG-1 seasons.  Naturally, none of this has any impact on my motive for befriending him.  I admit to being slightly influenced by the fact that he has Gears of War ;)
  Then there are these people claiming to be my family, who keep throwing Sunday afternoon lunch parties, which I gate-crash.  They're a sentimental bunch, but I'm able to look past that to get to the roast beef...

Other activities include: 
    Weekly, on Tuesdays, I have the privilege of leading a small group of singles from our church
  Lost on Wed nights (finally! after a loooong break through Dec and Jan)
  Serving once a month on Admin and also at childcare for the married couples meeting

Somehow, in the midst of all this, I've not had a whole lot of time to update this blog thingy.  I need to apologize for this, to a limited degree, because I've been judging other people harshly because they haven't updated their blogs regularly or frequently.  Now that I've fulfilled my obligation to the blogosphere, I can go back to judging them with a clean conscience :)

It is now about five seconds until midnight, so I'm going to sign off for the time being.  One reason for resurrecting my inner blogger is that Monsieur le Nut* a.k.a. Big Nut (rumored to be a Canadian, hence the dual spelling of his name, to reflect both official languages of that fair and chilly land) is back in business with a nifty new site.  He has promised to resume the mental fencing we enjoyed in the fall.  So, I'm sharpening the old fingertips back up for further battle of the minds.

Thor

*it should be noted, since I sometimes forget it, that Regular Nut (mother of the Nut family, not to be confused with NutLittle, who is the daughter) also posts on this site.  Care should be taken when commenting to consider the source.

PS. After six weeks and more of disgustingly warm temperature (literally 60s and 70s) we're finally experiencing something approaching decently cold.  No real snow yet, however.  But hope still lives in the heart of Thor - every day is a new beginning, with the potential for a massive blizzard lurking in the morning newscast.

PPS. Those of you who are experiencing real winter and are envious of our warmth, the feeling is mutual.  Except I want your snow and cold.  Please feel free to ship any excess via our UPS account - contact me privately for address and delivery details ;)

          BigNut recently raised the question* of whether I was engaging in cognitive dissonance (i.e. a kind way of describing the path of mutually contradicting beliefs/practices leading to hypocrisy - not that he meant that, but it's how I would define c.d. if the situations were reversed and I was being blunt) by claiming a) God as truth and to disbelieve/disapprove any who disagree with Him, and also b) to espouse Machiavelli, who puts expediency with regards to political power above obedience to God. 

          My initial response was to say, of course not!  But if that is true, then I need to be able to prove it to a reasonable person.  Either way this turns out, I am grateful to him for the gracious way he’s raised the question and the kindness he’s showing by not allowing me to wallow in the ignorance of this blind spot.  “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” Prov 27:6.

          So, I started by going to the passage and reading the whole chapter in an attempt to get the context of the verse.  I'm quoting it below for the reader's convenience and because that's the way I like to work.

2 Cor. 6:1-13 (ESV) 

    Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  [2] For he says,

    "In a favorable time I listened to you,

        and in a day of salvation I have helped you."

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  [3] We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,  [4] but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,  [5] beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;  [6] by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love,  [7] by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left;  [8] through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true;  [9] as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed;  [10] as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

    [11] We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians; our heart is wide open.  [12] You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections.  [13] In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.

This first half of 2 Cor 6 implores the Corinthians to “not receive the grace of God in vain.”  He goes on to state that “now is the day of salvation”, and then to list the many ways that he and his companions have suffered for the gospel.  Paul’s goal was to “put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry”.

            I’m convicted right there that, to some degree, I’ve been putting the goals of the [Christian] homeschooling movement ahead of the ministry of the gospel.  Not that there isn’t a place for advancing political aims, but that should be a secondary concern in any conversation.  This leads me to consider the second half of 2 Cor 6.

2 Cor. 6:14-18 (ESV) 

    Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  [15] What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?  [16] What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

    "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

        and I will be their God,

        and they shall be my people.

    [17] Therefore go out from their midst,

        and be separate from them, says the Lord,

    and touch no unclean thing;

        then I will welcome you,

    [18] and I will be a father to you,

        and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

    says the Lord Almighty."

            Historically**, I’d always understood this passage (2 Cor 6:14) to primarily refer to marriage between believers and unbelievers*** and secondarily to a general proscription/warning against binding ourselves (as believers) tightly to unbelievers.  The basic concept being, from my reading of the passage, that believers and unbelievers have fundamental differences, which are mutually irreconcilable.  Y’don’t put a capitalist and a communist in mutual charge of the economy – one or the other must dominate (or nothing will be achieved) – to use an example from recent history.

            So then, how do I apply this passage in my life?  What does it mean for me to not be “unequally yoked”?  Is my fate a monastery in the Alps or a farm in PA?  I don’t think so … but I do see a need to more carefully examine how/why I believe or promote anything outside of Scripture.  I know that all Scripture is true, breathed out by God, and eternal.  I am also convinced that everything outside of Scripture contains some degree of error.  So it seems that the way forward is to identify and commend whatever conforms to Scripture and to ruthlessly root out of my belief system that which doesn’t.  When I encounter others in (what I believe to be) error, I should deal gently with them, remembering the many time that I have been in error (and may still be).  Yet I need to be faithful to point out the truth.  To do otherwise would be to willfully leave them in error – possibly leading to eternal death.

2 Tim. 2:24-25 (ESV) 

    And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,  [25] correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 

Lots to think about …

Thor

* Unfortunately, I don't yet know how to link to a specific spot on another webpage.  There's a LONG conversation/argument on that page.  If you want to save yourself time and effort, just scroll down to post #21 and read his second point.  I think that I've accurately captured the heart of it, however, in my opening paragraphs.

** Typically when I use “historically” in this sense it means my personal experience, although on occasion it simply means ‘this has been the historical trend’.  Obviously this is a limited perspective that hasn’t benefited from in-depth research.  I’m open to being corrected, but the purpose of the phrase is to give the reader a sense of why I believe x, y, or z fact to be true.

*** I also spent some time looking up all the cross references for this passage, and they nearly all referred to prohibitions against intermarriage between the Israelites and the surrounding nations.  This certainly isn’t conclusive proof of anything, but it does seem to confirm the emphasis that I’ve always associated with this verse.

There is one cartoon that stands head and shoulders above the rest in my collection of movies: Emperor's New Groove.

Admittedly, this was an acquired taste.  The first time I saw it, I enjoyed it but didn't think it was all that fantastic.  Then I watched it about five times during my last semester at college.  My roommates and I had a couple friends whose idea of a relaxing evening was coming over to our place and watching ENG.  On the second or third time around, I finally stopped paying attention to the main characters and looked at what was going on in the background.

What a hoot!

This movie is one of the few where the cartoonists basically just cut loose and had fun with all the background details.  You don't notice them initially, but once you start to, then one finds all kinds of little sight-gags.

It's kind of like watching Over the Hedge, which is another excellent cartoon.  Throughout the movie there are references to other movies: Citizen Kane, Space Odessey 2001, etc.  The kids watching this movie are just like, "OK, that was a fun scene" but the adults are snorting and giggling at an entirely different level.

Unfortunately, I must confess that I know people who - despite an honest effort -  have no love for "that llama movie".  It's sad and I feel bad for them.  

Cronk's New Groove is the sequel, and I still have not seen it ... yet.  I'm sort of saving it for that moment when I really need a good pickmeup.  Kind of like getting a random present and then waiting to open it.  The anticipation is part of the delight.

Classic ENG quote:

"Uh oh."

"Don't tell me, we're about to go over a giant waterfall."

"Yep."

"Sharp rocks at the bottom?"

"Most likely."

"Bring it on..."

Watch. Delight. Share.

Thor

For those of you who might be interested, the schedule is as follows:

Tonight: make spaghetti, brown the rest of the meat, eat cheesecake, think fond thoughts of Stargate Atlantis

Tues: turn 26, take Nana to the airport, family birthday dinner, BIG meeting

Wed: teach two classes, try to get something useful done, chase small people around for three hours

Thurs: mutter at the Mudget for setting up Date Night on Boys Night, find replacement friends

Fri: all day strategy session at work, dinner with friends at Carrabbas!

Sat: sleep late, bang nails with hammer (i.e. build more of the fence), chase teenagers around at sr high meeting, IHOP :)

Sun: accountability, put away sound equipment, Christmas tree shopping with family, sr high admin meeting, food run and fun

Sometimes I think that my life is boring, and then I realize that I'm just nuts.

:)

Thor

Life is a highway ... I want to drive it all night long ...

11 o'clock hour: errands

12 o'clock hour: drop off grandparent at airport

1 o'clock hour: pick up photographer from VA

2 o'clock hour: drop off photographer in Baltimore

3 o'clock hour: lunch and parking (in downtown Baltimore)

4 o'clock hour: drop photographer back off in VA

5 o'clock hour: beat up small boys with baseball bat (plastic)

6 o'clock hour: drive back to MD

About six hours of driving all told.  Good times, but tiring.

Why?

http://www.xanga.com/merely_myself

http://www.xanga.com/ohmyland

They call me The Facilitator.

I'm blessed these days by a rich friendship with a family in my church.

Basically, they feed me.  And I entertain their small children while they get important things (like replacing brakes or painting murals or folding laundry done).

Now, to be honest, I would probably pay to play with small children.  And these are particularly cute small children ... so this is really an easy gig.  But the surprising thing is how much it means to them.  Which got me thinking about how many other ways there are to bless people in small ways.

Starting with kids: just paying attention to them, getting down at their level and (with a minimum of babytalk) taking an interest in what interests them.  Sure, this painted rock is really not that special - except to this 3 year old, it's the greatest thing since slice bread! (which she discovered at lunch, btw)  Release the inner child and you encounter a world full of marvelous things: toes, babyfood, bugs, rocks, dogs, small plastic animals (mommy, daddy, and baby versions of each are a necessity), hide and go seek, etc.  The simple joy of being first to finish supper: "Me beat you!"

Moving to teens: there's an ad running on the radio currently in my area, "What's the biggest reason teens don't use drugs ... ?  You.  Talk to your kids."  I'm fortunate to be part of the administration team for our church's youth group, and I have the opportunity to just have conversations with these kids.  Am I transforming their lives?  Probably not.  But how many of us have been influenced by the example and interest of an older person in our life?  How has that shaped you?  A couple hours once a month opens doors for me to have those kinds of conversations and influence ... a little thing.

Adults: part of my routine at their house is to help with dinner dishes when those need doing.  Often, with chasing small children into bed, and administrating a charity food distribution group, the dishes don't get done on a Sunday night until late.  I am a trained dishwasher who looks on the chaos left by 35 people at Thanksgiving and laughs.  So the leftover dishes of a haphazard Sunday supper are easy for me to take on (thanks Mom and Dad for all the dishes you made me do, they have bourne fruit!).  Yet that's a major blessing to them.  Just as them feeding me is a major blessing to me.  It's a little thing, but it makes such a difference to another person.

Most of what I do - at work, at home, at friends' houses, at church - is (relatively) little.  It's easy and only takes a few minutes.  Yet if I were to try and measure its impact, I doubt I'd be able to.  Not that this is designed to be a puff piece for how great Thor is.  Rather, I'd like to encourage you to be on the lookout for those little moments when you can serve someone else.

That's the essence of what I'm trying to say: look for ways to lay down your life, your desires, your time, your leisure and like seeds, which are sown and must die - there will come a rich harvest of good works.

The prime example of this?

An Ode to that Drink, peerless among holiday beverages, which is beloved by the heart of Thor:

Pass on whiskey,

Pass on wine.

Pass on beer, and turpentine.

Rejoice!

Rejoice!

O words sublime ...

O Happy Day!

It's Egg Nog time!

Personally, I think kids are fun ... lots and lots and lots of fun.  My favorite age is from post-diaper up to "too cool for this".  Not that I dislike the diaper crowd, nor am I put off by the adolescent crowd.

But for pure, unadulterated fun, the middlings are top notch.

For example, you can rile them up really really easily.  Dodgeball, freeze-tag, mass wrestling match.  All you need is to abandon any sense of dignity and lead the way with zeal.  Once you have them properly fired up, then you play all sorts of games with their little minds.

Every Wednesday for the past month, I've been leading a group of 1-3rd graders for a couple hours during an outreach at our church.  My staple game is freeze-tag.  I gather them around me in a circle and pick four or so kids to be "it".  To everyone else I yell: "RUN AWAAAAAY".

Then I stand there and laugh at them for about three minutes until I call them back and pick the next four or five kids.  Organized chaos!

What's really amusing is how much they'll get into it.  Not in the sense that they're arguing, but that they'll do this happily for a half hour straight.  Rarely, if ever, do the taggers win.  And the littlest kids never freeze for more than about two seconds.  But everyone is happy as clams running around like maniacs.

Since our class is called the Bears, we have the 'Bear Walk' when we're moving between locations.  They follow in ragged single file behind me as I lead them in a crazy looping pattern around chairs, under tables, and through the line itself to our next destination.  Some kids keep right on track, like little ants.  Other kids are off forging their own paths to glory.  Many decide to simply take the short-cut to the nearest point in the looping line.  What makes them decide to do which?

Here's the helpful point for anyone trying to lead a group of kids.  All you need is to get one kid riled up and into whatever it is that you're doing and most of the rest will leap on in.  This is particularly true with wrestling.  Y'know those quiet little girls who sit on the sideline?  Watch out for them when you're on the floor, cause they're the ones who'll come out with a flying tackle the moment you poke your head above the fray.

In other news, the Harvest Party is fast approaching!  2000+ kids, $1300 worth of candy (above and beyond the one bag/family fee), and me.  Oh the simple joys!

Thor

*Assuming that you qualify my fuzzy thinking as a 'mind', which certain people highly doubt.

In some senses, most of what we do in our interpersonal relationships is inherently political by definition/nature. To argue against something being political/politicized has always seemed to me to be silly. This is the playing field! These are the rules! If you don’t like how the game is playing out – either play better than everyone else or get the field/rules changed. Or … create something new that everyone else has to react to – which is what homeschoolers have done, I suppose.

Whatcha think?  We're talking about representation of homeschoolers - Christian and/vs secular - over here: http://www.cronje.ca/article/76/homeschooling-dads---new-target-of-the-rightwing-fringe

Other, regularly scheduled posts will be forthcoming, whenever I feel like getting around to it.

Thor

Hi y'all,

My apologies for three weeks of silence.  We're in the changing of seasons at work and I am trying to focus on making this transition go smoothly.  A couple more days of diligence should have it wrapped up and then I'll return to my previously scheduled posts.

In the future I'll try to give more warning about busy seasons.

Thor

So, you may have been wondering, "Why Thor?" or perhaps, "Who is Thor anyways and why should we care?"

In Norse mythology, Thor was the 'god' of thunder and of smithing.  He's the dude with the big hammer (Mjollnir), who wanders around having various adventures.  Food and fighting are the simple joys of his life.  In short, he's kinda the redneck of Valhallah, but he gets the job done.

So why Thor?

The context ....

    Three years ago or so, I joined our church's sr high youth ministry administration team.  We were about to put on a major game night so that the kids would have an alternative to Halloween.  As part of the craziness that went on that year, somebody got the bright idea of putting together t-shirts for the folks on the team.

The debate ....

     This naturally sparked lively debate as to who should get which nicknames on the back of their shirt.  Some folks had it easy with names that they'd had since high school.  Others (two years later) are only finally finding their true nickname.  One at least still hasn't latched onto a solid handle.  Conflict* about this still ripples through our team on an annual basis.  I could see where all this was headed from the get-go, so I picked a nice simple name that wouldn't get any grief.

What I do ....

     My role on the team is three-fold.  First, build whatever props/decorations are needed.  Second, provide muscle-power where needed.  And third, enforce the rules - such as not letting the kids wander freely during the planned portion of youth events.  Consequently, I spend a fair amount of time monitoring or interacting with the foolish crowd, who tend to be first to wander off.

The fan-club ....

     It is my observation from life and three years of working with high schoolers, that foolish kids tend to find foolish kids to hang out with.  This makes my life much easier, since a large part of my job is keeping those kids from getting into as much trouble as they could.  A little over a year ago, at our annual retreat, these guys suddenly decided that this was kinda cool.  I think maybe it's because someone is paying attention to them without letting them get away with stuff.  Of course, it could just be the thrill factor of trying to get past the "goalie".

The chant ....

     Thus it is that for the last year, I've randomly heard "Thoooor!" called out from the distance.   That's their way of letting me know that they know I'm there.  As time has gone on, this identity has caught on to an increasing degree, until most of the 300+ kids in our ministry knows who I am.

How I feel about this ....

     It's pretty fun, actually.  And very humbling.  Basically, I have a relationship - and a certain amount of influence with these kids now.  This is social capital, so how will I spend it?  It would be easy to lose this by being too authoritarian or squander it by being too buddy-buddy.  I'm seeking to invest it in such a way that it enables me to build deeper relationships with other groups of kids within the ministry. 

Are they scared of me ....

     Pretty much, yeah.  In a good way.  My sister tells a story from our most recent youth retreat.  Curfew was minutes away and the lobby was crowded.  Then the cry went up, "Thor's coming!" and within moments the place was cleared out as teens scampered for their rooms.  I'm the enforcer - and they know better than to mess with me.

So: Viking heritage, wielder of hammers and builder of stuff, bearded, loves food, inspires a reasonable degree of awe ... all this adds up to my alter ego:

Thor. 

*Conflict defined here as the friendly debate and bickering between a group of friends, where the result is as much a running joke as it is a difference of opinion.

I'm off to babysit in about 15 minutes, so we'll see how far this post gets.

Ah, childhood memory ... it's crazy what you'll remember after a long period of forgetting it.

"Janitor of the Known Universe"

    This was a self-appointed title that I had back in the day.  It came out of my constant battle to lead the troops (fellow kids) in cleaning the house and my father's musings on metaphysics.

    For instance, what is really KNOWN about the universe?  And for that matter, who knows it?  Do I know you?  If we truthfully answer these questions based on our own experience* then the answer is really not much.  And of that not much, I am a janitor - a lowly steward appointed to keep things clean, neat, orderly, and well maintained.  Am I responsible for things beyond my ken**?  Not really - or at least not on a consistent basis.

    Anyways, the fun part of this title is that it sounds pretentious, but in reality it's not.

It all happened so fast ...

     There I was at the intersection, waiting to go straight.  The green light had come on for the left hand turn lane, and the line of cars was beginning to roll out.  Then a car came up behind me, got into the left turn lane and was forced to slow down because the cars ahead of him had just started to move.  The driver gave a brief honk of the horn - the sort that you use to get someone's attention to the fact that the light is green and you (at least) would like to go now.

     Observing this, I remarked into thin air, "That was polite."  And instantly conviction came!  I had just lied, because in my head I had said, "You're a jerk."

     So I offer this question for your consideration: Is sarcasm lying?

For myself, I find that it is all too often the first indicator (or at least the first that I notice) that I'm being self-righteous.  Intertwined with that self-righteousness is the sin of judging others - for example, I would never be so rude as to honk at an already moving line of cars because I was impatient.

Do I wish to be believed when I speak?  As I pondered this conviction and chewed on various Scriptures [let your yes be yes James 5:12; a soft answer turns away wrath Prov 15:1; let no corrupting talks come out of your mouths Eph 4:29; etc.] I was reminded of my experiences with other people's sarcasm.  There have been a number of occasions where I was genuinely confused as to whether someone was speaking in jest or in truth.  If the one, then it was a serious matter to joke about; and if the other then it needed sincere attention and humility to examine if the person was discerning some pattern/area of sin that I wasn't aware of.  Either way, I had to figure out whether I would believe what they said or not ...

      And if not - I have found that I am less likely to listen carefully to them when they do speak seriously.  Their habit of speaking sarcastically has dulled my ears to them.  In practice, they become like the boy who cried "Wolf!"

Well .. it's been 15 minutes and then some.  I've got to book*** on out of here!

Thor

* Experience is a technical philosophical term that I'm sure Dad would love to explain in detail if you'll ask him about it.  Suffice it to say that there are some who would say that I can only be sure of that which I've personally experienced.  Which reminds me to tell you about some of my dreams sometime ....

** Ken is a Scottish word for know or knowing

*** Book comes from my wallpaper hanging apprenticeship with mi madre.  We'd wet the glue on the back of the paper and stick it to itself for a while to let all the little enzymes and such do their jobs.  About 5-10 minutes later we'd peel it back from itself and stick it to the wall.  For some mysterious reason, "book it" has come to mean "get going".

Further etimological (either has to do with the history of words or insides of bugs****) tidbits as time permits.

**** the bug half of things to be safe: my employee/boss (I know, it's a weird relationship) REALLY does not like spiders.  This is very tempting, especially with the upcoming holiday and all the goodies on sale at the store .....