Posts
So far as I can tell, my children want reality. I am glad to give it to them. Children basically want to be like adults (I say basically b/c this attitude can be curbed by a lack of nurturing it). This is a good thing given the following and let us turn them into principles:
1. Be what they ought to be when they become adults.
2. Nurture their own practice of these skills
3. Use reality as much as possible
4. Remember that probably, your taking time with them is more important than the task itself, so let them help.
5. Encourage ALWAYS excellency and correct procedure.
6. THis applies no less to spiritual discipline, service, and worship.
1) By this I mean that practically if a mature child should know how to cook then cook and let them see it. If they should know how to hold and sing to a new born then hold the new born and sing to it letting your child see it. In other words you are being the living lesson for your children.
2) By this I mean that we should take opportunity to encourage them when they try to mimic us. If my son wants to get his tool bag and help fix the door of our house then by all means I want him to fit right in to the schedule. Find a way to make them understand and feel that their interest is both important and good.
3) THis is controversial but I give my children as much of the real thing as I can. Though Landis cannot yet drive a nail he does have a real hammer. Though he cannot finish tightening a bolt he can turn the wrench for a descent amount of time before its too tight. We let our daughter play with toy cooksets until she could play with real one without getting hurt. Now she is big enough (five yrs old) to help in the kitchen.
5) This does not mean being angry when they mess up. It means not being satisfied until they learn the right way. We praise a good effort to make up a bed but then we take the time to show them helpful tips to do it better (how to get the wrinkles out; principles of organization, etc.). Once they know how to do it with excellence, we expect it. Evangeline is to make her bed "pretty" every day.
6) Do family worship daily if possible. We don't let it pass with "Jesus Loves Me" (as helpful as that is) but we sing hardy songs and read the tough passages and we have our children pray (on their knees) and not just any prayer but for such things as is important for the kingdom (they are allowed to add whatever they'd like).
I want them to pray and think and live through a grid of reality. THis does not rob them of childhood but enriches them. It is we who turn them into little cartoons of chaos.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Family Quiet Times
Several excuses are already in your mind. If your child has a short attention span then it is up to you to train the span of their attention. Don't start with forty-five minutes but with ten one month, 20 the next, and so on. Remember, you decide what habits your children learn, not them. Remember too, you are not giving them habits that they necessarily enjoy but that are necessary for the inner-life-skills that one day they may reflect back on with joy. (No one likes having to save their money until they graduate with a fortune.)
Good habits of the home come hard. We fight against an enemy that would have us be hopeless, defeated little bands of ogres glued forever to a TV or computer screen. One habit that I am currently trying to build into my family's day is a 45 min period of quiet after which we do the normal family worship.
Quietude is a virtue. "Where words are many, sin is not absent" (Prov) and the same may be true for activity. During this time Julie and I do some kind of personal Bible study individually. I don't ask the children to do this but I ask them to not talk during this period, to stay in one place, and to do something reflective such as a puzzle, a book, a drawing, etc. As they grow mentally, I will have them do more wholistic things suited to their abilities.
What this does is nuture obedience, a habit of stillness, and a habit of reflection. Quietness is not easy even though it is good and fulfilling. So it takes committment and accountability. I have hit 20% in my attempts over the last month to show my own struggle with it but I am determined to weekly up this percentage.
Another excuse may be time. Let me suggest that you do not start with holding yourself accountable to the forty-five minute quiet time at first. Instead, set a goal to reduce over the next four weeks your schedule for that period of the day. Plan instead to do something different like watch the news. This is much more motivating for getting you to find the room to do something in a 45 min time slot. After a month, kick the TV or whatever, and replace that time slot with quiet. This is a psychological trick that helps you cope with the change.
Good habits of the home come hard. We fight against an enemy that would have us be hopeless, defeated little bands of ogres glued forever to a TV or computer screen. One habit that I am currently trying to build into my family's day is a 45 min period of quiet after which we do the normal family worship.
Quietude is a virtue. "Where words are many, sin is not absent" (Prov) and the same may be true for activity. During this time Julie and I do some kind of personal Bible study individually. I don't ask the children to do this but I ask them to not talk during this period, to stay in one place, and to do something reflective such as a puzzle, a book, a drawing, etc. As they grow mentally, I will have them do more wholistic things suited to their abilities.
What this does is nuture obedience, a habit of stillness, and a habit of reflection. Quietness is not easy even though it is good and fulfilling. So it takes committment and accountability. I have hit 20% in my attempts over the last month to show my own struggle with it but I am determined to weekly up this percentage.
Another excuse may be time. Let me suggest that you do not start with holding yourself accountable to the forty-five minute quiet time at first. Instead, set a goal to reduce over the next four weeks your schedule for that period of the day. Plan instead to do something different like watch the news. This is much more motivating for getting you to find the room to do something in a 45 min time slot. After a month, kick the TV or whatever, and replace that time slot with quiet. This is a psychological trick that helps you cope with the change.
For Dads out there
I am struck by my own laziness and the amount of grace and sweat it requires to establish habits that reflect a meaningful and delightful way of life. This may sound contradictory since it is questionable whether a delightful way of life includes sweat! Nevertheless, I think it is demonstrable.
First, when I was in Jr. High the most delightful season of basketball was at the same time the most demanding and excruciating. Coach Flick would run us to a near death experience in practic. . . .but we were good! Oh were we good! And we loved being good!
Second, take premarital sex as a moral example. It takes sweat and self-denial to say no to premarital intimacy. However, who has the more delightful marriage? or love life in general? It is the one who waited. In fact, it is the one who continues to restrict his sexual activity to his wife that has the more delightful love life.
Third, take fasting. If I fast breakfast and lunch and you don't, who will enjoy supper more?
Or let us reverse the argument. Suppose you have the highest of standards for good music or even for a good future wife. Your idealism itself "delights not in lesser things". How can I profane my life now in view of the reward I will receive? For we Christians we have an extra measure of help in this way: the Holy Spirit who is our deposit of joy until the day we are raised from the dead; our deposit of joy while we bear our cross in expectation of that day. Thus the early Christian with delight cast themselves to the damn beasts of Rome's coliseum.
Fathers, it takes sweat to be a good father and a good husband. Suck it up you big babies! Fix this in your mind, that you do not admire yourself as a stupid, lazy, fartslipping idiot of a man. Instead, you admire yourself as strong in character, persevering in trial, responsible with all things, and respectful to all manner of men. Who admires an idiot? Who admires laziness? Who admires a man that speaks harshly to his wife? It may be easy, it may be funny. But it is despicable and nothing your sons will admire (the Lord forgive you if they imitate it).
"Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee life!" Eph 5
First, when I was in Jr. High the most delightful season of basketball was at the same time the most demanding and excruciating. Coach Flick would run us to a near death experience in practic. . . .but we were good! Oh were we good! And we loved being good!
Second, take premarital sex as a moral example. It takes sweat and self-denial to say no to premarital intimacy. However, who has the more delightful marriage? or love life in general? It is the one who waited. In fact, it is the one who continues to restrict his sexual activity to his wife that has the more delightful love life.
Third, take fasting. If I fast breakfast and lunch and you don't, who will enjoy supper more?
Or let us reverse the argument. Suppose you have the highest of standards for good music or even for a good future wife. Your idealism itself "delights not in lesser things". How can I profane my life now in view of the reward I will receive? For we Christians we have an extra measure of help in this way: the Holy Spirit who is our deposit of joy until the day we are raised from the dead; our deposit of joy while we bear our cross in expectation of that day. Thus the early Christian with delight cast themselves to the damn beasts of Rome's coliseum.
Fathers, it takes sweat to be a good father and a good husband. Suck it up you big babies! Fix this in your mind, that you do not admire yourself as a stupid, lazy, fartslipping idiot of a man. Instead, you admire yourself as strong in character, persevering in trial, responsible with all things, and respectful to all manner of men. Who admires an idiot? Who admires laziness? Who admires a man that speaks harshly to his wife? It may be easy, it may be funny. But it is despicable and nothing your sons will admire (the Lord forgive you if they imitate it).
"Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee life!" Eph 5
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Art of Worship
It is useless, I think, to treat worship in our services as bearing no importance as to its form and character. Let us not forget that the early church was a worshipping church whose teaching was not easily dichotomized from their worship. What they confessed they learned; what they learned they confessed. I want to lay out one major problem in worship that could be remedied and several principles for forming a wholesome and helpful worship service.
Remembering our reformation heritage we find that Church leadership often got too much in the way and instead of being a bridge they became a blockade. Many reformers before and after Luther emphasized the need to give the people the Scriptures. In many ways, we are facing the same situation with the protestant churches at large today. Let me illustrate what I mean by stating several negatives:
1) the pulpit is not an opion desk, bandwagon opportunity, or outreach (here I am referring to at least Sunday morning)
2) the worship leader is not the voice of the people and especially not the substitute of the people in worship
With this very simplistic portrayal of a big issue, let me state some principles that would help the formation of worship in our services.
Leaders,
1) assume that the people want to worship and confess both their sins and their beliefs
2) make sure you provide an opportunity for them to do this
3) get out of the way
4) every detail of the service is important so pay attention to detail
Think of it this way, when I come to worship service I want to worship with the people of God. I often think to myself: "Please do not rob us of our worship!" It has been said about the NBA that a good referee is one who is never noticed. Apply this principle to the leading of a service. The leader is there not to be noticed but to provide direction and order. This means trying not to be noticed.
This can be accomplished by several means: make sure that your voice is only hear when the people get off track. Second, don't sing harmony but leave that to the choir since the people are not themselves singing harmony. Third, don't give mini sermons and exhortations every time you get up; this is a distraction and assumes the inauthenticity of the worshipers. Fourth, assuming that the people want to come to worship, provide for them an orbit (an order of service) in which to enter.
Imagine if every time we sang a hymn I stopped in the middle of the verse to pray or explain something or make an announcement or give an mini-exhortation. How frustrating! Instead, get out of the way and leave the exhortation to the reading of the Word and trust that the people do not need anyone to continually remind them of what the song means. Let the song and the prayers and the Scriptures speak for themselves. Additionally, it is the people's voices that should be heard and not the overarching sound of either the instruments or the lead singers (bridge rather than blockade).
In the same way, the service as a whole is an offering and a rythm. It is not helpful to break it up into disproportionate chunks. Let it be a flow from one thing to the next. We confess our faith by saying corporately the Lords Prayer or the Apostolic Creed or whatever, which leads us directly into a song of worship. If announcements are needed or if direction as to what to do next (such as sitting or standing or greeting) are needed this is better done by putting it in the bulletin. In this way, the rythm is not broken and the people know when to stand, sit, and say amen without having someone continuously be narrating the service (distraction). An order of worship in the bulletin accomplishes this.
I cannot say enough that whatever gets emphasis and attention off of the individual leader helps the people to be the focus of the service. Thus the congregational prayer is not an opportunity to teach or preach but is a prayer offered in behalf of the people. Written prayers that are prepared should be encouraged seeing that they indicate careful preparation and deliberate care. This also gives an opportunity to utilize some of the faithful prayers of the church historical and discourages counting on the happen chance prayer that can in fact indicate a lack of care.
Also, it is good for the people to pray and confess (confession of belief) corporately and responsively. Responsive readings are beautiful when done well and give the people a way of participating and actually leading the service. Thus we the people become active in the service. Not only does it give the people a chance to be active but a chance to be united; a chance to be public; a chance to hear themselves and others speaks about Jesus as Lord etc. We unite our voices to state emphatically and dogmatically what we confess to be true.
I think it is not very helpful also when we make our services equal to evangelism. Once again, do not take away the opportunity of the people of God to worship and be encouraged by the word. This is their service.
Paying attention to music, we must acknowledge that everything we do creates an atmosphere. Music can convey happiness, authenticity, sorrow, expectation, mystery, and so on. What we sing is important just as what we preach is important and careful attention should be given to the beauty of the words as well as the soundness of the ideas portrayed and expressed. The same would hold for the prayers, the sermon, and the confessions of faith. Not only what we sing, but the arrangements are important since they produce a certian atmosphere on their own as well as the order in which they are done. Care taken can make for a sound and goergeous service.
Use images and art that faithful portray and create the presence of truth and mystery and expectation. Do this both in the architecture of the place of worship and in the scenery of the church in so far as is possible.
Lastly, this is not really about contemporary verses traditional. Actually what many call traditional is only several hundred years old and not that traditional. This issue might be approached by noting several factors to keep in mind:
1)there is a difference between sacred music and music in general (since they do create an atmosphere and a state of mind)
2) both may be utilized in an asthetically pleasing and metrical fashion
3) doing this is difficult
4) we want to utilize the history of the church's sacred worship while also baptizing the culture we are in so as to use its unique gift of art and music
5) there is also a difference between corporate music and general music
It takes greater care to do this well and my post is not meant to sound critical (its not) only helpful in portraying what seems to me to be some helpful ideas. Don't think that "form" equals "inauthenticity". Do not forget that the worship of Israel instituted by God himself gave careful attention to detail and form. Jesus never criticized the form but the lack of the authenticity. The same is true for singing, corporate prayer, and corporate confession. Authenticity is not decided by form but is a choice. One may sing the most emotional contemporary song and be wholly inauthentic. I had better stop.
Remembering our reformation heritage we find that Church leadership often got too much in the way and instead of being a bridge they became a blockade. Many reformers before and after Luther emphasized the need to give the people the Scriptures. In many ways, we are facing the same situation with the protestant churches at large today. Let me illustrate what I mean by stating several negatives:
1) the pulpit is not an opion desk, bandwagon opportunity, or outreach (here I am referring to at least Sunday morning)
2) the worship leader is not the voice of the people and especially not the substitute of the people in worship
With this very simplistic portrayal of a big issue, let me state some principles that would help the formation of worship in our services.
Leaders,
1) assume that the people want to worship and confess both their sins and their beliefs
2) make sure you provide an opportunity for them to do this
3) get out of the way
4) every detail of the service is important so pay attention to detail
Think of it this way, when I come to worship service I want to worship with the people of God. I often think to myself: "Please do not rob us of our worship!" It has been said about the NBA that a good referee is one who is never noticed. Apply this principle to the leading of a service. The leader is there not to be noticed but to provide direction and order. This means trying not to be noticed.
This can be accomplished by several means: make sure that your voice is only hear when the people get off track. Second, don't sing harmony but leave that to the choir since the people are not themselves singing harmony. Third, don't give mini sermons and exhortations every time you get up; this is a distraction and assumes the inauthenticity of the worshipers. Fourth, assuming that the people want to come to worship, provide for them an orbit (an order of service) in which to enter.
Imagine if every time we sang a hymn I stopped in the middle of the verse to pray or explain something or make an announcement or give an mini-exhortation. How frustrating! Instead, get out of the way and leave the exhortation to the reading of the Word and trust that the people do not need anyone to continually remind them of what the song means. Let the song and the prayers and the Scriptures speak for themselves. Additionally, it is the people's voices that should be heard and not the overarching sound of either the instruments or the lead singers (bridge rather than blockade).
In the same way, the service as a whole is an offering and a rythm. It is not helpful to break it up into disproportionate chunks. Let it be a flow from one thing to the next. We confess our faith by saying corporately the Lords Prayer or the Apostolic Creed or whatever, which leads us directly into a song of worship. If announcements are needed or if direction as to what to do next (such as sitting or standing or greeting) are needed this is better done by putting it in the bulletin. In this way, the rythm is not broken and the people know when to stand, sit, and say amen without having someone continuously be narrating the service (distraction). An order of worship in the bulletin accomplishes this.
I cannot say enough that whatever gets emphasis and attention off of the individual leader helps the people to be the focus of the service. Thus the congregational prayer is not an opportunity to teach or preach but is a prayer offered in behalf of the people. Written prayers that are prepared should be encouraged seeing that they indicate careful preparation and deliberate care. This also gives an opportunity to utilize some of the faithful prayers of the church historical and discourages counting on the happen chance prayer that can in fact indicate a lack of care.
Also, it is good for the people to pray and confess (confession of belief) corporately and responsively. Responsive readings are beautiful when done well and give the people a way of participating and actually leading the service. Thus we the people become active in the service. Not only does it give the people a chance to be active but a chance to be united; a chance to be public; a chance to hear themselves and others speaks about Jesus as Lord etc. We unite our voices to state emphatically and dogmatically what we confess to be true.
I think it is not very helpful also when we make our services equal to evangelism. Once again, do not take away the opportunity of the people of God to worship and be encouraged by the word. This is their service.
Paying attention to music, we must acknowledge that everything we do creates an atmosphere. Music can convey happiness, authenticity, sorrow, expectation, mystery, and so on. What we sing is important just as what we preach is important and careful attention should be given to the beauty of the words as well as the soundness of the ideas portrayed and expressed. The same would hold for the prayers, the sermon, and the confessions of faith. Not only what we sing, but the arrangements are important since they produce a certian atmosphere on their own as well as the order in which they are done. Care taken can make for a sound and goergeous service.
Use images and art that faithful portray and create the presence of truth and mystery and expectation. Do this both in the architecture of the place of worship and in the scenery of the church in so far as is possible.
Lastly, this is not really about contemporary verses traditional. Actually what many call traditional is only several hundred years old and not that traditional. This issue might be approached by noting several factors to keep in mind:
1)there is a difference between sacred music and music in general (since they do create an atmosphere and a state of mind)
2) both may be utilized in an asthetically pleasing and metrical fashion
3) doing this is difficult
4) we want to utilize the history of the church's sacred worship while also baptizing the culture we are in so as to use its unique gift of art and music
5) there is also a difference between corporate music and general music
It takes greater care to do this well and my post is not meant to sound critical (its not) only helpful in portraying what seems to me to be some helpful ideas. Don't think that "form" equals "inauthenticity". Do not forget that the worship of Israel instituted by God himself gave careful attention to detail and form. Jesus never criticized the form but the lack of the authenticity. The same is true for singing, corporate prayer, and corporate confession. Authenticity is not decided by form but is a choice. One may sing the most emotional contemporary song and be wholly inauthentic. I had better stop.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Even music can display a character of masculiniy or femininity. As I observe many of the differences in the contemporary movement compared to the Gaither movement compared to the confessional/liturgical movement it seems that there is litte that speaks to the masculine property of beingness outside of some few selections beyond the liturgical. To be masculine it would be steady, consistent, strong, and intellectually intense as well as emotionally stout (as well as intensely demanding - suck it up and go to gallows!).
It is not just the words, but the way it is sung and played. When I hear "A mighty fortress is our God" I long for the piano player to beat the hell out of the keys as if madd! When I hear "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" I want only the constant shout of proud men. When I hear the chanting of the monks I want to sink deeply into their persevering lull of a bass hum calling the mind into war with that snake.
This is not to the negation of feminine music for which I am glad only I feel always in worship that I must be either a woman or a teenager. Truly, I wish the voice of our men would be strong and hard while the melodies of our women would be tender and moving.
I think I shall write more on music and worship later since it is such a touchy issue.
It is not just the words, but the way it is sung and played. When I hear "A mighty fortress is our God" I long for the piano player to beat the hell out of the keys as if madd! When I hear "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" I want only the constant shout of proud men. When I hear the chanting of the monks I want to sink deeply into their persevering lull of a bass hum calling the mind into war with that snake.
This is not to the negation of feminine music for which I am glad only I feel always in worship that I must be either a woman or a teenager. Truly, I wish the voice of our men would be strong and hard while the melodies of our women would be tender and moving.
I think I shall write more on music and worship later since it is such a touchy issue.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
I must post. Four months is too long, and I do have an excuse. My MA work at WBS has held me at bay and I am taking the Fall off to get a breather.
My Dad. He has type 2 diabetes and is not doing so well.
I love him. He is not perfect and I doubt that many dads are in their children's eyes, but he's my dad.
A Heritage. He handed me my first book of theology after I became a Christian; He bought me my first shotgun (20 ga) and rifle (7 mm) when I was quite young; he took me to work with him even at the age of 7 where I watched him build cabinets and deal with employees and customers.
Fond memories. Perhaps my greatest memories are of me, my dad, and the woods. Dad was quite an elite bow hunter and archer. He shot many hunting videos as well as archery videos with world champions. I, on ther other hand, was not a hunter (however that happened). But I loved the woods and my dad was a master in them. I do not think I ever knew a greater hunter. I remember being in awe at how he could sneak up on me in my tree stand or how he could on the drop of a hat call a deer within touch.
Deer camp. We often drove for hours to get to deer camp. Several hours to get to vicksburg and then to the Yazoo River where we boarded a ferry to cross. Then we drove on for a long time through endless woods (glorious woods) till we came to the camp. Ours was up on 20 foot stilts. We had built the camp from an old trailer tearing it completely down and rebuilding it with lovely decks that looked out over vast fields and behind which was a small river.
We always drove in dad's jacked up, hunter green toyota (before that his red forerunner). He always had it filled with hunting stuff and the unique smell that goes with it.
Cabinets. Dad was hard to work for but I am glad. I learned from him to work in a tough sort of fashion and also how to administrate the labor. By the time I was in high school I could, because of him, build a mean cabinet. This skill has been my primary mode of living during the last four years.
Spiders. Dad hated them but he would pick up a snake without thought. Actually when he was a kid he would skirt a tree and rob the nest of Red Hawks. He would train the birds and catch snakes for them.
There was a breech in this relationship between my dad and I. At about eighth grade I was very rebellious and my dad rarely spoke to each other without arguing up until 10th grade when I became a christian.
Bow fishing. Though I was not a hunter I was an avide bowfisherman and it is here that dad and I really had fun together. We built a boat called the Fish-K-Bob II, a Carolina Skiff (7X20) with a full deck and molded in lights around the front with an air fan. We would often take off at a given moment to Slidell, LA or Guntersville Lake, AL for a good time.
Thanks to my dad, Kenny
My Dad. He has type 2 diabetes and is not doing so well.
I love him. He is not perfect and I doubt that many dads are in their children's eyes, but he's my dad.
A Heritage. He handed me my first book of theology after I became a Christian; He bought me my first shotgun (20 ga) and rifle (7 mm) when I was quite young; he took me to work with him even at the age of 7 where I watched him build cabinets and deal with employees and customers.
Fond memories. Perhaps my greatest memories are of me, my dad, and the woods. Dad was quite an elite bow hunter and archer. He shot many hunting videos as well as archery videos with world champions. I, on ther other hand, was not a hunter (however that happened). But I loved the woods and my dad was a master in them. I do not think I ever knew a greater hunter. I remember being in awe at how he could sneak up on me in my tree stand or how he could on the drop of a hat call a deer within touch.
Deer camp. We often drove for hours to get to deer camp. Several hours to get to vicksburg and then to the Yazoo River where we boarded a ferry to cross. Then we drove on for a long time through endless woods (glorious woods) till we came to the camp. Ours was up on 20 foot stilts. We had built the camp from an old trailer tearing it completely down and rebuilding it with lovely decks that looked out over vast fields and behind which was a small river.
We always drove in dad's jacked up, hunter green toyota (before that his red forerunner). He always had it filled with hunting stuff and the unique smell that goes with it.
Cabinets. Dad was hard to work for but I am glad. I learned from him to work in a tough sort of fashion and also how to administrate the labor. By the time I was in high school I could, because of him, build a mean cabinet. This skill has been my primary mode of living during the last four years.
Spiders. Dad hated them but he would pick up a snake without thought. Actually when he was a kid he would skirt a tree and rob the nest of Red Hawks. He would train the birds and catch snakes for them.
There was a breech in this relationship between my dad and I. At about eighth grade I was very rebellious and my dad rarely spoke to each other without arguing up until 10th grade when I became a christian.
Bow fishing. Though I was not a hunter I was an avide bowfisherman and it is here that dad and I really had fun together. We built a boat called the Fish-K-Bob II, a Carolina Skiff (7X20) with a full deck and molded in lights around the front with an air fan. We would often take off at a given moment to Slidell, LA or Guntersville Lake, AL for a good time.
Thanks to my dad, Kenny
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Maturity
How might we think about maturity?
First, I suggest that maturity is rather like a growing into something whereas immaturity is like a staying behind, a not being what one is supposed to be when one is supposed to be it. This implies that at every stage of life there is a maturity (a way we ought to be) relative to that stage.
For this reason we do not expect a five year old to wine or to ponder metaphysics; we do not expect a thirty year old to play with playdough or a seventy year old to be consumed with emotionalism.
In addition, we might see that God has so designed the stages of life in the fallen society that in each stage if we do not yet know Him as we ought then that stage will end in dissatisfaction and deliver us to a new stage of life which also will end in dissatisfaction until finally our desires relative to the stages of our life lead us to the highest desire for meaning and divine communion. Thus if the thirty year old does not know God or meaning he awakes to a mid-life crisis.
In this way the adolescent leaves off caring about peer groups alone but also begins to care about sacrificial love and communion (sex). This is appropriate because sex is about personhood and God uses this as a means for revealing His own person - see how God is educating our desires?
Second, we might say that maturity is relative to proper function. Every acorn becomes an oak and every baby an adult and every baby human male a man such that maturity is relative to design in general or in particular. A lion and a shark are both beautiful creatures but it would be absurd for a lion to try and be a shark and vice versa. So to0 a man must be a man and a woman a woman and neither be children. The glory of the others are not diminished by the fact that they are different either by nature or development.
Third, immaturity then is either staying behind in stage 1 when we should be in stage 2 and/or it is maturing out or proportion to our proper function (thus becoming an athiest is like a tiger trying to blow his snout!).
Fourth, it seems that God uses this pattern of maturity to prepare us but also to serve as a counter to original sin. Thus we are bent to sinning but God has so designed that another inclination is at work to lead us to Himself. I think we see this in our doctrin of original sin and in progressive revelation and in the presence of evil itself. He both educates our desires and brings us to the end of ourselves.
First, I suggest that maturity is rather like a growing into something whereas immaturity is like a staying behind, a not being what one is supposed to be when one is supposed to be it. This implies that at every stage of life there is a maturity (a way we ought to be) relative to that stage.
For this reason we do not expect a five year old to wine or to ponder metaphysics; we do not expect a thirty year old to play with playdough or a seventy year old to be consumed with emotionalism.
In addition, we might see that God has so designed the stages of life in the fallen society that in each stage if we do not yet know Him as we ought then that stage will end in dissatisfaction and deliver us to a new stage of life which also will end in dissatisfaction until finally our desires relative to the stages of our life lead us to the highest desire for meaning and divine communion. Thus if the thirty year old does not know God or meaning he awakes to a mid-life crisis.
In this way the adolescent leaves off caring about peer groups alone but also begins to care about sacrificial love and communion (sex). This is appropriate because sex is about personhood and God uses this as a means for revealing His own person - see how God is educating our desires?
Second, we might say that maturity is relative to proper function. Every acorn becomes an oak and every baby an adult and every baby human male a man such that maturity is relative to design in general or in particular. A lion and a shark are both beautiful creatures but it would be absurd for a lion to try and be a shark and vice versa. So to0 a man must be a man and a woman a woman and neither be children. The glory of the others are not diminished by the fact that they are different either by nature or development.
Third, immaturity then is either staying behind in stage 1 when we should be in stage 2 and/or it is maturing out or proportion to our proper function (thus becoming an athiest is like a tiger trying to blow his snout!).
Fourth, it seems that God uses this pattern of maturity to prepare us but also to serve as a counter to original sin. Thus we are bent to sinning but God has so designed that another inclination is at work to lead us to Himself. I think we see this in our doctrin of original sin and in progressive revelation and in the presence of evil itself. He both educates our desires and brings us to the end of ourselves.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Dare Say, Be Men!
I dare say, Be Men!
And flee perpetual vanity, perpetual immaturity
For the hosts of heaven are not joyed
to be entertained by unadmirable, fruitless celebrity
But bored instead, I dare say Be Men!
How strange a thing to see a man
Who like a boy still plays
Who long bemoans the growing age
Where wisdom speaks its secrets
But takes a joke instead, I dare say Be Men!
Tuck in your shirt, lace up your shoes
Read a book, pull up your pants
Go to work and pay your dues
Run from sloth and smallish things
But excellent instead the rarity of Man!
And flee perpetual vanity, perpetual immaturity
For the hosts of heaven are not joyed
to be entertained by unadmirable, fruitless celebrity
But bored instead, I dare say Be Men!
How strange a thing to see a man
Who like a boy still plays
Who long bemoans the growing age
Where wisdom speaks its secrets
But takes a joke instead, I dare say Be Men!
Tuck in your shirt, lace up your shoes
Read a book, pull up your pants
Go to work and pay your dues
Run from sloth and smallish things
But excellent instead the rarity of Man!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Argument & Community (Ourselves)
So we ask: "Yes, yes, argument is valuable but how do I begin to learn this art?" Let me give three suggestions and two principles of argument to start thinking about.
Suggestion 1: Start or join a "Christian Fellows Society" where you can discuss and debate and present and refute ideas with other friends of the faith (or not?). If this sounds daunting then think about it as the task of getting together with a couple of other guys to have coffee and talk theology, philosophy, ministry, manhood, being a husband, etc. Start somewhere. This is a good place to ask tough questions and then go on to learn how to answer them through one another's discussion and/or reading and then returning for discussion later. This can be done online as well although not as useful . . . and as a last resort.
Suggestion 2: Next time you want to present an idea or defend one or bring up a tough question (to your wife, pastor, etc.) then take time to write down the idea or objection into a single sentence or two. This forces clarity on your part and the more you do it the better practiced you become at it so that eventually you can spout it out without having to write it down.
Suggestion 3: Choose a subject of interest and begin to read, read, read, and then read a little more. Make notes in the margin. Also, use this interest as a starting point for presenting an idea (it doesn't have to be original to you) and defending or discussing it to the society or some group.
Principle of Argument One: Learn what it means for a proposition to be "self-referentially incoherent". This means that a proposition cannot live up to its own standard. Consider the following:
Prop. 1 - "Every statement is caused by the material synopses of the brain. Therefore, statements are neither true nor false, just the result of material forces at work."
The problem is that prop.1 cannot, then, be either true or false. So why listen to it?
Prop. 2 - "One must not judge others because there are no moral absolutes."
But then one cannot tell me not to judge. So why pay attention to it?
Prop. 3 - "All truth is relative."
Even prop. 3? Then we need not heed the point.
Each of these propositions refute themselves. Learn to look for this in argument.
Principle of Argument Two: Learn to properly "quantify" your arguments. The following propositions mean very different things.
Prop. 1 - All philosophy is destructive.
Prop. 2 - Some philosophy is destructive.
Prop. 3 - No philosophy is destructive.
Prop. 4 - At least one school of philosophy is destructive.
Or consider,
Prop. 1 - All men have free choices.
Prop. 2 - Some men have free choices.
Prop. 3 - All men have some free choices.
Prop. 4 - All men have at least one free choice.
Prop. 5 - Some men have at least one free choice.
In other words, learn to be clear and do not refute yourself by the very proposition you are entertaining.
Sound irrevelent? Not in the slightest. Today I am sure that you will present an idea or proposition no matter how simple whether to your wife or children: "Evangeline, all children must always tell the truth." "Landis, some little children are brats. Don't be one!"
Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
Suggestion 1: Start or join a "Christian Fellows Society" where you can discuss and debate and present and refute ideas with other friends of the faith (or not?). If this sounds daunting then think about it as the task of getting together with a couple of other guys to have coffee and talk theology, philosophy, ministry, manhood, being a husband, etc. Start somewhere. This is a good place to ask tough questions and then go on to learn how to answer them through one another's discussion and/or reading and then returning for discussion later. This can be done online as well although not as useful . . . and as a last resort.
Suggestion 2: Next time you want to present an idea or defend one or bring up a tough question (to your wife, pastor, etc.) then take time to write down the idea or objection into a single sentence or two. This forces clarity on your part and the more you do it the better practiced you become at it so that eventually you can spout it out without having to write it down.
Suggestion 3: Choose a subject of interest and begin to read, read, read, and then read a little more. Make notes in the margin. Also, use this interest as a starting point for presenting an idea (it doesn't have to be original to you) and defending or discussing it to the society or some group.
Principle of Argument One: Learn what it means for a proposition to be "self-referentially incoherent". This means that a proposition cannot live up to its own standard. Consider the following:
Prop. 1 - "Every statement is caused by the material synopses of the brain. Therefore, statements are neither true nor false, just the result of material forces at work."
The problem is that prop.1 cannot, then, be either true or false. So why listen to it?
Prop. 2 - "One must not judge others because there are no moral absolutes."
But then one cannot tell me not to judge. So why pay attention to it?
Prop. 3 - "All truth is relative."
Even prop. 3? Then we need not heed the point.
Each of these propositions refute themselves. Learn to look for this in argument.
Principle of Argument Two: Learn to properly "quantify" your arguments. The following propositions mean very different things.
Prop. 1 - All philosophy is destructive.
Prop. 2 - Some philosophy is destructive.
Prop. 3 - No philosophy is destructive.
Prop. 4 - At least one school of philosophy is destructive.
Or consider,
Prop. 1 - All men have free choices.
Prop. 2 - Some men have free choices.
Prop. 3 - All men have some free choices.
Prop. 4 - All men have at least one free choice.
Prop. 5 - Some men have at least one free choice.
In other words, learn to be clear and do not refute yourself by the very proposition you are entertaining.
Sound irrevelent? Not in the slightest. Today I am sure that you will present an idea or proposition no matter how simple whether to your wife or children: "Evangeline, all children must always tell the truth." "Landis, some little children are brats. Don't be one!"
Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Knowing God in your work
"Practice husbandry, we say, if you are a husbandman; but while you till your fields, know God."
(Clement of Alexandria, Exhortations to the Heathen, X)
Blessend men, know God in your work! He your contemplation! He your every thought! Forsake Him not at your desk nor leave Him at your devotionals but carry Him moment by moment in your very souls. Let your minds eye be fixed on His loveliness, enamoured by His awesomeness, and trembling at His fiercesomeness. Be the men of Him!
(Clement of Alexandria, Exhortations to the Heathen, X)
Blessend men, know God in your work! He your contemplation! He your every thought! Forsake Him not at your desk nor leave Him at your devotionals but carry Him moment by moment in your very souls. Let your minds eye be fixed on His loveliness, enamoured by His awesomeness, and trembling at His fiercesomeness. Be the men of Him!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Value of Good Argument
What is the value of good argument?
1. Argument sharpens one's critical skills
2. Argument forces one to sharpen his ideas
3. Argument teaches communication skills
4. Argument forces debate into the public realm
5. Argument emphasizes that truth is not relative
1. To argue is to learn how to find inconsistencies in ideas. The more I try to defend an idea; the more I try to subdue someone else's idea; the more I come up against the laws of reason. I learn the habit of catching myself or others in contradictions, or in hasty assumptions that need to be explored. I learn how to use logical methods that help me get from premises to a conclusion. I'm convinced that this has less to do with taking a philosophy class and much more to do with actually doing the debating; putting my ideas out front where they can be challenged.
2. This point is related to the first. When someone challenges an idea of mine that I have put forth, I am not forced to abandon it if they show me some inconsistency. Instead, I am forced to think it through more critically and the more I do so the better I become at doing it and the less likely I am to make the same mistake a second time. I want my children well versed in how to evaluate their own thoughts and ideas as well that of others, which they come across in movies, music, peers, and the university.
3. Communication skills are important because they allow me to communicate my ideas clearly and intelligably. If I cannot convey an idea, I cannot argue it. Therefore I must learn to say what I mean. Most people think that they could communicate their ideas if they had to until they have to. Once we see that we had a hard go at communicating an idea, we are forced to sit down and clearly find the words to express it. The more I do this, the better I become at doing it and the more intelligably I speak about issues in every facet of life (like teaching or instructing my children).
4. The public realm is important because that is where our legislation is formed and where culture is affected. Truth is not for the private sector. Public debate allows the society itself to views ideas critically rather than having them infused into their brains through CNN.
5. We are being taught (our children are being taught) that dogma is a no no and that no one should think they are right about anything. But if we are all wrong, then so are those who tell us that we are all wrong. Instead, we must reaffirm our belief that truth is not an opinion but a facet of reality.
1. Argument sharpens one's critical skills
2. Argument forces one to sharpen his ideas
3. Argument teaches communication skills
4. Argument forces debate into the public realm
5. Argument emphasizes that truth is not relative
1. To argue is to learn how to find inconsistencies in ideas. The more I try to defend an idea; the more I try to subdue someone else's idea; the more I come up against the laws of reason. I learn the habit of catching myself or others in contradictions, or in hasty assumptions that need to be explored. I learn how to use logical methods that help me get from premises to a conclusion. I'm convinced that this has less to do with taking a philosophy class and much more to do with actually doing the debating; putting my ideas out front where they can be challenged.
2. This point is related to the first. When someone challenges an idea of mine that I have put forth, I am not forced to abandon it if they show me some inconsistency. Instead, I am forced to think it through more critically and the more I do so the better I become at doing it and the less likely I am to make the same mistake a second time. I want my children well versed in how to evaluate their own thoughts and ideas as well that of others, which they come across in movies, music, peers, and the university.
3. Communication skills are important because they allow me to communicate my ideas clearly and intelligably. If I cannot convey an idea, I cannot argue it. Therefore I must learn to say what I mean. Most people think that they could communicate their ideas if they had to until they have to. Once we see that we had a hard go at communicating an idea, we are forced to sit down and clearly find the words to express it. The more I do this, the better I become at doing it and the more intelligably I speak about issues in every facet of life (like teaching or instructing my children).
4. The public realm is important because that is where our legislation is formed and where culture is affected. Truth is not for the private sector. Public debate allows the society itself to views ideas critically rather than having them infused into their brains through CNN.
5. We are being taught (our children are being taught) that dogma is a no no and that no one should think they are right about anything. But if we are all wrong, then so are those who tell us that we are all wrong. Instead, we must reaffirm our belief that truth is not an opinion but a facet of reality.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The art of argument
One important aspect of our heritage is the art of good argument. I want to lay out what is the value of this art and also how we might encourage it as a character trait for ourselves and then for our children. I will attempt this over the weekend but currently I want to lay out an introduction to where I intend to go.
My daughter has recently begun to say, "See, I was right!" It would be easy to dismiss her with a kind rebuke and some training in the area of humility saying, "Sweety, Jesus thinks that we shouldn't be concerned about who's right. Now now, go and apologize to your brother."
I wonder though what this would accomplish? Is there a difference between thinking too much of one's self and being proud that one has accomplished something such as being right about a given set of facts? I think there is.
If I take this approach I will encourage one of the most annoying aspects of contemporary culture among generation X: the absolute inability to publicly and openly and honestly argue about some idea, issue, or set of facts. How often I have been given the silent treatment at the very mention of a political or religious or doctrinal issue.
I remember challenging a class about the issue of God's foreknowledge. I had come across some disturbing new discoveries. I brought these questions to a class that was ready to stone me by the end. The class missed an important opportunity to further their own knowledge about the subject and also to correct my own. More importantly, what was at stake was our very ability to consider, evaluate, and critique some given idea.
I am not sure that we would have been equipped to evaluate such things even if we had wanted to. Where does one start? Some random Bible passage? But what about interpretating that passage? Then we are left wondering what it is exactly that we accomplished and where to go from there. We have never been trained in the difference between good and bad assumptions; how to point them out; what to do with them when we point them out; how to trace the logic that uses the assumptions for a conclusion; what are the different parts of a propositional statement or how the parts of an argument work.
Thus, we are amazed that our children wonder why there is anything wrong with abortion if capitol punishment is okay. Absurd!
My daughter has recently begun to say, "See, I was right!" It would be easy to dismiss her with a kind rebuke and some training in the area of humility saying, "Sweety, Jesus thinks that we shouldn't be concerned about who's right. Now now, go and apologize to your brother."
I wonder though what this would accomplish? Is there a difference between thinking too much of one's self and being proud that one has accomplished something such as being right about a given set of facts? I think there is.
If I take this approach I will encourage one of the most annoying aspects of contemporary culture among generation X: the absolute inability to publicly and openly and honestly argue about some idea, issue, or set of facts. How often I have been given the silent treatment at the very mention of a political or religious or doctrinal issue.
I remember challenging a class about the issue of God's foreknowledge. I had come across some disturbing new discoveries. I brought these questions to a class that was ready to stone me by the end. The class missed an important opportunity to further their own knowledge about the subject and also to correct my own. More importantly, what was at stake was our very ability to consider, evaluate, and critique some given idea.
I am not sure that we would have been equipped to evaluate such things even if we had wanted to. Where does one start? Some random Bible passage? But what about interpretating that passage? Then we are left wondering what it is exactly that we accomplished and where to go from there. We have never been trained in the difference between good and bad assumptions; how to point them out; what to do with them when we point them out; how to trace the logic that uses the assumptions for a conclusion; what are the different parts of a propositional statement or how the parts of an argument work.
Thus, we are amazed that our children wonder why there is anything wrong with abortion if capitol punishment is okay. Absurd!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Passing on a heritage, some ideas for fathers
So how do we get started?
Let me set out several goals:
1. Skills based on caretaking, husbandry, and value
2. Community consisting of other fathers and sons
3. Integration of skills with knowledge, history, and experience
4. Age appropriate
For anything that we do we must keep these goals in mind.
The first has to do with the heritage we are talking about. Men are not made to be thrill seekers but caretakers. The thrills should come from life itself and they are readily available (a topic of its own). Such a list might include animal husbandry, agriculture and small gardening, mechanics, home repair, and money management. It would also include such things as character, work ethic, manners, and so on. The idea of value incorporates meaningful activities such as boomerang throwing, sling throwing, whittling, hiking, knot tying, and so on.
The second has to do with creating a network of fathers and sons who provide accountability, mentorship (younger fathers or boys who do not have fathers, etc.), and a sense of belonging. These boys will grow up with peers who also have fathers involved in their lives with each father knowing and loving each boy and vice versa. Thus the boys are not primarily peer influenced but father influenced although they are not a part from peers. It is a controlled environment.
This will also prove to be an incentive and also an outreach. Think of how many boys would want to go with "Johnny" to fly falcons with his father/son group next Sat.?
The third makes experience an opportunity for knowledge. It is a rule of thumb that ignorance breeds lack of concern and that knowledge breeds desire. Boys do not simply learn how to train a falcon but what is the history of falconry (when did it start? why did it start? what country? what kind of birds?) and what are the details of the bird and how does one handle and respect the bird?
The fourth simply takes age into account. All of the above may begin with the youngest boy to the oldest (college age?). The youngest may simply show up and "watch dad do it". Seven to ten year olds might have the experience of squeezing the warm teats of a Jerzee cow with some interesting facts about the practice. A Jr. High student might be required to do a bit of reading on the subject (along with the father) while a college student commits to some unique research to share with the others (each boy/father studying a different topic about the subject in order to share it with the others).
This makes the experiences a part of passing on a heritage, increasing father/son time in both value and space, creating a good peer group, and using it for homeschooling (knowledge).
If begun early in a group of say six father/son commitments carried out through highschool then each boy (as well as father) has a multitude of experiences shared, a large experience bank for enjoying and approaching life, and something to guide the raising of his boys. Imagine being prepared to raise a Jerzee, shoe a horse, run a fence, tie 100 knots, start a fire with one match, clean a fish, arrange a budget, invest a dollar, go high country packing, catch and train a falcon, clean the head of a motor, fix leaks, and so on before going into marriage and fatherhood? Not to mention the value of those things in themselves.
A possible arrangement might be a commitment of father/sons to meet the first Saturday of each month. If the boys are young then give them a large range of experiences (something differing every month) with interesting facts attached to each experience. There might be a field trip to the dairy farm, horse ranch, hay farm (ride tractors?), fishing, whittling seminar, auction (animals and money investment in one), and so on.
As the boys get older make the experiences longerlasting. Concentrate one year on agriculture, then animal husbandry, then auto mechanics, then falconry, then slinging and the different ancient methods of hunting, and so on. Many of the arenas can be intermixed. As they get older and more disciplined so does the information part of the process increase.
One important focus, find a way serve Jesus in doing these things. Short devotionals at each meeting might prove helpful or doing mechanical projects for the elderly or allowing an elderly man to show off his lathing skills, etc. But the idea must be prominent that being a man means a call to the duty of manhood and that in so doing we honor Jesus.
This is simply an illustration and a website like the one I'm proposing might display more thorough research into age particular experiences in the setting of a 12 year pattern; how to integrate creativity and evangelism; and much more beside.
Let me set out several goals:
1. Skills based on caretaking, husbandry, and value
2. Community consisting of other fathers and sons
3. Integration of skills with knowledge, history, and experience
4. Age appropriate
For anything that we do we must keep these goals in mind.
The first has to do with the heritage we are talking about. Men are not made to be thrill seekers but caretakers. The thrills should come from life itself and they are readily available (a topic of its own). Such a list might include animal husbandry, agriculture and small gardening, mechanics, home repair, and money management. It would also include such things as character, work ethic, manners, and so on. The idea of value incorporates meaningful activities such as boomerang throwing, sling throwing, whittling, hiking, knot tying, and so on.
The second has to do with creating a network of fathers and sons who provide accountability, mentorship (younger fathers or boys who do not have fathers, etc.), and a sense of belonging. These boys will grow up with peers who also have fathers involved in their lives with each father knowing and loving each boy and vice versa. Thus the boys are not primarily peer influenced but father influenced although they are not a part from peers. It is a controlled environment.
This will also prove to be an incentive and also an outreach. Think of how many boys would want to go with "Johnny" to fly falcons with his father/son group next Sat.?
The third makes experience an opportunity for knowledge. It is a rule of thumb that ignorance breeds lack of concern and that knowledge breeds desire. Boys do not simply learn how to train a falcon but what is the history of falconry (when did it start? why did it start? what country? what kind of birds?) and what are the details of the bird and how does one handle and respect the bird?
The fourth simply takes age into account. All of the above may begin with the youngest boy to the oldest (college age?). The youngest may simply show up and "watch dad do it". Seven to ten year olds might have the experience of squeezing the warm teats of a Jerzee cow with some interesting facts about the practice. A Jr. High student might be required to do a bit of reading on the subject (along with the father) while a college student commits to some unique research to share with the others (each boy/father studying a different topic about the subject in order to share it with the others).
This makes the experiences a part of passing on a heritage, increasing father/son time in both value and space, creating a good peer group, and using it for homeschooling (knowledge).
If begun early in a group of say six father/son commitments carried out through highschool then each boy (as well as father) has a multitude of experiences shared, a large experience bank for enjoying and approaching life, and something to guide the raising of his boys. Imagine being prepared to raise a Jerzee, shoe a horse, run a fence, tie 100 knots, start a fire with one match, clean a fish, arrange a budget, invest a dollar, go high country packing, catch and train a falcon, clean the head of a motor, fix leaks, and so on before going into marriage and fatherhood? Not to mention the value of those things in themselves.
A possible arrangement might be a commitment of father/sons to meet the first Saturday of each month. If the boys are young then give them a large range of experiences (something differing every month) with interesting facts attached to each experience. There might be a field trip to the dairy farm, horse ranch, hay farm (ride tractors?), fishing, whittling seminar, auction (animals and money investment in one), and so on.
As the boys get older make the experiences longerlasting. Concentrate one year on agriculture, then animal husbandry, then auto mechanics, then falconry, then slinging and the different ancient methods of hunting, and so on. Many of the arenas can be intermixed. As they get older and more disciplined so does the information part of the process increase.
One important focus, find a way serve Jesus in doing these things. Short devotionals at each meeting might prove helpful or doing mechanical projects for the elderly or allowing an elderly man to show off his lathing skills, etc. But the idea must be prominent that being a man means a call to the duty of manhood and that in so doing we honor Jesus.
This is simply an illustration and a website like the one I'm proposing might display more thorough research into age particular experiences in the setting of a 12 year pattern; how to integrate creativity and evangelism; and much more beside.
Friday, January 9, 2009
A little help from James Stewart on boys and manhood
What about the heritage that we pass on?
Tomorrow I'll offer some ideas but tonight I want to warm the muscles with James Stewart. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Stewart plays the role of an idealist Ranger leader who loves the outdoors and loves his american heritage. He finds himself caught up in a political scandal and is appointed Senator by the Governor. Unexpectedly he carries his ideals to Washington to face the machine. On his first night as Senator he writes a bill for a boys ranch where the following dialogue takes place between Mr. Smith and city girl Saunders.
I want you to notice the idea of heritage, value, creation, rhetoric/passion, father/son relationship, ethics, and (what is a bit important to me right now) turning these over to the next generation through planning and doing.
". . . and something else Ms. Saunders. The, uh, the spirit of it. The idea. The, uh, how do you say it? [looking out the window at the lighted capitol dome] That's whats got to be in it! [in the boys ranch]. . . The capitol dome. . . . I want to make that come to life for every boy in this land. Yes and I'll light it up like that too.
"You see boys forget what their country means by just reading the land of the free in history books. Then they get to be a man and they forget even more.
"Liberty is too precious a thing to be burried in books Ms. Saunders. Men should hold it up in fron of them every single day of their lives and say, 'I'm free [a pause] to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't but I can and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.
". . . about 200 of the most beautiful acres that ever were [location of the camp]. You've never been out in that country have you Ms. Saunders?
"No."
"I've been over every single foot of it. You can have no idea, you just have to see it for yourself. I don't know [he's looking for words], the prairies, the wind leaning on the tall grass, lazy streams down in the meadows, . . . cattle moving down the slope against the sun. Campfires and snowdrifts.
"You know everybody ought to have some of that sometime in his life. My dad had the right idea. He had it all worked out. He used to say to me, 'Son, don't miss the wonders that surround you because every tree, every rock, every anthill, every star is filled with the wonders of nature.'
"And he used to say to me, 'Have you ever noticed how greatful you are to see the daylight again after coming through a long dark tunnel? Well,' he'd say, 'always try to see life around you as if you've just come out of a tunnel.'"
Congratulations Mr. Stewart! You've got the right idea!
Tomorrow I'll offer some ideas but tonight I want to warm the muscles with James Stewart. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Stewart plays the role of an idealist Ranger leader who loves the outdoors and loves his american heritage. He finds himself caught up in a political scandal and is appointed Senator by the Governor. Unexpectedly he carries his ideals to Washington to face the machine. On his first night as Senator he writes a bill for a boys ranch where the following dialogue takes place between Mr. Smith and city girl Saunders.
I want you to notice the idea of heritage, value, creation, rhetoric/passion, father/son relationship, ethics, and (what is a bit important to me right now) turning these over to the next generation through planning and doing.
". . . and something else Ms. Saunders. The, uh, the spirit of it. The idea. The, uh, how do you say it? [looking out the window at the lighted capitol dome] That's whats got to be in it! [in the boys ranch]. . . The capitol dome. . . . I want to make that come to life for every boy in this land. Yes and I'll light it up like that too.
"You see boys forget what their country means by just reading the land of the free in history books. Then they get to be a man and they forget even more.
"Liberty is too precious a thing to be burried in books Ms. Saunders. Men should hold it up in fron of them every single day of their lives and say, 'I'm free [a pause] to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't but I can and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.
". . . about 200 of the most beautiful acres that ever were [location of the camp]. You've never been out in that country have you Ms. Saunders?
"No."
"I've been over every single foot of it. You can have no idea, you just have to see it for yourself. I don't know [he's looking for words], the prairies, the wind leaning on the tall grass, lazy streams down in the meadows, . . . cattle moving down the slope against the sun. Campfires and snowdrifts.
"You know everybody ought to have some of that sometime in his life. My dad had the right idea. He had it all worked out. He used to say to me, 'Son, don't miss the wonders that surround you because every tree, every rock, every anthill, every star is filled with the wonders of nature.'
"And he used to say to me, 'Have you ever noticed how greatful you are to see the daylight again after coming through a long dark tunnel? Well,' he'd say, 'always try to see life around you as if you've just come out of a tunnel.'"
Congratulations Mr. Stewart! You've got the right idea!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
What would sharing our fatherhood experiences look like?
Tonight I was working arduously to put in a bathroom cabinet. My daughter (age 5) was busy cleaning her desk, which was exceedingly messy this particular night. Discourages she said, "But Poppy, how can I do it real fast? It's so much!" I looked at her with a look that said, "well, you shouldn't have made such a mess of it!" but my mouth only said, "clean it up Evangeline".
What should I have noticed? What do I hope you fathers might learn from me? Evangeline asked me a real question. She gave me an opportunity to demonstrate that when things are really messy the best way to clean them up is to separate the items such as paper, crayons, books, and crafts and to then put these items where they go (and make it look nice too!). She had done nothing wrong only feeling the very discouragement that I was also feeling with my task.
Sound too technical for a child? Not at all. Evangeline would have soaked it up and remembered it forever. But I missed it. Listen to your children tonight.
Tonight I was working arduously to put in a bathroom cabinet. My daughter (age 5) was busy cleaning her desk, which was exceedingly messy this particular night. Discourages she said, "But Poppy, how can I do it real fast? It's so much!" I looked at her with a look that said, "well, you shouldn't have made such a mess of it!" but my mouth only said, "clean it up Evangeline".
What should I have noticed? What do I hope you fathers might learn from me? Evangeline asked me a real question. She gave me an opportunity to demonstrate that when things are really messy the best way to clean them up is to separate the items such as paper, crayons, books, and crafts and to then put these items where they go (and make it look nice too!). She had done nothing wrong only feeling the very discouragement that I was also feeling with my task.
Sound too technical for a child? Not at all. Evangeline would have soaked it up and remembered it forever. But I missed it. Listen to your children tonight.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
What has this so called "women's movement" done and why do I admire it so?
The womens movement that I am enthused about centers around a way of thinking, doing, and nurturing. The following list reveals the substantive empheses that they have fanned into flame:
1. The Homeschooling movement and the role of classical education.
2. The Nurturing wife/mother/woman who has a specific biblical role with particular strengths and weaknesses
3. Related to 2. they have begun to revive a rich heritage of homemaking that emphasizes the practices of sewing, cooking, child-rearing, home-care, and health (which has led to grinding grains, canning, and many other natural food healthcare).
4. They have established this movement in the Scriptures and made it primarily a biblical and divine vocation rather than simply some ideal of a life.
5. They have propped themselves up with endless resources, materials, supplies, websites, seminars, and societies for training the next generation.
One of the primary reasons that I admire this movement is because it is precisely that: admirable. It is not grossly immature, rebellious, self-seeking, fake, or what is morally worse - cheesy. It is the peak of admirable qualities in womanhood.
Another reason that this movement is important is that it is the hope of the next generation for believers and nonbelievers in many ways. Their emphases on home education has revived both the intelligence in young people in our culture and specifically in our Church at large. It is stated that 90% of homeschooled children involve themselves actively in politics.
Also, they are among the most preferred of the greatest universities. Most homeschooling families have multiple children who grow up family influenced rather than peer influenced and this appraoch appears to me to produce more of a godly "next generation" than anything else I have seen. If Christian families did nothing else than raise children in this kind of livingsphere then I am convinced they would evangelize the world and society twice as fast. They are not trained in science only but also languages, logic, rhetoric/debate, and philosophy.
Their emphasis on health and food is invaluable and the return to a "homesteading" lifestyle has recognized the neurotic tendecies of our culture and battled them with living therapeutics.
It is not obvious at all that men have done this same thing on their end. Being the head of our homes this ought to be an exciting movement that awaits our own stepping up to the plate. How might we begin to do this?
First, we can find our part in the things already established by the women's movement: becoming knowledgeable about child rearing, money management, time organization, health and food, agriculture and husbandry.
Second, we can ground our own pursuit in the Scriptures. In other words, we can make it a specifically Christian aspiration rather than a "health" aspiration. In this way, "health" is a by-product responsibility of our vocation to manage our bodies well. The qualities of working with animals becomes not an end itself but an offspring of our Christian vocation to be involved with creation.
Third, we can not only re-establish a heritage of manhood but also work toward passing them on by teaching our children (think about teaching your son how to tie all the workable knots or how to skin a deer or how to make a dovetail joint or how to train a falcon?).
Fourth, we can open up for pursuit those distinguishing qualities of being a man (analyzing, debating - every son should know how to argue well, resolve, suffering, hunting, etc.).
Finally, and this is where this blog comes in, we can start a website with resources such as book lists (for father/son projects), seminars, blogs where men can share their insights and struggles, and articles geared specifically toward these issues as they pertain to men.
I want this blog to be an experiment before a plunge. I wonder how many of you feel that there are "tools" of manhood that are missing. The Wesley's had their holy club, Ben Franklin his own society, the inklings (C.S. Lewis) their Socratic club, and I think we too might do best if we have a society. But we must have desire before we can have anything at all.
The womens movement that I am enthused about centers around a way of thinking, doing, and nurturing. The following list reveals the substantive empheses that they have fanned into flame:
1. The Homeschooling movement and the role of classical education.
2. The Nurturing wife/mother/woman who has a specific biblical role with particular strengths and weaknesses
3. Related to 2. they have begun to revive a rich heritage of homemaking that emphasizes the practices of sewing, cooking, child-rearing, home-care, and health (which has led to grinding grains, canning, and many other natural food healthcare).
4. They have established this movement in the Scriptures and made it primarily a biblical and divine vocation rather than simply some ideal of a life.
5. They have propped themselves up with endless resources, materials, supplies, websites, seminars, and societies for training the next generation.
One of the primary reasons that I admire this movement is because it is precisely that: admirable. It is not grossly immature, rebellious, self-seeking, fake, or what is morally worse - cheesy. It is the peak of admirable qualities in womanhood.
Another reason that this movement is important is that it is the hope of the next generation for believers and nonbelievers in many ways. Their emphases on home education has revived both the intelligence in young people in our culture and specifically in our Church at large. It is stated that 90% of homeschooled children involve themselves actively in politics.
Also, they are among the most preferred of the greatest universities. Most homeschooling families have multiple children who grow up family influenced rather than peer influenced and this appraoch appears to me to produce more of a godly "next generation" than anything else I have seen. If Christian families did nothing else than raise children in this kind of livingsphere then I am convinced they would evangelize the world and society twice as fast. They are not trained in science only but also languages, logic, rhetoric/debate, and philosophy.
Their emphasis on health and food is invaluable and the return to a "homesteading" lifestyle has recognized the neurotic tendecies of our culture and battled them with living therapeutics.
It is not obvious at all that men have done this same thing on their end. Being the head of our homes this ought to be an exciting movement that awaits our own stepping up to the plate. How might we begin to do this?
First, we can find our part in the things already established by the women's movement: becoming knowledgeable about child rearing, money management, time organization, health and food, agriculture and husbandry.
Second, we can ground our own pursuit in the Scriptures. In other words, we can make it a specifically Christian aspiration rather than a "health" aspiration. In this way, "health" is a by-product responsibility of our vocation to manage our bodies well. The qualities of working with animals becomes not an end itself but an offspring of our Christian vocation to be involved with creation.
Third, we can not only re-establish a heritage of manhood but also work toward passing them on by teaching our children (think about teaching your son how to tie all the workable knots or how to skin a deer or how to make a dovetail joint or how to train a falcon?).
Fourth, we can open up for pursuit those distinguishing qualities of being a man (analyzing, debating - every son should know how to argue well, resolve, suffering, hunting, etc.).
Finally, and this is where this blog comes in, we can start a website with resources such as book lists (for father/son projects), seminars, blogs where men can share their insights and struggles, and articles geared specifically toward these issues as they pertain to men.
I want this blog to be an experiment before a plunge. I wonder how many of you feel that there are "tools" of manhood that are missing. The Wesley's had their holy club, Ben Franklin his own society, the inklings (C.S. Lewis) their Socratic club, and I think we too might do best if we have a society. But we must have desire before we can have anything at all.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
For Christmas this year I got my Julie a Champion Juicer. Although this might land some husbands in the doghouse, my Julie happens to love homemaking. I ordered the juicer from www.urbanhomemaker.com from which Julie also received twelve free lectures on nurturing children, cooking healthy, and ordering the home.
After burning the cds for her I took my MP3 and secretly listened to them at work. They were oozing with cooing over recipes and scrapbook ideas and although they kept referring to the "ladies" who were joining the phone seminar, I myself was enjoying it all quite enthusiastically.
What, you fellas are wondering, was I listening too? I was listening to women who had a vision about the home and their own vocations in it. During a time when persons have lost all sense of duty, purpose, and calling these have a concrete picture of who they are to be, how they are to be it, and a theology and philosophy to defend it. They are not looking for themselves, they have found themselves and seek only to make it so.
They talked about how to train children in diligence and resolve; about gardening and the beauty of sitting around a table for meals.
Here it struck me how womanized these concepts have become and how unappreciative men are of these very aspects of life. Why, in other words, are no men involved in similar pursuits? Where are the seminars on caretaking and on the economics of home management? Where are the gatherings for discussions on decision managment for our children, vocations, and evenings at home? Have we men simply let the women go on and become heroes of all these virtues?
I am glad for these women but two things are noteicable: first, these concepts are not feminine concepts though they are practically becoming so. Second, men are not taking note of the first.
Have we no theology as men of what the home is, how it functions, what our roles are, and how to raise up our children? Have we relegated this to women? Do we even admire such things anymore?
I'm jealous of these women. I am jealous of Julie who gets to homeschool our children. I would love so to do!
Many men leave home economics to their wives without realizing what has happened. Women have simply grown tired of waiting on their husbands to lead the way. In the process, men have lost their guts. They have glued themselves to TV and football and sluggish habits or else to endless ambition in their careers or strivings. Are we surprised that our children grow up with little admiration for our ways?
I would like to see men wake up and quit being a bunch of children whom their wives must take care of all the time. Let us learn again to be men, to debate, to think, to learn the wisdom of husbandry, caretaking, and home rearing. To take the reigns again as compitent and tested leaders. But we must first become compitent.
After burning the cds for her I took my MP3 and secretly listened to them at work. They were oozing with cooing over recipes and scrapbook ideas and although they kept referring to the "ladies" who were joining the phone seminar, I myself was enjoying it all quite enthusiastically.
What, you fellas are wondering, was I listening too? I was listening to women who had a vision about the home and their own vocations in it. During a time when persons have lost all sense of duty, purpose, and calling these have a concrete picture of who they are to be, how they are to be it, and a theology and philosophy to defend it. They are not looking for themselves, they have found themselves and seek only to make it so.
They talked about how to train children in diligence and resolve; about gardening and the beauty of sitting around a table for meals.
Here it struck me how womanized these concepts have become and how unappreciative men are of these very aspects of life. Why, in other words, are no men involved in similar pursuits? Where are the seminars on caretaking and on the economics of home management? Where are the gatherings for discussions on decision managment for our children, vocations, and evenings at home? Have we men simply let the women go on and become heroes of all these virtues?
I am glad for these women but two things are noteicable: first, these concepts are not feminine concepts though they are practically becoming so. Second, men are not taking note of the first.
Have we no theology as men of what the home is, how it functions, what our roles are, and how to raise up our children? Have we relegated this to women? Do we even admire such things anymore?
I'm jealous of these women. I am jealous of Julie who gets to homeschool our children. I would love so to do!
Many men leave home economics to their wives without realizing what has happened. Women have simply grown tired of waiting on their husbands to lead the way. In the process, men have lost their guts. They have glued themselves to TV and football and sluggish habits or else to endless ambition in their careers or strivings. Are we surprised that our children grow up with little admiration for our ways?
I would like to see men wake up and quit being a bunch of children whom their wives must take care of all the time. Let us learn again to be men, to debate, to think, to learn the wisdom of husbandry, caretaking, and home rearing. To take the reigns again as compitent and tested leaders. But we must first become compitent.
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