Bureaucracy and Freedom

I really enjoy watching Governor Christie answer the press's questions.  He's such a straight shooter, that he reveals more than the inquirer really wants to know.  Here he is answering a question of how New Jersey lost money from the federal government in the "Race to the Top" program.  There are a few things to observe and a few questions to be asked after watching this.

For one thing, this is the kind of bureaucratic decision making that brings about nightmares for anyone needing to deal with the government.  Just how necessary are all those forms and just how much information is needed to asses the progress of a state's schools?  Why is the federal government even involved in a state's education policies?  Has there been any improvement in education since the beginning of the federalization of education in the early 20th century?

 I admire greatly,  the Governor's taking the heat and not firing a mid-level employee for an understandable and repairable mistake.  The fact that the missing information was easily attainable by the feds and was even given to them verbally shows the frightening power those who work in the federal government have over those who rely on them.  I can't  imagine that this decision would have been made if  Governor Christie were a Democrat.   The more individuals, communities, states, etc. rely on the federal government for any kind of funding, the more power it will have over our everyday lives and we will be subject to their whims and political allegiances.  Conversely, if the state of New Jersey finds itself unshackled by the demands of the federal government, it may in fact  have the flexibility to better educate its children and exercise a bit more freedom.

This is just another example of why we homeschool.

What's Eating You?

Jesus says,

I have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.

And,

Take and eat, this is my body which is given for you.

I was thinking of this the other day, of how all the gods, demons, and idols of this world do not give life, but take it. They feed on us, whether the gods Molech, Baal, the Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, the Greek/Roman system of gods, the gods of Hindu or ancestral spirits in Africa. All require sacrifice, some even human sacrifice to please and feed them. 

C.S. Lewis' character Screwtape expresses this well in The Screwtape Letters

To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense.

As does the apostle, Peter,

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

These are simply the obvious gods, but the idols of this world are even more subtle than this. We in the west, people of technology and materialism have our own idols. We, ironically, are called consumers, yet we work to make money to buy things that eat at our time and energy, and what is this life but our time and energy?  We kill time watching television or surfing the internet. We buy too much and the wrong kind of food so that our health deteriorates at a faster pace than normal. Temporarily we feel powerful, then at times wonder why our lives feel out of control, why our relationships seem shallow and where our time has gone.

Then we come to Jesus' words,

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

On it's face, doesn't this seem contradictory?  Jesus wants to give us life, yet he requires we lose it.  If God and the demons require sacrifice, then what's the difference?

One thing we must consider is the nature of sacrifice.  God commanded Israel to sacrifice, not because he needed anything or required cajoling in return for some favour.  God required sacrifice for the life of mankind, to show the grievousness of sin and to prepare the way for Jesus' sacrifice which was for all sins for all time.  The fact is, is that we all sacrifice, we all live to something, but it is in living to God, which Jesus has shown, that we are to truly and fully live.

What is the purpose of sacrifice?  It is love.  Love by nature is sacrificial, but when we separate love of God and people from the sacrifice then it is all for naught.
 
The apostle Paul says,

 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,  but have not love, I gain nothing.

We may have life, and have it abundantly, yet how much I sacrifice to the idols of this age.

Kyrie eleison.

The Best Political Ad.

I've seen in a long time.

There is a reason why the Republican party continues to hearken back to Ronald Reagan.  He not only was an outstanding communicator, but understood the value of liberty down to his bones.  He had another gift in that he did not confuse disagreeing with a person's beliefs with dislike for that person.  I think we have lost that distinction to a great extent in our society, whether in politics, church, or in the culture at large.  We could learn a lot from this great man.

Tea And Scones

or coffee and chocolate cake or milk and cookies, but please, no cupcakes!  Cupcakes, when they were used normally are actually okay in my book, but these twee, wine paired, over the top monstrosities have got to go.  What is an appropriate use of cupcakes?  Pot-lucks and school room birthdays.

The idea of a cupcake is so that one can serve a lot of people a bit of cake and icing without having to use utensils, but not anymore.  Just try eating one of these bloated, icing globbed creations without a fork or knife.  It's impossible unless you enjoy icing shoved into your nostrils.  And now, they're everywhere, springing up in towns, cities, and television shows near you. In the small city in which I live there are at least two.  Not surprisingly, even Congress has installed a cupcake toppings bar.    

I am not against this trend simply to be anti-trend.  I am against it because it is childish and expensive.  It's like ordering a daiquiri when one can have a great gin and tonic.    I long for the return the real bakeries with fresh tarts, scones, cakes, pies, french bread, croissants, hard rolls, and hot cross buns during Lent.  A small selection of cupcakes that can be eaten in hand for those under eight years old may be tolerated.

The End Of College

Here's an article at Daily Finance, which lists seven reasons not to send your kids to college.  All the reasons given have to do with finances - basically that one will not receive a proper return on the investment.  I think we have gotten things completely mixed up as to the purpose of college.  It used to be its purpose was to obtain an education and the purpose of an education was to become more fully human, to expand one's mind and shape proper sensibilities so as to know and understand what is true, good and beautiful.

If one wants a career, wouldn't apprenticeships be a much better solution than four to five years of classes and thousands of dollars of debt? 

Toward the end of the article a few suggestions are given as to how to receive an education without college:  traveling abroad, volunteering or simply reading.  I think a great deal can be learned under a wise tutor or professor, but that is not what many of our colleges offer anymore, nor is it what is expected of them.

Joy, Happiness, Duty, or Love?

Rod Dreher and Damon Linker have had a bit of a back and forth regarding Jennifer Senior's article which asks why modern day parenting leads to unhappiness. Dreher proposes that parenting is not about happiness, but about joy and that happiness is transformed into joy in the sacrifice.  Linker takes him on by saying his position is too Kantian in choosing duty over self indulgence and calling it joy; that there has to be a more integrated, less polarizing way of looking at raising children based on the Aristotelian philosophy of happiness.  (Senior touches on this at the end of her article.) 

My mind keeps recalling the Wendell Berry book titled, What are People For?.  Isn't that a great title?  I imagine how one answers that question will reveal a great deal about, not only one's relationship with one's children, but also with all other relationships.  People aren't for using, to bring us joy or happiness, or to whom we must perform some sort of duty.  People are for loving and relating.  It's not easy and it goes beyond mere affection, but in the end, that is what people are for.  When one loves another, one forgets oneself and the evaluation of one's own happiness doesn't take place, because one's thoughts are of the other.  A true humility is present.

A loving parent changing a diaper isn't getting any happiness per se, but neither is he just doing his duty in this task.  The task is done for the good and health of the child.  In doing the task, he is building the relationship on trust and kindness.  In our family, diaper changing was often a time of singing and conversing, because we were relating to and caring for our child, a fellow human, made in the image of God.

This idea that another person is going to make one happy or bring fulfillment is very damaging to both parties.  It will lead to constant frustration, disappointment and blaming the other for one's misery.  The fact that so many surveys have been taken to measure parents' happiness, as is detailed in Senior's piece, is quite telling in itself.  You may not be evaluating your happiness, but some social scientist wants to.  I can't help but wonder why and to what purpose.   Are children now seen by society at large as a net loss?  It is starting to look that way.

Love looks out for the other, cares for the other, hopes for the good of the other.  In the words of St. Paul, Love never fails. I hope someone develops a survey to ascertain if having children encourages adults to be more loving.

Twenty Years And Counting

It is a strange phenomenon that what seems like just yesterday can also seem like 'has always been',  but we mark time, and the calendar tells it was twenty years ago today that David and I were married.

How to describe a life that has brought two people together with both things in common and things not, that has, through love and commitment, become a family?  I describe it as miraculous and beautiful.

With all the problems and joys that fill up twenty years, I thank God for his grace and wisdom that we have relied upon to see us to this point.  I thank David for being the man he is:  kind, industrious, intelligent, patient.  What great qualities to bring to a marriage and on which to create a family.  Even through the tragedies, I realize we have a beautiful life....we have loved each other well.

Happy Birthday, Emma!

Emma is now fourteen and becoming quite a lovely young woman.  This Saturday she'll be off on a mission trip with the youth group at church, soon followed by a week of dance intensive and then begins her freshman year of high school (homeschooled, of course).  I realize the life changes will come more quickly now, but I'm not apprehensive.  She is fun loving, responsible and has her own sense of style and of herself.  I have so much for which to be thankful and optimistic.  She is truly a blessing. 

Happy birthday, dear Emma.

Happy Independence Day

We have been given such a gift, to be born or received into such a country as these United States.  Just a cursory view of past civilizations reveals how truly unique is our small place in history .  A republic with the stated purpose of freedom and justice for all is indeed rare.  Like so many gifts, it is often taken for granted or used as a means for obtaining power and control by those whose intentions are not those of pursuing freedom and justice.  While we are right to be vigilant in keeping those forces at bay, I also think it is important, especially now when our economy is failing, our freedoms are being legislated away and justice is too often denied, that we not place our faith in those things which will not last.  There is a great quote by C.S. Lewis:

A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God: himself.

So, let us be good stewards in praying for and electing good and true politicians, let us lend our voice for those who are in need of justice, use our freedoms to do good, all the while placing our trust in the Author of life and liberty.  Let us live to God.

Do You Follow Fashion?

I don't.  It's not that I haven't tried, it's just that I don't get it.  I remember as a teenager, being really perplexed by not being able to put together an outfit like everyone else did.  There were always discrepencies between what was in the fashion magazines and what people really wore.  For a while I stuck with jeans and sweaters because it was ultimately safe.   How I found what I really liked was by watching movies and television.  I fell in love with the fashions worn in Chariot's of Fire, the Giorgio Armani clothing that adorned the fashion models shown on Style with Elsa Klensch,  many of the outfits worn by Lisa Bonet on The Cosby Show, and later the fashions on the BBC series, House of Eliott.

This led to a certain freedom in how I dress.  As my eldest daughter, Emma,  tells me, "Mom, you have a style, it's just not in style!".  Well, that suits me just fine.  What got me thinking about all of this,  is this graphic that Hipster Christianity sent out on Facebook.  My suggestion would be to skip the cycle and wear what you find to be beautiful and useful.  If you happen to land on the cycle every once in a while, no worries.  Life is too short to be concerned with being too hip or not hip enough.

Terrafugia Transition

That is the name of a new lightweight airplane that can also be legally driven on the road.

Very cool.
I can't help but think of the aircraft in Metropolis, flying around the city.

The Vatican Gives Two Thumbs Up

to the Blues Brothers.  That's right, the Vatican has given it's endorsement to the Blues Brothers, just in time for the film's 30th anniversary.  It's good to know they have a sense of humor. 
Here's to Jake and Elwood and their mission from God.

Who's Winning?

Another hat tip to Rod Dreher.  He's been blogging about Stephen Prothero's new book titled God is Not One, which points out what should be obvious, that the world religions are not the same.  They ask different questions, give different answers and define what it means to be human differently.  Now Prothero's been interviewed by Stephen Colbert.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Stephen Prothero
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

I like that Colbert is willing to humorously interview religious writers and thinkers.  So much of the time issues of faith are removed from the public square.  Here's an interview with N.T. Wright.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bishop N.T. Wright
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

And here's another with scientist and Christian Francis Collins.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Francis Collins
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Frustrations With Technology

Sorry the Like button isn't working correctly, folks.  Have been attempting to fix it, but cautiously, so that I don't remove the necessary html code and lose the blog!  Thanks for your patience.

Update:
I have at least been able to remove the problem without any damage!  Thanks again for your patience.

In What Time Do You Live?

Hat tip to Rod Dreher for this educational and entertaining video, The Secret Powers of Time.  In it, time perspective is described by where one lives in relation to the equator, but then is also described by how one's brain is rewired by the use of technology.  One thing in particular that I think is significant, is the speaker, Philip Zimbardo's  description of schools.  He says that schools are passive.  I think this is accurate, but regrettable.  Real learning is active and engaged.  This is what John Taylor Gatto describes so well in his book, Dumbing Us Down, when he describes what schools do is everything but provide students with an education.  Yes, I know there are many wonderful teachers out there, but the good ones are always having to find a way to work around the system of public and often private educational institutions.

A Story Of Life

 Below is a clip of Andrea Bocelli telling the story of his brave mother, choosing to let him live despite the odds of his having a disability.  I am reminded of what C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity.

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality.  A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions.  Pilate was merciful till it become risky.

Judaism And Fantasy

Yesterday, I received a new journal in the mail, Jewish Review of Books. I haven't ordered it and it is the first issue, so I figure I must be on a mailing list, perhaps since I subscribe to First Things.

One of the articles is fascinating to me. It is titled, Why There is No Jewish Narnia, by Michael Weingrad. The first thing that impresses me about the article is how well the author knows some of the more obscure facts about Tolkien and Lewis. The second is the truly thoughtful and revealing reasons he gives for the lack of fantasy literature written by Jewish authors.

The reasons he gives are that:

1. Much fantasy is tied to the medieval feudal system which is not welcoming to Jews.
2. Jews are heavily invested in modernity.
3. Since the Holocaust, fantasy can make redemption seem too easy.
4. Judaism to a large degree has banished magical and mythological elements.  (Remember, Tolkien and Dyson had been instrumental in Lewis's conversion to Christianity by showing how Christianity was true myth.)

He says:

To put it crudely, if Christianity is a fantasy religion, then Judaism is a science fiction religion If the former is individualistic, magical, and salvationist, the latter is collective, technical, and this worldly.

Weingrad goes on to say that these differences are reflected in the much greater number of Jews who are science fiction writers. There are those who are breaking into the fantasy genre and he reviews two books whose authors who are doing just that. One is called The Magicians, by Leve Grossman, which is more satirical in nature and Ha-Mayim  she-bein  ha-olamot  (The Water Between the Worlds), by Hagar Yanai, a second in a trilogy aimed at adolescents.

I've linked to the article above.  Do make time to read it.  It is as revealing in its presentation of  the Christian faith and its way of seeing the world as it is the Jewish faith.

So, What Is A Blog, Anyway?

Switched asks, "What is a blog?". There are some interesting answers, like the guy who refers to bloggers as only a third as smart as they really are. Huh?

After Camping Conversation

After camping this weekend, our family stopped for a bite to eat, and this a summarized  portion of the conversation we had.

Emma:  I think we should go see Robin Hood.
David:  No, I don't think we'll be going to see that.
Emma:  I read the book for school.
David:  Really?  How old is the story?
Emma:  I think it was written around the 1850's.
Me:  The story of Robin Hood has been around for hundred's of years, and many legends have grown around the historical figure.  The story you read was written by Roger Lancelyn Green, probably in the 1930's or 40's.
Emma:  I was only about 100 years off.
Me:  Yes, that's right.  Did you know Roger Lancelyn Green was a good friend of C.S. Lewis's?
Emma:  You talk about C.S. Lewis so much, it's like he's your best friend.  Really, it's like you're going to meet him at Annie Moore's on Wednesday.
David:  Emma, I think you just paid your mother the greatest compliment she could receive.

Nota bene:   RLG's The Adventure's of Robin Hood was published in 1956.

For Ascension Sunday

this is what we sang in choir.

I love this song both for its beauty and meaning.  It is one of my favourite chorale pieces to sing.  It was written by Thomas Tallis, an English composer, during the reign of Edward VI.    The words are taken from The Gospel of John 14:15-17

15If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

 What a wonderful promise.