Discussing Harry Potter

This summer Tara and I decided to read the Harry Potter series with Evan. He had been wanting to start them, and with all the controversy, it seemed like a good idea to provide parental guidance as we read.

So the standings are like this: I am in the middle of book 4, Tara just finished book 4, and I think Evan is somewhere in book 4. We have a rule applying to him that he can't go any more than one book ahead of us.

At least in the first four books, I really don't think these books are about witchcraft and wizardry. I think the wizard thing is a vehicle for introducing fantasy/amazing events into the stories. All the magic is certainly there, but it seems like it is substituted for ordinary methods, often to humorous effects. For example, Harry and his close friends take classes all day at Hogwarts, the boarding school for magical young people. J.K. Rowling's descriptions of classes, teachers, and the struggles of being a young student are very realistic and often very funny. They just take place over a boiling kettle of gloop in Potions class instead of over a beaker of slime in chemistry.

If I had concerns about the series, they could be summarized like this:

1) Harry and friends are always breaking rules for a perceived good reason. There certainly are good reasons to break rules, but life usually doesn't present them quite as often as these books do. This series gives young readers the idea that there's always a better route than following the rules, talking to the teacher, etc.

2) Harry Potter presents the use of magic as normal and healthy, which it is not, as we know from Scripture. If the magic is seen as fantasy, I doubt it will be a problem. If readers, however, are looking for special powers, then they could be tempted to seek a magical solution to their perceived weakness. In contrast, the Bible is huge on making sure that we seek our strengthening only through Christ, his word, his ways, and his authority.

Beyond that, I think she's a fantastic writer.

Getting Ready For...

As I crunch down my cereal this morning, I am mostly thinking about things that we're getting ready for. Here are a few of them.

+We're getting ready for a new job today. Friendly Jim's (my painting and outdoor services company) finished a big house last Friday and we're on to something new today. This client asked for an installment plan -- they want to pay once a month until they're finished with the bill. I agreed that they could do this, but it will be interesting to see how it goes.

+ We're getting ready for an ice cream social at our house this Friday night. We want to get to know our neighbors a little better and to see where they are spiritually. If you are a believer in Christ, please pray with me for our event, that it would go well and lead where God wants it to lead.

+ We're getting ready to go on the road. I bought a travel trailer on Saturday from Auto Recyclers. It was made in 1963 but still seems to be roadworthy enough to get us out to experience more of Minnesota and maybe Iowa too. Who knows?

Reflections on Early Summer

Yeah, I know it's not summer yet, but in Minnesota any day above sixty degrees is summer. Of course, today is only about fifty and rainy, but hey...

We finished up another school year about about two weeks ago. I had no students with incompletes and was delighted to turn in my paperwork and call an end to the year.

I praise God because he is providing business for us just as we have entered the summer cycle of our lives. In some ways summer is more relaxed and in other ways more stressful. It's like I know that I both need to rest and earn, so I can sometimes get torn between the two activities.

Tara took all the children and herself to the dentist last week, so that is where our extra money is headed. At least for now. ;-)

My dad came over this morning to help me install our new storm door on the front of the house. The last one was ripped when we came and a few weeks ago deposited its fibrous insides all over the front steps. That was a clear sign to replace it. So I bought a new SURVIVOR (tm) storm door and set about installing it.

We were doing well until we came to the direction that said "Peel the adhesive backing off the template and place it around the edge of the door 38 inches from the top." Grandpa and I looked and looked, but there was no template, and certainly not one with adhesive backing on it.

So will drilled the holes ourselves with no guide and great courage. And they basically turned out all right. Could have been better, no doubt, but better than no door at all.

We still have to install the hydraulic closer-thinger and the spring-thinger at the top, but we are well on our way to getting between the inside and the outside.

I am almost ready to start traveling greater Minnesota by van or RV or pull-behind camper or whatever. I want to see the places, do the work, and share the Word. It will be interesting if nothing else.

Great Stuff from Aidan

Maybe two days ago, Aidan came down to my room at 5:45 in the morning. I was on the verge of awake already but not really sure I wanted to get up. He tapped on the side of my bed and I looked at him. "Aidan, what are you doing up already?" I groaned.

He flashed me his brilliant Tater smile and said, "I'm up early so I can spend time with you. I just need some Daddy time!"

Well, you know I got up right away, don't you? Here my precious Tater was telling me that he was willing to get up way early just so he could spend time with me. He had gathered how rushed everything gets at the end of the year and wanted to make sure he got some time with me one way or another. I was touched.

There are some good applications here to make to our relationship with God. We need to seek out the special moments where we can have some "Daddy time" with God. Of course, it isn't God Who's too busy; we are. We get tied up working or playing or something in between. We often forget that Daddy time is what keeps us going strong and in the right direction. I expect that God feels somewhat like I did that early morning -- delighted that we are choosing to spend the time with him.

I learn a lot from Aidan, and I hope to learn more in the future. He is matter-of-fact, funny, and full of wisdom.

Windy Evening

It is windy tonight. I hope to sit outside later and listen to the wind in the trees. For now, I have grades to record.

It is beautiful here. My children love each other. Thank you, God.

Bits of This

This evening we took Tara out for Mother's Day dinner. This is much smarter than going out for lunch on Mother's Day because you can actually get a table. We went to Baker's Square, but it was not as tasty as usual. Except for environs, I'm more inclined toward Denny's. The kids were oblivious and ate with abandon. I also ate with abandon, but my chicken primavera was not that good.

I created a new game for the children tonight. Do you remember the Wonder Twins? Wonder Twin powers... ACTIVATE! Form of... Shape of...! Our game begins with at least three participants -- Wonder Triplets, Wonder Quadruplets, etc. All say, "Wonder Triplets... Activate!" The first person leads out with "Form of...[something]." The next person has to come up with something related. The same with the third. Then they all have to be the things they shouted -- together -- at the same time. The audience gets to choose which player's choice shows the least continuity to the others. He then is voted off, and the game continues.

My kids liked it a lot.

I continue to work on my new Latin book for 5-6th graders. It will be called "Rudimentum Latinum" we think and it is due out sometime in July. I'm very excited for this opportunity and pray that the Lord uses it to bless students and enhance their learning.

There are now less than two weeks of school left. That means getting the last assignments of the year graded, end-of-the-year annual tasks, and final exams. This concludes my second year of teaching only Latin and my fourteenth year of teaching at Schaeffer Academy. It is also time to get summer business off the ground.

We are planning to have a garage sale next weekend. Come one, come all. We are out of space in the garage and shed, so some things will just have to go. There are no other options.

Manhood Must Have Been Easier Back Then

What did you do if you were a man 150 years ago? I suspect that you got up, grunted at your wife, fed the stock, and headed out to the fields. Maybe you fixed some machinery if it was a rainy day. By late morning, somebody probably brought lunch out to you. Then you got behind the team again, made a gutteral noise of some sort, and off you went. Good till dinner, which was also prepared for you. You might have made an effort to relate to your family, but we don't know that for sure.

Now let's talk about masculinity in 2009. First, you teach all your classes for the day, which includes everything from 5th grade to sophomores. You try to do creative things because it gives your students another reason to stay awake. But Friday is a heavy class day, and you have a headache by the end of it.

You sit down at the computer and cram lesson plans for an hour and a half or so. You know that your wife is going to Women's Retreat this weekend, and you will be the primary source of adultness for your many wonderful children. So you must get those lesson plans done efficiently. But a parent stops by and wants to learn Latin pronunciation. You teach her... you are, after all, glad that she wants to learn. A colleague calls your cell twice because he is trying to find the home of someone who just moved. It does not bother you. In fact, it is nice to be regarded as someone who would know how to get it found -- and quick.

The time evaporates. You must pick up your oldest son from Grandpa's house in time to pick up your other three children from a friend's home in distant southwest. You make it only a few minutes late, but it doesn't matter because they are all outside playing in the back yard. You load your children, bring them home, and feed them dinner. They all eat appropriately. There is essentially none left...enough for the cats to nibble some meat scraps, but that's it.

After supper you change your gear and then try to head outside. As you are loading the children in the trailer to go to the park, it is discovered that your daughter has soiled her diaper. You are not dismayed by this, because you are a thoroughly modern daddy in every sense and therefore can change diapers without undue strain. So you do. Your daughter finds herself a different pair of jeans to put on over the diaper. You marvel at this, as you could hardly be expected to recognize a pair of your own jeans, much less hers.

Later on, neighbor boys come over to play with yours. You are happy about this and aware that when these boys come over to play, you have opportunities to introduce Christ to them. You treasure these opportunities.

You eventually put all four of your children to bed and later you blog. Masculinity remix 2009. What a strange time in history.