Having Two Legs: 01.03

Thursday, January 30, 2003

I'm teaching the Heidelberg Catechism on Sunday mornings. I've been reading ahead recently, and I find it fascinating that 'christian education' is described as one of our duties under the fourth commandment (Q. 103). I reckon a lot of conservative, reformed types would put it under the fifth.

Saturday, January 25, 2003

Since I've now been introduced to the dark arts of links, will conjure up before your very eyes a few explanations for those who I have on my blog roll. Unlike my partner in crime, Slash, whom you may know as Jon Amos, I have decided early on to keep my roll to a minimum. I haven't decided on any particular criteria, but if you don't get linked, it's not cause I hate you. My brother in-law, the blues, does magic things with computers and he teaches me his potions. I met John Barach a few years ago when he wouldn't stop hanging out at Bucers. He knows Nick, who married a friend I knew in highschool. Who, I might add, has yet to contact me, though I hear rumors, that he might. Nick's not on my blog roll till then. And you can tell him I said so. Ah, then there's my buddy Tim. He likes progressive rock, and he's all into giving kids bread and wine. I'm down with that. The Booth, who also goes by the name Chuddy for reasons I cannot remember, is a legend on many accounts. I refer you to just one of his legendary feats: he personally read the entire Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy to me. His deeds will not be forgotten. I received one of my first welcomes to 'blogdom' from Emeth, whom I know not, but she's into Biblical languages, which I also dig. The remaining links are for folks or organizations with whom I have never had any sort of personal interaction. Wait that's not true. I once e-mailed Jeff Meyers back when I was working on my thesis for NSA, but alas no response was e'er received. I have also had several very personal interactions with Safeco Field. And of course there's Atlas, and that's where I teach. Hello, all.

Friday, January 24, 2003

Concerning the recent internet hooplah, I recommend the wisdom of Treebeard: Fight fiercely, but don't be hasty.

Thursday, January 23, 2003

You'd never know we had four inches of snow yesterday. It's like Spring out there today. It was real sad driving into town this morning, seeing yard after yard with fallen and crumbling snow men, melting sentries in the sun.

I haven't listed the book, but I'm reading The Monsters and the Critics by Tolkien these days (I must be so uncool not to hyperlink that title, sorry). Anyway, at one point in his defence of Grendel and the Dragon (in Beowulf), he says, speaking of myth, "It is at its best when it is presented by a poet who feels rather than makes explicit what his theme portends; who presents it incarnate in the world of history and geography..." It seems like one the central problems with 'Christian' stories, music, or just the arts in general, is that we don't present our themes incarnate. We plaster what we consider to be 'the point' to everything we can get our hands on, and then we wonder why no one cares. We need to learn to tell parables. Bury the point and patiently wait for it to grow.

I bid you farewell as I do my students, "Shalom Ocheem."

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Jenny and I had all the neighborhood kids over in our front yard this morning for a massive snow ball fight. The air was thick with snowy gore. I built a rather large snow fort that came up to my shoulders. (Although by the end of the fight, it only reached my waist.) We went sledding of course, and finished the outing with hot-chocolate inside.

God is silly. Snow is a joke. It crunches. You can eat it. It's freezing cold. It sticks together. It smashes. You can roll in it. It falls out of the sky. It's slippery. It's white. If that's not a defense for being silly, I don't know what is. Go ahead, give it a try.

And of course...(drum roll)... I have a comments system! We'll give this a try for a bit, and see how it goes. boker tov.

Ha! Finally, after much ado, we have snow. Celebrate with northern Idaho. As one of the only teachers at Atlas, I called a snow day today. There was really no choice but to accept my offer. I'd feel terrible not giving the guys a chance to get snow down their shirts. Laugh, play, be merry! I threw a snow ball at the window of the Jones' this morning. But all I got was a wave from Chelsea. I was hoping Doug would come out and we might have a monster snow ball fight. Alas.

Monday, January 20, 2003

"All the descendants of Adam, except Christ, are under condemnation; all the descendants of Adam, except those of whom it is expressly revealed that they cannot inherit the kingdom of God, are saved." -Charles Hodge

Sunday, January 19, 2003

As I'm a beginner to all of this blogging stuff, I'm slow on the up-take. But I figure I might as well jump on in. I don't have a comments program yet, I've got the guys down at the office working on that. Be patient. You can blow up in a few days.

I'm a teacher at Atlas School, as the bio says. At the core of our curriculum is Liturgy and Bible. I just finished teaching through the book of Joshua last week and it struck me just how incompetent and slow the Israelites are. The story that really got me was the episode with Rahab and the spies at the very beginning. The spies are supposed to be "spying secretly" and yet it is only a matter of hours before the entire city knows all the way up to the king. Not only do they know where the spies are from and that they are spying, but apparently it's well known where the men are staying. sheesh. The harlot is the only one with any smarts. Israel sent their best, and their best was a couple of bumbling covenant fools.