Random Goodness

Some links for you on a Friday:

We’re still taking feedback and suggestions at the How Kids Think blog. We’ve had more visitors than commenters, but those who have contributed have had much to say, so at least check it out.
Friend (and the girls’ art teacher), John Early, is presenting some of his paintings as part [...]

Music Project

For the past week in my three Biblical Ethics sections, we’ve taken a short break from studying morality and the ancient philosophers of the world and consulted the more contemporary ones my students know – the songs and various musicians on their iPods.
The assignment was pretty simple: each student was to bring in a song, [...]

Happy (Late) National Punctuation Day

For those who missed it (or need it), happy late National Punctuation Day yesterday.

Who Says There’s No Such Thing as Small Town Culture?

My parents, Roger and Charlotte, were honored as “friends of the Apple Festival” this weekend in my hometown of Griggsville, IL (population 1,258). As it’s been our tradition these past couple of years since being back in the Midwest, we made the trip home and took part in all the festivities, winning second in the [...]

Morally Dumbfounded

The New York Times published a story yesterday that I happened to catch right off the digital press. Since it pertained to what we’ve been studying in Biblical Ethics this week (ethical systems and how they affect our understanding of morality), I scrapped the first half of what I had planned for the day, made [...]

Lemonade Concessions: Baseball’s Underbelly

I took my five-year-old to the Cardinals game tonight. We had two free tickets (courtesy of the St. Louis public library system), right behind home plate in the upper deck – nice.
We took the train from Brentwood to downtown, found our way up to section 451, and decided to get a lemonade as our one [...]

Names That Are Verbs

Names that are verbs (in no particular order):
Sue, Max, Mark, Bill, Tripp, Doug, Jett, Pat, Jack, Peter, Bob, Neal, Flo, Wright, Skip, Josh, Hugh, Chance, Grace, Chuck, Page, Rob, Wolf, Rowan, Mike, Hope, Judge, Nick, Don, Drew, Dick, Cary, Duke, Pierce, Will, Flip, Skip, Tank, Chase, Peg, Wayne, Rip, Mary, Dustin, Jimmy, Sharon, Bea, Karen, [...]

Wondering Indeed

Got a subscriber email from byFaith about its coming issue. Here’s what the intro said:
“The next issue of byFaith will be delivered to homes and churches in two weeks. This magazine, as much as any we’ve published, will provoke thinking. It will show visitors a church that is engaged in the world, and present non-believers [...]

Ir(aq)onic

I’ve only caught bits and pieces of the hearings with General Petraeus and company concerning the war in Iraq; thus, I have nothing really to contribute to the discussion.
It does strike me as interesting, though, that there is so much questioning of the character and competency of members of the new Iraqi government by our [...]

How Kids Think

This is going to seem a lot more about us than it really is, but if you have kids, there’s a new website Megan and I would like to ask you to visit periodically over the next two months.
It’s called How Kids Think.
Through the strange but sovereign means of God and Internet networking, Nick Eicher, [...]

Saturday Smatterings

Some links for an overcast, rainy Saturday:

Disappointing stuff with Rick Ankiel and HGH. Thankfully, Bernie Miklasz (as always) calls it like it is.
Reggie Kidd’s post on bickering in the PCA is overwritten but powerful.
Beware of microwave popcorn several times a day. Several times a day?
Just in case anyone was wondering if you can make a [...]

Chess

I competed in the annual after-school faculty/chess team match earlier this week, getting to play Rick, a great kid in my Biblical Ethics class, who is at about my same level of the game.
There were eight matches total between teachers and students, and the faculty lost 7-1. No, I wasn’t the one staff member who [...]

Who Are the Real Adolescents?

Columnist Diana West has a new book out that I hope is even half as good as its quotes. The book is called The Death of the Grown-Up: How America’s Arrested Development is Bringing Down Western Civilization and, while the subtitle is perhaps overdramatic, her thesis is right on. If you read nothing else of [...]

Test Day(s)

I’m giving my classes their first tests of the year today and tomorrow. The good news is this lessens the prep for the week (though I’m trying to get ahead for next week); the other news is there’s going to be a fair amount of work to do to get the tests graded by Friday [...]

That’s Not Natural

I started the first of my seminary reading this past weekend in preparation for my classes beginning this week. I’m taking two night classes that meet once a week and total five credit hours: Tuesday night’s class is Educational Foundations; Thursday night’s class is Ministry Leadership. Both look to be a fair amount of work [...]

Hot Time in the Cool Town Last Night

It’s the first beautiful weather weekend in at least a month. Apparently, St. Louis had the third hottest August on record this summer, and we’ve been here for a majority of it. All this made made last night’s Cardinals game with my three youngest that much more enjoyablem, as it was an absolutely perfect evening [...]