Hackman's Musings

Bloom : King of Dreams

2012-01-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am uber grateful for my newly acquired, and apparently extremely rare, Joseph: King of Dreams soundtrack. You may have picked that up from my previous post. Aside from the beauty of the music, John Bucchino writes wonderful, meaningful lyrics. So, I have to share the song Bloom. It occurs twice in the movie, once sung by Joseph's mother and later by his wife. In each case, these women are calling Joseph to listen to the better part of himself.

Bloom
You've seen the damage words can do,
When full of thoughtless pride,
Now heed the wiser voice in you,
That calls to be your guide,
The flowers reaching for the sun are all uniquely blessed,
But though each is special not a one is better than the rest
Bloom, bloom, may you know, The wisdom only time breeds,
There's room, bloom and you'll grow, To follow where your heart leads,
Bloom and may you bring, Your colours to the vast bouquet,
There's room, bloom, learn one thing,
Your gifts are meant to give away

Bloom (reprise)
How long must there be anger here,
Before we can rejoice,
Embracing love instead of fear, Is but a simple choice,
It's hard for me to see you fall, So bitter and so blind,
When the truest nature of us all,
Invites us to be kind,
Bloom, bloom, may you know, The wisdom only time breeds,
There's room, bloom and you'll grow,
To follow where your heart leads,
Bloom and may you live, The way your life was meant to be,
There's room, bloom and forgive...
May sweet compassion set you free

Better Than I

2012-01-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of Dreamworks' Prince of Egypt and its direct to video follow-up King of Dreams. The Prince of Egypt soundtrack was written by Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer. It is a stunning soundtrack and if ever an animated movie deserved to be moved to the live stage, this one is it.

King of Dreams, its less well known sibling, also has a wonderful soundtrack. The music was written by Danny Pelfrey and John Bucchino. Unfortunately, Dreamworks never made the soundtrack available. No CD of the music was ever published.

My favorite song from the movie is "Better Than I". It is one of the finest songs of faith I have ever heard. John Bucchino included it on a compilation CD (Grateful), and though the artist from the movie does the vocals, it does not have the orchestrated music from the soundtrack. I was glad to have the version provided on Grateful, but I have always desired to have a copy of the version from the movie.

A few weeks ago, by chance, I was googling some info on the King of Dreams when I came across the soundtrack. Apparently, a few promotional copies were printed prior to the movie's release and a cd store in LA was selling their copy. The information was scant, but I figured I would roll the dice... to have an orchestrated version of Better Than I, along with the other wonderful songs from that soundtrack written by Mr. Bucchino, was worth a chance.

It came in the mail today. I rolled 7. It was exactly what I was hoping for!

Leaving The Faith

2012-01-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Chris, Brandon, me, and Tony as sons of Jacob

I want to share a post by my friend Brandon. When I met Brandon a few years ago in local theater, he was a full fledged Mormon. In fact, from what I can tell of the religion and its culture, he was a true credit to his Faith.

Since that time, he went through a period of questioning... and at the end of all of his questioning, he left the faith in which he had been raised.

With the usual excellence Brandon applies to everything he sets out to do, he wrote a detailed document about the questions, concerns, and process he experienced that ultimately led him to leave his faith.

Though Brandon chronicles his thoughts and exit from Mormonism, I believe his story is an important read that would apply to anyone dealing with faith issues. The themes and questions he addresses are universal; as I read I found myself repeatedly saying, "Yes!" "Exactly" "Did that!" "Me too!" What he experienced, and his reasons for leaving, so often mirrored my own exit from Christianity.

What Brandon has done, which I and many others who have left our faith have not, is give a detailed account of the progression and reasoning. In addition... he is absolutely graceful about it. Something I have not always been good about.

Here is a quote from his document that I completely resonate with. I think religious people would find it counter-intuitive, but it is a common thread amongst those who leave their faith:

"(Having left the church) I don’t judge people as much. I can look at somebody and be their friend without having to worry about their salvation, or somehow steering the conversation toward the church to help them find the “right” path. Consequently, my relationships are now more genuine, and I am filled with more love for people, regardless of their religion, sexual orientation, or race. It’s also easier to make new friends."

So go to his blog here and look for the PDF at the bottom of the article.

Nicely explained my friend; peace with your continued journey.

Shallow Understanding From People of Good Will

2012-01-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

If you have never read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", let me encourage you to do so in honor of this MLK day. It is as profound as any work of poetry, and as cutting as the words of any prophets in the scriptures. Truth is timeless, and the words expressed in this letter apply to us as much now as they did then.

I did not read this letter until I was in my 40s. I had been in Christian churches for 30 years... and this letter was never part of my spiritual education. I believe Rev. King describes many of our churches, and their lack of education at the congregational level, when he speaks of "shallow understanding from people of good will" in the following quote:

"I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.

I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured."

Fundraising Post

2012-01-14T18:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

My daughter, Kathryn, is part of the Wasatch Youth Ensemble, which is “a high energy group of young violinists.” She rehearses weekly and practices nightly for a string of performances which will begin this spring. Her last half dozen shows will be performed in Hawaii. To that end, she and her ensemble are actively participating in many fund raising activities to pay for their trip.

One of those fundraisers involves selling the Dominos Pizza “Delivering the Dough” cards. Each card has 10 “Buy One Get One Free” cards. They are:

4- Buy one pizza at menu price and receive one pizza of equal or lesser value free.

6—Buy one large pizza at menu price and receive one medium one topping pizza free.

All of the coupons on the card are good until 12-31-13

Cards are $10 and funds from the cards purchased from us will go directly toward Kathryn’s trip. Don’t feel any obligation, but if you are a pizza person, consider that this card will give value to your pizza habit while supporting a good cause.

If you know us locally, you can buy the cards from us when you see us. If you are out of state, you can purchase one through the secure Paypal link below (you do not have to have a Paypal account, you can check out as a guest) or you can mail me a check. In either case, we will get it mailed out to you right away. Thank You!

Being Human: S2 US S4 UK

2012-01-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

I am a big Being Human fan.

Which one you ask? UK or US?

All of it!

I do not understand the need of some fans to pick one or the other. Either/or, team thinking is so limiting.

I enjoy the gritty, more earthy version that has been for running for three seasons in the UK. I enjoy the more polished, nuanced version that started last year here in the US. The web mini-series Becoming Human was a treat (one I hope they further pursue). I even enjoyed the original pilot which was done sometime before the series with different actors.

Over the past few weeks, I have been re-watching both versions of Being Human courtesy of Netflix. This week, the US will start its second season on Syfy. Later this month the UK will be ramping up their 4th season with an almost entirely new cast.

To introduce the new vampire in the UK series, the BBC released this short prequel story. I think it is going to be a good season.

Hate To Agree With Santorum, But...

2012-01-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

Ouch, hate to be on the same page as Santorum, but I find myself agreeing with him. This week on the campaign trail he said:

I was so outraged by the president of the United States for standing up and saying every child in America should go to college. Well who are you? Who are you to say that every child in America should [go to college]? I mean, the hubris of this president to think that he knows what's best.

I have seven kids. Maybe they will all go to college. But if one of my kids wants to go and be an auto-mechanic, good for him. That's a good paying job: using your hands, using your mind. This is the kind of snobbery that we see from those who think they know how to run our lives. Rise up America, defend your own freedoms. And overthrow these folks who think they know how to orchestrate every aspect of your lives.

I think his "outrage" is feigned, and needlessly over-dramatic. I also think his argument exists within a larger narrative that is anti-science and anti-public education; but on this quote alone I will agree with him.

There is a mis-perception in America regarding college. I am an academic. I love books, reading, and writing. I am fascinated by a well nuanced lecture. However, my interests represent a mere slice of the interests and predilections of human beings.

Many of America's schools seem to have a singular mantra - you are an academic, or you just aren't that smart. All of our efforts and target goals seem to orbit one focal point - push everyone toward academic excellence.

And the non-academics? Well, you can just spend a dozen or so years in the schools feeling inferior.

Or, maybe Santorum has a point. Maybe someone does not have to be an academic to be smart. I wrote a blog describing how my father is infinitely more intelligent than me when it comes to constructive and kinesthetic work. He never went to college, yet he ran a successful carpet business from his home for decades which provided a comfortable suburban life for his family.

In my 21 years of teaching, I have watched as academically inclined children are praised and thought of as "good" or "talented", while students who dream of art, and building, and the outdoors are often seen as anchors; a child who is masterful at art, but scores low on state testing will not be seen as an asset. We have a one track system that plays to our citizens who will take up jobs in "book-learning" fields, but we have little to offer kids in the classroom who enjoy working on cars.

I have a friend who left college after one year. He had his fill of classwork in high school. However, he was always a gifted people-person and not one to shy away from a good day's work. He climbed up the corporate management ladder and easily makes triple what I do.

I have another friend who loved outdoor construction and landscape work. However, due to parent and societal pressure, he got his degree and entered the office work force. He now makes good money working a job that is very respectable... that he hates.

I don't blame the schools for their part in this. They are merely reflecting and executing the corporate, bottom-line, widget making mentality that has been forced on them by the wielders of big money - and a society that has become geared toward consumption rather than creativity.

Christian No More

2012-01-02T17:07:00.000-07:00

I often get asked the question as to whether or not I consider myself a Christian anymore. This is sometimes asked with curiosity, but more often than not it is asked with concern or chagrin. The concern part, in its better moments, is based on a fear of my spending eternity roasting... and since the person asking the question likes me, they would rather that fate not be mine.

However, it never ceases to be comical to me how often the question is founded in chagrin - the questioner is frustrated that I do not seem to find compelling or conceivable a position they have claimed. My choosing a stance that is contrary to the one they cling to, somehow, gets translated as a criticism.

Quite confounding.

The short answer to the question is no. I really don't consider myself a Christian anymore. Somewhere along the way (to be explained in more detail in a future blog post), I realized that the claims of my religious beliefs had no more inherent validity than anyone else's. Once the light bulb goes on that your group sounds to every other group the way every other group sounds to yours... and that REALLY sinks in... well, it's all up hill from there.

I tried to explain my perspective to a relative recently - that scripture has become to me a sequence of testimonies by people I don't know, having been retold and then copied by people I don't know, in a time with different values than mine. Not that it cannot give valuable perspectives, but it can't help but be hearsay. Given that, it is hard for me to know what to think of God - in 28 years of pursuing him, I've never heard from him.

The response? - Of course you have! It's in the bible!

Sigh....

So where does that leave me now? I could probably be best described as a hopeful agnostic. Sure, I hope we go on. Who wouldn't? But for right now, what concerns me most is impacting my world around me - loving others, making the world a better place for everyone, and giving my life to friends and family.

I read the following quote in the book Good Omens this morning and I laughed out loud. In a way, it captures how I feel about the unknowable reality of God.

God does not play dice with the universe:
He plays an ineffable game of His own devising,
which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody],
to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker
in a pitch-dark room,
with blank cards,
for infinite stakes,
with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules,
and who smiles all the time.

The Problem of Multiple Choice

2011-12-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

Vocabulary Question:

I ______________ the memories of my Grandmother.

A. hoist
B. contract
C. cherish
D. avoid

This question is given on a professionally created, state purchased test (I just corrected it). Which did you answer? Were there any other possibilities?

How many students have been judged to have not understood the vocabulary, when in fact they understood it very well? Perhaps in seeing two possible answers, the student understands the use of vocabulary better than the professional who designed this question. It is often the case that one economic class tends to select one answer, while another class selects the other.

I see this kind of thing all the time when my students are state testing - questions that have multiple correct answers, depending on the view of the reader. If the question writers tend to think in either/or terms and lack the empathy to perceive another perspective, it is easy for them to create many questions such as the one above.

There is value in multiple choice tests. But presently, the success or failure of a school rests entirely on the results of a few multiple choice tests, given over the course of a week in late Spring.

A Conversation on Hell

2011-12-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Over at New Ways Forward, I entered into a discussion about Hell. I put it here since it falls in line with recent posts and it articulates more of my view on Hell.

Andrew: I find that people often have trouble moving out of an either/or paradigm. If one does not believe in an eternal hell, then one must not believe in discipline or consequence- everything becomes a free for all. I have no trouble with hell in theory, but I get tripped up over the word eternal. The way Hell is popularly articulated would fly in the face of most of the story of scripture. Any claims God would make to “Father” would be laughable. The story of the prodigal becomes pretty meaningless. God is not patient, God does not always persevere, God keeps records of wrongs, and hope dies.

Yep, I don’t think that should be the Christian story.

Grant: I find it hard to dismiss the idea that Hell exists and that some people will end up there. Although what Hell truly is, is another question. I like what Tim Keller said (following CS Lewis) – the fire imagery is probably metaphorical, but it’s a metaphor for something far worse than a literal fire. To those who follow Jesus and say “Thy will be done” God grants them eternal life. To those who refuse God allows them to continue in their chosen existence and in effect says to them “Well OK, Thy will be done”.

If Jesus said that he is the way the truth and the life, then he must in some sense have come to save people from ways that were not the way, that were contrary to truth and life. If following Jesus leads us to real life, and real truth, then other ways do not lead us there, they lead to error and death. Here is exactly where I see Hell fitting in. In choosing not to follow Jesus people are in effect choosing death over life. In short I think Hell (whatever it may end up being) is something chosen by people rather than a place people are sent to. That way I see that God wills all to be saved but some choose not to accept the offer and prefer to declare their independence from God. God loves everyone but not everyone reciprocates. God never forces people to love him. If he did, could we really call that Love? God is patient and God perseveres but he has set a time limit on his patience. Endless patience is not patience but acceptance of the way things are. God is patient but wants to give everyone a chance to respond. But He will not wait forever. Doesn’t mean he’s not patient. God does persevere, he also suffers long the sin of his creation. Hope does not die this way, it is very much alive for those who follow Jesus. There is no hope for those who chose not to follow Jesus.

There are other options I don’t know much about – annihilationism and conditional immortality are two I’d like to explore.

I’m not sure what Andrew means when he says the way hell is popularly articulated. I assume he means that people present salvation as fire insurance?

Well that’s how I see it…..

Andrew: No, wasn’t making a comment about salvation… just that most folks would say hell is a place of torment, that it is eternal, and that you only have till you die to get it right.

It may be that God set a time… 3,2,1… and the door is closed forever. However, if that is the case, he may be god… but he is no Father.

Grant: Hi Andrew, thanks for clearing that up. I hear you on that point and I suspect that many people naturally recoil from this doctrine because of the way it is presented. I was told that you never preach about Hell without a tear in your eye for obvious reasons. I suspect that many times it has been preached with air of smugness and superiority, as if the preacher was some how happy that people ended up there. I know there are also emotional issues attached with this doctrine, especially when we have close friends and family members who don’t know Christ. It’s heartbreaking to think about their fate to be honest.

But I must respectfully disagree with you on that point about God as Father. I don’t think it Hell undermines it. I don’t think your conclusion logically flows from your point about Hell. I actually think it is the other way around. If God does not have a limit on his patience and time limit for those who persistently rebel against God then he is not good and he is not just. He is also a bad father.

Would we call a man a good earthly father if he allowed his children to run wild, get into situations that harmed them and the family? Would we call him a good father if he never tried to stop the bad behavior of the child? If the Child ignored the ultimatum from the parent- stop this or face the consequences – would we call them a good father if they didn’t make good on their promise of punishment?

Of course we wouldn’t. We would call them a bad father. In fact we couldn’t even call them a parent. They are the servant of a child who is allowed to do what they want. They’re even worse than baby sitters. Yet this is what i see many people expecting God to do. They expect him to allow people to persist in sin, in open rebellion against him forever. Can we really call God good or Father if he allows evil to persist forever? Can we really say that God is just if he leaves evil unpunished?

While I would like all people to be given a chance to repent after death, I don’t find a lot of scriptural support for it and as such I can’t bring myself to believe it on an intellectual basis. On an emotional basis I’m holding out for it. I once heard someone say “I’m not a universalist, but God might be.” If God chooses to let everyone off the hook at the end of time, who am I to complain? It would be awesome, but I’d have a hard time understanding why God chose to forgive people like Stalin or Hitler who died unrepentant sinners.

I know I didn’t touch on the eternal side of things, and this comment is already WAAAYY too long. But let me point you to a good sermon on the topic that helped me clarify my understanding of Hell. It’s by Tim Keller – here is the link:

http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/hell-isnt-god-christianity-angry-judge

Andrew: Thanks Grant for your response. However, I still hold my position. It is common for people to believe that because I do not accept an eternal Hell, I would assume that God would be an overly indulgent Father who cannot discipline his children. I think nothing of the kind. I think God can discipline, protect, enforce rules, and do all the things a good father does without that going hand in hand with assigning a child to an eternal torture chamber with no hope of release. These are two different points, but it is a separation that most Christians have trouble seeing – let alone wrestling with. Again, I don’t think anyone will be let off the hook, I think everyone will have to come to grips with the way they have harmed others… and I don’t think they can move on until they have come to term with those realities. I don’t think anyone moves on unrepentant… But there would be no reason for a father to have a cut off point… I do not believe any parent would… however, I can completely picture an annoyed sibling desiring the father to have a cut off point…. and it is our fellow siblings who have penned and edited the scriptures. :)

Grant: Hi Andrew, thanks for the response and I still respectfully differ with you.

I do think you’ve got a lot of assumptions in your comment that are unwarranted. I’m not sure Hell is something assigned to someone as it is chosen by the person who goes there. In effect God says to that person “OK, if what you want is independence from me, then you can have it.” The person who dies with unrepentant heart simply does not want to be with Jesus following death. Note the story in the Bible of the Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). When the rich man dies and ends up in Hell, he first response is not “Get me out of here.” He asks Abraham for a drink to ease his burning tongue. He is content to stay there and continue his life apart from God, although he does want his stay to be somewhat more comfortable.

Let me also pose a hypothetical question to you. What if you punished, disciplined, loved, protected and enforced good rules on your own child, yet no matter what you did they continually chose to ignore you, go their own way and denounce you as their parent? What if they sought to have the legal relationship between the two of you changed so that they would never have to ever be known as your child? What if they wanted to completely and utterly declare that they had nothing to do with you? How would you feel?

Devastated to say the least. If that were me I would spend the rest of my life chasing them, pursuing them, loving them until my last breath. Yet if they constantly resisted my advances, refused to see me and consistently declared me to dead to them, what could I possibly do to make them love me? I could never force them to love me. At some point I would have to allow them to choose what they wanted to do. It would be heartbreaking (and I would spend my life pleading with them to choose differently) but if they didn’t choose to love me what could I do? I could never force them to love me. In effect they have shunned what could have been a wonderful life with healthy relationships and love, for their own independence. While it might be hard to believe this ever happening in today’s world it is exactly what we have done to God as human beings. God doesn’t want anyone to choose that sort of relationship with him, and he pursues us relentlessly, but he cannot force us to love him. Love that is forced is not love at all.

Andrew: Grant, before I continue, let me say that I appreciate your respectful dialogue. I find few people in online conversation that can hold an opposite view but resist the urge to get into taunts and jibes. Refreshing.

In response to your hypothetical question: I can imagine your scenario, and I agree that it would be hurtful and I cannot ever make my child love me. But here is where I think a Father’s response differs, as a Father, I would never refuse the return of my son. The door is not locked. My son, regardless of how he has rejected me, what he has said, what he has done, ALWAYS has an open door waiting for him.

The one thing I have realized as a parent is that I will always love my children more than they love me. This is not lack of love on their part, but surplus of love on mine. I think there are some parents who, whether consciously or unconsciously, react negatively when they discover this and because they never received a surplus of love from their parents- dysfunction begins and is perpetuated.

I think the god as described by popular Christianity, the one who sends people to Hell (no sane person chooses torture) is a bit of a dysfunctional father. He cannot abide a child not returning his love, and so the child must be punished. I think dysfunctional parenting is so common that we do not react when we see its markers being attributed to God.

I was watching the play Cinderella last night, and as I saw the step sisters desperately trying to get the glass slipper to fit, it occurred to me that this is what many Christians are trying to do with Hell. They feel that they have to believe it, so they squish and they push. They begin to attribute to god things that would be considered psychotic and evil were we to attribute them to any man. But for sake of orthodoxy we have learned to call evil good in this case. The reality is, this slipper is one that will never fit, no matter how we contort. It is better to throw it away.

Grant: Thanks for the kind words Andrew. I was watching NT Wright last night on Homosexuality and the Church. One of his main points was that we need to get to a place where we can have civilized discussion instead of a shouting match. I think that hit the nail on the head, and it could be applied to just about all controversial points of Christian doctrine. I must confess I am partial to shouting matches, so I’m glad this has not turned into one. I think back to my earlier more Pharisaical days where I regularly denounced anyone who differed with me as heretical. I have had to repent of much in my short time on the planet. So I am glad you find my tone refreshing. I aim to keep it that way.

I think we’re on a similar wavelength with the doctrine of Hell. I believe that all who want to return to God will. I’m a firm believer that God will never turn people away who want to repent, and I believe that God is sovereign in the affairs of the world to ensure that all who want to return to him will do so during the course of their lives. I would love to believe in post-mortem repentance, but I just don’t see it in the Bible. I think there are two questions here. First is the precise nature of Hell. The second is how does one end up there? While I’m not 100% sure of the precise nature of Hell, I am a little more sure that people who end up in Hell have chosen that path as I have argued in other comments.

I still find no good reason to dismiss the doctrine of hell in regards to the way I have outlined in my previous comments.I think there are far more problems with rejecting Hell than there are with accepting it. Theology is very much an interconnected web, and removing one doctrine quickly affects others. Firstly, without the reality of Hell Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross becomes incredibly ambiguous, as does the notion of salvation. Salvation denotes rescue, but what did Jesus rescue us from? In fact if God will never send anyone to Hell and will always allow people into heaven then why bother to repent and follow Jesus? Why not just do your own thing? Why not be an Atheist or a Buddhist instead? If the outcome is same for everyone irrespective of what I do on earth then what does it matter how I behave or what I believe? In effect by removing Hell we are saying “Let us do evil so that good may result.” It would be a strange and sad world where that was allowed to happen. I know God is capable of other methods of discipline and punishment, and I know not everyone would do evil so that good would result if there was no Hell. But if we will all end up in the same place and position, then what does it matter what we believe or do here on earth? If we admit that not everyone will end up in the same place then where do those who remain unrepentant before and after death go? Will they be given a chance to repent after death? I don’t see it in the Bible, as much as I would like it to be true. Yet I still see significant problems with that view. Why bother to preach that people need to repent in this life and follow Jesus if they will be given a chance in the next life? Why not do as we please and wait to repent in the next life?

I’ll finish with a comment on popular Christianity. It is by no means as homogeneous as it would appear, and often what gets media coverage are the most controversial stories. Think of how much media coverage that “God-hates-fags” church gets relative to their size. Nor is popular Christianity always the most orthodox. Joel Osteen’s health wealth and prosperity teachings are very popular with some Christians but decidedly outside the realms of orthodox Christianity. That said I do understand the damage that many popular Christian movements have caused. Think about the Left Behind books and how they popularized a rapture theology. I know because for a long time I thought the main goal of Christianity was to escape this world. It’s been a long journey for me to see that following Jesus has real implications for this world here and now. That following Jesus means working to see this world restored and redeemed, to see Gods kingdom come here on earth as it is in Heaven.

Apologies for the long comment! I hope I don’t put you to sleep with my epistle…I pray Gods richest blessing on you and your family in this Christmas season. I pray that you may know the unspeakable depths of the love and mercy of King Jesus. And I pray that the Holy Spirit may dwell richly with you, that you may in turn be a blessing to others. Grace and Peace.

Hope and Hell

2011-12-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hell, must be on my mind as this will be my third post this week on the topic. On the FB side of things, my friend Darrin questioned some of my views on Hell following my article "Read the Fineprint." In the article, I state that the nature of Hell assures no true love by God... love cannot exist with that "or else" hanging over our heads.

Darrin pointed out that "or else" scenarios are the reality of our existence. There should be consequences. People who commit heinous crimes are deserving of Hell; and if one accepts the heaven of the bible, it follows that Hell comes along as part of the bargain. Darrin asked if I thought there will be justice in the afterlife.

These are great questions and valid concerns. Before I share my thoughts on the matter, I have to clarify that I am an Agnostic. Any talk of the afterlife is, to me, somewhat of an academic exercise. Also, my language here is primarily Christian since those are the waters in which I swim and has been the majority of my experience. So, without any further ado....

First, I have to say that I have no issue with consequences. I believe we tend to reap what we sow. This is an idea found in many faiths. My problem tends to focus on the eternal nature of Hell as explained in popular Christianity. That an individual NEVER gets an opportunity to repent, there is no possibility of redemption, all hope is gone. Eternal, unquenchable punishment... for the choices of 80+ years? I hardly resemble the man I was just 20 years ago. What would I be like after a millenia has passed? Hell is dropping a nuke to swat a fly. The numbers, to me, render it ridiculous.

As a Christian, my view on Hell began its radical shift after I became a father. What would it take for me to cut off relationship with my child... with no hope of restoration? When I first started articulating some of these thoughts years ago, my wife challenged me:

"I don't think I agree with your take on Hell," she said to me one day at breakfast. She pushed the newspaper toward me, "Look at this! Look at what this... sick, twisted man did! I don't care if they execute him, it is still letting him off easy! He deserves to rot in Hell forever, and it would not bother me one bit!"

I let a moment pass before saying softly, "What if it was Jacob?"

My wife froze as she processed what her feeling would be in this altered scenario.

"Shit!" she mumbled, and then took a long draw on her coffee.

What people want as a consequence for the stranger, and what they want for their own loved ones tend to be two different things. In God's case, we are all loved ones. That's why God call us to love our enemies.... he wants us to remember that those "others" are his sons and daughters.... they are our brothers and sisters.

In that light God's disciplines are that of a good father. Good discipline seeks to redeem the soul, change its direction - not extract a pound of flesh. This is demonstrated in the scriptures:

Hebrews 12:9 We all had human fathers who disciplined as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness.

The endgame of all good discipline should be restoration. This is why I think justice is better defined by thinking of restoration and putting things right; rather than a balancing of the scales. As Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

So, do I think there will be justice in the afterlife? Yes, not because I think scales will be balanced, but because I think all things will be restored.

One of my favorite scenes in the finale of Lost is when we get to meet Benjamin Linus as a penitent man. He regrets the deeds of his mortal life. Now, on the other side, he sees clearly the type of man he was.

I think scripture gives us peeks into this. Jesus asked the Father to forgive the people killing him. Why? Because they did not know what they were doing. Was Jesus saying they were not aware of their actions? Not at all, but he seems to be telling us they did not have clear vision. Paul states this in his epistle to the Corinthians. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. This is why I have come to believe that true spirituality has much to do with clearing our vision, and little to do with accepting dogmas and creeds.

and what about the bible?

For me, it is an ancient book. Like all ancient words... some are timeless (act justly, love mercy, walk humbly) others need to be left on the rubbish heap. I think heaven and hell are just an ancient people using a carrot and stick to get people to behave. Carrots and sticks work while folks are young, but there comes a time when the adult needs to be motivated by something better.

Also, having observed Christianity for over 30 years, I honestly believe that a belief in Hell- whether tacitly or enthusiastically - damages the soul. I don't think one can accept that fate for the souls of others without corrupting one's own. The meanest Christians I have known held fast and loudly to their belief in Hell. The most loving ones I have known are those who put Hell on the shelf, or abandoned it all together.

Preach It Brother Pearson!

2011-12-12T19:49:00.003-07:00

This is a wonderful news story about Carlton Pearson. He was a pastor of a church of thousands... until he came to the conclusion that the popular notion of Hell presented in Western Christianity simply could not be. His heart was healed, but his life was shattered as Christianity rejected him. His heart and mind had grown too large for their dogmas and formulas. I got choked up at various points.

One pastor during the piece, who did not like Pearson's shift, asked the oft repeated question "If everyone is redeemed... why bother preaching? Why tell anyone about Jesus?"

How small their religion has become....

Read The Fine Print

2011-12-11T09:07:00.001-07:00

I was visiting a church website this morning. On the opening page, they had lots of smiling happy people. There were tag lines about belonging, acceptance, freedom. You were encouraged to come as you are, be part of the community.

How welcoming.

However, like most companies trying to sell you something, there is the fineprint. To absolve themselves from feeling dishonest in any way, they have to tell you what they really think. However, they do not put it on the front page with accompanying pictures. None of the taglines will mention these details. You will have to click a few links in to find their belief statements. Their ultimate confession will usually be the last one listed.

Even while stating it last, they will attempt to minimize it. The fineprint is this: You are going to Hell if you do not join our church or one like it. They have books worth of theology on this point, but it will probably be reduced to a subordinate clause within a sentence. In fact, they will most likely avoid the word Hell and just talk about separation from God. They will by no means detail the torture that awaits you.... but it is there, between the lines of the fineprint.

It reminds me of Stephen King's Misery. Annie Wilkes proclaims her love for Paul Sheldon.

Does anyone really want a love like that?

Netflix's Hidden Gems

2011-12-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

Netflix streaming is the best 8 dollars I spend monthly. It is a steal of a deal. There is an endless assortment of television, movies, and documentaries to tap into. In addition, as a parent, it is ideal. It gives me greater control of my children's viewing habits, and radically reduces the amount of influence commercials exert on them.

About a dozen years ago, I bought one of the first available DVRs, the ReplayTV. My favorite function was that it automatically skipped past commercials. My children grew up only watching recorded shows or video their mother and I selected. They rarely saw a commercial. Netflix has continued this reality for me. I think this lack of commercials has had no small effect on who my children are as consumers. A few years ago I asked Jake what he might like for Christmas. He shrugged, "I don't know... what is there?"

Netflix has so much available, and growing all the time, that it is easy to miss true gems that are hidden. I have found a few. What are some of yours?

Jekyll
This is a 6 part BBC mini series. James Nesbitt is a marvel to watch as he flips back and forth between Jekyll and Hyde.

Being Human
Three short seasons about a ghost, vampire, and werewolf living as flatmates. Sy-Fy has made a copy of this show, but here is the UK original. Great stories about the human condition.

Life on Mars
This show deserved more than a single season. Jason O'Mara stars as a modern day cop who gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. I am not usually into cop shows, but my brother Steve kept recommending it and he was right.

The Guardian
Simon Barker stars as a corporate attorney who gets assigned 1500 hours of community service as a child advocate, after being caught with drugs. If you like the Mentalist, you will probably like this.

The Last Airbender
Ok, the movie was terrible; but the show from which it came is inspired. I am not usually one to watch animation but The Last Airbender is wonderful.

The Twilight Zone
These should almost be required viewing in school. Many of these stories, though still subversive today, must have been scandalous at the time. I have been slowly working through the whole series. Considering how many times I have seen Telly Savalas try to saw a laughing Tina, or Shatner overact on an airplane - there are quite a few of these I had never seen before.

Dead Like Me
Reapers who get their reaping assignments from Mandy Patinkin while having breakfast at the local waffle house. Outstanding character development and dialogue. Curse Showtime for only giving it two seasons!

Lie to Me
Outstanding first season. The show is about a doctor who solves crimes by reading people's body language to tell when they are lying. They must have gotten new writers by mid-second season, because they ruined Tim Roth's character.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis
I know most of you are aware of these two, but I have to mention them to demonstrate the dangers of Netflix. I watched the first episode of Stargate Universe having never watched the previous two series. Having enjoyed SGU, I decided to give the other two a shot. I watched 15 years of Stargate in about 6 months. This amount of TV watching can be hazardous to your health and your marriage. Approach new Netflix shows, that have many seasons, with caution.

Santa On Overtime

2011-12-05T19:36:00.001-07:00

I went to my daughter's school this evening to see her perform in Polar Express. Her theater class is doing a scaled down 25 minute version where she got to sing, dance, and act. She was wonderful, as always.

A cute part of the evening had to do with the Santa character and how the children in the audience responded to him. When Santa said to the stage children, "Who will receive the first gift of Christmas?" All of the children in the play were calling out "Me!". A few seats down from me was a two year old audience member who joined in "Me! Me! Me!". The little guy had great projection and secured a big laugh from the audience.

When the cast came out to do their bows, a 5 year old ran on to the stage to hug Santa. I give her credit; she saw her opportunity, and she took it!

Finally, when we went into the hall, an impromptu line of small children had formed around Santa. He was gracious and decided to go into Macy's mode. Within moments, he had children on his lap telling him what they wanted for Christmas - while parents took pictures with their phones.

I don't know who was playing Santa, but he made the same discovery as Tim Allen... when you wear the suit, you become the man.

Another Earth : Movie Review

2011-12-04T00:14:00.001-07:00

I just finished watching Another Earth. My interest was first drawn to it because it looked like an intriguing sci-fi film. As much as I enjoy sci-fi, I was glad to discover it was more than that.

The film focuses on Rhonda Williams, a smart high school senior accepted to MIT with hopes of a bright future. She has too much to drink while celebrating the end of high school with friends and drives home drunk. She crashes into a young family, killing the mother and child and leaving the father in a coma.

As a minor, she spends only 4 years in jail, but her true prison is her shattered life. Unable to cope with her guilt, she drifts through her days as little more than a phantom.

One day she goes to the site of the crash and sees a small memorial that has been tended to. She reads online of the man whose life she destroyed and decides she needs to seek him out to apologize. However, when he comes to the door at his home, she loses her nerve and declares herself a cleaning girl looking for work. His home and life are a shambles, and she begins to go to his home each week to clean and care for him.

I won't reveal anything more than that; if you are at all interested, this is a film worth seeing. You may notice that I mentioned none of the sci-fi involved in this story. It is because that element is merely the canvas upon which the story is being painted. This story is about life, and wounds, and regret.

Another Earth is a movie that runs slow and deep. Pour a glass of wine and be moved.

My Son Has Cabin Fever

2011-11-15T16:39:00.001-07:00

Today, Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Cabin Fever came out. I had pre-ordered Jake a copy, plus a half dozen more for my classroom, from Scholastic. They are very good about getting books out on release day.

I knew Jake would be jazzed to read it, but I underestimated him a little. When I pulled it out of my backpack, he hollered "Oh my Gosh!", flew across the room to snatch it from me, and tossed a "Thank you" over his shoulder as he grabbed his bowl of popcorn and headed for the couch. He got himself comfortable, then paused and looked back at me. "Now the reading begins....." he uttered, almost reverently.

Have I mentioned that I love that my son loves books?

Parent Fail

2011-11-10T07:44:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, my wife and I went to my son's 4th grade parent teacher conference... that is a blog post in itself... but today I want to talk about an incident I overheard at the fundraising book sale that was happening in the kiva.

A boy I estimate to be in third grade approached his mother with a book.

"I want this one," he proclaimed as he handed the book to her. Her face darkened as she looked at the cover.

"This book is about a girl," Mom announced in an icy tone. Her son looked back at her confused. "The hero in this book is a girl! You don't want this one."

The boy took the book back and looked quizzicly at the cover. "What's wrong with this book?" Mom sighed in frustration and looked at her husband. He shrugged and walked away.

Mom turned back to her son, "Let's find you a book where the boy is the hero." She directed him over to another rack. "Here. Here are some good books. You want one of these." She threw the other book on the pile and began loading books into the arms of a bewildered little boy.

It reminded me of a line from the movie Mississippi Burning:

Hatred isn't something you're born with. It gets taught.

The Choir is Coming to Salt Lake City!

2011-11-03T22:45:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite bands since I was a teen is The Choir. I first saw them at Ichthus 84 and have enjoyed pretty much every song since. I have seen them at least a half dozen times over the years and am thrilled that they will be here in SLC this Sunday.

The Choir has always written heart felt lyrics that tended to eschew the cliche' verses of most bands that find their tour circuit within the church directory.

Even still, I have to wonder what churches are making of their lyrics now. In their most recent CDs, I notice a tendency to call things as they are... rather than how they "ought" to be.

For example, in the song "Mercy Will Prevail" The Choir wrestles with the assurances of a good and loving God in the midst of people enduring suffering.

"Divine Love never fails. Mercy will prevail. I want to swear that's true but it's hard to believe it."

In the song "Nobody Gets a Smooth Ride", The Choir doesn't seem to promote the idea that God has a plan for everything or that "God is good all the time!" Instead, we get a lyrical shrug and a sigh.

"Nobody gets a smooth ride. I'm really sorry the way things are going these days. Try to be careful... that's all I can say."

Then there is the song "Invisible". In it, The Choir seems to challenge the habit many Christians have of describing every incident in their life as if it were the battleground of supernatural forces fighting over the Christian's destiny. The tone seems mocking at times.

"Invisible teams of phantom forces, racing through my dreams. Invisible forces chasing me. Come Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, defend me from this demon host."

It is stated toward the end of the song that blaming things on supernatural forces "makes no sense at all".

So how do church folks react to these kinds of lyrics? (Perhaps no one but me listens to lyrics anymore)

I get the impression that The Choir, like me, grew up amidst a lot of Christian beliefs and rhetoric that could not hold out over time. Sifting through old beliefs has become a regular practice for a lot of Christians I know. Some find little left to hold on to when the sifting is done... others find ways to incorporate what is left into a faith that can be sustained.

In any case, I will be placing my hiatus from Christianity on hold this weekend as I go spend an evening at church this Sunday with The Choir.

The War on Halloween?

2011-10-30T22:39:00.000-06:00

We have all heard about the War on Christmas. As December approaches, there is a subset of Christians who will get their undies in a bunch if perfect strangers do not show deference to their worldview. They take the greeting of "Happy Holidays" as if it were an insult. They flood Facebook with Fox News stories about liberals trying to tear down America through Christmas marginalization. They will strictly adhere to Focus on the Family's list of stores to avoid for not being sufficiently pro-nativity. In their view Christmas (and by extension Christians) is being targeted.

However, for the past few weeks, I have observed my school wrestle with what to do about Halloween. We have various religious families who will not celebrate Halloween. Other parents want the costumes and parades they remember having as a kid. Teachers were all over the map with their opinions. Folks wanted class parties, or felt we couldn't spare any academic time, or believed it was unkind to have all of these poor families feel pressured to buy costumes. When I went to my college class, I got to hear from other teachers about how their buildings were handling the question of what to do about Halloween. Every school seemed to have a different spin.

There are a lot of angles to consider. There are considerations that oppose other considerations, yet each has a valid point.

There are no conspiracies.... there are just a lot of voices to acknowledge.

It is the same with Christmas. I know it was just "easier" for Christians when they were the dominate voice on the block; when everyone in the room had to adjust their schedules around the Christians. Now there are all of these other voices in the room. There now has to be give, where before there was only take.

However, rather than becoming a sore spot for our nation, Christmas presents Christians with a real opportunity to live out their faith. Rather than suiting up for this year's battle over Christmas, they can choose to live the words of their scriptures:

Phillipians 2:3 "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."

Ohio Animal Tragedy

2011-10-20T11:24:00.000-06:00

"It's his property. He can do what he wants."

This was said by a neighbor of Terry Thompson, the man who released dozens of wild and jungle animals from his farm yesterday before shooting himself.

I hear this kind of statement often in the very Red state of Utah. Doing what you want, when you want can be regarded as a virtue here. Any kind of regulation or rule made by the government tends to get a knee-jerk reaction - it is resisted without regard to reasonableness.

I remember listening to a local talk show host who was berating some of his neighbors - for trying to get the city to enforce codes on a resident who was letting his home and lawn deteriorate. He used the exact same words:

"It's his property. He can do what he wants."

These statements are made by people who do not know how to live in a society. They have a romantic view of libertarian-ism that could only exist if one lived alone on an island. The rest of us have to live with family, neighbors, co-workers, fellow citizens, etc. Therefore, we must learn to give and take. Compromise and courtesy are what allow us to function as a civilized society. He can do what he wants is not sufficient or practical. Rules and regulations are not the enemy.

Ohio is one of 8 states who have little to no regulation regarding the ownership of wild animals. Not surprisingly it has a death and maiming rate by wild animals that is in line with their view of regulation. Yesterday's events were tragic on many levels; most of these animals had to be killed by local police.

"It's his property. He can do what he wants."

This is the mantra of the irresponsible; those who give all power to the individual while looking with derision at regulations that insist one also be responsible to society.

Conversations at Gardner Village

2011-10-19T17:34:00.000-06:00

My kids and I had today off school (ML still had to work). So we went out to lunch and took the train to Gardner Village. We always have good chats. Here are two of them.

Kathryn: Dad, I think most kids have to believe what their parents believe.

Me: I suppose that is mostly true...

Kathryn: But you and Mom have never made me feel I had to believe what you believe; in fact, I think there are items that all three of us see differently.

Me: So, what do you think about that?

Kathryn: ......... thank you ........

Me: <grin> You're welcome....

Kathryn: So Dad, are you even a Christian anymore?

Me: That is a good question...

Kathryn: So what are you?

Me: What do you think I am?

Kathryn: (considers thoughtfully for a moment) .... an agnostic, Christian, Buddhist....

Me: ...Hmmmm... I'm cool with that....

Pastor Numb Nutz

2011-10-17T12:04:00.000-06:00

God HATES You!

“Some of you, God hates you. Some of you, God is sick ofyou. God is frustrated with you. God is wearied by you. God has suffered longenough with you. He doesn’t think you’re cute. He doesn’t think it’s funny. Hedoesn’t think your excuse is “meritous” [the word he's looking for here is"meritorious"]. He doesn't care if you compare yourself to someoneworse than you, He hates them too. God hates, right now, personally,objectively hates some of you.” ~PastorMark Driscoll

Did you think Fred Phelps ("God Hates Fags") saidthis? No, this was said by an extremelypopular evangelical pastor and author. He runs a church business in Seattle,and thousands upon thousands hang on his words each week. Aside from his congregants, his books sit onthe shelves of many of the evangelical Christians in your town.

Do you know evangelicals who are caustic? Negative? Angry? Bitter? Hateful? If so, they are probably taking their social cues from guys likeDriscoll. Many reasonablesounding Evangelicals quietly appreciate his "punch in the face"attitude, and quote his nastier bits amidst high-fives when non-Christians aren'taround.

Still, I find his rants somewhat encouraging. To me, they are the angry, dying gasps of agroup that is becoming more and more marginalized - like the man who gives thefinger to the witnesses observing his execution.

Ugggghhhhhh! Hackman! You are just becoming SOanti-Christian!

Perhaps.... but not Anti - Christ. I don't think Driscoll represents Jesus inany way, shape, or form. A Christianitythat defends him, I believe, has nothing to do with Jesus.

Lest you think he was just having a bad day, realize thatthis is pretty typical material from him. If he had no followers, like Phelps, he probably wouldn't be worthmentioning; but Christians by the scores march to the beat of his drum.

Honestly, I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Guys like this are always hidingsomething....

Ooma Telephone Review

2011-10-16T16:57:00.001-06:00

I had been with Vonage for about 6 years. When we first switched, it was amazing - only 25 dollars a month for unlimited calling. We had just moved to Utah which required me to take a substantial pay cut, and our long distance bills were huge. Vonage was a savior.

However, about 2 months ago, call quality became drastically reduced. We heard everyone fine, but the other end of the line was getting regular drop-offs in audio. I began to research other options. Maybe we would join the trend of just using our cell-phones.

One of the options I heard about was Ooma. Like Vonage, they work on a Voip system. They differ in that Ooma charges for the unit and not a monthly subscription. An Ooma router typically costs between $200-$250.

When I saw that Costco was charging $179, I decided to take the plunge. Hook up was fast and easy. I placed it between my modem and my wifi router. It took less than a half an hour to be up and running.

Unfortunately, Ooma had similar audio drops. Not as bad, but still unacceptable. I was looking for my receipt when the age of my modem occurred to me. I had bought that modem when I moved out to SLC seven years ago - in tech time, that is forever. I considered that modem technology must be wildly more efficient today, so I researched a bit and picked up a new one. Problem solved. My new modem is not really any faster, it is just more consistent. Packet loss is a thing of the past.

So we have been using Ooma now for a few weeks and it works like a champ. The only thing I pay for is $3.50 in taxes monthly. Ooma does have a premium service with more advanced options at $10 a month, but for now, the phone is fine.

It seems that a new modem would probably have solved my Vonage issues as well, but this worked out for the best. What I paid for Ooma and the modem is the equivalent of 10 months with Vonage - any time my Ooma works after that is bonus!

Ok... Let's Back Up....

2011-10-03T21:33:00.000-06:00

I had this conversation with a friend today on Facebook. Overall, it actually occurred with his Pastor. It hit me a few ways. First, parts of it just served as Grade-A examples for my post from yesterday. It also reminded me of another South Park scene from that same episode. :)

It helped me understand and to give a little more grace to politicians who speak in sound bytes and catch phrases. I used Mormonism within an analogy about a larger point, and all of a sudden everyone thinks I am Mormon. Then I am on the receiving end of the perfunctory evangelical anti-mormon sermon. How can a politician dare say anything substantial when everyone goes bananas on key-words?

I have also noticed a tendency amongst many religious folks to take it personally if someone does not accept their faith. Atheists get a double dose of this disdain.

Lastly, it demonstrates that when people want to believe something... the needed logic will take care of itself.

____________________

James
This is one of thsoe statements where you could insert a "Wayne's World" "NOT!! after you say it. The universe shows the evidence of intelligent design so their must be an Intelligent Designer (God). One main reason people deny their is a God is that they don't want to be held accountable for their actions and sin, but rather live life in rebellion against Him.

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- Andrew Hackman To be in rebellion against, you would have to first believe. You are not in rebellion against Shiva, or Zeus, or Joseph Smith... you simply don't believe and therefore pay them very little mind. Athiests simply do not believe in Yaweh in the same manner in which you do not believe in other gods.
  11 hours ago ·
- Eric To not believe in intelligent design is to be in denial the evidence is very clear, so anyone that refuses to believe in Yaweh and intelligent design and Jesus Christ, enjoy your trip down De- Nial. The Bible tells us as BELIEVERS, that we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free.
  9 hours ago ·
- Andrew Hackman
  But Eric, even if one were to believe in a creator, there is not a clear connection to Yaweh. Again, from a Mormon's perspective, you are in clear rebellion to all that Joseph Smith taught and have rejected the restored Gospel and God's true church on the earth. Do you feel you are in active rebellion to that? or do you simply not believe it? You may think your religion is obvious and clear... but so does every other subgroup. The way that you do not believe in Mormonism is the same way an Atheist feels toward Christianity - no rebellion or denial required. :)
  
  6 hours ago ·
- James Andy, my dear friend, please don't tell me that you have converted to Mormonism! You and I were in Bible quizzing together as teenagers. You know the truth, man! Mormonism contradicts true Christianity in many ways. Mormonism teaches that man can become a god. This is the same lie that Satan deceived Eve in the Garden. We are heirs and servants of God spreading the hope and truth that comes through a relationship with Jesus. I will be praying for you, my friend.
  
  2 hours ago ·
- Eric
  John 1:1-16 confirms who the creator was and is and it reveals the work of the son of God Jesus Christ. Why base our faith upon a man (Joseph Smith) who was created by God when we have direct access to the creator God and salvation through Jesus Christ the son of God. We can back up the work of Christ through Gods word, historically and archeologicly how much proof is needed before the Morman belief is seen for what it truly is? Where is the evidence of all of Joseph Smiths claims?
  
  2 hours ago ·
- James Amen, Pastor. It is a proven fact that Joseph Smith was under the influence of Satan when he wrote the Book of Mormon. The golden plates that he received from the angel Moronai (a fallen angel) have no historical proof to stand on, as the Bible does. Joesph Smith often stared into a hat to receive dreams or visions. This was an occult practice.
  2 hours ago ·
- Andrew Hackman
  Gentlemen, gentlemen... you are both in perfect sync in misunderstanding my point. I am not promoting or critiquing Christianity, Atheism, or Mormonism. My point had to do with the initial assertion that Atheists are not Christians because they are in rebellion or want to sin without consequences. I just think that is making a whole lot of presumption, and probably falsely in most cases, about the motives and attitudes of Atheists.
  
  I used Mormonism as a contrast, trying to make an analogy between the way an Atheist would respond to Christianity, and a Christian would respond to Mormonism. I don't think an Atheist avoids Christianity so he can sin, anymore than a Christian would avoid Mormonism so he can sin. I think there is no inherent connection there. Same goes for the thoughts of rebellion. You two simply don't believe Mormonism to be true... but in order for you to be in rebellion to it, you would have to first believe it so you could rebel.
  
  In the same way, John 1:1-16 only confirms who the creator is IF you give validity to that text. Your quoting it to an Atheist has as much traction as a Mormon quoting First Nephi to you. Quoting the Book of Mormon to you would be meaningless, because you don't believe it in the first place. :)
  
  I think this is why many Christians have difficulty effectively communicating their Faith to someone not of the Christian faith. They simply can't picture what their words sound like to others. Approaches they recognize would never work on them personally, they nevertheless keep trying on others. Years of being in Christianity's echo chamber have atrophied their empathy... they can no longer step into the shoes of the other.
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Eric
  Andrew I understand what you are saying and respect your argument. Anyone knows that any belief system is only as good as the results it produces. Atheist have nothing show for there disbelief that proves they are right in their denial of Gods existence. Mormons have nothing to show for their beliefs, Buddhist have nothing to show for their beliefs but Christianity has proven itself over and over through the miracles of Christ and his disciples. Today over two thousand years after he walked the Earth we continue to see miraculous healing, lives transformed and the power of his Spirit still very much alive; all as a result of his love for mankind. I don't know you but I love you enough to tell you the truth because I have seen it and experienced it first hand. Have a wonderful evening and know that I have no hard feelings toward you.
  
  about an hour ago ·

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I Hear Voices In My Head

2011-10-02T20:04:00.001-06:00

I grabbed a beer with a friend yesterday evening, and this comic today reminded me of some of our conversation. We have both experienced a "falling-out" from our evangelical church life and we noted that it changed the way we "hear" typical church speech.

I was never a fan of Christianeese, even when I claimed the name Christian. However, now that I spend the vast majority of my time outside of Christian circles, I have become more sensitive to how awkward it all sounds. Like Jesus indicates in the cartoon above, some phrases and terms just shouldn't be uttered by responsible adults.

The problem I see with even writing this blog is that no one will get it (unless you are in what Bishop Spong calls The Church Alumni Association). If you are Christian, odds are you are fully immersed in this kind of dialogue. You salt and pepper you conversation with things that God is "doing" in your life, or what he "told" you recently. God is working in you, and you are trying to find the center of his will, or you are feeling guilty because you are just not serving him enough. It all sounds perfectly natural... spiritual even.

Or, you don't travel in such circles because the few times in your life that you drifted into them... you quickly drifted back out.

I like how Jesus in the comic said, "... if your grown son ...." I actually started to use that frame of reference a year or two ago to judge some of the things I heard said by various Christian artists, preachers, and church attenders. How would I react if my son and daughter talked to me in such wording?

My daughter goes up to receive an award for a job well done. Instead of a gracious thank you, she steps to the podium and points at me in the audience. "This isn't about me, it's all about my dad. I can't do a single thing without him. My whole performance was garbage compared to him, and it is only of value because I am offering it to him."

or how about this one from my son....

"Oh Dad, I am so grateful that you chose to love me though my horrible-ness and wretched-ness. I am forever a failure before you and I am only worthy of your anger... yet because of my sister, you will talk to me ... I thank you for that!"

Gross eh? I would be MORTIFIED if my children had that view of themselves or me. Yet that kind of talk goes on all the time in churches throughout the globe.

Or, there are the Christians forever running in circles, mumbling to themselves, trying to figure out "what God wants them to do". Does he want me here or there? Should I do this or that? What does he want? What does he want? What does he want?

I'll wager an answer for him since he probably has no intention of SPEAKING to you this evening. I would venture a guess that he would like you to "MAKE A DECISION LIKE AN ADULT, STOP WHINING, AND LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ADULT CHOICES!"

Again, picture your adult children coming and asking your call about every detail in their lives... not advice, your call! You would really have to come to the conclusion that you had raised some truly helpless human beings if they were being that clueless.

The icing on the cake is that the person who speaks like this will tell you that God "told" them this or that. If one is a particularly intuitive person... they will get the reputation for being very close to God. Once you are at that status, anytime you "hear him" wrongly in future will be ignored and forgotten.

It is like this scene from South Park. Kyle thinks that his Grandma spoke to him though Jon Edwards (the psychic). Stan goes to Jon Edwards to ask him to tell Kyle that the whole "speaking to the dead" thing is just a trick.

The Biggest Douche in the Universe
Get More: SOUTH
PARK more...

"We all hear voices in our head. It's called intuition. Get over yourself!"

There Are Four Lights

2011-09-22T21:58:00.000-06:00

Mom sits across from the teacher during parent-teacher conferences. Her face is bruised. She is staying in a shelter with her daughters. Dad has a restraining order.

The teacher asks what help he can offer. Mom bursts into tears. "Just be kind to my daughter... please, be kind to her."

The daughter is 4 grade levels behind. During the school year, she misses almost 40 days of school.

The next year, the district and the state look at the daughter's academic scores. They call in the teacher to have him explain how he will rise to a higher standard of teaching, so that scores like that will not be repeated in the future.

History Repeats Itself

2011-09-20T19:27:00.000-06:00

I could not help thinking that I have heard all of the arguments made in this "pro-marriage" video before - every documentary I have seen of the American Civil Rights movement; every time in history that I read of a majority group trying to make second class citizens of others; in every case these same words were used.

Fear.... THEY will wreck what you hold dear. THEY are being uppity. THEY should know their place. THEY are less than us. THEY will twist your children.

THEY

THEY

THEY

Sigh... we keep going around the same trees historically. We keep reliving the same arguments, playing out the same scenarios, wrestling with the same tired issues.

There will always be a new THEY.

It reminds me of Matthew Broderick's character at the end of Wargames, setting Joshua to cycle through endless scenarios that keep arriving at the same destructive conclusion.

If there is a God in Heaven, he must be watching this endless cycle flash past his eyes while muttering, "Come on. Learn, goddammit!"

Park The Calculator

2011-09-15T22:02:00.000-06:00

Tonight after class, I avoided asking a friend to drive me to the train station; though it was tempting. It is a four block walk that I need.

In the morning, rather than doing a train switch to my bus stop, I walk the extra two blocks from where the Red Line leaves off. It is uphill, and with my backpack it provides a good workout.

In both cases, I could travel the extra distance by car or train, but I am choosing to hoof it instead. I am about to turn 43, and I am not getting any thinner. It is quicker and easier to travel by motorized wheel, but I need to burn the calories. My hobbies are all rather sedentary, so I take the movement where I can get it.

I was considering this as I was in my Math Assessment class tonight. So often in our schools, we encourage kids to pull out the calculator. It is faster, less tedious, and more accurate. Add a couple of parents recounting their difficulties in math at a school board meeting, and suddenly the little keypads are getting worked in everywhere.

Here is the problem though:

Wall-E.

You know, the prophetic movie where in the future all humans are obese and cannot hold a coherent thought past the next 5 seconds?

Everything we do seems to be about making things easier. We will loop the parking lot 5 times to get four spaces closer. God forbid we walk that extra 50 feet.

Our bodies are getting soft, and so are our minds... because we keep looking for short cuts and leisure. Contrast that with JFK's attitude that it is the difficulty that makes something worth doing.

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. ~ President Kennedy

Touchpad VS Ipad and How the Tablet Killed My Laptop

2011-09-11T13:56:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I was able to snag an HP Touchpad during their firesale. It just arrived a few days ago. I am loving it.

For those of you not geeky enough to be aware, HP scrapped its Touchpad only a few months after hitting the market. It began to sell its remaining stock of $499 and $599 Touchpads for $99 and $149.

Since I got my first Tablet (Ipad for free) last year, my laptop gets very little usage. At one time, I was beginning to believe that I would never get another desktop... why get a desktop when a laptop has all of its power and portability too?

However, I now believe that the Tablet has saved the desktop computer, and is sending laptops down the food chain. For my everyday web tasks, movies and music, reading, etc., I find myself pulling out a Tablet. When I need to do publishing or data work, I turn to my desktop. The laptop regularly gathers a fine layer of dust.

Perhaps it is because my HP Touchpad has the novelty of new that I presently use it more; but, as nice as the Ipad is, I think the Touchpad outpaces it on several levels. Which is a shame, since a year from now Ipad will still be head of the pack, and the Touchpad production lines will have long since been dismantled.

So where does the Touchpad outperform the Ipad?

Interface: The WebOS reminds me of how I used to feel about my Palm Pilot. There is a logic and fluidity to it's interface. I love the card system that it uses; it allows you to keep items open in a more natural sense than does the Ipad. I also like the status table in the upper right which allows you to make quick adjustments to screen lock, wifi, brightness, etc. Such things are more cumbersome to adjust in the Ipad. It also allows information updates to scroll across the upper screen, rather than interrupting what I am doing with a blue box in the middle of my screen.

Integration: WebOS weaves primary programs together elegantly. Facebook, Skype, Calendar, Contacts, etc.... all know each other is there and allows them to interface at appropriate levels.

File Transfer: No Itunes? Lovely! I wish the Touchpad had an SD slot, but at least when you plug it into the computer it acts as an external drive. Moving files back and forth on the Ipad is simply painful. With the Touchpad, I can quickly move 200 comics to the appropriate folder. To perform that same task on the Ipad would require me to load them one at a time through Dropbox or watch Itunes get overloaded by the quantity. So even though the Ipad has a good comic reader, I never used it because moving the files over was just too laborious. I use my Touchpad to read comics all the time, because moving an entire series over happens in seconds.

Volume: If I want to watch something with my Ipad while cooking breakfast, I have to attach external speakers. The Ipad simply isn't loud enough. The Touchpad has twice the volume capability of the Ipad.

Hulu: I get Hulu on the Touchpad, but Netflix on the Ipad. Netflix would make the Touchpad perfect.

Browsing: The Ipad has this extremely annoying trait of refreshing your screen, whether you want it to or not. So when perusing Facebook, I have a choice to make.... Do I want to look at the article my friend posted, or do I want to keep the place I have scanned through to on the Newsfeed? When I go to my friend's article, even if I opened a new screen to view it, the Ipad is going to take me back to the begining of my Newsfeed. Very frustrating if you have already gone several pages down. The Touchpad brings me right back to where I left off.

Keyboard: The Touchpad uses a full virtual keyboard, rather than making you go to a second keyboard to use numbers or various punctuation.

It seems to me that the only place the Ipad outperforms the Touchpad is with its app and accessory selection... however, this does not pertain to the machine itself.

There is no doubt that the Ipad is a great machine... I just find the Touchpad to be better.

An Education Story Problem

2011-09-05T08:54:00.000-06:00

Today class we will have a story problem in logic:

Mr. Zondebok has been assigned to teach his class skill "D". In order for a student to be successful at acquiring skill "D", research shows he or she must first be proficient with skills "A", "B", and "C". Seventy-five percent of Mr. Zondebok's class come to him lacking a proficiency in "A", "B", and "C".

One year he tries to teach "D" to those who are proficient, while simultaneously teaching "A", "B", and "C" to those who lack the proficiency. At the end of the year, though many students have shown gains in A, B, and C; only twenty percent of his students are proficient in "D".

The next year, Mr. Zondebok tries teaching "D" equally to everyone, hoping his 75% lacking in A, B, and C proficiency will catch on. At the end of the year, those students who lacked proficiency in A, B, and C showed little growth, and only twenty-five percent of his class are proficient with skill "D".

Mr. Zondebok is labeled a failure. New laws in the state mandate that Mr. Zondebok receive less pay for one year to motivate him to teach better. Next year, if he shows no improvement, he will be fired.

So class, here are your response choices. The problem is:

A. Mr. Zondebok is a failure as a teacher and deserves to be fired.

B. Mr. Zondebok has many students who simply cannot learn skill "D".

C. Mr. Zondebok and his students are caught in a system that advances students, regardless of proficiency, into subjects which require pre-requisite skills; thereby setting them up for failure.

America's politicians, both Republican and Democrat, have chosen A. It is the choice that is easiest for them to make.

Which do you choose?

Instruction Manual For Life

2011-09-04T16:44:00.002-06:00

There are a lot of creative, poignant, and clever videos on Youtube. Sometimes though, one is just so good you have to blog about it.

In this short animation, we follow the life of a young person who was taught to live his life according to a certain book. Along the way his view of the book and his view of life expands. His conclusions are, I believe, healthy.

I particularly related to the part where the two girls come to tell him that his cupboard is wrong. He just sighs with exasperation. Yep... been there.....

HT: We Were Going To Be Queens

I Am A Teacher, Not A Surrogate Parent

2011-08-29T21:31:00.001-06:00

Richard Rothstein wrote an excellent piece on education reform at Slate. There are a number of things I would like to respond to, but highest on the list had to do with "super-teachers." American educational reform is very focused right now on developing and hiring teachers who can bring to educational proficiency anything thrown at them.

In the article, Rothstein states that these educational reformers put on pedestals teachers like Jessica Reid:

"A Teach for America recruit, she engages each of her Harlem fifth-graders in Shakespeare, phones parents about missed assignments, and works into the night tutoring students, meeting parents, and creating ingenious displays for the following day's lessons. It's teachers like her who propel the most-disadvantaged children on to college. But such teachers can work their wonders only in non-union charter schools that are free to fire summarily those who, though well-meaning, are less than extraordinary."

I get this kind of teacher thrown into my face rather regularly when discussing the issue of educational reform. The thought is that, regardless of a student's circumstances, a super-teacher can get past all the hindrances a student may have. These teachers can leap poverty neighborhoods in a single bound! Just look at all that teachers like Reid do!

Let's look at what she is doing. She is working with the parents of her students and spends her evenings on the phone with them. She tutors those students into the night. She spends countless after school hours on lessons and assessments.

You might wonder how long someone can keep up a pace like that.

Apparently, not very long. According to the article:

"Jessica Reid, quit her charter school job. She had worked days, nights, and weekends in a superhuman, often frustrating effort to prove that effective teaching alone could overcome the obstacles of child poverty. At 26, she found her role in the fanatical charter school crusade was taking too high a toll on her marriage and her own sense of balance."

Simply put, as much as she enjoyed teaching... she also wanted to give time to her family and her life. Super-teaching quickly wreaks havoc on one's own family.

I think the article misses the point when it insinuates that it was "effective teaching" that was making the difference. Was it really just the teaching? What about all of the after-hours commitment with those students? She was essentially being a surrogate parent to those families - spending time with both parents and children; and getting THEM focused on education. She was doing for those families what the PARENTS should have been doing.

I have taught in wealthy and poverty schools. In either circumstance, I found this to be generally true: Show me a parent who is intentional about their child's education and I will show you a kid who is doing well. Show me a parent who is ambivalent about their child's education, or simply can't make that time happen, and I will show you a student who struggles.

America can keep dreaming of super-teachers who will make all of their problems go away. Teachers who will spend evenings tutoring their children, making sure they are read to, review their homework... Who knows, maybe we can even get the super-teacher to do the windows.

Here is a reality check my dear America.... I have my own children who need my attention. They need me to read to them, review their homework, play outside with them, be a Dad. My wife needs me tending to my family in the evening... not spending it on the phone or back in my school's neighborhood tending to others.

This is why I am still in teaching after 20 years. I keep it all in perspective and I maintain life balance. I know when to say no.

I watch the super-teachers come and go. No one can be a surrogate parent to all of those needy children. I love my students. They get my very best teaching when I am at school. But they don't get my life... that is reserved for my family.

I truly love teaching... but I already have a family in which I am the parent.

I hope America can refocus its efforts before they drive every good and hard working teacher from poverty areas.

Thank You From All Of Us In Room 216

2011-08-25T22:42:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I put a request out to Facebook friends and readers of my blog. I was looking for folks to donate books to my class via an Amazon wishlist. Not long after, Amazon boxes started piling up in our school office. :) My students unboxed, sorted, and labled over 50 books in the past 2 days! To say they are having fun would be an understatement.

My only concern has been how to thank all of you. Unfortunately, none of the packages or invoices (except for two) gave any indication of WHO sent them. This happened when one friend sent an order last year, but I assumed the lack of identity was a fluke. However, it seems to be the norm (and Amazon won't tell me).

My original plan was to have the kids write thank you cards, but aside from a few folks who told me they intended to send books, I have no idea who all of you generous folks are!

We wear masks because on the Web we need secret identities! :)

Hopefully, if you sent books, you will see this; so you can know how grateful we all are and how effective these books will be in our classroom. In their short time here, these books have already gotten tons of use!

Again, thank you for your generosity. As much as I am concerned about teaching the technical aspects of reading, I also know that it is equally, if not more, important for a child to develop a personal culture of reading - that reading would move beyond route dynamics to a pleasure filled experience. Every year I have students who turn that corner for the first time, and I know that part of that shift is due to having good books on hand and available when those moments come to fruition. Your donations give those moments opportunity.

Thank YOU!

“He that loves a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently divert and pleasantly entertain himself, as in all weathers, as in all fortunes.”

^{- Barrow}

“When you sell a man a book you don't sell him just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life.”

- Christopher Morley

“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

^{- Dr. Seuss}

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.”

^{- Maya Angelou}

Belief O Matic II

2011-08-21T18:47:00.000-06:00

I just did the Belief Net Belief O Matic survey. I did it 3 years ago too. Things have changed a bit since then. Here I am now:

2011

Unitarian Universalism (100%)
Liberal Quakers (94%)
Mahayana Buddhism (89%)
Theravada Buddhism (89%)
Reform Judaism (86%)
Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (82%)
Jainism (79%)
Sikhism (78%)
Neo-Pagan (78%)
New Age (76%)
Baha'i Faith (71%)
Taoism (69%)
Secular Humanism (68%)
Orthodox Quaker (67%)
New Thought (66%)
Hinduism (65%)
Orthodox Judaism (60%)
Scientology (59%)
Islam (53%)
Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (53%)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (46%)
Nontheist (44%)
Seventh Day Adventist (38%)
Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (34%)
Jehovah's Witness (34%)
Eastern Orthodox (27%)
Roman Catholic (27%)

I am disappointed that Conservative Christian was not on the bottom! :) Yikes! My Thetan levels have doubled over the years!

Here I was in 2008:

1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (94%)
3. Bahá'í Faith (92%)
4. Orthodox Quaker (87%)
5. Unitarian Universalism (77%)
6. Reform Judaism (66%)
7. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (66%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (65%)
9. Mahayana Buddhism (65%)
10. Jainism (64%)
11. New Age (61%)
12. Neo-Pagan (61%)
13. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (59%)
14. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (58%)
15. Seventh Day Adventist (56%)
16. Taoism (56%)
17. Orthodox Judaism (55%)
18. Sikhism (53%)
19. Islam (49%)
20. Secular Humanism (49%)
21. New Thought (47%)
22. Jehovah's Witness (46%)
23. Hinduism (41%)
24. Eastern Orthodox (40%)
25. Roman Catholic (40%)
26. Scientology (32%)
27. Nontheist (32%)

Does God Speak To You?

2011-08-14T21:50:00.001-06:00

Hello Readers - I have a question for you! Actually, I don't have a question, a friend of mine has a question - yeah Hackman.. sure.. a friend ;)

This friend has left his faith and he is looking back over what he once believed. He would be interested in hearing commentary from various faith groups as to how God "speaks" to them. Is it a voice? a feeling? through circumstances? scripture? etc.. Also, how do you distinguish that it really is God?

I have an eclectic group of friends and readers, so he thought this might be a good forum in which to ask this question. So how bout' it? Does God speak to you? If so, how do you define that? Also, please indicate what faith tradition you hail from.

Just info please.... we will leave any arguments of these points for future conversations. :)

Quotes From Blogs I Have Read Recently # 12

2011-08-13T11:45:00.002-06:00

Like a musician, you have to immerse yourself in your chosen belief. You have to read the right books, listen to the right speakers, surround yourself with people who think as you do. You have to shield yourself from contrary influences and shocks which could damage your certainty. You have to train yourself strictly - often with the help of others - to shut out doubt. In the end it will come naturally to you, and you'll wonder why other people don't see things as clearly as you do.
Painting Fakes

So there I was standing at the front with several others who were hurting and just wanted to be prayed for. Then the singer started talking about the fact that we were suffering because we didn’t have enough faith. It was because of our lack of faith that there was suffering in our lives.
Naked Pastor

Most non-believers don’t get their nose out of joint because Perry is a Christian. What is troubling is that Perry uses his elected office to promote Evangelical Christianity. He has no business, in his official capacity as Governor of the state of Texas promoting ANY religion. Perry’s willingness to ignore the first amendment and the separation of church and state make him an extremely dangerous candidate for president. He is a hard-core proponent of a Christian theocracy.
Fallen From Grace

Whatever the content of my children’s education (of course, I want it to be good), my primary educational goal will be that my children learn in time how to think—how to understand and not just repeat. I intend to work with them as they learn the ways of the world and what unfortunately passes for the ways of the world. When my children hear a lesson that contradicts what I’ve taught them (or plan to teach them), I don’t want them to raise their hands and just repeat what I’ve told them or sit quietly thinking my Dad would disagree with this. I want them to learn how to weigh evidence and assess the soundness of arguments. I want accurate thinkers, not repeaters. Heck, I’d prefer them to be mediocre thinkers to outstanding repeaters. Thinkers are better equipped to deconstruct indoctrination. Mine included.
Journeys in Alterity

Books Matter

2011-08-11T21:42:00.001-06:00

I want to tell you a story. This story is for all the folks who have donated books to my classroom. Books matter.

If you read my blog, you know I teach in an inner-city environment. Most of my sixth grade students are years behind in their reading skills. Overall, these students do not like to read. Whether they are low because they don't read or they don't read because they are low is a highly contested argument. In any case, it is often a wrestling match to achieve any sustained reading in our classroom.

Jenna (name changed) came to my class nearly everyday carrying a backpack full of attitude. She is one of those kids who does not hesitate to escalate to the nth degree; lines are meant to be crossed. Her anger, frustration, and attitude went to eleven.

I found within the first couple weeks that I could get her to do quite a bit of study, IF I reasoned with her right. It reminded me somewhat of Harry with the Hippogriff. It was all in the approach.

There was a week towards the end of the school year that I noticed Jenna was regularly reading a book... really reading it! Usually she would just fake-read so I wouldn't bother her... or if she was feeling edgy she would just draw, and give me attitude if I re-directed her back to her reading.

Yet here she was... for the first time, engrossed in a book. I couldn't tell what book it was because she held it in her lap. I also knew not to pry too much. Years of experience have taught me that my asking her about the book, or complimenting her on how well she was reading, would just annoy her. She might quit reading just to spite me. Best to lay low.

A few days later, while the students were working on projects, she approached my desk."I need another ...," she announced.

"Excuse me?" I said. "Another what?"

"Book! I finished my book and I need another one!" she stated with a touch of impatience.

This interest in books was very out of character, yet I was so glad for it, that I was a bit like the salesman who hasn't had a customer in days - I rolled out the red carpet! I started telling her about this author and that genre, watching to see if anything piqued her interest. Like Olivander describing wands for Harry, I was hoping the book would choose the student.

However, she hadn't shown interest in any book I presented. In fact, she was growing noticeably more irritated; I was probably a bit too enthusiastic. I think I started to sweat as I realized my moment was slipping away.

She finally rolled her eyes and said, "Just a second!" And she marched back to her seat. A moment later she came back and tossed a book on my desk. She pointed at it and said, "Like that one!"

On my desk was a biography of Helen Keller written by Margaret Davidson (I had read the story of Helen's teacher to the class a few weeks earlier). It was one of the books purchased from my Amazon class wishlist by a blogger/Facebook friend.

"Oh, you want a biography!" She gave me a quizzical look. I rephrased, "You want a true life story."

"Yeah."

I quickly selected a few biographies and gave her a general description of each. Without a word, she grabbed the biography of George Washington Carver and went back to her seat.

Before school let out for summer, she read that book and one more.

While I was teaching summer school, I heard that Jenna and her family had moved. I probably won't get a chance to see how her story ends. But, for those few weeks, she learned what it felt like to enjoy a book.

She also read about other children who had tough beginnings, but made it in the end.

A Diseased Attendance Card

2011-08-04T11:33:00.002-06:00

One of the items my Title One students struggle with more than their suburban counter parts is absenteeism and tardiness. When I taught at a wealthy suburban school, a student who missed 9 days of school was considered an outlier and tardy meant being 5 minutes late for class once or twice a year.

Not so at my present school. As you look at these attendance cards, note that a circled date meant the child was absent and a T indicates that they were tardy.

Now by tardy, I don't mean 5 minutes late. That happens on occasion, but those Ts are often referring to 40 minutes or more.

These cards are an example of what occurs for about a third of my classroom. Another third has a little higher rate than my previous suburban school, the remaining third has 5 or less absences and tardies per year.

The reasons for these tardies and absences are many and varied. Sometimes, it is simply because the parent has no control over the child. Here are two examples:

I had a student who regularly arrived 40 - 60 minutes late for class. The student always had stories of the parent not being ready, the siblings not being ready, the car broke down, etc. The parent just stated that "we have trouble getting out the door". However, I started to notice that my student's younger siblings were at school on time, whereas my student was not. I thought that, perhaps, my student was making a McDonald's run before coming to class. So I went and asked a sibling where my student was. The sibling replied, "My (parent) has to go back and get (student), cause (student) never gets up with the rest of us. My (parent) tries to get (student) up, but (student) just yells, 'Shut UP! I'm tryin to sleep!'"

Another student showed up pretty regularly at 10:00 during recess (school starts at 8:00). The student missed the math instruction almost every day. When informed about the tardiness, the parent shrugged, "Sounds like you have a problem." A later conversation revealed that the parent was working three jobs and was completely overwhelmed between work and 3 children. The parent later cried during a conference, expressing gratefulness that the student came at all.

Sometimes the tardiness and absences are due to the practical matters of work. I had a student who was the oldest of five children in a one parent household. The parent was an hourly worker with no sick time. It fell upon this student to stay home when one of the siblings got sick. When a sibling was sick for a week, my student was out for the week.

Our schools have no legal enforcement over tardies. Technically, a child could be two hours late for school every day of the year and there would be little we could do about it. It is not until 20 absences that the courts get involved... and even then, parents miss court dates, the school year ends, the family moves. The schools have little power to deal with chronic absenteeism.

Amidst these issues (and perhaps underlying a lot of the cases) is the transient nature of many of my students. I usually start each year with a quarter of my class attending our school for the first time. Throughout the year I will have many move-ins and move-outs (20 to 35 percent). Few of my students have attended our school since kindergarten. It does not surprise me to often find that my chronically tardy and absent students have already attended 4-8 different schools; sometimes multiple schools within the same year.

The academic harm of tardiness and absenteeism is not restricted to the student alone. Tardy students disrupt class as they stream in at varying times. Chronically absent and tardy students tend to be lost in regards to the material being covered and misbehavior increases as a result.

Still, this morning I heard a politician talking about the substandard teaching that inner-city kids have to endure, while suburban students are getting the quality teachers.

Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall........

Creating Breakfast

2011-08-02T09:38:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite things about summer break is that I get to spend time cooking breakfast. I am not sure why breakfast appeals to me so much; I think it is because I remember as a kid that it gave my Dad a lot of joy. I love to put on a lecture to listen to while brewing coffee and getting the eggs frying. It is enormously satisfying... one might even say spiritual.

It is the spiritual nature of it that prompted me to write this status on Facebook one morning while I was cooking breakfast:

and Andrew stepped into the kitchen and the fridge was opened, and another container was opened, which was the egg carton. And Andrew took from the fridge 2 of each kind of food which seemed good to him. Then he commanded the coffee to be brewed, and it was so. He spoke to the eggs and said, "Be thou fried!" and they were. Then Andrew ate of the food and drank of the coffee. He observed all that he had done and saw that it was good!

An Example of 1 Corinthians 13

2011-07-24T14:51:00.000-06:00

Perhaps the most significant and worthy 4 verses in the bible occur in 1 Corinthians 13. In it, Paul gives a description of what Love looks like, providing guidance for those who would like to live out Jesus' call to love family, friends, neighbors, and enemies.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Unfortunately, words often repeated are, at times, drained of their power. For many people of faith, these words have been diluted to a sentimental set of verses repeated out of obligation at weddings, or read out during the annual church sermon on love.

However, we recognize it when we see it lived out and it never fails to take our breath away. It stops us in our tracks, and we recognize that something Holy has occurred.

That was the reaction my wife and I had as we sat and watched this sermon by Randy Roberts Potts, grandson of the televangelist Oral Roberts. Randy told the story of his family and himself, and how they lived through his announcement that he is gay.

What struck us both was the love that Randy has been able to nurture, in an environment that has been oppositional to him. Throughout the talk, he offers forgiveness and grace to the family and friends who have rejected him. As the verse states, Randy always chose to hope the best for their intentions, even when their actions were hurtful. In each pain he recounted, he offered grace.

My wife and I also enjoyed the trip down memory lane. We both grew up in charismatic/evangelical circles, so we understood when Randy related stories like the one of his grandfather climbing into the prayer tower expecting his listeners to give 8 million dollars or God was going to take him to heaven - in the world we were living in "this wasn't as unusual as you might expect".

His sermon is one of the finest "it gets better" talks I have heard. It is also a stirring example of someone taking pain sown in his life, and re-tilling it into something that nurtures.

Happy 500th to Me!

2011-07-23T15:41:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the 500th post here at Hackman's Musings!

I started this blog on a whim. I didn't read blogs at the time... I don't even know that I knew what they were. My friend, Brook, kept a pretty good record of his life on a wall calendar and a journal; and I always thought it was cool that he could go back through the years and not have to rely on memory alone. So, my original intent was to keep a journal. In a way, it has been; though more a journal of my thoughts than my activities.

My first entry was on April 22, 2003. It was only 3 sentences long and had no title or picture. I wrote only 10 entries that year... and a mere 2 in 2004. Now, if bound, this blog would make for an awfully thick book. I now have so many articles that I sometimes have trouble finding the one I am looking for.... or have difficulty even remembering having written certain pieces. I recall seeing Daniel Amos in concert one year, and Terry Taylor had to read the lyrics of an old song as he sang it. I thought that was bizarre at the time, but now I understand.

I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to read. I am particular glad of you regulars whom I have gotten to know here and at your blogs. I have interchanged with some of you so often over the years that it surprises me to remember that we have never actually met.

Peace to you my friends!

That Was A Great Game!

2011-07-15T19:30:00.000-06:00

There is a wonderful line at the end of the movie Hook. After all the adventures of Pan and the Lost Boys, after all the highs and lows, triumphs and set backs, shouts and tears; after Pan leaves, one of the Lost Boys looks at another, smiles and says:

"That was a great game!"

That was how I felt as the 2nd part of Harry Potter 7 faded from the screen today. After 8 movies and countless hours reading those books many times - THAT was a great game! Thank you Ms. Rowling!

Spoiler Ahead:

I really enjoyed the movie today and would give it an A+ except for one area. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort occurred with no one around. It mostly came down to a battle of wills and the fact that Voldermort never really controlled the Elder wand. However, in the book it was so much more than that. The battle was more about ideas - how Harry and Dumbledore viewed the world and how Voldemort and his Death Eaters saw life. Love was stronger than hate and fear.

Also, Rowling has a consistent theme of redemption and repentance throughout the series. In the book, one of my favorite parts in the final battle is when Harry appeals to Voldemort to look at his choices and to try and feel remorse; to be a man, be human, and regret what he had done. Harry practically begs him to repent. It is reminiscent of many of the exchanges in C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce. Harry put before Voldemort Death and Life - and even after everything Voldemort had done - Harry implored him to choose Life.

Removing that piece from the movie took the power out of the ending for me.

Still, in pretty much everything else, they produced a crowd pleaser. I can't wait to see it again!

Misbehavior and Misplacement In School

2011-07-13T22:24:00.001-06:00

I have been teaching summer school for the past month, and it has further solidified my belief that our public schools are in error when they place students according to age rather than need and ability. Presently, I am teaching math for 4 forty-five minute sessions - a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and a 6th.

Within these groups, I have 3rd graders who have a decent handle on some multiplication facts, I have sixth graders counting on their fingers, and every variation in between. Ideally, I should put all those counting on their fingers together, all those who can rattle off their multiplication facts together, and so forth. If I could separate them thus, I could more accurately address their present needs.

Instead, they are placed by age, which means I have large variances in each of the four classes. No matter what I am teaching, part of the class is going to be bored and part will be befuddled. It is like giving a surgeon butter knives with which to operate.

One of my present students is a perfect example. She is the classic tough, inner-city, attitudinal kid. She nearly got into a fist fight within our first 5 minutes of class. She had a chip on her shoulder and was daring me to knock it off.

I was not surprised to find out she was grades behind academically. Tough bravado is often used as a cover by students who struggle in school.

It is with kids like this that I tend to shine. I don't escalate their anger and I give them space. She refused to do any work at first and I didn't push.

Once I realized some of her anger was insecurity over academics, I tried to insert some "easy" items into the 6th grade class practice so she could be successful with something. Little by little she tried some of the work, and in this past week she has started to approach her math with some of the same zeal she originally displayed in attitude.

But here is the the sad part.... right now, I am able to give her a chunk of my class time because her summer school class has dwindled down to about 7 students, and the rest of this class is fairly independent. I am also working with her on what would be considered 3rd grade level math. When the school year starts, she will be in a class with 25-35 students and will be forced to do 6th grade math. There will be little outside help for her, and that which there is will try to make 6th grade math workable for her... rather than addressing her at her level. In that environment, she will most likely revert to the attitudinal and angry child I saw at the beginning of summer school. For all appearances, it will look like she is a behavioral problem and everyone will try to correct her behavior.

However, the truth is that her academic needs are not being met and she knows of no other way to express what is going on in her life. I honestly believe most behavior issues in our schools (and there are MANY) are due to children being mind numbingly bored or being forced to sit through lessons that might as well be graduate level in terms of their difficulty for the child.

and the band played on.....

Abandon All Hope

2011-07-12T13:30:00.001-06:00

Cartoon by Nakedpator.com

I was talking with an evangelical the other day. He was telling me about how loving and merciful God is.

"Really? I replied. "I have always gotten the impression that God, in the evangelical interpretation, was full of wrath and had anger issues."

My friend became visibly irritated. "That is not true!" he said as his fist slammed the table. "God, loves us! He sent his son for us!"

I let the moment hold, then I said, "Can we spend a few minutes talking about what happens to the souls that don't fall under that umbrella?"

Modern Mormonism

2011-07-08T17:38:00.000-06:00

The GOP has two members of the LDS (Mormon) faith running for president. Broadway has a hit musical which is satirically based on the adventures of two Mormon missionaries (most Mormon guys serve an intense 2 year mission during their late teens or early twenties). If you don't live in the Inter-Mountain West, you may be asking yourself - "Who or what is a Mormon?"

That was my question 8 years ago when my wife and I decided to move our family out to Salt Lake City, Utah. I knew Mormons read the book of Mormon, but other than that... I am not sure that I even connected Mormon to Latter-Day Saint.

However, having been brought up in a charismatic/evangelical environment, I had heard the term Mormon a number of times at church functions... and it was never positive. The word cult was frequently attached. I can't say that I really knew what a cult was either, but somehow it was even worse than a non-Christian religion. Muslims and Hindus were deceived in their false religions... but cults were several cuts lower than that.

So, when we decided to move out here, we had many concerned Christians offering us books and videos about Mormons - how to convert them, how to know their tricks, how to run away, etc.

Somehow, my wife and I had enough foresight to politely decline these advances. We figured the best way to get to know Mormons.... was to get to know Mormons. What we found is that they are pretty much like everyone else. Our Mormon friends are some of the most wonderful people we have ever known. We have also run into self-righteous Mormons who use their faith to put everyone else beneath them.

Seems that pattern weaves its way into every religious group.

However, our good experiences have obviously dominated. After all, we have stayed in Salt Lake City. :)

Still, if one does not live near SLC and you want to get an impression of the best Mormonism has to offer, where might you look? I have a book recommendation.

Modern Mormonism: Myths and Realities

The author is Robert Millet, a Mormon's Mormon, and a man who has become a good friend of mine over the past few years. According to Wikipedia:

Dr. Robert L. Millet (born December 30, 1947 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a professor of ancient scripture and emeritus Dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Millet is a distinguished Latter-day Saint author and speaker with more than 60 published works on virtually all aspects of Mormonism.

Bob has worked with local evangelicals to foster better understanding and to promote courteous discussion of religious differences. He is also one of the best conversationalists I know. Regardless of your perspective on religion, Bob hosts a safe place to share your ideas. He also has an enviable personal library containing a wide breadth of theological works. I have yet to bring up a theologian or author that he is not well versed in (or had lunch with).

In Modern Mormonism, Bob addresses a number of issues that are most often misunderstood by the public. He also presents the tenants of his faith in an approachable and heart-felt manner. Through personal stories and a deep knowledge base, he gives those unfamiliar with Mormonism a good sense of what the faith is like and what those who subscribe to it believe.

I am not Mormon; but I have many friends, whom I love, who follow the Mormon faith. I think Bob's book gives a good glimpse into the faith that my friends and neighbors embrace. If you have wondered about Mormonism, this book is a great introduction.