Random thoughts that i am finally getting out

Both of my boys enjoy Legos, and we get a monthly magazine for some kind of Lego club thing.  Sometimes i like to thumb through it, just to live vicariously through them.  Well, this past weekend i saw a new Lego Kit based off of the Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater House.  I don't know what it is, but this house speaks to me.  I absolutely love that house.  It's been many a year since i owned a Lego set of any kind, but i wouldn't mind buying that set some day.

This past Saturday i took THUMPER and my ASPIE to a Washington Nationals game.  I had not been to a Major League game since... well, in a very long time.  8)  I have to admit, this was not because my boys were bugging me to go, but because i wanted to go.  I was born in the Washington DC area, and i have lived in the area most of my life, so there is something about it that i would like to support.  Admittedly the recent rise of Stephen Strausburg has also stirred some interest for me.  My ASPIE was exhibiting signs that he was getting stressed before the game even started, but he was a trooper.  We enjoyed four and a half innings before the sun moved enough that we were getting quite warm.  Instead of waiting for him to completely lose it i took the initiative and we left the park.  I saw no need to force him to try and sit through the whole game just because i wanted to stay.  I had had a good time, and he was very good.  Over all we had a very nice family outing.

One advantage of leaving the game a little earlier than planned was that A) i was able to drop THUMPER off at a Day Concert and Fireworks display where his "young lady of interest" and our two families were, and B) i was able to take my ASPIE home with me where we both got showers and in bed early.  Once i was in bed i opted to (finally) watch my new The Book of Eli DVD.I think i am going to have to rewatch it, and take a lot better notes, but there is a lot of things i see in that movie that i like.

Solara: " Do you really read the same book every day?"
Eli: "Without fail."
Solara: "Will you read some to me?"
Eli: (recited from memory)"The Lord is my Shepherd, i shall not want. He makes me to lie to down in green pastures. He leads my beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for His namesake. Yea though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil, for thou are with me."
Solara: "That is beautiful." 

Eli is not all that different from the "any man". He struggles with self doubt, he struggles with his own imperfection, but in the end he is doing what God has called him to do.  He reads the Bible ever day.  He perseveres in the calling God has placed on his life.  Not only all that, but he has a relationship with God - as evident with his ability to hear God talking to him.  I do not know the producer's or the director's view of Christianity as a whole, but i feel that if we step back from the setting, there is a lot to learn about our walk with Christ in and through this movie.

This made me think about my interest in Fallout 3 and MouseHunt, etc. "Funny", CJ Blogged about it just this afternoon.  I highly encourage people to go and read it: Video Games, Idols, and Your Child's Heart.  Here is a quick blurb:

Video games are one of the most influential and time consuming recreational activities in our society today. On average gamers spend 18 hours per week playing video games. This extensive time investment is reflected in the money invested in video game consoles and software. In 2009, $19.7 billion was spent on video games worldwide, $2.6 billion more than was spent on movies in both box office ticket sales and DVD sales combined.* Many parents are surprised to discover that video games generate more profit than Hollywood.

What this all means is that few children escape the influence of video games, and the temptation to idolatry.

So how can parents lead their children in such a media-crazed world?

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