Today in history...

Well, not necessarily today, but...

For some reason I was doing the "remember when" thing last night and early this morning, and again when I woke up. Ok, it was kind of 'forced' this morning because I wanted to blog on it, but anyway...

One reason I like math and 'logical' things so much can be traced back to a teacher in the 5th grade. (I think they teach his level of math in the 4th grade now.) The first day of class he had taken up one entire large-bulletin board with four columns of numbers, =0 (zero) through =100. For the first couple of weeks he never mentioned the bulletin board, and when asked he would bring us back to the subject at hand. (Ok, it may not have happened exactly like this, but it is how I am remembering it.) Finally he throws down the gauntlet. He challenges his class to create a math equation to solve for each of the answers on the board, the catch? You can only use four 4's to do each of them! Ok, things like 16 were easy (4+4+4+4), and many of them were knocked out in the first few days, but then the 'leftovers' began to hang on. What about solving for things like 63? Or 97? He taught us the power of square routes and 'powers' and other such things. Most of it, I don't remember anymore (that was like 30 years ago), but I remember pouring my heart into it. I loved it so much that I solved over 1/4 of the problems, most of them were of the odd-ball variety (13, 87, 61, 63, 97, etc.). I know this part for sure because as the problems got more and more difficult fewer and fewer students were turning in answers. By the time it was just me turning in answers there were still over fifteen numbers left to solve for - and I eventually answered them all. It affected me so much that when I took 'Finite Math' in college I messed up the curve for the rest of the class, enough that the teacher told the class that he would disregard two of the grades (me and one other guy) for the class curve. Me and the other guy averaged 98 for the semester. I am actually kind of sad that I never took calculus or physics later on. I am no prodigy though. I am nothing like Matt Damon's character in "Good Will Hunting", or anything. But I do LOVE math. I am almost motivated to try and do it again. Hmm...

There are several things that happened while I was a child that I remember doing for the first time and how it affected the man who I am today. Some good, some not so much. I think that's why it is so important for us as parents, and even those of us who are around children. Kids really are like sponges, and it's hard to tell what they are picking up, and what is just getting smeared. ;-)
Verse for today:
Proverbs 22 : 6-10, ESV
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail.
Whoever has a bountiful [2] eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease.

Remembering when

I am going through a mid-life... um, crisis is to 'harsh' of a word... a mid-life re-evaluation? I have been waxing nastolgic of the 'old days' - mostly of the 80's. Sad, I know. :-)

It all started with 'Juke Box Hero', and recently movies like 'Terminator' or 'Highlander' come to mind. Now, I am fighting a lot of these impulses because they are not the most nurturing of my faith if you get my meaning.

It's not like the 80's were really all that great to me. In high school I was given the nickname 'Brainiac' - and it was not meant as a compliment. I dropped out of high school when someone broke into my toolbox and stole all of my tools (I may have accidentally left it unlocked) and I could not afford to replace them. In the 9th grade I lived in four different homes, and went to three different schools in the span of one school year (add two more homes if you extend that to a full calander year).

I was wondering how many other people wander down memory lane... and is it healthy? Or just risking turning into a pillar of salt?
Verse for today:
1 Corinthians 10:23-31, ESV
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Purgatory revisited

Linda (her blog is "2nd Cup of Coffee") helped me to continue to ponder my post from yesterday. I think it's not so much that I want to be my beloved's "one and only", it's more that I don't want her to think I am imperfect in some way. The thing that "cuts me to the quick" is her words of disapproval of any kind. I will not elaborate, but she has a "gift" for saying just the "right" thing. So much so that I have taken a more "proactive" approach in some situations. Neither is very helpful - either her choice of wording, or my reaction. I blame myself mostly, because for her part it was the way she was raised, I mean a term of "endearment" from her parents is "You idiot". Not a term I would use, but it is pretty common in her upbringing, and my beloved tries really hard NOT to say such things. In my opinion I really over react, and it's mostly because an idol is being threatened in my life. In this case an idol of self. An idol of me wanting to be the one who she sees as the greatest thing since, well even before sliced bread. I also want to be perfect in and of myself. I don't like it when I'm wrong, I don't like it when I am the reason something did not go right. I am all full of patience and understanding (usually) when someone else screws up - but when I fail I fall pretty hard on myself. This is a glimpse of the "idol of self" - only God is perfect. I can work, and strive, but the very fact that sin is in the world (let alone my own sin nature) lends itself to making the perfect impossible to attain. We are to "work out our salvation", but in light of the cross, we cannot possible hope to achieve much success (at least not for very long) unless we look to the cross, we look and see what He has achieved, and what His grace has given, and then take up his cross and allow His grace to cover our lack. This is the idol that has been so prevelant in my life of late. So much so that my own sinful reactions have caused my beloved a lot of pain and confusion. Side note: I was reading about what a great time Susan was having meeting up with some blogging friends in Savannah, GA and it reminded me of the last time I had to visit my mother, outside of her hospital room, before passed away. I had taken my family down to visit her and my brother and his then wife (#2) for Thanksgiving and the long weekend. My mother had loved live music (of almost any kind), and especially Irish Folk music. She told us of a "great pub" in downtown Savannah, right on the water front, with good food and great music - so we caravaned all nine of us (my then family of four, my brother's family, and my mom) down to Kevin Barry's Pub and we had a great time. Sadly, less than a week later I was called back down to Georgia to see her one more time. By God's grace I was able to spend a few more hours with her and read to her from the book of Romans. When the burden of what we were going through was starting to get heavy my brother suggested we head back up to Savannah - which we did. Not to get drunk, but to revist the place we had such a good time at. That night will live long in my memory. If anyone who visits this little blog of mine is in Savannah, and enjoys live Irish music, and does not mind the atmosphere of a pub, I highly recommend Kevin Barry's Pub - really good food, and the music is just awesome. Verse for today: Luke 9:57-62, ESV As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus [7] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”