A Soldier in the Service of the Light of the World

I've Moved...

2011-03-24T14:53:00.001-07:00

Over to Wordpress. Please head on over! See you there!

I wish I was...

2009-12-03T12:09:00.000-08:00

Homeward bound...

When the weather in VA is like late September, the Californians are complaining about the 40-50 degree "cold" and the 18-mph winds, I miss the 28 degrees and 24-mph winds that weather.com tells me are currently sweeping Plattsmouth.

Anyway, my parents are driving up today from our grandparents' in North Carolina, where we had Thanksgiving. They will celebrate my 21st birthday with me, and then head home. Just 25 pages of writing and 4 exams in the next 15 days, and I'll be home. Look forward to being back on the Plains.

A new poem posted to the poetry blog, also.

Grace and peace,
Colin

Ho there!

2009-05-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

It was a breezy evening occupied only with a pipe and a friend's essay. As he neared the end of the essay, and the end of the pipe, the day neared its end as well, the sun keeping just barely above the trees for one last glance at the Nebraska fields before retiring for the night. School was out and life was good....

I am on break and back at home! The semester was full, but fun. Learned a lot, laughed a lot, cried a bit, and grew in the grace of our Lord in all things. Updates coming soon, to at least 3 of my blogs. I'm going to posting some of the semester's work to my Lit Crit and Creative Writing blogs. If anyone is still tuned, remain so!

Life is good....

2009-02-24T17:25:00.001-08:00

Got sick Sunday night, had a slight headache and stuffy head Monday morning, and completely crashed Monday afternoon with a fever and headache and all kinds of good stuff...but I got 9 hours of sleep last night and am feeling much better; not 100% yet, but MUCH better. My fellow students are wonderful in their compassion and caring (and my roomie is stupendous, both as a person generally and because he got me a cup full of fruit this morning so I could sleep in but still eat).

Professor Donnelly took our 3-person PHC ROTC group down the National Defense University yesterday morning; he was giving a lecture on homeschooling to people (mostly colonel or their equivalents) attending the NDU College of Industry-Education track. After the lecture, which was largely an informative one with demographic and academic statistics, we cadets were introduced, and a Q&A session ensued. We were asked such questions as how we might deal with people more "experienced" in the world than ourselves when we eventually became second lieutenants, and whether we ever wish we could have gone to public school, and whether or not it's hard for us to relate to our peers. Overall, it was a fun experience, and I look forward to doing it next year.

Classes are going well; finished my first Physics exam today, on which I scored well, and have been doing well in my other classes, too: have done a recitation and 1/5 Commonplaces for Brit Lit, 3/4 outlines for Lit Crit and am working on my first paper for it, 1/2 Short papers for Shakespeare, and am constantly working on Physics homework.

So far I'm most enjoying Literary Theory and Criticism--it has the most difficult reading of all my classes, but is the most provocative of deep thought and theorization on the nature of art, and especially of Christian art. It is interesting to see what both Christians and non-Christians have had to say about it over the millenia--we've gone from Plato to Heidegger over the last month and a half, and each reading opens up a new idea. I'm writing my paper on Nietzsche's argument that Christians cannot be artists and vice versa. I believe it can be answered only with a profoundly Christian and especially theocentric view of art. It will be fun, and I'll post it to the Lit Crit blog when I finish it.

Speaking of which, for those interested, I finally posted the last section of the Drama paper to my Lit Crit blog, discussing history as a tragicomedy and how this is biblically, philosophically, and aesthetically satisfying.

A Soldier's Valentine

2009-02-14T16:13:00.001-08:00

(No, I don't have a valentine. No, I'm not looking for one, either. But I've come a long way in that I'll admit that this bears thinking about... :-))

Why do we fight? For glory? For fame? For family? For home? Why do we not throw away our lives in a glorious death in battle against overwhelming odds, indelibly etching our name in the annals of history? Because we fight not for ourselves, but for our home and family and for that person who awaits our return with eager eyes…so let us fight hard and fight well, and if our lives are lost, let them be lost dearly, but let us remember why we fight and wherein lies our glory.

"The heroic serves the pastoral." ~Dr. Hake

"Pretty Fair Maid In The Garden"
From Fiddler's Green
(Traditional, Arrangement Tim O'Brien)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR5zX4nryBc

Pretty fair maid was in her garden,
When a stranger came a-riding by;
He came up to the gate and called her,
Said,"Pretty fair maid, would you be my bride?"

She said,"I've a true love who's in the army,
And he's been gone for seven long years;
And if he's gone for seven years longer,
I'll still be waiting for him here."

"Perhaps he's on some watercourse drowning,
Perhaps he's on some battlefield slain,
Perhaps he's to a fair girl married,
And you may never see him again."

"Well if he's drowned, I hope he's happy,
Or if he's on some battlefield slain;
And if he's to some fair girl married,
I'll love the girl that married him."

He took his hand out of his pocket,
And on his finger he wore a golden ring;
And when she saw that band a-shining,
A brand new song her heart did sing.

And then he threw his arms all around her,
Kisses gave her one, two, three--
Said,"I'm your true and loving soldier
That's come back home to marry thee."

Pretty fair maid was in her garden
When a stranger came a-riding by;
He came up to the gate and called her,
Said "Pretty fair maid, would you be my bride?"

2 Timothy 2:11-13

2009-02-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

It is a true saying, "For if we be dead together with Him; we also shall live together with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign together with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we believe not, yet abideth He faithful: He cannot deny Himself."

Conservatism/Liberalism in kids' movies

2009-01-31T10:53:00.001-08:00

An interesting comparison of The Incredibles and Spy Kids and their respective portrayals of human nature and human interactions, by an alumna friend of mine. Definitely worth reading.

Read it here.

Morning Departure thoughts

2009-01-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

See ya later, Nebraska.

I'm off to hit the books again. I'll miss you, the nearest state to home I've had. As much as I used to think it boring, your gently rolling landscape of cornfields, broken up by the occasional farmhouse and its windbreak or the grain silo, is a beautiful and peaceful scene. It speaks of the farmer families who settled you. And winter nights like last night, when a moon just past full gave a sleepy glow to the snowy fields, are nights that stick in one's memory and won't go away, and one doesn't want them to go away.
Call me crazy, but I'll miss your REAL winter weather...it was 15* last night, with windchills at -5. As cold as those silly Southern Californians think Virginia is, it just can't compare. That said, sometimes your blizzards make a love/hate relationship when that means friends and I can't spend time together...but it was enjoyable while it lasted. When I come back it will be summer. But we won't talk about that, and I forgive you.
I'll miss the friends who also call you home. Whether I know them through homeschool band, homeschool group, or church....May the Lord bless and keep them, and I hope to keep in touch while I'm away.
And I'll miss the family that has made you home. When I come back, the kiddos and the pup will be four months older and hopefully four months wiser (the pup needs it). But hopefully, they'll still like to snuggle and wrestle and play football and RISK and Axis and Allies...

Well...yeah. Lord willing, I'll see ya later.

New posts to Poetry and Lit Crit blogs

2009-01-06T20:20:00.001-08:00

The poem I wrote for the Creative Writing assignment for English Literature I is on the Fiction/Poetry blog, and the next segment of my drama paper is up on the Lit Crit blog.
Only a week before I'm back at school...

The Warrior Poet

2009-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This essay occasioned by the question "Why does a military guy like Strunk and White and Turabian?" I am a Literature major, and have this habit of going to town on questions like that. Proceed at your own risk...

It is quite obvious to all at school that I am in Army ROTC. Besides the haircut, I wear the fatigue uniform twice a week, march around with my rucksack late at night, badmouth the Navy kids (in good fun) and the Marines among us, and can be seen by the early birds in my Army PT uniform three days a week. Oh, yes, and I pretty nearly always am wearing my combat boots.

What is more of a surprise is that I am one of those specimens ever rare at PHC—a young man majoring in Literature. Since the number of Lit majors is pretty small and I'm mostly in Lit classes at this point, I still get the look of surprise and the “Wait...you're LIT?!?!??! I totally thought you were Strategic Intelligence!”--heaven forfend—rather often at this revelation. The SI assumption stems from the fact that both of the other ROTC cadets at PHC are SI, and many of the Marines have been as well.

The juxtaposition of the two—Literature and Army ROTC, is perhaps even more striking. Literature majors have this reputation of being nerds and somewhat...soft. A nerd I am, admittedly, but the Army associations and my penchant for wrestling and rucking to ease the stress from my system hopefully avoids the latter charge. And military folks (and especially the infantry, whose ranks I hope to join), have the reputation of being decidedly gung-ho and go-get-'em, with little time for such nonsense as delving into metaphysical and theological abstractions and literary theory. Gung-ho I hope I am, but I don't think that abstractions are nonsense.

I have been asked: “Why does a military guy like Strunk and White and Turabian?” Well, first of all, I hate Turabian with a passion. Dr. Smith's Handbook to Research and Writing has been quite sufficient to my needs so far, and I still have not quite forgiven my Research and Writing teacher for making us read Turabian through.

But that aside, the question is reversed of its proper order. I consider myself first a philosopher, then a military man. I first of all consider all good writers as philosophers first. All people are philosophers—that is, all people have a way they view the world and their place in it—whether or not they are conscious of it. Good authors are conscious of the world and man's place in it, and write stories reflecting that. They are good writers because their message is true at some level, and they are considered good writers because their message rings true to the innate, though often vague, knowledge that all men have of the world.

I strive to find truth and to apply it. My love of literature is accidental to this primary desire—I love reading it insofar as the authors I am reading are also searching for truth, and I love writing it insofar as the writing is a reflection and a record of my own search for truth and, by the grace of God, finding it.

My love for Strunk and White's Handbook of Style, specifically, is probably a reflection of my literary theory, which is in turn a result of my philosophy. I am a strong advocate of objective truth and objective standards of beauty and goodness. Even that aside, I am very much a philosophical conservative, giving the benefit of the doubt to those mores that have been passed down to me and being highly reticent to discard tradition merely on my own authority or the authority of what is currently popular. Strunk and White are of the same temperament and lucidly—and wittily—defend such a literary theory to aspiring writers.

I am a military man, though, because I am a philosopher, and because my philosophy places upon me a duty to my family and to my country and to my fellow man. Because of my belief in truth and ideals, I have more than a pragmatic reason to serve in the military—I serve as a means of taking part in this republic. I serve as a means to protect the lives of others, as those who have gone before have served to protect the lives of others—including mine. I am merely returning the favor. I serve because it is my duty. As Major Whittlesey said in the movie The Lost Battalion, “Life would be much simpler if we could pick and choose our duties. But we can't. And we shouldn't. That's why I'm here.”

I am also serving to fight evil and to prevent, so far as possible, its consequences touching the people of the United States. I am under no illusion about war or about the nature of evil—I am not a blind idealist, thinking that evil can be eradicated, let alone by weaponry. War is an evil, but it is a necessary evil—its tragedy lies precisely in the necessity that good men are subjected to its evils in order to prevent further evil. But it is better that those who are willing to fight it do so than those who are unwilling and not called to do so. It is better that we volunteer to face fear and death every day than that civilians be forced to fear death every day while going about their daily lives.

My philosophy will, I hope, in turn make me a better military man. First, my view of the world gives me a fundamental reason to serve, and a reason that rests not in the transient nature of international politics or temporal goods, but in the eternal nature of abstract goods that are worth fighting for whether or not it is possible for my efforts to win their cause. Also, there is a fine line between the pacifist and the cruel, dehumanized soldier who has come to take pleasure in war and has dehumanized his enemy. I hope and pray that a proper understanding of, and a willingness to wrestle with the great dilemmas of war, will, by grace, enable me to walk that fine line and protect me from either extreme.

It is because I reject the idea that there is no right or wrong that I can say it is right that I volunteer to defend the defenseless. It is because of my strong sense of authority and philosophical conservatism that I think this should be done, not through individualistic and illegal vigilantism, but through the properly constituted authority of government and its military arm.

The fact that I like the military—easy enough, having been raised in a military family—is a bonus. Now, whether or not I would have followed through on the military, or even have had the same philosophy, had I not been born to a military family, would be an interesting field of hypothetical speculation; but I am not given to hypothesizing about counterfactuals. By the grace of God, I am what I am—an admittedly odd paradox—and I would not be otherwise.

Classic Calvin and Hobbes

2009-01-04T11:04:00.001-08:00

The one thing....

2009-01-01T15:17:00.001-08:00

I hate about the Army:

The paperwork.

On that note, it is a new year...may the Lord grant grace and peace as we make this, our next revolution around the sun...

"Wait, haven't we been around here before?"

Update

2008-12-30T16:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas was grand! It is good to be home and see friends and family...and to get some REAL winter weather. But most importantly, let us praise our Lord for His incarnation, purposed in eternity for the salvation of His people! "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." ~Hebrews 2:17

During the study break during finals, a few of my wingmates and I played "Carol of the Bells" on electric guitars and bass for all of those who came to the dining hall (which was pretty much everybody). It was definitely a rocked-out version, but we added some harmonizations for the two lead guitars; it was fun to put together and play. Unfortunately, we didn't get any videos of playing in the dining hall, but one of our wingmates got a few videos of us practicing. Here is the best one:
The silences are caused by the zooming in and out of the camera. Sorry 'bout that.

Also, a new poem is up on the poetry blog, and part of my Drama paper is up on the Lit Crit blog. It was 14 pages, so I'm going to put it up in sections. I'll be posting the rest of it over the next week, and I'll also put up my creative writing project for English Literature Seminar I sometime this week. If you're interested, check it out, and please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Have a happy New Year!

Colin

Jolly Saint Nick the Nicaean

2008-12-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

Read both this article and the Veith article at WorldMag to which it links.

I think I want to be Santa Claus when I grow up. :-)

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

2008-12-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

~William Cowper

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

2008-12-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

Six things I value

1- The gracious providence of God and His eternal covenant of grace
2 - God's objective revelation in Scripture
3- Fellowship with godly friends and family
4 - Good literature of both the fiction and non-fiction types
5 - Those who serve to keep us free (like my dad, mom, brother, uncles, grandpas, great uncle, great-great uncle, cousin....)
6 - Good music

Six things I don't support

1. Philosophical "neutrality"
2. Subjective interpretation of Scripture and extrabiblical "revelation."
3. Guinea pigs and mistletoe
4. Poor literature (including but not limited to most 20th century American Lit, free verse, Chaucer's couplets--which weren't poor, but highly irritating--Margery Kempe, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, etc.)
5. Flag-burning
6. Music with vacuous lyrics or oversimplistic musical arrangements

If anyone wishes to follow this up, they may. Have a ball. :-)

2008-12-12T11:21:00.001-08:00

Three finals down, 3 to go.

Metaphysics paper up on theology/philosophy blog, others will follow on Lit Crit and Fiction/poetry blogs.

Will be home 5 days. (sun)

When Worlds Collide....

2008-12-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

This whole warrior-poet thing might be getting out hand...

Last night I was studying with our COIC/PHC/GMU/PBN for the ROTC final which I had this morning.... I was memorizing the objectives of a recon mission, which follow:

Get information
Employ Security measures
Avoid detection
Task organize

Of course, everything in the Army runs by acronyms for easy memorization (usually), so this was easily converted into "GEAT." HEY!!!! That's the tribe Beowulf belonged to! I can remember that!

Upon my announcing this, Evans promptly pronounced me a nerd for relating ROTC stuff to my Literature major...but, hey, this whole classical liberal arts thing is about interdisciplinary study and compilation, right?

And that did come up on the exam, and I did remember it. Poetic justice, baby. ;-)

The first page of the Beowulf manuscript. "Geat" can be found at the beginning of the 14th line.

Ummmm....

2008-12-01T06:43:00.000-08:00

So some wag put mistletoe up all over the Red Hill lobby (and elsewhere).

Charitably interpreting the perpetrator's intention, I can only imagine that their argument went something like this:

The telos of mistletoe is kissing and romance.

The telos of a PHC romance is lots of little conservatives.

The telos of a PHC mistletoe is lots of kissing and romance, which leads to lots of little conservatives.

Ergo, this must be a good idea.

Something about mistletoe being good for the soul was probably thrown in for good measure.

Now, don't get me wrong, like any good PHC student I'm all for the idea of lots of conservative little kids and the edification of the soul....but mistletoe? This smacks a little of desperation.

In the meantime, I'm taking comfort in the fact that it's plastic, therefore non-binding for us traditionalists.

But just to be safe, I will vacate my usual study spot in the lobby until after Christmas....

It's almost that time of year....

2008-11-18T09:02:00.000-08:00

The trees are nearly bare. The wind sweeps the fallen leaves into piles against the curb and playfully nips at the faces of students making their way from building to building; they are bundled against the weather, their eyes and red noses peeping from their layers of clothing, their arms tightly guarding themselves from the draught. Scattered snowflakes have fallen upon the campus over the past 15 hours, though not enough to stay.

In a week is Thanksgiving break, and I'll be going up to my PA grandparents' for the week. And in a month (give or take a couple days), after a pile of papers and reading and exams (which I'll manage by the grace of God), the semester will be over and I'll be home for Christmas. I'm looking forward to it--to seeing family and friends and once again being home on the Nebraskan plains...to standing in a field blanketed in fresh, virgin snow, a full moon washing it in luminescence, its rays refracted by the ice on the branches of trees.

We've begun to play Christmas music in my wing. :-)

Go check out the Myspace page of the Mountainaires, a North Carolina group of homeschooled guys who play a mix of traditional bluegrass/Celtic/Appalachian music. Two of their members are here at Patrick Henry College (one of them attends the same church as I). They just released their second album, a Christmas album, and I'd highly recommend it.

The Lord be with you all and give you grace; see you soon!

"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings upon the altar. And the LORD smelled a savor of rest, and the LORD said in His heart, I will henceforth curse the ground no more for man's cause: for the imagination of man's heart is evil, even from his youth: neither will I smite anymore all things living, as I have done. Hereafter seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and Summer and Winter, and day and night shall not cease, so long as the earth remaineth." Genesis 8:20-22

2008-11-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

"The Most High bears rule over the kingdom of men; He gives it to whomsoever He wills." ~Daniel 4:29

"The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord; He guides it like a river wherever He wills." ~Proverbs 21:1

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour."
~1 Timothy 2:1-3

"1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

6For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour."

~Romans 13:1-7

"13Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

20For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:

24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."

~1 Peter 2:13-25

My Poor Neglected Blog

2008-10-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ought to be updated.

Life has been busy, but alot of fun, too. Between Drama, English Literature Seminar I, Metaphysics, Biology and Lab, and ROTC and Lab, I'm learning alot; the professors are great, and the classmates are thoughtful and fun. We've had alot of good talks in and out of class; there are alot of great, Godly lads here with whom one can just talk or have fun. My wing is pretty much amazing, and very close-knit. And very musical--every one of our 7 rooms has at least one musician. Speaking of music, I'm playing classical guitar with one of the Chapel Guild groups once every two weeks. That's a neat opportunity.

There have been three engagements (and Bobtisms) since I arrived, mostly of seniors. One couple I knew in DL, and I know another pretty well since the guy is also in ROTC and pretty much the head of the ROTC group here on campus. It's been neat to observe the serious relationships here, and compare it to others that I've observed, mostly elsewhere. God bless them all!

Homecoming was alot of fun, and watching both the men's and women's soccer teams has been a great way to release pent-up energy in cheering wildly from the sidelines (I'm hoping to go out next year). Of course, there are also the impromptu wrestling matches here in the dorm and the moments of weekend randomness (hiking, mummy attacks and drain-pipe spelunking come to mind first). So, yes, we're getting a good balance of work and play.

I've also been blessed in finding a good church family here. The folks at Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian are kind and family-oriented, having the students over on occasion; the messages are solidly Scriptural and Christocentric; the musical worship reverent and lyrically deep. In the Sunday service, we're going through Luke; in Sunday School, we're studying The Christ of the Covenants, a study of the continuity (despite diversity of administration) of the covenants throughout Scripture, and how Christ was the fulfillment of them all and will consummate them upon His return. Inspiring studies!

Life is good...

I'm going to try to post some more (including pictures) sometime over the weekend. Stay tuned!

Do Not Forget

2008-09-11T06:01:00.000-07:00

7 years ago, in a loss of civilian life numerically greater than the military losses at Pearl Harbor, America was assaulted in the name of radical Islam. In hatred of the freedom we have, in hatred of our Christianity (and our secularism), Islamic terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 men and women in New York City and Washington, D. C.

I still remember my grandmother calling my mom in the middle of the school day and telling her to turn on the TV; my mom and I together watched the second plane fly into the World Trade Center. And we watched them collapse in flame and flying debris.

The result was a deep-rooted anger which, God, in His merciful grace, has since rooted out of my heart--a story in itself--and replaced with a more deeply seated desire to protect my family and friends and country from another such occurrence.

On campus today, the security officers lowered the flag to half-staff, and we had a time of silence. Silence in remembrance of those who died in a raging inferno without the opportunity for peace. Silence for those who have died without murmur, without complaint, in the mountains of Afghanistan and on the streets of Iraq, to preserve peace and freedom for their own. And, for me, and a number of others here, a silent resolve to carry on that work, that our loved ones may live and die in peace.

Do not forget the hands that died reaching for life, nor those hands that fell while giving life...do not abandon them to the silence of the grave. We cannot give life to the honored dead, but we can ensure they did not die in vain, by our remembrance, and a commitment to live worthily of their sacrifice. May those who have gone before us rest in peace.

PSALM 94

1 O Lord God the avenger, O God the avenger,
show thyself clearly.

2 Exalt thyself, O Judge of the world, and render
a reward to the proud.

3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall
the wicked triumph?

4 They prate and speak fiercely: all the workers
of iniquity vaunt themselves.

5 They smite down thy people, O Lord, and
trouble thine heritage.

6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and
murder the fatherless.

7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see: neither
will the God of Jacob regard it.

8 Understand, ye unwise among the people: and
ye fools, when will ye be wise?

9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? or
he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

10 Or he that chastiseth the nations, shall he
not correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall
he not know?

11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that
they are vanity.

12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest, O
Lord, and teachest him in thy Law,

13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days
of evil, while the pit is dug for the wicked.

14 Surely the Lord will not fail his people, neither
will he forsake his inheritance.

15 For judgment shall return to justice, and all
the upright in heart shall follow after it.

16 Who will rise up with me against the wicked?
or who will take my part against the workers of
iniquity?

17 If the Lord had not helped me, my soul had
almost dwelt in silence.

18 When I said, My foot slideth, thy mercy, O
Lord, stayed me.

19 In the multitude of my thoughts in mine heart,
thy comforts have rejoiced my soul.

20 Hath the throne of iniquity fellowship with
thee, which forgeth wrong for a Law?

21 They gather them together against the soul of
the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

22 But the Lord is my refuge, and my God is the
rock of mine hope.

23 And he will recompense them their wickedness,
and destroy them in their own malice, yea, the Lord
our God shall destroy them.

The Devil You Say

2008-07-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Obama as the Christ Child.

(link)

Newsflash

2008-07-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

“Hello, I'm Shepard Smith for FOX News. While there has been much talk lately of the economy, the housing market, and inflation, our sources say that yet another sector has been hit with amazing rates of inflation. But this is not your ordinary economic inflation; in a surprising twist, it seems that the worth of pictures has increased beyond all precedented market values. Colin in Nebraska has the story:”

Colin: “Good evening, Shepard. That’s right, pictures have jumped to nearly 30 times their historical value. As I’m sure you well know, pictures have been, from time immemorial, worth a thousand words, neither more nor less.

Well, our sources were surfing blogs a number of days ago, and came across a blog post entitled ‘About a million words’ worth of pictures (more or less).’ Further investigation revealed that there were only 35 pictures. By the old picture standard, this would be worth 35,000 words. To value them at anything approximating a million words would require each picture to be worth, well, to be exact, it would be 28,571.4 words. Actually, those digits repeat infinitely.”

Shepard: “Wow!”

Colin: “Yes, wow! The worth of pictures has jumped by a factor of 28.5714!”

Shepard: “So what does this mean for the economy of pictures and words?”

Colin: “Well, it’s hard to say at this point, but naturally those advocating the word standard are dumbfounded and slightly peeved by this discovery. To decrease the value of words in their proportion to pictures is, to them, unacceptable. To those with digital cameras, however, this development is one to be greeted happily, and forget the troglodytes, they say.”

Shepard: “Fair enough. Well, keep us updated.”

Colin: “I will. Thank—“

Shepard: “Colin? Colin? Hmmm…the link seems to have been lost. In other news, authorities have reported an outbreak of the dread disease ANS—coincidentally, in the area from which Colin was just reporting. It stands for Acute Nerd Syndrome, and is brought about by long-term book deprivation and preparations for college, symptoms being logorrhea, sesquipedalianism, compulsively executing long division problems, irritability, etc. Most susceptible are those with a history of addiction to litteras and those with a personal or family history of CNS: Chronic Nerd Syndrome.

Oh, and look, our link is back.”

Colin: “NO!!!! YOU CAN’T TAKE ME!!!! JUST BECAUSE I ACTUALLY BOTHERED TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY WORDS IT WAS PER PICTURE!!!! ON PAPER!!!!! WITHOUT A CALCULATOR!!!! AND I READ LES MISERABLES FOR FUN!!!!! AND I LIKED LORD OF THE RINGS!!!!! AND I WAS HOMESCHOOLED!!!!!!!”

Shepard: “It appears one of our reporters has just been taken into custody and quarantined, having shown severe symptoms of ANS.

Anyway, stay tuned. Soon our sources will have a report on a recent Army ROTC training camp, complete with pictures and funny stories.”

Tagged...

2008-07-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

By CDT Josten Cornett...

So in accordance with SOP for tagging, here is my contribution to filling the space on the internet.

Attached or Single? I’m very attached to my guitars, Geneva Bible, boots, knife, car, books, and military surplus gear. But I don’t think that’s quite what this question means. Assuming that it means my relationship to any given female, I’ll point out that even if I were married, we’d be one flesh, but whatever….I’m unmarried and not currently in a romantic relationship, if that’s what the question is asking. That doesn’t mean I’m available, though, as I am content in God’s provision and purpose for this time of my life. Does that answer the question?

Best Friend? My Saviour. And yes, I have close human friends, as well. ;-)

Cake or Pie? Pie.

Day of Choice? The Lord’s Day. Although Saturdays are fun because that’s when I do my ruck marches.

Essential Items? Bible. Water. Food. Knife. String/para cord.

Favorite Color? Black, navy blue, grey, and olive drab. Amazingly for a guy, I even have a favorite pattern: woodland camo. :-)

Gummy Bears or Worms? Both.

Home Town? Wherever Uncle Sam sends me…(military brat, remember?)

Indulgences?: Ummmm………they’re unbiblical. But God used them (in part) as the occasion for the Protestant Reformation, which occasioned a lot of stuff that makes me happy. :-)

January or July? January. I strongly dislike summer. I like taking walks in 20 degree weather with 30-knot winds….but when you step outside and start sweating like a pig just sitting there….no.

Kids?: Someday, Lord willing….

Like or Love? Ummmm….I’m assuming this has something to do with romantic interest…marriage (and all human interaction in the Christian sense) should be based on the biblical sense of love, not reactive “liking.”

Marriage Date? Ummmm…God alone knows. Unless my parents know something I don’t.

Number of Siblings?: I’m the second of 6. For my public school friends, that means I have 5 siblings (kidding…).

Phobias/fears? FRAGOs….change and spontaneity.

Quotes? “Are you for real, Cadet?” ~DS Salladay
“Eat like you’re motivated, Cadets” ~ DS Klebs

"This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." ~Winston Churchill

Ezekiel 36:22-32
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 10

Reason to Smile?: The Lord who has arranged the stars, guides the hearts of kings, and bounds the sea and nations is the same who clothes the flowers, governs the fall of a sparrow, and directs all things to the good of those who love Him.

Season?: Winter

Tag Six: The first six who read this.

Unknown fact about me?: If I were to make this known, wouldn’t it no longer be unknown? Why should I share it if I have not thus far? For that matter, if it is unknown, how would I know it? If I don’t know it, how can I share it?Not answering. The question is nonsensical.

Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Lifelong member of PETA. People for the Eating of Tasty Animals. “Vegetarian: ancient tribal term for the village idiot.”

X-rays or Ultrasounds? Ummmm….they have different purposes….

Your Favorite Food? The kind you eat….I have too many favorites. Steak, burgers, macaroni salad, and MRE cappuccinos would be among them, though. NOT MRE wheat snack bread. ;-)

Zodiac? Yup, I was the 7 man. I stayed on board the boat and helped pull the ropes to capsize it. Cool, huh?

Ummmm...

2008-07-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

So it just occurred to me that the post I set to automatically appear on 15 June didn’t automatically appear—I should have known better than to trust the computer. Anyway, this is what should have appeared for Father’s Day (another post or two coming soon):

Psalm 128

1Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways.

2For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

3Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

4Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD.

5The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

6Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.

On break for a day...

2008-06-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

PT test tomorrow, have 4-day field training exercise starting tomorrow....

You can see pictures here. Talk to y'all later!!!

One last post....

2008-06-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

I'm here with my boots on, waiting to drive out to Eppley for my flight...and guess what? Today's the 64th anniversary of D-Day. In honor of it, here's a video someone made using Iron Maiden's song "The Longest Day" and scenes from Saving Private Ryan.

I'd definitely recommend it to all the young men. Not to the young women, though, unless they've already seen Private Ryan. We fight, in part, so that they won't have to see the horrors of war. In any case, use discretion, please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSJ8rDlBZ_I

God bless, and talk to you in 4 weeks!

HUA!!!!!

Psalm 18

1I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
2The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
6In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
15Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
39For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
42Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
50Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

Okay...

2008-06-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

So I'll not be writing that series before I leave after all.

Really, I've not had much inclination to hang around the computer lately anyway...which is probably a good thing.

But I've been having a good time with friends, between adoption parties, going to see Prince Caspian, impromptu jam sessions, and siblings' baseball games.

We've had some amazing storms coming through Nebraska the last few days; you can see some pictures at the blog of a friend of a friend at http://sempre-dolce.blogspot.com. On Tuesday morning, I woke at 4 and couldn't go back to sleep, so stayed up watching the lightning and writing. My notes from that are over on my poetry blog. I wrote more than that, including some substantial progress on some lyrics I've had in my head for months now, but that song isn't finished yet. In the unlikely event I finish it today, I'll post it.

Otherwise, you'll have to wait till I return from Kentucky in 4 weeks. I leave tomorrow!!!! Check out the info on LTC here: http://www.goarmy.com/rotc/leaders_training.jsp

May our Lord be with you, and I'll see (or "see") you when I return. Continue growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sola Gratia,
Colin

P.S. I do have one post set to go up automatically on 15 June, so check back sometime. :-)

Job 38

1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

2Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

3Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

4Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

5Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

9When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

10And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

11And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

12Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

13That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

14It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

15And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.

16Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

17Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

19Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

20That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

21Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

22Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

23Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

24By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

25Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

26To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

27To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

28Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

29Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

30The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

31Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

32Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

33Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

34Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

35Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are?

36Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

37Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

38When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?

39Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

40When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

41Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

Humorous Interlude

2008-06-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

A visitor to my house yesterday afternoon would have seen a very muddy Colin trudging into his driveway after a 2-mile hike with a 23-pound pack, taken for exercise and to break in his boots for the upcoming ROTC summer course. But yesterday was dry and sunny here in Eastern Nebraska, so why the mud?

Well, to discover the reason, he must retrace Colin's steps about a half mile to the west, where he would find a small bridge (maybe 10-15 yards long) across a stream. An examination of the dirt beneath it would yield the conclusion that boots had climbed down from the road on the west side, stopped beneath the bridge a few yards from the bank, then reappeared on the eastern bank.

With the knowledge that, on his return leg of his two-mile runs and hikes on that route, Colin has been in the habit of hanging from one of the steel girders beneath the bridge and swinging across, the investigator could accurately surmise that Colin had done the same in this case, but would perhaps be confused by the reflection that Colin does not return from those runs so muddy.

So this is what happened...As usual, I jumped up and swung from the girder, making my way across. It had rained heavily two nights before, so the stream was somewhat higher (and a little wider) than usual, and the opposite side was a nasty bank of mud for a yard and a half beyond the edge of the stream.

If I had not had the pack on my back (and I usually don't) I would not have swung about so violently and had to expend as much energy in getting across.

If I was not still sore from upper-body exercises the previous day, I would have had a better grip on the girder.

If, when I felt my grip slipping, I had released with the forward swing instead of trying to hang on for one more reach, I would have fallen further forward.

As it was, all of those are purely hypothetical. My hands just beyond the eastern edge of the stream, I dropped from the backward swing; though I landed on my feet and hands, the mud was deep, and I sunk in to my knees and elbows and did a face-plant (my glasses stuck in the mud-bank aforementioned).

Since I rinsed off a bit at the stream, I don't know how bad I looked, but I can say that when I got back to the house and called inside for a towel, I still was nasty enough that my youngest brother could only ask "Colin! What happened?!"

I'd say the boots are pretty well broken in now. :-)

The Sacrifices of the Military Wife

2008-05-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

We celebrate and honor the sacrifices of the men who go to war for our protection, and rightly so. There are unsung heroes, however: those women, the wives that, ultimately, the men go to war to protect. For it falls to them to carry on alone, raising the children, running the household, and suffering the heartache of separation from their love and the uncertainty of his return.

My mom amazes me; and even more so does the grace of God in upholding her through the tough times of Dad's deployments. Last time we lived in Nebraska, Dad's job was such that he could be deployed on 24-hour notice and be gone for months. I never kept track, but Mom has said that he was gone about 9 months out of the year--for 5 years.

This article is an excellent example of what thousands of women go through every day. But even then, I'm not sure that many who have not lived through it can really understand. I'm not sure I wholly understand.

And I've seen this story in several places before, but I'm going to copy it here. This is to all the military wives and moms out there, if they should happen to read it. Thank you, and may the Lord bless you for your faithful support of your husband.

When God Created the Military Wife

When the Lord was creating a military wife He ran into His sixth day of overtime. An angel appeared and said, "You're having a lot of trouble with this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"

The Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? It has to be completely independent but must always be sponsored to get on a military installation. It must have the qualities of both mother and father during deployments, be a perfect host to 4 or 40, handle emergencies without an instruction manual, cope with flu and moves all around the world, have a kiss that cures anything from a child's bruised knee to a husband's weary days, have the patience of a saint when waiting for its mate to come home and, have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands? No way." The Lord answered, "Don't worry; we will make other military wives to help. Besides, it's not the hands that are causing the problem, it's the heart. It must swell with pride, sustain the ache of numerous separations while remaining true, beat soundly even when it feels too tired to do so, be large enough to say 'I understand' when it doesn't, and say 'I love you', regardless.

"Lord," said the angel, gently touching His sleeve. "Go to bed. You can finish it tomorrow." "I can't," said the Lord. "I'm so close to creating something quite unique. Already it can heal itself when sick, on a moment’s notice it will willingly embrace and feed total strangers who have been stranded during a PCS move and it can wave goodbye to its husband understanding why he had to leave."

The angel circled the model of the military wife very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

"But tough," the Lord said excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this being can do or endure."

"Can it think?" asked the angel. "Can it think?! It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m.," replied the Lord.

Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she said. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model." It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear." "What's it for?" asked the angel. "It's for joy, sadness, pain, loneliness and pride." "You're a genius," said the angel.

Looking at her somberly, the Lord replied, "I didn't put it there."

Life recently...

2008-05-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Has been busy and satisfactory. Since the semester ended, I've finished Lone Survivor and The Perfectibility of Man, and read Flying Colours (a Hornblower novel), and The Swiss Family Robinson (a hardbound copy of which I picked up at a thrift store for 50 cents. I love thrift stores). And now I'm 100 pages into Les Miserables; when I went into Borders to buy that, I discovered a store which presents a gigantic temptation to impulse buying. I only meant to buy Les Miserables and ended up with that, Glenn Gould's recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations on Piano, and Dvorak's New World Symphony. I almost ended up with The Hunchback of Notre Dame and several albums of Liszt, Saint-Saens, and Prokofiev (and some more Bach, of course), but sanity kicked in somewhere along the line....

On that note, I actually have cash in my pocket for once, because I have gone back to work at Carlos O'Kelly's. I was blessed with favor in that--it initially appeared that I'd be picking up only shifts that people had to drop, but I was put on the schedule and picked up a few extra shifts to boot. I think I worked 7 last week (there are the lunch and dinner shifts) and, especially considering it was my first week back at work, made out quite satisfactorily. Most of it is, of course, being saved for school, but some of it is making its way to expanding my literary and musical libraries.

A short digression: waiting tables is a crucible for refining patience and dependence on the providence of our Father. Waiters are paid below minimum wage by their employers, and are dependent on tips--we are, in a way, at the mercy of the customers. And there are some, that, no matter how kind and attentive you are, will be unkind and demanding, and then leave a token pittance. Then there are some that, even when you have fumbled over your introduction and brought them the wrong drinks and brought out their appetizers with their meal, will monetarily bless you far beyond the tipping standard that I, at least, was taught--not to mention the supreme blessing of their kindness and understanding and good humour through it all. And ultimately, I can have confidence that the Lord will provide all I need to work His will--their hearts are in His hands. Just as God moved the heart of Cyrus (and many others who did not know Him) to bless the nation of Israel, so does He move the hearts of men to bless His spiritual Israel and fulfill His plan for us. Amen.

And I received my Army uniform for LTC today.... :-)

I've come across about half a million references to the military life in one way or another in the last month or so, so I think I'm about due to write that series on it that's been on my mind. One should go up tonight (since it will be mostly other people's writings), and I hope to get a few others up before I go to LTC (next Friday!!!!). Some topics I hope to cover:

--The sacrifices of the military wife and mom
--Why I'm joining the military, and some sources that have influenced my thought on the matter (perhaps a two- or three- parter)
--Life as a military child

In Flanders Field

2008-05-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Let us not forget.

Graveyard at Ypres

Painting based on the Vietnam War Memorial

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial

World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Raising the flag on Mt. Suribachi (Iwo Jima, 1945)

Announcement

2008-05-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

I have just submitted my last paper to ANGEL, and hereby closed 5 semesters of Distance Learning with Patrick Henry College.

Mixed feelings....

But this one thing is true....School's out. :-)

Alice Cooper on the Muppets Show (heads up for those who don't listen to rock):

Counting Down

2008-05-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

2 exams and 1 paper down, 1 exam (Geometry) and 1 paper (Freedom's) to go...Hua!!!

***

I'll be done with the semester by Wednesday, and am planning to go up to Carlos O'Kelly's today to see about working again for them over the summer, starting next week.

***

So...plans for the summer: work, go to LTC, spend as much time as possible with Nebraska friends (guys, I want to go hiking!!!!), leave around August 12th or so to drive out to Virginia.

***

I recently remembered a debate on the Civil Rights Act from US History...the Civil Rights movement was indubitably good, but the Act itself was debatably so, definitely on constitutional and arguably on political grounds. That is probably going to turn into a post, and one on which I'd like discussion.

***

On that note, please read this speech by John McCain on his philosophy of the judiciary. It is very encouraging to hear this, and I completely agree with it.

***

Summer reading list:
--Les Miserables (I finished Martin Chuzzlewit last week)
--Getting the Gospel Right (and discussing that with the friend who is graciously allowing me to borrow it)
--Pick Death of Death in the Death of Christ back up, and finish it.
--Finish The Perfectibility of Man
--Finish Calvin's Institutes...hopefully.
--Finish the Hornblower Series? Possibly?
--Finish Lone Survivor, on a Navy SEAL fighting in Afghanistan.

***

Mother's Day was great--the men made a church breakfast for the ladies, which was quite fun.

For the service, we had an "open letter to my Mom" day. I had not written out a letter beyond the card I got her (and gave her the day before), but I wrote down some points and practiced my extemporaneous speaking (Dr. Tallmon would be proud).

***

Mother's Day morning: My mom was playing Command and Conquer: Renegade, and picked up a flamethrower, when I insisted she wanted a more long-range weapon. So then I took the open elevator to the next floor (past the sniper who was stuck facing a wall), but it didn't go all the way up. I had to jump up and pull myself out of the shaft--but while I was trying to do so, my brother climbed on my back and clambered over me. All the while the bad guys on the next floor were looking at me with rather bemused expressions.

But I climbed up and started flaming the baddies with my own flamethrower, except they didn't fall. I realized that my hands were empty and I was making the "whoosh" sound with my mouth. The people didn't even look like bad guys anymore, but were still looking at me funny.

Then I woke up.

The weird thing is that I don't even play Renegade (let alone my Mom): I prefer the strategy style C&C games.

Anywho....

***

Something else kind of weird:

I think I went from being a covenant credobaptist with paedobaptist sympathies to a covenant paedobaptist with credobaptist sympathies Sunday afternoon...I have yet to awaken from that one. I'm still searching the Scriptures on that, but I think it finally sort of clicked.

By "covenant" baptist, generally, I mean the idea that baptism is a sign and symbol (signifying the spiritual reality) of God's covenant with His elect, the covenant of grace, which we receive by imparted faith. I still reject regenerative baptism of all sorts (Lutheran and Romanist) and think that the idea that baptism is a statement of the "commitment we've made to Christ" is just really shallow theology...

The difference between covenant credobaptists (Reformed Baptists) and paedobaptists (Presbyterian/Reformed) is fundamentally on if the children of believers are in some sense comprehended under the covenant of grace and are part of the visible church. The credobaptists say they are not in any sense under the covenant if they are not elect. The paedobaptists would not say that the children are necessarily elect, but are still a part of the covenant, much like all the Israelites were under the covenant without all being elect. In fact, they often draw a comparison between circumcision in the OT and baptism in the New (that's the part I'm still checking on).

***

I was asked last Monday if I believed in Limited Atonement or Unlimited Atonement. And I didn't realize until then how frustrating a question that is...phrased in those terms, there is no short answer. I would agree with Spurgeon that it is the atonement unlimited in extent that actually limits the effect of the atonement, so calling "Particular/Definite Redemption" "Limited Atonement" rather weights the question.

Short answer (free of the terms governed by polemical history) is this: I believe Christ died to redeem His spiritual Israel (the church), and He accomplished His purpose at the cross. I take this view from Scripture as a whole: from the Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament teaching on the intent and accomplishment of the atonement. Granted, there are several NT passages speaking of "all" and the "world," but the Greek words are not consistently used in a universal sense. On the contrary, in most of the passages that are not under debate, they are NOT used in a universal sense...in the context of the clear OT and NT teaching on election, and the teaching on God's purpose in the atonement, and in the context of the verses themselves, it is perfectly acceptable (I believe) to take the more specific application of the Greek words.

That said, I do believe that Christ is truly offered to "whomever will believe." The extent of the atonement one way or the other is never made the basis for NT evangelism, so the argument that we ("Calvinists" so-called) can't evangelize because we believe Christ did not die for all doesn't hold. Everyone (in this particular debate) agrees that everyone who believes is redeemed and everyone who does not believe does not receive the benefits of Christ's death. Though we disagree on the order (redemption or belief, and regeneration or belief), we agree on that much, at least.

Okay, I'm going to stop before I write another paper on this....

Spring Flowers From Our Yard

2008-05-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

For most of my years I have deemed flowers "girly," and therefore have not taken much interest in them. I once walked into the corner of our yard in Virginia, however, and was greeted by the scent of honeysuckle--and I think that was the first time I appreciated the beauty of God's floral creations.

Two miles from our house in Virginia, there was a park that had once been a fort guarding the James River; after being destroyed in the War Between the States, it was later restored as a garden. Every spring it would burst into vibrant and variegated color, and sweet perfumes would fill the air, delighting the senses and awing the mind with the beauty of God's handiwork. At once so complex as to defy description and so sublime as to directly touch a heart given to tearing things of beauty into their minutiae, this garden was one of the many things our Lord used to make me conscious of His glory, despite my previous neglect.

These are pictures of some flowers around our property; the sprig of white flowers is of the same sort that sprung up all over our county. I don't know what kind they are, but they smell wonderful!

By the time I post this, many of the flowers have faded and hang upon their stems in a forlorn shadow of their former glory. At one time, I saw this as cause for despair--a garden full of dying petals surrounded one with the evidence that even the most beautiful life ends in death. But from death springs life again. The initial beauty of the flower is but a means for it to bear fruit; from this fruit, to bear seeds; from these seeds, to bear more plants after its kind.

A number of applications could be made from this to the Christian life. Those who mourn the passing of the initial bloom of conversion can take joy in the fact that they have moved from a joyful, but largely ignorant, state of mind to one more versed in the truths of God and thus more able to continue growing in His grace and spreading the truth about Him throughout the world. The air of the garden may perhaps be less hospitable than the greenhouse, but will help the plant to grow in hardihood and perseverance.

And then there is the lesson of death for the Christian; or rather, death as a means to life: "For this corruptible shall put on incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality. SO when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?'" (1 Corinthians 15:53-55)

And finally is the lesson of God's handiwork in creation. Not only has He stretched out the heavens with the palm of His hand, not only does He arrange the hearts of men and nations to do His bidding, but He feeds the birds of the air, and He has fashioned the flowers and attired them in colors Solomon could envy.

Miscellaneous Update

2008-05-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Alright, the promised update on school and military plans.

This semester is almost done (two more weeks, Huzzah!); I have a 2.5 page Freedom's paper, 8 page Rhetoric paper (I'll be writing a rhetorical criticism of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"), a post-test, and a few finals, and I am done. I'll be done with DL, in fact, after 5 semesters. Hmmm...my thoughts on that will probably constitute another post, so I'll avoid that tangent for the moment.

I've already registered to go on campus in the fall, so, Lord willing, will be on campus August 19th as a technical sophomore, practical junior (61/63 credits). I've preregistered for English Lit. Seminar I (Dr. Libby), Drama (Dr. Hake!!!!), Metaphysics (Dr. Roberts), and Biology/Lab (Dr. Doran). I've been filling out various forms and talking with a couple DL classmates about being roommates. I actually got to talk to one of them on the phone last week, which was great! It is still hard to believe that in 3 months I'll be in Virginia again and on campus with 300-odd other students, but it is slowly becoming more real. I am, of course, excited, in a complex sort of way. That, if it ever ends up on here, will be another post, as well.

Simply put, last time I left Nebraska (when my family PCSed in 2003), I couldn't wait to leave, for several reasons; this time around, while there are certainly some things I will leave gladly, there are even more certainly things and people I shall miss.

But I am excited about meeting my DL friends, and meeting the faculty at PHC, and finally starting my major studies. And I can't wait to go hiking and camping in the Shenandoahs again! It will be nice to be near my grandparents, as well.

Also, God has more than blessed me as far as paying for school. Besides the HSLDA membership grant, PHC gave me a scholarship which will pay a nice chunk of tuition. The American Legion Auxiliary here in Nebraska also gave me a scholarship: that is kind of a funny story, actually. I found out about their program online and called the local ALA representative, and she had no idea what I was talking about. When she called back, she said "No one's asked about that scholarship from us in a long time, and we've never done this before, but we're definitely sending this in to the state department!! I didn't even know about it! This is so cool!" I have a couple more pending, so I'm keeping that in prayer. The Lord has provided, and will provide the means necessary to work His will!

About the military: Many of you know that I am planning to take Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) classes so that I'll be commissioned in the Army after graduation. Since PHC doesn't take the ROTC scholarship because of their no-government-money policy, I have also been planning to contract with the VA National Guard in what is called the Simultaneous Membership Program: basically, I will drill with the Guard one weekend a month, go to the ROTC summer training camps, will be exempt from deploying with the Guard as long as I'm in ROTC, and will draw pay from the Guard, a stipend from ROTC, and will be eligible for assistance via the GI Bill after my first year. The money, naturally, would go to school (and would be quite an assistance). After I graduate, I have the option of staying in the Guard, or going to Reserves, Active Guard Reserves (full-time Guard), or active duty Army. The plan right now is for me to go active duty.

In the meantime, I am registered to go to ROTC's Leadership Training Camp (LTC) at Ft. Knox, KY, from 6 June to 3 July. That camp is basically catch-up for those who haven't taken the first two years of ROTC, and is sort of "officer's boot camp." I'd like to do regular Basic Training, anyway, but it probably won't work out with the other ROTC summer camps, and isn't required for officers commissioned from ROTC.

I went to Creighton University early Friday morning to take my PT test and be fitted for my uniform. I did well on the push-ups and the 2-mile run, but not so well on the sit-ups, so I'll be working on those before LTC. The uniform should be sent out to me, so I can break in the boots before LTC.

Come August, I'll sign with ROTC at George Mason University, take a 3-hour class on Tuesday, and participate in 3 hours of lab (PT and field training) every Thursday. I'm unequivocally excited about that! Those will all build up to Leadership Development Advancement Course (LDAC) next summer, which will pretty much test us on everything we learned our junior year, and will be our time to "showcase" ourselves for the Army.

Now, I talked to MAJ Simms at GMU yesterday, and he said that, despite what he called "PHC's lack of willingness to take money," ROTC was working on a scholarship that could be paid directly to the student. Those scholarships PHC can take. He said that ROTC is planning for it to cover our room and board (about 1/4 of our total costs). The only catch is that it is not for SMP; it is for ROTC folks only. But it's not that much of a catch: since ROTC is my first priority, and I plan to go active duty, and the scholarship would be more than the Guard drill pay, I asked him to definitely keep me updated on that. It would also avoid the potential (unlikely, but possible), that the Guard would not release me to go active duty after graduation, and the more dangerous and likely potential that I could be pulled from school for a domestic Guard call-out.

Speaking of the Army, my older brother will be back from Iraq in June and will have a month-long leave in July (about the time I get back from LTC), so we're all looking forward to that!

Our Father has been very gracious in working all these things together, to His glory. I look forward to seeing what else He has in store! Have a blessed Sabbath and grace be with you all!

Sola Gratia,
Colin

Psalm 2
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Tagged

2008-05-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged. But before I go into that, I want to share a wonderful new word that I discovered while reading National Review last week.

The word is "logorrhea." The context was something along the lines of "Bill Clinton made $50 million in speeches, which, when they're several hundred thousand a pop and the writer is logorrheic, isn't hard to do." Those who are acquainted with the rudiments of Greek may recognize in the first half of the word the root for a word that occurs three times in John 1:1.
And, yes, the meaning of the second half is what you think it is. If you haven't followed me thus far, look up this charming Neo-Latinism (or so says my dictionary, but the roots are Greek) and have a good laugh. :-)

Okay, so for my tag...
I was tagged by Miss Elizabeth Brown, from whose blog I copy the following instructions:

Here are the rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2.Post it on your blog, and include a visual illustration if you so desire.
3.Link to the person who tagged you in their post.
4.Tag five more blogs with links.
5.Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs inviting them to play.

My six word memoir is simple--and you should be amazed that I'm able to say ANYTHING in six words. That doesn't happen often.:

"But for grace, there go I."

The most striking thing about that painting by Rembrandt is that the man in the beret, depicted as helping to raise the cross, is the painter himself. Ah, "have mercy, on me, a sinner," O Lord. Oh, the depths of grace..."O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"

I hereby tag the following, with the injunction that they comply or face the everlasting wrath of...something or other. Anyway, I'm tagging

Michael K.
Shane A.
Ashton B.
Zach T.
ANNNNNNDDDD....

Mrs. Knipp!

I'll hand out the tags later...

In other news, my paternal grandparents and one of my uncles drove out here from North Carolina and have been here for the week; we went to the Old Market and an art community up in northern Omaha today. :-)

Oh, and I do have some news, too, but I'll write on that later, too.

April 19th

2008-04-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago today began the conflict that gave rise to one of the greatest nations God has raised up in this world. May we honor the men who have fought and died for her and for the principles for which she stands.

Concord Hymn
By Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

A few things

2008-04-18T22:38:00.001-07:00

I'm going to be nice and post these all as links....

1) I posted a "new" poem on my poetry blog; a walk today brought it back to mind. I'm starting to notice a symbol that I'm using overmuch in my writings (though I do use it in different ways)...

2) I re-filled out the "Mother of All Surveys" (my old copy was lost with my hard drive) which you can read here. Past reviews on it:

"Don't post it! For your own sake! No one will ever visit your blog again!" (That is why I'm posting it now as a link. ;-D)

"This looks alot like it was written by a Literature major with a strong interest in Theology."

"No way am I filling out that whoppin' big thing!"

Fill it out anyway, if you're ever bored beyond all belief. :-)

3) Another discussion from US History, discussing the 1920s. I expound my view of cultural conservatism, which could probably be summed up in this paragraph:

"The problem that I see with innovation without reason is that, fundamentally, it discards traditionalism for individualism. I want to do this, so I jolly well shall, and devil may care. Instead of honoring the wisdom of those who have gone before, or instead of at least giving the benefit of the doubt to our progenitors, it gives the benefit of the doubt to ourselves and our peers. For my own part, it seems inestimably foolish to trust oneself and others no more mature than oneself, in disregard to those who have lived before, have greater experience, and have fought through many of these same questions (cast in different terms, but nonetheless the same questions) for themselves. It shouldn't be necessary for every generation to reinvent the wheel."

4) Last summer, a classmate sent us an alert to the effect that the Senate of his native Hawaii was drafting a resolution encouraging the national government to accept the authority of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. He wanted us to email his senators, so I did, and in so doing gave pretty much a brief exposition of why I believe family education is so important. Further, I am beginning to think that the "free exercise" clause of the 1st Amendment is going to become more and more important to Christian homeschoolers, for the reasons I outlined in the letter. For those who are interested, it is here.

5) I made a few revisions to "The Thread Upon the Loom." I have the full poem here, with the revisions highlighted in orange and red (they're in parts I, IV, and V). I also included my reasoning for the changes and the concerns I had with the new form. If anyone has any suggestions or comments, I'd like to hear them.

6) Christopher Parkening is an amazing guitarist, trained by Maestro Andres Segovia, and a Christian, too.

7) A personal update on some school and military stuff coming soon. :-)

Spring

2008-04-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Ah, spring...at long last the barren waste of a Nebraska winter is coming alive in a verdant rebirth. The birds have returned, and the new grass is slowly overcoming the dead remains of last year's. The hedges and windbreaks are already budding, and soon will burst forth in rapturous welcome of Spring...

Alright, I'll admit that this is just an excuse to post some pictures taken a few days ago from the vantage point of one of our trees.

Though the background is still stubbornly bare, the buds in the foreground, and the streaks of green in the grass are a fair promise of the coming spring.

On Wednesday, it was a sunny 72 degrees, with a strong south wind, and it occurred to me that spring brings summer, and with it heat. Though I prefer the 50s, with clouds and drizzle (as it was on Thursday and today), I'm sure that God's sense of climate control is much better than mine:

"While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night, Shall not cease." Genesis 8:22

Psalm 90

2008-04-17T22:07:00.000-07:00

I recently re-discovered that my Geneva Bible came with a CD-ROM containing the Geneva Bible in PDF format, along with the Apocrypha, AND the Metrical Psalms. The Metered Psalms were quite well done, and here is Psalm 90 (which happens to be my favorite), for those who are interested.

Domine refugium. Ps.90.I.H.
Moses seeing the people neither admonished by the
brevity of their life, nor by plagues to be thankful,
prayeth God to turn their hearts, and continue his mercy
toward them and their posterity forever.
Sing this as the 78 Psalm.

Thou Lord hast been our sure defense,
our place of ease and rest:
In all times past, yea, so long since,
as cannot be expressed.

2 Ere there was made mountain or hill,
the earth and all abroad:
From age to age, and always still,
forever thou art God.

3 Thou grindest man through grief and pain,
to dust, or clay, and then,
And then thou saist again, return
again, ye sons of men,

4 The lasting of a thousand year
What is it in thy sight?
As yesterday it doth appear
or as a watch by night.

5 So soon as thou dost scatter them,
then is their life and tread,
All as a sleep, and like the grass,
whose beauty soon doth fade.

6 Which in the morning shines full bright,
but fadeth by and by:
And is cut down ere it be night,
all withered, dead and dry.

7 For through thine anger we consume
our might is much decayed:
And of thy servant wrath and fume
we are full sore afraid.

8 The wicked works that we have wrought
thou setst before thine eye:
Our privy faults, yea, eke our thoughts
thy countenance doth spy.

9 For through thy wrath our days do waste,
thereof doth naught remain:
Our years consumes as words or blasts,
and are not called again.

10 Our time is threescore years and ten,
that we do live on mold:
If one see fourscore, surely then
we count him wondrous old.

11 Yet of this time the strength and chief
the which we count upon:
Is nothing else but painful grief,
and we like blasts are gone.

12 Who once doth know what strength is there
what might thine anger hath?
Or in his heart who doth thee fear
according to thy wrath?

13 Instruct us Lord to know and try,
how long our days remain:
That then we may our hearts apply
true wisdom to attain.

14 Return O Lord, how long wilt thou
forth on in wrath proceed?
Show favor to thy servants now,
and help them at their need.

15 Refresh us with thy mercy soon,
and then our joy shall be:
All times so long as life shall last
in heart rejoice shall we.

16 As thou hast plagued us before:
now also make us glad:
And for the years wherein full sore
affliction we have had.

17 O let thy work and power appear,
and on thy servant’s light:
And show unto thy children dear,
the glory and thy might.

18 Lord let thy grace and mercy stand
on us thy servant thus:
Confirm the works we take in hand,
Lord prosper them to us.

Questions

2008-04-17T21:58:00.001-07:00

This is something I've debated before, and I have my own opinion on the matter, but I'd be curious to see what my readers think before I present mine. There are actually three closely related questions:

1) Is it permissible for men to wear earrings?

2) Is it permissible for women to wear earrings?

3) If the answer was no to (1) and yes to (2), on what do you base the distinction?

And, no, I'm not remotely considering get my ears pierced. My brothers already know what I'll do to their ear lobes if they ever come home with earrings.

In other news, I've posted again to my Theology/Philosophy blog. As I look at the previous post, I realize that I should have titled it "Presuppositionalism and "Calvinism": the Biblical Answers to the Problem of Epistemology." Not that anyone reads that blog (is it really that boring?), but it is duly fixed anyway. ;-)

And on my way home tonight I caught a portion of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini on the radio, so I'm going to listen to Bach's Toccata and Fugue in A minor (the one on my Songspot), and retire in a mood of pure bliss...

Colin

My Car

2008-04-15T20:58:00.000-07:00

I love my car. Not in any of the three Greek senses do I love her*, but I do so rather as one may love an inanimate object with which one is well acquainted and comfortable. The more do I love it as I reflect on how much of an unmitigated blessing it was to me. We have spent quite a bit of time together over the last year, and had some adventures, but let me tell you how we met.

Concurrently with seeking a job last year, I began car-shopping. Given my rural location, a mode of transportation faster than my legs or a bike is almost a necessity.

I am not picky in my cars. I’ve never been interested in sports cars; if I ever wanted to be “cool” by means of my conveyance, I effectively killed that possibility by starting off in a 12-passenger van. And, frankly, my dream car is a pre-1990 Ford F-150. Someday when I’m retired and can afford the gas, I’d still like to get one. But in the meantime, I have been perfectly content with the idea of starting off with a sedan or station wagon. Some wags might suggest that the only reason I would want a family car is as a selling point (with the parents, at least) when the time should come for me to a go a-courtin’:

“Oh, Mama, Henry has such a beautiful Ford Mustang; he’d drive safely with me, though, I’m sure.”
“Yes, but honey, don’t you think that a 5-seat sedan is much better for a couple planning to start a family?”
“But Mama, it’s so mundane…I can’t be a soccer mom from the very beginning of the courtship!”
“Well, it could be worse: he could have a mini-van.”

But that advantage aside (and though I didn’t choose it for that purpose, I’m not about to spurn the hand of Providence, either), sedans are cheaper on all counts—initial cost, gas, and insurance. Oh, insurance. What a curse did Cain lay upon all succeeding young men when he rashly beat his brother—one may justly suppose that he was also one for camel-races. Be that what it may, we young men have a reputation for being high liabilities on insurance policies. Young men with sports cars only exacerbate the problem. So, as a part of my Christian duty (and in keeping with my constitutional aversion to spending money on frivolities), I alleviated the problem by desiring a sedan.

Some fellow drivers would say that I don’t alleviate the problem at all; I’ll just say that I’ve not touched another car once, but there were times when it was grace alone that I didn’t. There was the time that I spun it over a ten-foot dirt embankment, but that’s another story for another time….

I preferred American-made cars, but that was not a big sticking point. My dad asked me what color I’d prefer, and I discovered that I did not have much of a preference—except that I detest yellow and all pastel shades. I hinted that I would paint whatever car I bought with military-issue olive drab anyway, but it was hinted in return that such a monstrosity would not reside on the premises, so that idea died in committee and my mental senate returned to maintaining the status quo (yes, I have one of those).

When it got down to it, I was planning (and dreading) to spend rather more than I wanted to on even a used car. Oh, ye of little faith. My dad is pretty good friends with a deacon in our church, who, by God’s providence, was looking for a minivan for his growing family at the same time. He had a 1998 Ford Taurus and was willing to sell it when they bought the minivan.

Now, let me say this about the Ford Taurus: it is a nice-looking car, and common enough that it doesn’t stick out. Actually, common enough that it occurs quite often—eerily so—that I park and find four other Tauruses and a Mercury Sable or two in the same row. If I’m not mistaken, it was the most widely sold car in its class while it was made. Given that I hate flashy things and like to blend in (without fitting in), this was a perfect fit. Oh, and the color was dark green. Score!

The bluebook value was in the $2,500-$3,000 range, but it had been salvaged anyway, and the transmission had some minor trouble—only that it leaked enough that it required a few bottles of fluid a year—so he took off the price of a new transmission in anticipation for my eventually replacing that.

That brought it down to a much more palatable price, which I was prepared to pay; and then my parents decided to bless me even further by paying the good deacon themselves. That made the sticker shock upon taking it to the DMV rather easier to handle...

My car has her* idiosyncrasies, of course, but then again, she puts up with me. On occasion, there will be an electronic beeping for no apparent reason (it did this for the former owners, too, and the car folks had no idea what caused it), but this is in keeping with the weird habits of pretty much all of my electronic equipment. I suppose if my car can handle the lengthy lectures I give her on random subjects, I can handle a little bit of reciprocal conversation. I can probably make more sense of that electronic beeping than anyone can of what I ramble on about, anyway.

But in all seriousness, I was more than blessed with my Ford Taurus, on all counts. Even besides the money-for-a-car-or-for-school issue (the solving of which was immeasurable grace by itself), everything about it, from the type of car to the color, was amazingly orchestrated (and was far more than I deserve). And, of course, we get along well, and there is easily enough room in the back seat and trunk for my guitars and amps, my other loves…but that will have to wait for another post.

Until then,
Colin

*Of course a car takes the female pronoun. She certainly has a personality, and the masculine wouldn’t sound quite right. Her name is Good Queen Bess, but that’s a story in itself.

Announcement and excerpt from USH2 paper

2008-04-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

After about half a million edits...

Last Tuesday, I began turning a number of scenes that I've had in my head for a while into a story which I hope could end as a novella, at least. I have only the first chapter written and know what I want to do with the last two chapters; unfortunately, I only know the direction I want to take with the middle section, not the storyline. So I'm not going to bind myself to a set deadline for posting the next chapter, but if you'd like to read the first chapter at least, I've posted it to my Fiction/Poetry blog. I also submitted it, with a few poems, to the PHC Stylus literary publication. Input and criticism (from fellow Lit Snobs and all of my other friends who put up with our delusion that we're the coolest) is appreciated. I'd especially like suggestions for a main title; I currently plan for "Where the Wind Wills" to be a subtitle (and it is, by the way, a reference to John 3, not "Bohemian Rhapsody"...).

Also, our US History 2 paper is a comparison/contrast of Whittaker Chambers's Witness and Booker T. Washington's Up From Slavery. Up From Slavery was written in the late 1800s with Southern Reconstruction and the plight of the former slaves in mind, Witness in 1952 about the attempt to expose American Communism, but "for all their differences, they were both tales which brought the epic struggle between good and evil to a human level and made the principles applicable to the ordinary man by showing how ordinary men had fought and struggled with specific manifestations of that war," as I wrote in my paper.

The chief difference, though, in the authors' respective outlooks is one that struck me deeply as I was writing, and I devoted about a page to exploring that facet of their works. I may post more of the paper later, but here is the relevant excerpt for now:

"Washington was inspirational because he extolled the ability of men to raise themselves up from the ashes, and warned them not to allow their circumstances to dictate their future in such a way that they would never improve themselves. He was optimistic that the problems could be resolved and that the American people could put their dark past behind them in the next few generations. While acknowledging the faults of both parties in the past, he truly believed that they could be overcome by hard work and virtuous living—he believed that his object was attainable and that success lay within the volition of him and his fellow man.

Chambers was inspirational for nearly the opposite reason: he acknowledged that he was weak, and insisted that his role was thrust upon him against his will—but it was precisely the knowledge that this was his mission, arranged for him by destiny, that gave him the strength to fulfill it, because he knew that the same Providence that had assigned this terrible ordeal to him would direct the results, whether or not those results included his destruction. Chambers was willing to abandon all for the sake of the world and for the sake of destiny--and for his witness against Communism and for truth. He was pessimistic that his sacrifice would result in the ultimate salvation of the world—if it was not destroyed by Communism, it would fall prey to something else—but was certain that the guiding hand of God would nevertheless have a purpose even in this.

He thus inspired to play their part even men who are all too conscious of their own weakness. Their part need not be so crucial as his, nor need it be successful in human terms—whatever their part was, no matter how seemingly large or small, it formed a cog in the plan of Providence. He disagreed with the idea that the world would linearly improve; his hope lay in the ultimate end of the world which no human eye could yet see. This fundamental difference between Washington’s and Chambers’s presentations goes as deep as the level of their worldview, and could be described in religious terms as running as deeply as the difference between the theological concepts of merit and grace, for this is precisely the difference between them."

New Stuff

2008-04-03T19:08:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to let y'all know that I've made another post to my Theology/Philosophy blog, if you want to check it out.

Also, I've made four new recordings in the last few weeks in several different styles, which are all up on the little music webpage I have. Please let me know what you think.

I still don't have the pictures from maple syruping, so that's going to have to wait....

2008-04-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

In the interests of diversity, and as an acknowledgement to the diversity of all my many readers*, in the unlikely event that any atheists should be among them, I hereby wish that, for all those who are so inclined to celebrate, today may be a Happy National Atheists' Day.

That is all.

*Hahaha...

Spring Break

2008-03-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Wednesday marked the end of a week-long break from classes, a break of which I took full advantage.

At some point (I forget exactly when), those who frequent the Student Discussion Forum on ANGEL held elections, and I was elected Chief Bard and Composer of Odes, Dirges, and the Like; Professor of Theological Studies; and Chief of Grammar Police. Our dear friend Ashton was elected President and Lord of the Realm (and many congratulations to the Gaffer!). My duties have been chiefly exercised in the Poetic and Grammar departments, and I may later share some of the Odes, Dirges and the Like which I have composed in my short time in office, if there is any interest.

Last Friday, I composed a new poem, which is now up on my poetry blog. In the evening, we had the Greenhouse homeschool group over to our house for the study we are having on The Squire and the Scroll and The Princess and the Kiss (separated by gender, naturally); this was something of a special night-time session, however, with the dads. We boys started a campfire in the fire ring, around which the dads led the study on purity and ways to maintain purity and encourage others in it. It was quite a good study, and the book is a "children's fairy tale" with all the deep meaning of the old fairy tales (and perhaps more).
After the ladies and we boys had finished our respective studies, the children and dads played a game of flashlight tag in our yard. That was, quite simply, a blast, even if the full moon made it more difficult for the runners. Some folks came up with some creative hiding places, too.

On Sunday, I had to drive my younger brother up to church early because he was in the Easter play; knowing that we had to get up early anyway, we decided to rise at 0600 in order to have a couple games of Airsoft before dressing. This was, of course, to get the blood moving, and I'm certain that we were the most wide-awake of the Easter play participants. The program itself was rather interesting--definitely non-traditional.

On Monday, my younger brother and I added yet another weapon to our family's arsenal: a potato cannon. Actually, this one replaced the other, whose barrel I had accidentally broken after a failed attempt to remove the cap of the firing chamber. But anyway, we spent Monday afternoon firing that off and experimenting with different propellant amounts and different ammunition. We discovered that corn kernels make a good shotgun effect, and that using a 10-second squirt of aerosol hairspray makes a substantially longer shot than the standard 5 seconds. When we get pictures, I shall share those.

On Tuesday, I spent the morning playing Legos with my youngest brother, and I ended up building a square-rigged sailing ship for my Lego sailors and Marines. I took a few pictures, which you can find here. We were invited that evening to a birthday celebration with some good homeschooling friends, and we had a most enjoyable time with them, as well, discussing many things and eating much ice cream cake.

For the last day of spring break, I drove up to meet another Nebraskan DLer who lives north of Omaha. His dad is a Lutheran pastor/missionary, so he showed me around their outreach, which was quite remarkable--God is doing great things from small beginnings. He also showed me some of the distinctives of the Lutheran liturgy, and we had a good time comparing notes on his Lutheran theology and my more Calvinistic theology. There are some differences (especially in our view of the sacraments), but the similarities, at least for their LCMS denomination, are similar enough that we can make common cause against many of the errors in modern evangelicalism.
In the afternoon, we drove down to the Missouri River, shooting cans with BB guns and skipping rocks, and afterwards took a 2-hour tramp through the woods in search of a scenic overlook. We never did find the overlook, but the hike itself was great fun, and the chance to talk with another PHC student was unforgettable.

I also did some more reading in Martin Chuzzlewit, and am working on John Passmore's The Perfectibility of Man, an analysis of different perfectionist movements, Christian and secular. It looks interesting so far.
In my music, I continued to practice trumpet and guitar, and wrote a new tune, originally for trumpet and piano, but I've also played it on guitar. Actually, I think it would sound good with a wide combination of instruments, especially strings, as it definitely has roots in the Celtic/Appalachian musical tradition. When I can play it well enough to record it, I shall share for those who are interested.
I've started learning Pachelbel's Canon in D major for guitar. The recording of that piece with which I am most familiar is in fact a guitar duet--I have yet to find an orchestral recording which I like as much as the guitar arrangement on which I've been raised. It is a beautiful piece, but performed on classical guitar--I cannot find the words at the moment to describe its elegance. Even the one I have on my Songspot does not compare. My mother likes it as well, and has told me from the time I started playing guitar that I'll be playing it at my sisters' weddings...so I figured that now is as good a time as any to learn it.

I have a couple ideas for future posts, mostly stemming from conversations I've had recently, and I'm willing to take input on what my next post should cover.

--Our family's springtime operation of making maple syrup.

--For those few who don't know: My view precisely of the extent of the will's freedom, and of its relation to God's providence (I'd try to keep it short, but no guarantees).

--The fine line a soldier (and especially a Christian who goes to war) must walk in performing his duty but not becoming calloused and hateful toward his enemies.

--The crucial difference between the conditional salvation of modern "evangelicalism" and the unconditional election preached as the "evangel" by the Reformers and how it affects our view of grace, salvation, and assurance.

--The theological lessons of an excellent board game: the strategy game RISK (since I have a game scheduled for tomorrow, I'm probably going to end up writing this one anyway. Ha!)

--Is art subjective or objective? (again, I'll try to keep this short, but no guarantees)

--Thoughts on cultural (not necessarily political) traditionalism/conservatism v. progressivism/libertarianism/liberalism, as exemplified in Fiddler on the Roof.

--Why I love my car.

:-D

Suggestions welcome.

But for now...back to conquering paper dragons and exam-trolls.

Sola Gratia,
Colin

Yet another US History post

2008-03-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

It is odd that most of my philosophical discussions this semester are coming from a history class--I guess that is what I get for having already taken such foundational courses as Constitutional Law, Theology, Principles of Biblical Reasoning, and Philosophy and being left with Geometry, Rhetoric, Freedom's Foundations, and US History. I'll just say that I can't wait to start my major courses...

In the meantime, here is a conversation from US History, stemming originally from a discussion on the difference in American sentiment between World War II and our own day. The first section was written by one of my classmates (reprinted by his permission), and my response is two-fold.

"I think we're realizing that zeitgeist has a lot to do with the public response to government action (it may well be the biggest factor). The general feeling of the 40s was "we just conquered depression and we're damned proud of that," while today's seems to be a more whiny version of "this is hard and I don't like it."

We are what our parents were to our grandparents - rebellious wimps in need of a spanking and some chores. I don't want to rant (since that's so callow), but it seems that our generation of men needs a dose of warrior instinct (in the Fight Club and 300 vein) to combat lethargy and weak wills, while our generation of women needs a dose of motherly responsibility (in the Clara Barton and WWII Women vein) to combat neglect and this idea of an absolute right to total independence."

"Perhaps this is reopening a can of worms that was sufficiently aired last semester (though it doesn't have to be such a reopening), but I wish to point out that the "empowerment" of women and the effeminization of men go hand in hand. Unfortunately, as women are willing to take charge (or demand the reins [in the case of the suffragette movement), men are often all too willing to cede it, especially if they don't see any good reason to hold it themselves (this would be the case when they don't see the Scriptural command for them to be the head of their households and in church leadership, etc.). It could be debated which comes first, though that's not my object: they are definitely complementary. The more important issue is which needs to be changed first, as men simply asserting their authority/responsibility over unwilling women isn't going to get far (I believe I remember the slogan "forced submission isn't truly submission," and I agree to a point).
The other option is women dropping their power where it is the man's responsibility and leaving it to the men to step up. I'd question the practical wisdom of this initially, but it actually makes sense if one considers the point that if women aren't to have responsibility in a given area (and I'm not talking specifics right now), then it is not incumbent on them to hold up that area of responsibility. If something falls through because the men didn't stand up in their area of responsibility, it is their fault and responsibility--not the women's. Perhaps the women could show a bit more trust in God's providence in our respective spheres of responsibility--and perhaps a bit more trust that some, at least, of the men WILL step up. Just a thought.
In any case, I suppose I have quite enough to worry about as a man needing to take on my own responsibility.

Anyway, I was pondering what has caused the shift, and one cause at least is ironic. The public schools are rife with the idea of self-reliance and self-esteem and "believe in yourself." For that matter, some of the churches are (Joel Osteen, anyone?). But my suspicion is that these people are looking at themselves and suddenly find that they ARE weak. For all the individualistic propaganda, they find that the individual IS weak.
To an extent, the Great Generation and the generations before were also independent and self-reliant (like the pioneer stock they were), but they were not individualistic, and their independence was in a large way centered around others, if that makes sense. In other words, they had an "I can do this" attitude, because they were fighting for a principle higher than themselves and received strength to achieve their goals.
All that the contemporary individualist has to fight for is himself--and is it worth it?"

What we accomplish in DL

2008-03-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

A "Campfire" story, with contributions from many of our Distance Learners, posted to our Student Discussion Forum (SDF). Enjoy!

And hello there...

2008-03-06T19:15:00.000-08:00

For those who were rejoicing in my absence, my reduction in online presence is due to a tragedy striking my laptop's hard drive, which has gone to meet the great motherboard in the sky. I don't have as much time on my parents' desktop, so I've not been on here; I'm just updating right now to let you know that, yes, indeed I'm alive. Not much is new here, except that we've finished Dad's blacksmithing shed behind our garage, and we fired up the forge last Saturday and hammered away at some old railroad spikes. We have also tapped 12 of our maple trees for syrup, and the first batch is on the stove. Once we have some pictures of the whole process, I'll put some up!

I filled out this survey, too. Mayhap I ought to post my "Mother of all surveys" survey sometime (My DL friends and Michael K. should remember that one), just to get all possibilities for future survey questions out of the way. Ha!

Finally, in Freedom's Foundations, we are discussing the Constitution and the Federalist Papers; one of my classmates took the optimistic view that Americans are more educated than any other people in history, so are well equipped to make good political decisions--in short, we ought to be thankful and not be too worried about America. That prompted this essay, with which I shall leave you for now:

The Insufficiency of a Godless Education
By Colin Cutler

"Now what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, Sir!"

So opens Charles Dickens's Hard Times, with the schoolmaster being impressed--willingly--with the importance of "Facts." The novel is a bitter invective against this idea that "facts alone are wanted," and I would concur in Dickens's indictment.

It is said that the modern American is more educated, on average, than nearly anyone else in history. I disagree. I concede that more facts are being presented to more people in America than in most other countries at any given time in history. I disagree, however, because a debatable and insufficient definition of education is being used. First of all, education based solely on facts (as our public school system, by and large, is) neglects the personal aspect of humans; it reduces them to "reasoning animals." Ultimately, it can only teach them what has happened before them, not what they ought to do--and thus deprives them of direction for their reason.

More specifically, however, the emphasis of "education" upon facts is empty if one cannot understand those facts. Cornelius Van Til spoke of materialism as a system of uninterpreted facts--"brute facts," in his phrase--which, precisely because they simply existed without interpretation, could not be interpreted unless the materialist was willing to take a "leap of faith" in projecting a subjective interpretation of the fact. This would, of course, be a denial of everything materialism stands for. In other words, facts may be, but they have no meaning. And it is at this very point that materialism fails--and with it, the typical model of "education," which is indubitably founded on materialism.

A short digression: though the non-materialistic New Ageism has made some inroads in public schooling, as well, it is not the foundation of it. Further, I would agree with one of my professors in saying that the rebellion against God takes the form of a Janus face of rationalism/irrationalism. They are two sides of the same coin and, whether the proponents of each side realize it or not, are indispensable to each other. I make this point to qualify my identification of public schooling with strict materialism, but there is another point here that I will revisit below.

Yes, the children of America are taught facts. But are they taught how to analyze those facts and discover what they mean? Many high school students have read Shakespeare, but how many could tell the significance of Shakespeare's work and why it is relevant to us? You and I can see a statement of the human condition and the universe in Shakespeare's tragedies--as well as Shakespeare taking a shot at explaining why things are as they are--but how many students are taught anything more than "Shakespeare was a great author and you need to read 'Julius Caesar' for English so that you can see what great writing looks like"? Then they are lost because they can not see what is so great about Elizabethan language. They are told to define a "theme," "plot," and "tone," and can probably tell one what they think the theme, plot, and tone of a given story are, but how many can analyze that theme and tone in light of what it ultimately means and whether or not it is an accurate summation of reality?

It is analyzation that America's "education" fails to teach, and precisely analyzation that materialism implicitly forbids, if taken to its ultimate conclusion. The teachers are then reduced to asking the students what they think of the works and what it means to them. Here we see the irrationalist side of rebellion. Though few take it as far as Derrida's Deconstructionism, the emphasis is on subjective interpretation, with little or no regard for the objective Facts of who the author was, his historical context, his religious beliefs, etc.

Further, we as Christians are to see the Facts in their historical context as a part of God's plan of history. A Divine "plan of history" is, of course, wholly discarded by materialists; there are fatalists, naturally, but their sense of destiny is deterministic, not based in a Divine Providence. We must be careful that we also do not divorce the facts of history from their meaning as a part of God's plan for His universe. Frankly, if a person is not taught God's interpretation and purpose in history (and thus the meaning of the facts of history), he is not educated. If a person is taught in a materialistic mold, not only is God excluded, but he has no way of making any sense of the facts. He has no purpose, and facts--his "education"--will do him little good in such a state.

2008-02-19T19:10:00.001-08:00

Fiddler on the Roof has, in my opinion, the best soundtrack of any movie I've ever seen...Here are three of the best songs, "Tradition," "To Life," and "Do You Love Me?" I could wish that the "Tradition" clip had more on either end of it (part of Tevye's monologue is cut, as is part of the violin solo), but this was provided free, after all, so I can't complain.

A disjointed post whose parts have no definite relation to each other....

2008-02-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

“He can only get away from death by continually stepping
within an inch of it. A soldier surrounded by enemies, if he
is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for
living with a strange carelessness about dying. He must not
merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will
not escape. He must not merely wait for death, for then he
will be a suicide, and will not escape. He must seek his
life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must
desire life like water and yet drink death like wine."
-G.K. Chesterton

...

I've always liked the way that 1988 is abbreviated as '88. I'm not quite sure what it is, but 88 looks and sounds cooler than any other double number except maybe 22 and 44...It might have something to do with Flak 88s...which would explain why I like 22 and 44, as well...

...

I don't often change my avatar on ANGEL, but I saw this today and, well...I have a new avatar.

A number of interpretations could be assigned to it, but I think that it could be seen as identifying shallow internet lingo (LOL) with shallow evangelicalism, pop theology* and prosperity gospel--Christianity lite, as I've heard a friend call it--and indicting the both of them. O for the passion for God's Word and for the love of every word breathed by His spirit to His prophets and apostles that our forefathers had!

...

I'm glad that I left xanga when I did; I was surfing the PHC blogring a couple weeks ago, and stopped by some friends' sites, only to be shocked by an extremely suggestive advertisement ON their site. Now, I'd seen it before, but only on the blogrings, never something like that on a personal site. At least one of my friends has moved to Premium (good man!), but xanga does seem to have become more aggressive with advertising. It's all about the money. Humbug. Anyway, just happy that my parents and I agreed on getting rid of it. Let's pray Blogger stays clean!

...

I was first shown Homestarrunner.com about, oh, 4 years ago or so, and have never frequented it. But this video stuck with me, is clean, and--for a guitar nerd, anyway--is pretty funny. So, here is "Guitar," from the Strongbad email.
...

I went for a 2.5 mile walk Thursday afternoon, in 21*, 17 mph weather (6* with windchill). Why, you may ask? Well, I wasn't climbing Everest, but Sir Edmund Hillary's answer is still applicable: "Because it's there."
And then I opened up my email on Sunday and had this in my inbox. Fitting.

...

I am wholly unmotivated to do much of anything of any depth (whether for school or play), and have been for about the last week...ugh. I'd write a post detailing why I think that is, but I'm not even that motivated. Argh. Just pray for me. Please. Thank you.

Sola Gratia,
Colin

*Just for the record, since I seem to have cultivated in the last few weeks the habit of making myself misunderstood: I DO NOT necessarily consider all theologies with which I disagree to be "pop theology" or "shallow," etc. I am talking about the mainstream church in general--and I don't think that my readers will have any objection to such a characterization of it, at least in the USA.

Psalm 90

2008-02-17T08:05:00.000-08:00

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God

1Lord, thou hast been our habitation from generation to generation.

2Before the mountains were made, and before thou hadst formed the earth, and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art our God.

3Thou turnest man to destruction; again thou sayest, Return, ye sons of Adam.

4For a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

5Thou hast overflowed them; they are as a sleep: in the morning he groweth like grass;

6In the morning it flourisheth and groweth, but in the evening it is cut down and withereth.

7For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

8Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

9For all our days are passed away in thine anger: we have spent our years as a thought.

10The time of our life is threescore years and ten; and if they be of strength, fourscore years: yet their strength is but labour and sorrow; for it is cut off quickly, and we flee away.

11Who knoweth the power of thy wrath? For according to thy fear is thine anger.

12Teach us so to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

13Return (O LORD, how long?) and and be pacified toward thy servants.

14Fill us with thy mercy in the morning; so shall we rejoice and be glad all our days!

15Comfort us according to the days that thou hast afflicted us, and according to the years that we have seen evil.

16Let thy work be seen toward thy servants, and thy glory upon their children.

17And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and direct thou the work of our hands upon us, even direct the work of our hands.

Quotes of the Week

2008-02-15T23:38:00.000-08:00

Many of these taken from Gtalk conversations, others from emails, others from random conversations with little kids...

“You need to shave. You look like you’re growing a beard.” “Yeah, you look like you’ve been drinking a bunch of beers….”

”you need to utilize ‘utilize’ more often."

“You and your corn jokes…”

“Dude…you just shot down a helicopter with a car.”

“I bet you enjoy an occasional pipe.”

“A horrendously ugly lemur…”

“I’m a glitter bob!”

“Descartes walks into a bar, and the bartender asks him if he’d like a drink. The philosopher says, “I think not.” And ceases to exist.”

“The name is Bond. James Bond.”

“Swing dancing?!”

“Dude, where do you find this stuff?” “It’s a classic movie [White Christmas]!” “Do you have a weird video collection archive?”

“Bad girlfriends spam the SDF while pretending to pay attention to their boyfriend on Gtalk.” (NOTE: I am neither half of the couple in question. Just to be clear)

About a certain PHC male (again, not me) auctioning himself off to the Valentine’s Day Dance “well, hey, that’s capitalism, I guess.”

“Just call me…the loooove monkey.” ~Dinosaur

On Valentine’s Day: “Bah humbug.”

”I be a lit majer…invint! Push the boundries! Revolutionize! embrace the existiential language of our oblivion... or something”

“You see, i'm able to exercise my psychic abilities and forsee whenever there is quiz...and not finish the reading on that one day”

“"oh ya--big free will guy, that Colin"

“Nerds are the new cool.” “nerds are certainly not the new cool... that's why they're nerds. You can see how being a nerd logically disqualifies you from being cool. Your quote is postmodern, and thus needs to be terminated… i'll get the gun”

The Concert Last Friday and Other Stories

2008-02-14T22:22:00.001-08:00

First of all, an explanation as to why I’m up at midnight writing this….I had a cup of tea this afternoon, a 20 oz cappuccino at about 5:15 pm, and an energy drink at about 6 o’clock…and then was irresistibly drawn into a 30-minute slumber at 6:30. For the record, that much caffeine in my system is highly abnormal. But the weird thing is that caffeine seems to put me to sleep. Until I wake back up. And now I’m wired and can’t go to sleep….I have a strange metabolism….

Anyway, the concert last Friday. Several brass and percussion musicians from the Heartland of America Band of the Air Force performed a free concert at a local high school, and we went to see them with another homeschooling family. I have seen the Heartland of America Band once before, and they are a remarkable set of musicians (the sort that has the paradoxical effect of both inspiring me and driving me to despair in my own playing…). This particular group had four trumpeters, two percussionists, three trombonists, a tuba, and a euphonium, if memory serves. They played a wide range of pieces:

Bizet’s “Habanera” from Carmen. The vocalist was quite good, and the effect of having all brass instruments in the background was interesting. I have always liked this tune; unfortunately, it was spoiled for me by the fact that the only really funny Super Bowl commercial this year used this exact same piece, so I couldn’t get the Doritos ad out of my head. Oh, yes, and then the Gilligan’s Island episode where they set Shakespeare to music and sang the “To Be or Not to Be” soliloquy to this tune. Yes, it is more or less ruined for me….

A few scenes from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet (“The Street Awakens,” “Montagues and Capulets,” and “Friar Laurence,” I believe). Very well done, and I quite liked the “Montagues and Capulets.” The martial rhythm of that scene was well suited to a brass ensemble.

In the spirit of the season, they played a few love songs, mostly jazz, but also “El Belle Noche,” from Lady and the Tramp. I had not heard that song for quite a while; it was quite good, and two of the trumpeters added some special effects by placing their bells into a bowl of water. The bubbling sound produced was quite the crowd-pleaser!

They had two soloists. One of their trumpet players played the cornet piece “Song and Dance” by Philip Sparkes. He struggled with a few of the high notes near the end, but it was still quite impressive overall, and it was a most enjoyable piece to which to listen. The other soloist played a section from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Tuba Concerto in F minor. Had they not said he was English, I would have guessed that Williams was American by the sound of the piece; it had the rhythmic quality and heavy use of pentatonic scales that is typical of American music and evoked images of the western deserts in my mind. In any case, it was a beautiful piece of music.

The band played a few more songs, including a Sousa march and a choral piece by Bach, and then closed out with an Armed Forces salute. We stood for the Army (my brother) and Air Force (my dad), and by the time it ended, everyone in the auditorium was standing just to show their support, whether or not they’d served. They also played an encore of “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” which brought back a lot of memories and inspired me to look through our music books to find our patriotic sheet music.

It was quite an impressive concert, and afterwards, the 6 of my family who were there and 8 of the other family descended en masse upon Dairy Queen, destroying whatever hopes they may have had of locking up at a decent hour. There we had quite a good time as well, discussing over our Blizzards such things as cars, guitars, video games, PC v. consoles, Donald Duck impressions, school, making prank phone calls, and how women are so unfathomably strange....

In other news, the US History post that I shared was intended to state my withdrawal from further political discussion, but, alas, was but the beginning of a thread that ended up with 64 posts. Apparently, some people thought I was perfectly serious about the "divine right of kings" statement (and I was only half-joking, but the intention was tongue-in-cheek), and then that discussion led to discussions of the place of Scriptural morality in politics (i.e., should Scriptural law be applied in a republic), and it went downhill from there. Still learning when to keep my mouth shut....

Also, I posted a new old poem on my fiction/poetry blog, an essay comparing presuppositional and classical apologetics on my theology/philosophy blog, and a Western Literature essay on Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot on my Lit Crit blog. I really want to post some original essays, but I have about half a million ideas running through my head, from literary sketches to thoughts on a Christian epistemology to the theological allegory of Moby Dick, and haven't sat down to write one of them....I need to. And I shall. Eventually.

Finally, I made a little web page with all of the recordings I've made so far that I'm willing to share. I went on a recording spree last weekend and recorded 5 or 6 songs, including one with my glass slide: "I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole," which was a Depression-era blues/gospel song by Blind Willie Johnson. It was rather a different musical and vocal direction for me, but very fun. Unfortunately, I dropped my slide today and it shattered, so I'm back to the knife blade for now...Anyway, enjoy, critique, and comment. If you like any of them, feel free to download!

Sola Gratia,
Colin

P.S. It is now 1 in the morning, and I am finally sleepy...ugh...

Rah!

2008-02-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

Just recorded "Hushabye Mountain" on my classical guitar and vocals. Let me know what you think! Recording here; feel free to download if you like it.

I also received half my Musicians' Friend order today; strings and picks (and the footswitch for my amp is on its way) and...drum roll, please....a glass slide!!! No more sliding on my strings with a knife blade or battery or section of a recorder (yes, I've tried all those; the plastic of the recorder actually worked the best)...huzzah!!! I'll have to make a recording with that, too, sometime.

Signing off for tonight,
Colin

How Many Countries Can You Name Quiz?

2008-02-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

These are the ones I got:

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, San Marino, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Vietnam

And there were 197 left....sheesh. I had no idea there were that many countries in the world (I didn't know the Isle of Man was independent....). Well, I know where I'm weak: Carribean, Central America, everywhere in Africa except the extremities, and Oceania.

That was fun. But chatting with a good on-campus buddy immediately afterward was even better. As was seeing the Heartland of America band concert last night with some local homeschooling friends (and going to DQ afterward)! I'll post about the concert later on....

The Government majors are at it again...

2008-02-07T07:22:00.000-08:00

Somehow this week's US History forum turned into a discussion of politics and candidates and all that jazz that's been on the news. I can't imagine how... Anyway, what I posted there is relevant here, and is pretty much my perspective on this whole election thing. It always helps to get things back to first principles.

"Whilst it has been fun listening to all you government majors rant and rave about how America is going down the tubes with liberal Democrats and liberal Republicans and Third Party pipe dreams, I already knew all that. I shall go quietly to the Nebraska primaries on May 15th and cast my vote dutifully as a citizen, quite probably blog my opinion, and possibly participate in some "get out the vote" stuff, and then leave the results in God's hands. It's not the end of the world, folks. Or if it is, then so be it.
Just remember:

Daniel 4:25 "...the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes."

Proverbs 21:1 "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases."

I pray for the sake of the Church and for our peace as homeschoolers that we may be given a just ruler, but if we are given an evil ruler in judgment on our national sins, so be it. Our brothers in the Middle East and China and Eastern Europe (and Germany) would still love to live here. One of our very own DL professors (Dr. Erdmann) had to flee Germany a couple years ago because his family was homeschooling, and now lives in Switzerland where he must hold 4 or 5 jobs to keep up with the cost of living. Count your blessings.

Now I'm off to make a post on HISTORY.... ;-)

Your Tory friend,
For Monarchy and the Divine Right of Kings (you can't get much further to the right than that),

Colin"

Ezekiel 14

2008-02-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

1Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

2And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

3Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?

4Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

5That I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

6Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

7For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:

8And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

9And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

10And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him;

11That the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD.

12The word of the LORD came again to me, saying,

13Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it:

14Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.

15If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:

16Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.

17Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it:

18Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves.

19Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast:

20Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

21For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

22Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it.

23And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.

Modesty in Marriage

2008-02-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

I am not exactly well known for having thoughts on marriage, much less writing on it--my lack of experience, qualitative and quantitative, renders my authority in such an area dubious at best. But, there was a recent conversation on the ANGEL student discussion forum regarding propriety in marriage, precipitated by a comment I made that was deemed rather"old-fashioned." (I am finding that, even for a PHC student, I am very conservative on pretty much every count except my music). I am not going to repeat the conversation or its specific subject here, but I shall post two passages from recent readings that I think are relevant. The Peter passage is relevant, not for the injunction to be "submissive/subject," but for its discussion of modesty and beauty. Apologies to Patrick Henry, but "if this be prudery, gentlemen, let us make the most of it."

2 Peter 3:1-6 "1Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;

2While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

3Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;

4But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

5For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

6Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement."

From Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book II, Chapter 8)

Section 44. Precautions to be observed in married life. Everything repugnant to chastity here condemned.

Moreover, when spouses are made aware that their union is blessed by the Lord, they are thereby reminded that they must not give way to intemperate and unrestrained indulgence. For though honourable wedlock veils the turpitude of incontinence, it does not follow that it ought forthwith to become a stimulus to it. Wherefore, let spouses consider that all things are not lawful for them. Let there be sobriety in the behaviour of the husband toward the wife, and of the wife in her turn toward the husband; each so acting as not to do any thing unbecoming the dignity and temperance of married life. Marriage contracted in the Lord ought to exhibit measure and modesty - not run to the extreme of wantonness. This excess Ambrose censured gravely, but not undeservedly, when he described the man who shows no modesty or comeliness in conjugal intercourse, as committing adultery with his wife.

Lastly let us consider who the Lawgiver is that thus condemns fornication: even He who, as he is entitled to possess us entirely, requires integrity of body, soul, and spirit. Therefore, while he forbids fornication, he at the same time forbids us to lay snares for our neighbour's chastity by lascivious attire, obscene gestures, and impure conversation. There was reason in the remark made by Archelaus to a youth clothed effeminately and over-luxuriously, that it mattered not in what part his wantonness appeared. We must have respect to God, who abhors all contaminations whatever be the part of soul or body in which it appears. And that there may be no doubt about it, let us remember, that what the Lord here commends is chastity. If he requires chastity, he condemns every thing which is opposed to it. Therefore, if you aspire to obedience, let not your mind burn within with evil concupiscence, your eyes wanton after corrupting objects, nor your body be decked for allurement; let neither your tongue by filthy speeches, nor your appetite by intemperance, entice the mind to corresponding thoughts. All vices of this description are a kind of stains which despoil chastity of its purity.

2008-02-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

An interesting passage from my Freedom's Foundations II reading...I have often pondered some of the problems of the modern evangelical church, and while I don't think all of them are directly traceable to this point, a good many are. As J. I. Packer wrote in his introduction to Luther's Bondage of the Will, it is debatable whether Luther and the other Reformers would even claim the "evangelical" church as their descendants--indeed, the Synod of Dordt (1619) declaimed the Arminian Remonstrance as a return to Romanism in its central principle. The Arminians (and free-will theologians generally) claimed to retain the Protestant principle of justification sola fide without works, but, by making faith an act of man's will rather than a gift of God, essentially made it into a work (and it's worth noting that the word translated "work" in Ephesians means any action, not just "works of the law"). Anyhow, from Russell Kirk's Roots of American Order (pp. 232-233).

"What were the knottiest questions dividing the Catholic establishment and the Reformers? The Protestant leaders, though they attacked the corruptions of the sixteenth-century Church, argued that the visible Church's moral decay was the result of theological errors into which the papacy and the heirarchy had fallen. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin declared that the profoundest difference between Papists and Protestants was the question of freedom of the will. Luther debated this subject with the Dutch humanist Erasmus, in 1524. Is the will free or enslaved? This is "the real essential thing, the real knotty problem," Luther said; "instead of...tiresome trifles about the papacy, purgatory, indulgences, and other futilities of the same order."

Now the medieval church, with Aristotle as its classical philosophical authority, gradually had modified St. Augustine's doctrine that man is wholly corrupt--that so far as man has free will, this is opportunity only to choose among evil acts. Man is a creature of mingled good and evil impulses, the Church had come to teach: in the depths of the soul, there lingers an essence or spark of divine substance, potentially enabling man (if given grace) to exercise his will for good. This medieval teaching...the Reformers denied utterly; they returned to the stern teaching of St. Augustine. "For man cannot but put self-seeking first, loving himself above everything else," said Luther: "this is the root of sinning."

Because man is utterly corrupted by self-love, the Reformers reasoned, man enjoys no freedom to act for the good. He can be saved from his total depravity only by the arbitrary grace of God. Because the Church, or rather its heirarchy, had fallen away from this dogma, the Reformers continued, the Church had been corrupted; the notorious system of indulgences for money was merely one of many abuses resulting from abandonment of the pure doctrine of original sin. Therefore the Church might be purged of corruption only if its ancient dogmas should be restored."

Odio Latinam et alterae litterae

2008-01-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

Interesting as such chaps as Julius Caesar and Cicero and Augustus were, they certainly had a horrid taste in language. And, whatever other reasons the Reformers may have had for calling the Roman church the Beast of Revelation, I am beginning to be convinced that they would almost be justified in such an accusation solely because of the preservation and propagation of the Latin language by that body...

P.S. Ignore the fact that half the words I just used are of Latin derivation.....I did it again. Humbug.

P.P.S. Paganini's 24 Caprices for Solo Violin never cease to amaze me (I have the recording by Midori). The variation among them, the different effects achieved, especially by the double stops so often employed, and just the sheer imagination--and in many cases, the sheer speed with which the performer's fingers must be moving--are fantastic. They are very emotive works, from the fierceness of the Gypsy-inspired No. 10, to the contemplative mood of No. 6, to the mischievous good humor of no. 17, to the technical artistry of No. 5.

Nos. 5, 9, 10, 14, and the ever-popular 24 are my personal favorites.

2008-01-24T14:56:00.001-08:00

Fifth and final section of The Thread Upon the Loom is posted. Comments and literary criticism, from those so inclined, would be appreciated!

For the fun of it, I'm posting an essay I wrote for the Scholarships for Military Children program (through the Base Commissary). The question was "Should all able-bodied citizens be required to serve at least two years in the military? Why or why not?" As this is something about which I've thought a bit and upon which I hold a rather strong opinion, it seemed easy enough...until I saw the word limit. 500 words is not nearly enough space to give the question an adequate treatment. So I left implicit my exemption of women and only hinted at a militia force. I think that service should be required in either the state militia (i.e., the National Guard) or the federal military, preferably the militia. Finally, I merely present it as an ideal. I do not know that it would be either possible or desirable to implement this as the American culture stands now. But if everyone had been eligible for the states' militias and trained for that end from the beginning, this whole problem would have been avoided. Ah, hindsight. Anyhow, enjoy, and I'd appreciate your thoughts or arguments.

For the Sake of Freedom

For a land that takes pride in its freedoms, universal compulsory military service would seem a contradiction. Such a requirement is, however, the best preserver of those very freedoms held so dear. It is my thesis that all able-bodied men should be required to serve at least two years in the state militia (the National Guard) or in the federal military.

The central idea of the social-contract theory of government on which America is founded is of people banding together for mutual defense from enemies foreign and domestic. The individual is helpless against his gathered enemies without a community, and he must do his part to protect himself and to honor and protect those who have protected him. Though some would object that the choice to serve should be left to the individual, this undermines the very foundation of government. Our constitutional republic is founded on the premise of working for the mutual good, and this necessitates some sacrifice. One who refuses to participate in the common defense quite simply refuses to actively participate in society. He wishes to reap the benefits while providing nothing for its maintenance.

Another objection to compulsory service is the potential for abuse. The Founding Fathers, however, reduced this possibility by vesting the powers of declaring war and of commanding the army in separate branches. As Congress is itself a representative of the people and the states, and the President is elected by the electoral votes of the states’ people, and the American soldier swears allegiance to the Constitution—not Congress or the President, the American system largely avoids the potential that the military would be used as a tyrannical force.

Another major problem is that some would claim exemption on the grounds that their religious principles do not allow them to kill in any fashion. In the first case, they can be easily granted a non-combat position. A continued objection to non-combat service on the grounds that it contributes to the war effort would be invalidated by the fact that even as civilians they would contribute whenever they pay taxes. America at war necessarily involves all Americans; those who wish are free to petition their elected representatives to end it, but until it is ended, they all must work corporately or corporately fail.

Requiring military service of all men may be difficult to implement at first, but would ultimately cause more people to embrace their duty to their country and their fellow citizens with greater fervor and patriotism. All Americans must be willing to sacrifice for their own families and for each other, and they must be raised valuing the merits of sacrifice. An expectation of future military service will help achieve that goal.

2008-01-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

Third section posted on poetry blog. :-)

Thoughts for the day:

I’m beginning to learn that, much as I admire Mr. Spock (from Star Trek), he is not the best role model for interpersonal relationships. Yes, I realize that it is rather late to be learning that, but bear with me.

As strongly as I believe that reason (based on God’s revelation) is to be preeminent over the passions, the fact remains that humans are passionate beings, and I must be able to touch not only the mind, but the heart, if I am to effectively communicate. This also means that I must learn to speak from the heart, not just the mind.

As well reasoned as my responses to a given problem may be (I’m not saying that they always are), sometimes that is not what is needed. Sometimes I just need to be still and listen. When I am faced with problems of my own, I take consolation in understanding the situation to the best of my ability and thinking and acting according to that. But when others are suffering, they are not always looking for such a theological/philosophical answer. Sometimes they just need a shoulder to cry on. But when they come to me, I am at a loss because I want to answer them but don’t know how to do so sensitively. The one time that I think I’ve responded halfway decently to someone else’s struggles was when I shut up and let them just talk out their own feelings.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun…A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain…a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak.” May I learn the wisdom of knowing the times and seasons....

2008-01-17T19:58:00.001-08:00

Okay....how does one indent his lines in blogspot? That is starting to get on my nerves, especially when I try pasting something over from Word. Assistance would be appreciated.

In any case, I posted one of my Theology papers over on my theology blog, being a fair summation of my views on the whole "speaking in tongues" thing. I have gone a little more conservative since writing that, to the point that I'm pretty much a charismatic in name only, as I don't believe I'm gifted in any of the spiritual gifts, and most of the public uses I've seen were unbiblical at one point or another. Also, I don't see any biblical support for the idea of private prayer languages that Pentecostals so often vaunt, and I have begun leaning towards cessationism based, not on the typical 1 Corinthians 13 argument, but on Zechariah 13. I still haven't figured out exactly what period of time Zechariah refers to when he says that prophecy will end: the continuation from 12 suggests after Israel as a nation turns to the Lord and possibly Armageddon, but 13:7 is a clear prophecy of Christ's death--on the other hand, Paul clearly writes on prophecy in his letters immediately after Christ's death. In any case, the consequences (13:3) are dire enough to make me say "better safe than sorry" until I'm a bit more sure. But, like I said, it's a moot point for me, since I'm 99% certain that I'm not gifted with any of the spiritual gifts that are so often debated.

In completely different news, the moonlight on the snowy fields was beautiful tonight. Almost as beautiful as our Nebraska sunsets. :-)

2008-01-17T15:36:00.000-08:00

First section of "The Thread Upon the Loom" posted on my poetry blog (see link in sidebar). I've completed 4 of the five sections, and will post one a day. I should have the 5th completed by the time the rest are posted. Enjoy!

Also, there has been some debate regarding Huckabee and homeschooling. One source that I've cited (thanks to a buddy) says that he supported legislation against it, but a general PHC email exchange led to another source that puts some more perspective on his actions.

Now I can't say I'm for or against Huckabee...to be perfectly honest, I don't know enough about the various Republican candidates. He, Thompson, and Romney all seem viable to me, in one way or another, though naturally they all have their problems. So I don't want to get into a discussion about the elections, I am simply balancing my stance on a particular issue one side of which I have addressed before. :-)

Sola Gratia,
Colin

First post

2008-01-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

Well, friends, after various peregrinations upon the far-ranging expanse of the World Wide Web, I have come to settle upon this particular thread for my personal blog. I deleted the xanga after a consideration of some of the advertisements...blogspot is noticeably free of those. I shall keep the other blogs I started, that those who are interested solely in my literary criticisms, literary endeavors, and venturings into the realm of theology and philosophy may follow my progression there without being distracted by accounts of my personal life, which will tend to be less formal. Comparatively less formal, anyway.

News of the past week or so:

--First day of school classes today! Latin 3, US History 2, Freedom's Foundations (Political Philosophy) 2, Geometry, and Rhetoric. Rah! This should be an interesting semester.

--Working on scholarship applications for the fall, and information on the Simultaneous Membership Program with ROTC and the VA National Guard.

--FINALLY finished The Pickwick Papers yesterday, after starting it over the summer, returning it to the library, and not having time during the fall semester to read the copy I later bought. Grand book, and remarkable debut...I may post on some of my favorite parts later on. :-) Will be starting Martin Chuzzlewit soon, though my goal of reading all of Dicken's novels before I graduate is looking grim. I have 8 to go (I've read 7, I think), and only 2 1/2 years. It's possible, I suppose, but a full Dickens novel every quarter is somewhat daunting.

--STILL slogging away at Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. Also started John Owen's The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, pretty much the definitive work of the Reformed church on particular redemption and why they believe it. I've been dabbling in Spurgeon's "All of Grace," and "John Ploughman's Talk"; both are short books, but they are more tracts than doctrinal treatises, so are having a harder time holding my interest right now.

--Received my Geneva Bible from Vision Forum!!!! I caught it on sale for half-price, with the black leather binding. It is a work of art, and a piece of history. And the leather smells wonderful. :-)

--I picked up two tapes for 75 cents each at the Salvation Army store yesterday, while waiting for my sisters to finish dance lessons. Steve Taylor's I Predict 1990 (yes, it's old), and One Bad Pig's Smash; punk/pop/rock (how DO you categorize Steve Taylor? He even has one song where he sings to an orchestra playing a piece by Rachmaninov...) and metal respectively, with lyrics generally satirizing the vanity of worldly philosophy from a biblical perspective. Not the greatest art of all time, but, hey, it was 75 cents and something for my car's tape player. :-)

--Inspired by a phone call from my old trumpet instructor, a conversation with Tim B., and my little sister's first flute lesson, I have picked my trumpet back up and am playing it again. I was happy to discover that alot of my old range remained, but, naturally, I had none of the endurance necessary. I was able to hit a high C (above the staff) a couple times, but I couldn't hold it for any length of time. That will require practice to get my lip back in shape; in the meantime, I'm mostly playing songs out of my hymnal, just for fun. I have no idea what I'm going to do in the future with my trumpet, but the same goes for my guitars, come to think of it.

In other news, there's another poem on the poetry blog, and I am getting close to completing my mini-epic. It's not long enough to be a true epic, but not short enough for me to just call it a poem (it's about 340 lines right now, with 20-60 left to go)...Anyway, I'll be posting that up by section in the next few days.

Sola Gratia,
Colin