men's retreat

I went to the men's retreat this past weekend at Pine Lake. It is such a beautiful spot, and I had not been there in about six years, so I had a bit of nostalgia. Steve McMillan, the new pastor at Oak Park Church of Christ, was the key note speaker and he had some good thoughts to share. I really appreciated his use of humor.

It was also great to catch up with some old friends, particularly some of the men I knew from Oak Park when I was interning there, back in 1999-2000. I had some time to speak with John Nicholson, who is always and encouragement, and Eric Nyrose as well.

Some of the highlights included getting my but kicked at Settlers of Catan, an intense horseshoe tournament, and an intense game of slow pitch. My horseshoe partner and I went undefeated at the tournament but we had to drop out because we were not able to stay for the whole weekend. I would have loved the opportunity to challenge John Nicholson for the championship.

more ed 2500

This past week I started the 'observation' portion of my Education 2500 practicum. I am working with a grade 5 class. They are a great bunch of kids, and there is so much I can learn from the teacher - she has over 29 years experience. The purpose of this initial practicum is primarily observation so I will not be teaching full lessons at this point, but I do have many opportunities to do one-on-one tutoring and that sort of thing.

As a part of this course we also have two 'gallery visits'. This when our university class goes as a group to observe a classroom. Obviously, this has great potential for distraction for the performers in a classroom. For our first gallery observation we went to a school that has an adjoining room with a huge one-way mirror, which allows us to observe the classroom without being a distraction. It was like viewing a giant, wide-screen, reality television.

up north on the weekend

These pictures were taken during out round trip family visit this past weekend. The first shot was taken during a little sunset walk, and the other is a picture of the house Wesla grew up in (her sister now lives there with her husband and three children).

On Saturday we went to our nephew's birthday party, and from there we went back to Weida and Thomas' (same as above). We also had a chance to visit Wesla's grandparents on her mother's side and my grandparents on my father's side. Our last stop was at Wesla's father's place in Wetaskawin where we were treated with t-bone steaks and BBQ ribs... mmm good!

One thing about visiting Wesla's side of the family is the inevitable conversations about when we are going to start having children, for now, we must remain patient.

digital fortress

I recently finished reading Digital Fortress by Dan Brown. I must admit that I was first turned onto his work by all the hype surrounding The Da Vinci Code, but at the same time I must admit that when I finally picked it up I was not disappointed. Initially, I didn't want to pay $30 for the hardcover edition, so I compromised and picked up the prequil to The Da Vinci Code, which is Angels & Demons.

All of Brown's work is intelligently written, and he clearly puts a tremendous amount of research into his stories. I particularly like how he weaves in the origin of word meanings into his work, it adds a lot to the power of his stories. Part of what makes his writing so engaging is the brevity of his chapters. He will have about three story lines progressing at a time, and he will give each one a couple of pages before moving onto the next one - and of course he leaves you with a cliff-hanger at the end of each chapter. This writing style makes it very hard to put his books down, especially when you keep telling yourself, "I will just read one more chapter, it's only three pages long..."

Check out this link for an overview of the plot of Digital Fortress. It was a good read, but it was not nearly as good as A & D or T DV C. The storyline was predictable and I saw each plot twist coming from a mile away. With that being said it was still an interesting read and I think the subject matter would be interesting to anyone who is into computers and/or conspiracy theories. I want to pick up a copy of Deception Point soon so I can finish reading the last of Brown's novels.

Here are some interesting facts relating to the subject matter addressed in Digital Fortress, copied this information from Dan Brown's Website:

In large cities, Americans are photographed on the average of 20 times a day.

Everything you charge is in a database that police, among others, can look at.

Supermarkets track what you purchase and sell the information to direct-mail marketing firms.

Your employer is allowed to read your E-Mail, and if you use your company's health insurance to purchase drugs, your employer has access to that information.

Government computers scan your E-Mail for subversive language.

Your cell phone calls can be intercepted, and your access numbers can be cribbed by eavesdroppers with police scanners.

You register your whereabouts every time you use an ATM, credit card, or use EZ PASS at a toll booth.

You are often being watched when you visit web sites. Servers know what you're looking at, what you download, and how long you stay on a page.

A political candidate found his career destroyed by a newspaper that published a list of all the videos he had ever rented.

Most "baby monitors" can be intercepted 100 feet outside the home.

Intelligence agencies now have "micro-bots" -- tiny, remote control, electronic "bugs" that literally can fly into your home and look around without your noticing.

Anyone with $100 can tap your phone.

A new technology called TEMPEST can intercept what you are typing on your keypad (from 100 feet away through a cement wall.)

The National Security Agency has a submarine that can intercept and decipher digital communications from the RF emissions of underwater phone cables.

a little piece of new york

Kevin Kotese, a high school student who is also a part of Central Church of Christ, brought me back a most unexpected gift. He went on a trip with his choir to New York City, and I kept telling him that his class just had to get tickets to Late Night with Conan O'Brien. They didn't get a chance to go to the show, but they did go to NBC Studios. On Sunday Kevin was showing me some of the souvenirs from his trip, and my jaw hit the floor when he told me I could have the coffee mug. All I have to say is props to my man Kevin!

softball

Yesterday was the first game of our new softball season. Wesla & I are playing on a team with some friends of ours, Rob & April. Most of the other people on the team work with Rob, they are a good bunch. It it just a fun league, which I like, yet at the same time I was impressed with the quality of play from our team. We worked well together, everyone kept a good attitude, and we were able to pull of a 11 - 5 victory. This is even more impressive considering that one person said the only games this team won last season were by default! Most importantly this is something Wesla & I can enjoy doing together, and the fact that it involves getting outside and getting active makes it even better.

ed 2500

After a full week off I went back to school today for my first day of summer session one. For the months of May and June I will be engaged in my first education practicum, which consists mostly of observation and personal reflection. One of the advantages of taking ed 2500 in the May/June session is the opportunity to focus upon the requirements of the course, because you are not taking a full semester of courses along with the practicum.

I do not yet know where I am going to be placed. They try to fit you into a classroom that is in harmony with your major and/or your personal interest... but there are no guarantees. At some point in the education program at the U of L I will have the opportunity to work with elementary, middle, and high school students; one of the aims of the U of L program is to train all their graduates to be employable from any grade K to 12.

I am also looking forward to the fact that this class is graded on a pass/fail basis. There is a lot of work that has to be done, but at the same time this grading strategy takes out the competitive element, which is kind of nice for a change.

second look at the village

I have been a fan of M. Night Shyamalan ever since I first experienced The Sixth Sense. I have looked forward to, and I have enjoyed each one of his subsequent films; although, none of them have been as striking to me as his first production. My second favorite Shyamalan film has to be Unbreakable, and without question my least favorite is Signs (sorry Mel). That leaves The Village standing somewhere in the middle of my approval meter, however his latest production has a certain quality - at least in my eyes - that sets it apart from all the rest.

On both occasions when I watched The Village, once in theater and once this afternoon, I was struck with the impression that the film could be viewed as an extended allegory. None of the special features on the DVD indicate that this was Shyamalan's intension, so I must confess this interpretation is much more representative of what I bring to the film as opposed to its original design. However, I believe viewing this film in an allegorical sense provides a whole new way of enjoying and perceiving its content.

The village is a kind of nineteenth century utopian society that has been set up as an oasis of purity and innocence in response to the pervasive evil found in the contemporary world. The village remains isolated and insulated from the world because it is surrounded by a forest filled with malevolent beasts that threaten to destroy any who venture beyond its set boundaries. A complex network of rituals and rules is present within the utopian community, they are guidelines for the people in the relationship they share with "those they do not mention".

The allegory I perceive within this film hinges within the twist of its plot. This isolated Victorian community abides not in the 1900s, but rather in the 21st century. Its isolation is nothing more than a creation of a group of elders who have become disenchanted with the corruption of the world. The elders themselves dress up as the beasts that instill fear within the hearts of the villagers, compelling them not to go beyond the borders of their safe community. Ultimately, the innocence of this utopian society is the product of an intentional fabrication of the elders, a fabrication that cannot be perpetuated without the ongoing ignorance of its members.

When I watched The Village I was struck with the feeling that Shyamalan was making a critique of organized religion, which is represented by "the village". The borders of the village are the rules of religious orthodoxy, which are protected by the manufactured threats of the religious leaders (ie hell). Ironically, the medicine that is required to "save" an injured member of the village can only be found beyond its borders. The physical blindness of the central character, Ivy Walker, represents the ongoing state of the village as she brings medicine back from the outside world. The life of her love is saved, but in the end the blindness of the village toward a greater reality only serves to be strengthened.

Admittedly, I may be reading way too much into this. But, I would like to pose this question: to what extent is innocence possible without ignorance?

jealousy

Two of my best bros from back in the day, Matt & Jayson, are getting together next week to hang out and laugh it up - and I am so jealous! The three of us roomed together for a year when we were in bible college. The good times we had could hardly be contained in the unfinished basement of a duplex that we shared, with nothing but sheets for walls separating our living space.

Jayson, this is all I have to say, "It's hammer time!"

Now that I am back in the western half of the continent, hopefully the three of us will be able to kick it again soon.

Until then, I will look-on from a distance, like a green-eyed-monster.

selling your soul to academia

Just a few thoughts in response to the comment Jayson made on my last post...

I believe Jayson's comment hits the nail on the head. My previous post represents my attempt at formulating a "dispassionate and objective" evaluation of a contemporary theological issue. But as Jayson has pointed out, this approach leaves little room for the author to engage her or his personal experience and/or opinion. The ironic thing about all this is my writing prof (from whom I learned so much in so many ways) expressed that any attempt at making a synthesis on this issue would negate its integrity as a valid "research" paper. In other words, by strict academic standards, the topic I posted actually had too much of my personal opinion. If this is the case, how is it possible to write on a theological topic in such a way that is both academic and relevant?

I would like to share a few words from Reginald Bibby's most recent publication Restless Churches, I believe they relate well to the challenges faced by a Theist struggling with the demands of academia:

It's interesting how academic life can sometimes have the effect of closing one's mind rather than opening it. When one sells one's soul to the scientific method of making sense of what is, part of the bargain is that one agrees to limit 'what is' to what can be known empirically through the senses. A second part of the deal is that budding scientists are taught to focus on facts the way they are and leave the responses to those who are directly involved. Similar to the sports analyst up in the booth, the scientific observer watches, describes, and explains what's happening. But responsibility for changes in the game lies with the players and their coaches - people and their leaders.

At this point in my life I have little patience with such and excessive price for my soul. (page 1).

I can say nothing but "Amen" to Bibby's words, but I don't see how I can possibly succeed at this point in my academic carrier by emulating his approach. A widely published and highly respected professor of sociology has much more of a leg to stand on than an insignificant undergrad student such as myself. Unfortunately, I believe the only way for an aspiring academic Theist to be both academic and relevant in her or his writing is to first pay the necessary academic dues, then once a certain amount of respect has been garnered, deviations from the method will not be so easily dismissed by those who would call it into question.

Considering the lengthiness of his post already, I will come full circle and address Jayson's original question, which relates to my own experience - or lack thereof - of the reality that "God is Love" within my own life, in a later post.