Wednesday 27 March 2024
Subbing in the Kindergarten Class
Thursday 21 March 2024
First Lines: Picture Book Edition
Because picture books deserve some love as well, here are the first lines of the books I have been reading the littles lately:
Hodges' Cafe was busy as usual last Friday night.
Mrs. Rogers was all in a dither.
When Joseph was a baby, his grandfather made him a wonderful blanket to keep him warm and cozy and to chase away bad dreams.
In the town of Aldo, Ohio, there lived a boy named Lentil.
In the walled Old City of Jerusalem, which some call the Center of the Universe, Avi waited.
Ivan was a happy boy.
Frank wanted to fly.
Tuesday 19 March 2024
A Bad Simile
I have recently finished The Staff and the Sword trilogy by Patrick W. Carr. I definitely recommend it if you want some Medieval-style fantasy from basically a Christian viewpoint.
There was just one bit that I'm not sure about. After they had a scare, he wrote a line something along the lines of "her heart was still skipping like a calf."
All I could think was "You might need to see a doctor about that."
Which only goes to show that you can have a good writer and a good story and still manage to get a bad simile past the editors.
Saturday 16 March 2024
First Lines
From books I am reading or have recently read:
Sometimes I teach old books to young people, and recently I was teaching the Epistles of the Roman poet Horace to a group of undergraduates.
Deep within, Adora continued to harbor the possibility that her uncle, King Rodran, might still live, but the pallid faces of those on the ship, especially Errol's. refuted all hope.
The Percys lived in a large, old-fashioned stone house in New England.
The parcel came while the family were having breakfast.
As a veteran homeschooler and author, I field many questions about the lost educational and social opportunities homeschoolers face by not attending school, especially "How will my children get into college or find work without a proper school transcript?" and "How will my children socialize if they're not in school?"
Patrick Murphy hurried through the dark streets of Belfast.
In my fifteen years, I have stuck my arm in a vat of slithering eels, climbed all the major hills of San Francisco, and tiptoed over the graves of a hundred souls.
Tuesday 5 March 2024
Redeeming Productivity
A bit of a review of Redeeming Productivity by Reagan Rose
I really enjoyed this book. The chapters switch between the "why" and the "how" of being productive; so many books have only focused on one or the other and I was happy to find both. I found the "why" chapters to be clear and demonstrating, through Scripture, a proper motive for our actions (e.g., to glorify God, to use the gifts He has given us, and to bear fruit). The "how" sections were very practical and had ideas that I could implement without too much trouble (e.g., establishing a morning routine, getting organized, and sorting out tasks and projects). It wasn't so much "you're doing everything wrong" as it was "this is how you can do better".
I read the book slowly, taking time to consider the "why" parts and then to implement at least some of his ideas after the "how" parts (adjusting things to fit my life and preferences) before moving on to the next pair of chapters. By the end, I found that I was more organized and productive and that, since I had the proper motivation, it was easier to keep on track. The author also encourages regular reflection (weekly and yearly) to see how things are going, make adjustments, or get back on track. He doesn't expect (or promise) perfection, but improvement.
I read Redeeming Productivity several month ago and have found that, for the most part, I am getting more done for the glory of God, as the subtitle suggests. It wasn't a "good intentions that fail in the second month" thing, but a gradual movement towards using my time wisely. I enjoy the morning routine (although mine doesn't quite match his) and the end-of-week tidy and planning time. Not only my workspace but also much of my apartment is more organized, which just feels good. Planning my days, especially during my slower times of the year, has helped me get more done, although there will be more to work on in that area over the summer.
I definitely recommend Redeeming Productivity for anyone who wants advice on how to be organized and productive in a way that brings glory to God rather than self.
Thursday 29 February 2024
Daydreams and Prayer
When I was a child, I made up stories in my head regularly: when falling asleep, going for a walk, riding in the car, sitting in school; basically, if it was quiet or I was bored, I was daydreaming. I realize now that what I was coming up with was basically self-insert fan fiction: I put myself in the lives of my favourite book characters and worlds and had adventures. Sometimes my stories were about people and places I knew, but usually they were from the world of books.
(As a side note, I still make up stories, but the subjects have switched: now, while I sometimes include fictional people and places in my stories, they are more likely to involve real-life situations and people.)
The other day I was thinking about prayer and I remembered my younger daydreams. In my stories, people sometimes prayed, sometimes at mealtimes and sometimes for help. When that was going to happen, I would stop and pray a little prayer explaining to God that the prayer that was coming up wasn't a real prayer; it was just part of a story. Then when the prayer was finished, I would let God know that the pretend prayer was over!
My understanding of God was somewhat lacking at that time as I obviously didn't realize that God can tell the difference between real prayer and prayer that is part of a daydream. My understanding of prayer may have been better: I believed that God listened to my prayers, so I didn't want any confusion about what I expected Him to listen to and what He could ignore. I also knew that some prayers were real and some were pretend.
Now that I'm older and have learned more, I know that if people pray in my daydreams, God knows they aren't real prayers. I still believe that God listens to my prayers and that prayer is important. I know that the difference between real prayer and not-real prayer is not always "do I mean this or is it part of a story" but "where is my heart when I am praying and am I just going through the motions." And I realize that when people pray in my imaginary stories, the prayers often reflect my heart and what I believe (they pray what I think they should pray or what I would want someone to pray for me in the situation).
I think there was something very sweet, though, about younger me earnestly explaining things to God so that there would be no confusion about the pretend prayer!
Monday 26 February 2024
Dwight Moody
As taken from my history class, here is Dwight Moody's “Greatest Mistake”; something to think about as we bring the gospel to people:
Moody was preaching the evening of October 8, 1871. He concluded his gospel message that night by asking the question, “What will you do with Jesus?” Then Moody added, “I wish you would seriously consider this subject, for next Sunday we will speak about the cross, and at that time I’ll ask again, ‘What will YOU do with Jesus?”
That evening someone knocked over a lantern in the O’Leary’s barn and started the Great Chicago Fire. Although it is often blamed on a cow, people actually thought that it was done be a robber; later, a man named Louis M. Cohn confessed that he was running away from an illegal card game in the O’Leary’s barn and accidentally knocked over a lantern. It had been an unusually dry summer and fall, and a strong wind spread the fire quickly, destroying 17,500 buildings and 73 miles of street. Ninety thousand people were left homeless, and it is believed that 300 people died in the blaze. After 24 hours, the rains came and helped quench the fire.
Moody’s church and home were both destroyed, as well as the YMCA, but what felt more keenly was the possibility that among the dead were people who had been in church that evening and whom he had sent away to think about their answer. He viewed that as his greatest mistake. “Now, whenever I preach,” Moody said later, “I press for a definite decision. I would rather lose my right hand than give people even a day to decide for Christ, for I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again. The Gospel invitation is a ‘today only’ offer!”