New Happy Year!

(No that's not a typo. It's a reference to an old New Year's television special. If you can correctly identify it, give yourself 5000 brownie points.)
One of the most random holidays that we celebrate in America is upon us: New Year's Eve/Day. I still don't quite understand the fascination everyone has with reaching the same orbital position as we occupied 365 days ago. I mean, I could see if we celebrated at the end of a certain season (say, March 22, the end of winter) or the end of a certain time frame (May 31, the end of school for most students). But to celebrate on the arbitrary day that we do just seems unusual to me. I guess we have to take time and look back over the year at some point, and this time is as good as any. It's still odd to me. Oh, well. I don't make the culture. And it's not that big a deal. I just needed to write something today, so there you go. Have a wonderful New Year, and even though January 1, 2009, will look an awful lot like December 31, 2008, may you be able to look back at 2008 and see the many blessings that God has bestowed upon you!

Semester in Review (Brief)

Several of my friends have sent out the traditional Christmas/end of the year letter that summarized all of the big events that happened in the past year. Being a teacher, I function on the academic calendar, so for me, the year is only halfway started. And it really divides into three pieces: two semesters and summer. So, for those of you who read this blog that aren't nearby, here is a brief overview of this past semester.
The semester began with a sense of foreboding, as if several unusual or bizarre events were just waiting to unfold. And those concerns proved true when a few of my students unexpectedly left the school during the school year. Now, having a few students leave at the end of the year or even at the end of a semester was not unusual. But to have some students depart part of the way through a quarter was completely unexpected and a bit shocking. The changes, though, proved good for the students involved, although we miss them at school.
Outside of school, life continues much as it always has. I've been blessed to have the chance to facilitate the discussion a couple of times in Sunday School class. I still referee soccer and serve as an assistant for the school's soccer teams, although I'm not sure how much longer I'll have the desire to do either. And the Scholars' Bowl team, which I sponsor, has started to get involved in more tournaments, even winning one.
And that's all the news that is news here in heartland of America.

Merry Christmas

May God bless you with a joyous Christmas and a wonderful time of rest as you celebrate the birth of our Savior!

I Wish You a Gratitude-Producing Period of Late December

It seems that in our pluralistic society, people are afraid to wish each other Merry Christmas, even Christians speaking to other Christians seem to suffer from this malady. The attempts to deny the existence of Christmas, even when many people who are not substantially Christian celebrate it, annoys me. Below are some of the common politcally-correct euphemisms for Christmas, and my initial thoughts when I hear them.
Statement: "Seasons Greetings"
My thoughts: "Which season? Spring? Summer? Fall? Baseball season? Oh, I love baseball season!"
Statement: "Happy Holidays"
My thoughts: "Which holiday? Groundhog Day? Veteran's Day? Yom Kippur? May Day?"
Statement: "Wishing you all the best this time of year"
My thoughts: "What about the rest of the year? And are you wishing it to me or to all of me, since I'm single and there's not a 'you all' in my life."
(And I'm sure there are others, but since my brain is still fried from having to speak in and listen to Spanish for 3 hours straight, I can't think of them right now.)
Now, I don't say these initial thoughts. Rather, I politely say, "Thank you. Merry Christmas to you!"
So, let me wish you now, dear reader, an early, merry Christmas, and a happy New Year!

Snow Is Great (To Look At)

It's a beautiful winter wonderland here in Topeka right now, with cold temperatures and 3" of snow on the ground. Unfortunately, that same 3" of snow is still clogging up most of the side streets, making driving quite the adventure. Admittedly, though, it could be worse. I could live in the country. Gravel roads become especially nasty in snow/ice conditions, so I am quite glad right now that I live in the city. If only the city would plow residential side streets. I can guarantee you that my street will probably not get plowed at all, which means that the packed-in snow will have to melt on its own. I would have no problem with this plan, except that the snow on my street doesn't melt easily because it is an old, tree-lined street. Beautiful, of course, but quite slick once snow is on it. I wouldn't be surprised if some of this snow stuck around a while, say, until March. :-)
Seriously, though, the beautiful of the argent landscape just helps set the mood for Christmas, which is now just over a week away. It would be wonderful to have the snow stick around to create a picturesque Christmas scene. Snow is wonderful to look at. Too bad it doesn't drive on quite as well.

Snow! Again!

Since I missed a post last week, I've decided to do an extra one to compensate.
The big news around Topeka today is the snow. I received 3.5" here at my house in the heart of Topeka. It's nice to see snow, again, and nice to be able to clear off my sidewalks and driveway in under an hour. The first snowfall of last year saw me shoveling for almost twice that long. There's nothing quite like shoveling snow to Christmas music as the Christmas lights on the house kick on! Below is a picture of one of the small boxwoods in front of my house covered in undisturbed snow.

College Football Turmoil

It seems like everything in society is in turmoil. The Big 3 automakers, the financial industry, and many other related industries are all struggling. And so are both college football teams that I follow: Kansas State and Iowa State. Earlier this year, K-State suddenly fired its football coach and within a day of the season ending, announced the return of its former head coach. It was strange and surprising. Now, in the past couple of days, news reports indicate that ISU's head coach, Gene Chizik, has been hired away from ISU to be the head coach at Auburn. Chizik was only at ISU for 2 years, and his first two teams struggled, but every indication was that he was going to stay at ISU for several more years. The opening at a prestigious school where he formerly worked apparently was too great a lure for Coach Chizik. His sudden departure certainly leaves the ISU Athletic Department in a lurch.
While I should be in shock at all of these sudden coaching changes, given how much chaos has been happening lately in the world, not much surprises me, anymore. And since it's football, not life, I guess it's not that big a deal, anyway. It is, though, just another bit of turmoil in a tumultuous world.

The Fall of America?

In Sunday School class today, one of the side notes focused on what happened to Rome as it began to decay from within. The scary part about the list was that it could easily have been 21st-century America. Now, I'm sure that everyone thinks that his generation is the most wicked and that it will be in his generation that society will collapse. But in this case, I would not be surprised if, within my lifetime, America loses its place as a military and economic superpower. Perhaps that is a good thing. So many other cultures right now try to imitate us, but the view of America that they get is a skewed view based on television and movies. What a horrible legacy to be giving to other countries! Perhaps it is better if we cease to be in such a prominent place, since our entertainment, I fear, is only heading farther into the tank. Of course, I don't expect the barbarians to come storming over the 7th hill any time soon, but I do know that the rest of my life will probably be lived in a society in turmoil. All the more reason that I am going to try to live with the attitude that Paul urges, using "the things of this world as if not engrossed in them" (1 Cor. 7:31).

Random Thought

The musical "The Music Man" came up in conversation over lunch today, and it got me thinking. That musical, to my mind, is one in which a less-than-stellar character (a con man) gets the girl (and he doesn't really seem to repent but rather converts her to scheme with him). "Guys and Dolls," which is from that same genre, also has a similar plot line. So, I was wondering how many stories (true or otherwise) I could think of where a man of character gets the girl. And, at first, I couldn't think of any. Then, I came up with 3:
1. Boaz and Ruth in the Bible
2. Aragon and Arwen in Lord of the Rings
3. Faramir and Eowyn in Lord of the Rings
There are probably more, and if you know of any, feel free to add them in the comments section.