Life at the Center

Waiting for Aaron

2011-12-30T18:40:00.003-05:00

I can't claim to have blossomed much as a teenager. I'm glad that both of my children seem to have worked through adolescent awkwardness to become really cool people in their own rights. Aaron, at 14, has become a player. Really. He loves acting, and has jumped into middle school and now high school productions with extraordinary zeal and courage.

So here I sit in an auditorium. And there's my son in costume, make-up and hair in place, acting his fanny off in Little Women, his first high school production...what good fun.

I've been a soccer dad for years, and now theater will share my time. I'm glad to share the time!

Farmer's Almanac

2011-12-30T18:40:00.001-05:00

One of my annual year-end tasks is to pick up the next year's Farmer's Almanac. Truth be told, I'm not much of a farmer; neither am I a great gardener, astronomer or fisherman. Th almanac serves as a sign of my optimism, that one day I may actually become a person whose life encompasses the avocations in the almanac.

I enjoy reading the articles put together each year, and I enjoy the copious advertisements for Amish-built heaters that look like fireplaces, cremes and rubs guaranteed to heal all of my pains and all of the garden implements I will need to grow the world's biggest tomato!

One such ad caught my eye this year; an ad for a Robert Sexton print called "The Promise." The ad is innocuous enough; the print centers around two hands holding each other with an accompanying poem that testifies to to bond of love that two people have with one another and that through all of life's travels is the promise of an eternity together in heaven. While at least a little schmaltzy, I have to admit an enormous satisfaction at the idea of eternity spent with my Anne. Shared love for each other certainly fuels our relationship, but nothing like the shared faith we have in Jesus Christ. Not that we agree on all of the "jots and titles" of faith, but we both know the meaning and value of God's grace in Christ, and we both have the faith that we will spend a rich eternity with Him.

That's the power of hope and faith and love. We know that our marriage, if cared for and nurtured, is truly forever. It is an example of Christ's love for His church and a symbol of the hope and endurance we have as we run the race God has given us to run. It makes me happy to know I will share the prize with the love of my life. It makes the next step of the race, even on the hardest day, easier. Even if I can't grow big pumpkins or catch the big fish or get one of those electric heaters...

Waiting for a Miracle

2011-12-25T20:43:00.000-05:00

I sometimes have spoken with people who find themselves facing desperate straits and who boldly call on God to "give them a miracle." Nine times out of ten this means a) "God, please send me a winning lottery ticket," or b) "Please heal my terminally ill parent." while the pain and fear in these people's lives is undoubtedly real-as mine has been from time to time-our prayers of petition call into question our understanding of how, and why, God does miracles. Indeed, there is much to learn about God's character as we observe His miracle-doing.

We are blessed to serve an infinitely creative God. when we use our remarkably narrow experience to define the miracle we are seeking, we often (always?) limit our perception of God, and in so doing we often fail to look for and see the wonders god works right in front of us every day. those of us in the relatively wealthy parts of the world might mistake a chicken wandering into our yard after a storm as an annoyance or, perhaps, a happenstance at best. A family in many parts of the world who pray for their next meal may well see the miracle they have been asking for.

God will provide. He knows our needs, and loves to give good things to His children. He is more than capable of caring for us in the most desperate of human circumstance. He can surprise us, too, if only we are willing to accept him on His terms as creator of all...even our miracles.

Living Vicariously

2011-12-23T18:43:00.000-05:00

First published in July 2011...

Sitting in the family room with my dog and daughter, sharing the grace of watching our national team play Japan for the world cup...GOAL!!!...sorry- Alex Morgan just scored. And that's the thing, isn't it...as things happen halfway around the world we can scream and cheer for them here.

I am watching my daughter, a pretty good footballer in her own, 17 year old fashion, as she dreams of playing on a stage so big one day. And I love that I have children who dream such big dreams. I love looking ahead and seeing dreams that motivate my kids, and me, to be the best we can be In all of the areas of our lives. Too few of us believe in the big things that God has for us; too few of us see a way to change the world for the better. While it's not about soccer, and it's certainly not about us, having goals in areas of life that we love will open doors to help and love others.

It is wonderful to watch the 21 players from our nation who are living their dream for us right now. It's 1-1 presently, but won't be for long, I suppose. One nation's team will fulfill their dream, and another will goal home still dreaming. We will live our dreams, too, and thank God that we have His love that enables us to have His dreams fill us....wonderful...

-Inveniam viam aut faciam

I Am

2011-12-10T21:14:00.001-05:00

I am. We humans engage in a constant struggle to validate this statement, to justify ourselves in terms of “being” and qualifying these words by adding an object- “I am…a husband. I am…a father. I am…a teacher.” I have often puzzled both over the notion that we must somehow become something in order to have meaning and that God simply, well…is. To comprehend the completeness of this verb is to begin to see God for the all-being that He is, to us and for us.This is a singular notion, that a being can be everything, all things. The very essence of my understanding of God begins with the idea that He creates everything. Because our approach to Him is through is word we tend to feel like historians peering into the past, yet the identity God shares with us is not bound to time, let alone to the past. He is. He is in this moment, and at the beginning, and on the cross, right now. Time is nothing but a construct that contains us; how ironic that God's detractors believe Him to be the construct we apply to our experience in time, yet time is the construct He applies to give us structure and meaning. Even within that construct He asks us to trust Him enough to see Him for what He is, an eternal, all-creating being who has decided to love us. He claims to be a great many things. A door. A shepherd. A vine. A lamb. He asks us to see Him as a loving Father, as a savior and yes, as a judge. Above all we need to be reminded that very simply, He is. It is that truth that He gives us and it is that truth that sustains us. I am, for the moment, because He is, always.

The Next Thing You Know

2011-10-24T17:00:00.000-04:00

Frozen, with a nearly toothless grin,
curly hair,
sweet baby fat cheeks
mid-roll on the floor,
trying to get away from
a much younger me
blowing raspberries
on your belly.

"The next thing you know,"
they used to say,
"She'll be in school,
getting straight A's and
making friends."

"The next thing you know,"
your mom spoke to me,
"She'll be going to dances
and playing games,
she'll be graduating soon..."

"The next thing you know"
your grandparents warned,
"she'll be leaving,
one extra room
you never
really wanted."

The vacancy we anticipate
brings an odd
sadness,
earlier than we expected.

The next thing we know some boy will
profess
his love for you,
and likely will never
quite meet my expectations.
But, then, I'll remember
the grace
your mother's parents
showed me,
and I'll relent,
and allow your love
to be God's grace
for him.

And the next thing I know,
I will be surrounded by small ones
who look
just like you,
and him,
and I'll roll on the carpet,
blowing raspberries
into their bellies.

Blind Willie Mctell...and Trombone Shorty

2011-05-23T23:28:00.001-04:00

I just spent the day broadening my cultural horizons at the Blind Willie Mctell Blues festival in Thomson, Georgia. What a fantastic day of music! There isn't really anything like American blues music, and this day was full of it...several outstanding acts worth. Especially of note were Marcia Ball, Sonny Landreth, and Jimmy Hall and the Prisoners of Love. (okay, any band with the front man's name and...is worth a listen. George Thorogood and...the Destroyers, Harold Melvin and...the Blue Notes, Jimmy Hall and...the Prisoners of Love. You get it...)

After seven hours of listening, eating, drinking and basking, er, baking in the sun, in was pretty worn down. Indeed, prior to the last act taking the stage, about a third of the crowd left. Were they ever stupid!

Troy Andrews, aka Trombone Shorty, took the stage with absolutely unbridled energy and had the rest of us fully recharged at the end of his far too short one and a quarter hour set. I've been a fan since first listening to his debut album, Backatown. The intriguing freshness and energy of his music hooks you right away...but his recorded work pales mightily to his live shows. He not only does his own work great justice, bringing a new version to virtually ever piece he plays live, but he also does terrific covers of Louis Armstrong (Sunny Side of the Street), Marvin Gaye (Let's Get It On) and a stylistic medley of James Brown. Good God, indeed!

I was standing next to the speakers, dancing with my daughter through most of the show. As soon as my hearing returns, I will be turning on some Shorty for the drive home!

-make a life, not just a living

Fwd: Top stand up comics...

2011-04-23T19:26:00.001-04:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Duane Kline" <duanekline@gmail.com>
Date: Apr 23, 2011 2:05 PM
Subject: Top stand up comics...
To: "Duane Kline" <duanekline@gmail.com>

Folks that know me well know how much I like to life. I thoroughly enjoy laughing...many days it's the best workout I get. I want to laugh hard enough that my ribs hurt, I throw my back out and I have to battle urinary leakage.

To wit, I wanted to share my top five stand up comedians. Find some YouTube or Netflix entries or, if you're a purist, go buy some actual albums or CDs...and some Depends...

1. Bill Cosby. The first comedy album I ever owned was a Cosby studio album with his Noah routine. He's the original....

2. George Carlin. A piercing social wit who never left me without a new way to think of things. (please note that the language used in stand up comedy is, well, colorful to say the least, so caveat emptor)

3. Robin Williams. Frenetic. Unexpected. Brilliant improvisationalist...probably the best ever.

4. Richard Pryor. Any guy who sets himself on fire, survives, contracts muscular dystrophy and STILL does comedy...about himself!?...deserves to be heard.

5. Bill Hicks. Would have been the successor to George Carlin had he not died of pancreatic cancer at age 32.

Laugh. Now. I insist...

Sent from my iPod

100!

2011-03-12T20:19:00.000-05:00

Today I am announcing my intention to live to the age of 100. The first, and ostensibly most important question is "Why?" Apart from my unbridled desire to be a decadecagenarian (10x10, get it?), there are a few reasons:

1. My grandparents have set a high bar (72, 85, 95 and 95 and still going!), I can't let the gene pool down...
2. There's a partial solar eclipse in 2065 that I can't wait to see!
3. I figure by 2065, travel to the moon will be routine. In addition, I figure my chances to take the trip will actually improve as I approach my second century (you know, "First Centegenarian to visit the Sea of Tranquility").
4. I want the iPad 50 implanted in the back of my head.
5. My sister will be 97...and I will still be three years older :)

I've spent a fair amount of time watching older, wonderful people. Folks like my grandparents, my friends Allen Hogenson, Al Stevens, Marshall Powers and Karl and Karoline Urbanitsch (to name a few) have all, in their way, opened my eyes to aging well and fully. To wit, I share six things I am practicing (note: this means I'm learning to do things, not that I do them all of the time).
1. Look forward to heaven. The journey is way better when you are excited about the destination. As I imagine Jesus working on my "mansion," the fear surrounding death-and life-fades right away.
2. Be an optimist. Believing in others, finding hope, having faith in God for a blessed future (Jeremiah 29:11) seems to be a consistent quality in well-lived individuals. Regardless of how life looks at its end (age doesn't matter), I'm pretty sure we don't age well fearing tomorrow.
3. Be happy. This is a close corollary to #2. Happiness and the art of looking forward to tomorrow are companions. I'm still learning to take great satisfaction in a life of simple gratitude that leads-you guessed it-to happiness. To revel in love, to enjoy the people in my life, to seek after wisdom...just reading these words makes me happy. I'm feeling closer to 100 already. Oh, wait...I already am!
4. Eat. Well. Some items to fill your palate: macaroni and cheese, tater tots, steak, calzones, buttered corn on the cob, Red Velvet Cake, Apple pie, red wine, Guinness, cold water, apple sauce with cinnamon, venison porkolt (my favorite Hungarian dish). It seems to me that a key to aging well is, as you might have picked up by now, looking forward to the future. Why shouldn't we look forward to our meals? I'm just saying. Oh, yeah, hot wings, too.
5. Connect everywhere. This habit has been amplified in the 21st century. I love having friends all over the world, all just an email or a chat away, never far. The world begs us to connect to one another. Go to church, love God, love others. Go to Wrigley Field, love the Cubs. Have kids, love them...and their kids. Pick a brand new sport or hobby, learn everything about it, connect to others who share your passion. Log in to Facebook and see how far the ripples extend from your life.
6. Give more than you get. Add, don't subtract. Making others the center of your life will make you a friend-and far less likely to be a victim of murder. And remember, being alive is a requisite to actually living to any given age :)
Live well. I am absolutely certain that people whose lives lives are fulled with love of all kinds stand a much better chance of living long, wonderful lives. Eternal lives, even. I'll be practicing. I hope you'll join me.

10 things to do with the Space Shuttle

2011-03-09T19:15:00.001-05:00

1. See if it floats. Just saying...
2. Use it as the coolest daycare center ever; climb stairs to get in, use an emergency evacuation slide to get out.
3. Use all of the ceramic tiles as coffee cup holders...really expensive coffee cup holders.
4. Fill the cargo bay with those plastic playland balls. Open the bay doors on sunny days, close them when it rains. The best play area ever.
5. Fill the gas tank and see what the 0-60 time is.
6. Tie a rope to the front and take the World's Strongest Man competition to a whole new level...fastest time to drag the Space Shuttle 100 feet wins!
7. Fill the fuel tank with Diet Coke. Drop in a bucket of Mentos. Hang on for dear life! Woohoo!
8. Park it at the school auditorium and sponsor a school play version of Moonraker. I get to be Bond, James Bond.
9. Find a hill with lots of snow. Raise the landing gear. Everyone jump into the cargo bay, lean forward and slide downhill...
10. Open the most unique bed and breakfast in America.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I want my school to work this way...

2010-12-25T12:13:00.002-05:00

One of the metaphors I use to explain the principalship is the work of an orchestra conductor. This video of Leonard Bernstein says it all for me...I still have to use my hands, though...

Memory of Winter and Spring

2010-12-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

I am, shall we say, interested that the world of my youth, this land of Hoosiers, should be so much a place painted in shades of white, black and grey. Hardly surprising, given the people it produces (I stand as one condemned), though it doesn't match my memory, even in wintertide.

The amber waves of grain are now largely brown ponds of dead grass. The oaks and maples, deciduous in their choice-making, have molted themselves to a common, dingy grey-brown, a hue shared shared with the snow closest the road.

My memory tells a different truth. Fields full of green stalks and silos full of yellow kernels, not to mention summer tables full of that particular sugar maize meant to feed us rather than livestock. Patches of green forest used to divide one man's fields from another, islands erupting from the black soil, home to every kind of life meant to be hunted by 13 year old boys. Funny how these islands were never farther than my father's whistle could pierce...

These islands stand vacant today. Their foliage, thick enough in summer as to keep you from seeing the very next tree, is gone, allowing vision through to the next field, the next wooden patch harboring whatever life winter permits.

Perhaps my perspective has changed. In winters past I was an active participant, a laborer...actually, a shoveler. Waking up in the mornings to help my father clear the driveway for my mother's early morning returns from the hospital, listening to the ice crunch beneath my boots and feeling the weight of the snow on my shovel gave me a keen sense of participation in the seasonal rhythm of the world and awakened an anticipation of spring, and baseball, and the end of school that I have since misplaced.

I haven't been to Indiana in a warm, green season in many years. I find myself making these treks at Christmas time as a benefit/condition of my family contract; maybe I should have held out for the Fourth of July? Georgia, with its pine trees perennially green, to say nothing of its kudzu, is more suiting my summer, sun-loving, heat-enduring nature. But, alas, what is summer without the winter to make it welcome?

What we've become

2010-11-24T17:05:00.001-05:00

A model of pretense
and monopoly
   "And now, Oprah's favorite things!"

Where choice doesn't really exist-
We get the same
However we choose
   Right...left...whatever

Dogs barking, howling
at whoever lives in the white house,
Beck, Limbaugh, Olbermann, Maddow...
we see the mouths moving,
and all we hear is blame
and fear,
sarcasm and hopeless wit.
   "We'll be right back after the break..."
   with more from the EIB Network...
   or MSNBC...
   or Fox News

We've found that what we have
in common
is at the bottom,
not the top.
   "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!"

Forgetting our history,
doomed to repeat it
   "All glory is fleeting, All glory is fleeting..."

A country where tilting
at windmills,
or millstones
means you're crazy...
Forget what's important

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T16:57:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen gold
or red plumage
for many autumns-
nature's course seems
to have forgotten Fall,
leaping from pale green-
hardly Forest at all-
to something brown,
or naked.

Yet here I am in November
seeing a feast of hues
this year;
a dash of crimson
alongside something,
resembling yellow,
still clinging with its last
ounce of sinuous strength
to the branch, the vine,
life.

I can be thankful
for this respite
between equinox and solstice,
between long and short,
hot and cold,
a pleasant moment of peace.

Manifest Arrogance

2010-10-11T22:12:00.000-04:00

My family and I are spending our October break in Arizona. My wife and I made a decision to open the world, as much as we could, to our children so that as they matured and began making their life decisions they would have a breadth of experience that could inform those decisions. We've spent a great deal of time visiting Hungary-not necessarily "Europe," mind you-and we have learned to love our Hungarian friends deeply. This time, we've gone the opposite direction on the timeline (quite literally!), and we're learning a great deal about our country.

The very first impression that struck me as we arrived in Phoenix was both the physical beauty of the area and the beauty of the native cultures that cling to survival around the area. Manifest destiny did a good job of declaring a dominant American culture (capitalist, evangelical and expanding) that immediately saw every other culture as a competitor. I'm not sure we got it right on that count. We tended (still?) to approach all cultural questions with extreme arrogance, with the presumption that everything white American was naturally better, right? Faster, more convenient, driven by the profit motive is always better...isn't it?

Don't get me wrong. I'm as American as the next guy. I'm blessed to have born here and to share in the extravagant wealth and blessings of this country. The best part of my travels overseas is to land in Atlanta and walk through the passport gate where I've had every passport officer (six times, now) ask me if I had a nice trip and say to me "Welcome home." But I've also come to know just how blessed we are, how rich. The poor among us who still claim a home, electricity, a car and running, clean water is better off than half the world.

And we have created poverty. Not just material poverty, but cultural poverty as well as we have forced cultures with fewer people to the margin, most of them to extinction. I've been walking around the beautiful Navajo ruins in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "de SHAY") and at every entrance sits a Navajo artisan sitting on the side of the road peddling their wares. Perhaps they wouldn't have it differently, though I'm left to wonder why they can't band together to produce their art and sell it around the world? Perhaps because their schools are well below standard (yes, America, there are places that don't do as well as we do in our public schools...and yes, it's a crying shame)? We used to send them away from their cultural homes, away from their families, to "civilize" them in white schools...and a great many of them perished.

Somehow the great melting pot of America left out the ingredient of its own native peoples. We still see every other culture as competing with ours which proves fatal to smaller cultures, and greatly impoverishes our own. I hope, still, that our leadership can prove wiser than we deserve (hey...we elect 'em) and begin to see the cultures around us as sources of potential growth and strength rather than as competitors to be destroyed...I hope...

A day at the zoo

2010-09-26T17:02:00.000-04:00

We have a family membership at Zoo Atlanta. It started as an exercise in frugality-a couple of visits pays for it since daily tickets to the zoo-and other locations in general-tend to be a bit on the pricey side. I witnessed this ticket shock first hand as I stood in line at the entrance gate yesterday...

"How much are tickets?" asked a woman, clearly not very happy to begin with.

The ticket-giver person stated the amount...in the neighborhood of $20.

"Really!? (Uttered with sincere shock that SHE would ever have to pay so much to see ANIMALS) Well, that's outrageous! I'll just wait for my children out here!" (and, the lady stomped off...)

Something tells me that the erstwhile patroness didn't really "get it." First, a zoo is, by its nature, an expensive proposition. Zoos are, first, an exercise in conservancy, little Arks of Noah that reach into the natural world and pluck out, in many cases, the species most needful of care as we humans push them headlong toward extinction. Hiring herpetologists and monkeyologists and elephantologists is not a cheap endeavor, let alone acquiring the right kind of bamboo for the pandas--who knew they only spoke Chinese?--and enough land for a family of lowland gorillas to live and prosper. So, twenty bucks to see these wonders, I think, isn't too much. Is it sad that it can't be cheaper to visit? Of course it is...

Then, there's the whole notion of not experiencing life's wonders with your children. My son and I adventured today, and the best part was the adventure of continuing to get to know him. The zoo is neutral ground-no dirty rooms or chores to be done, no work-cluttered desks or personnel problems or angry parents who will NEVER be happy with me or the job I do to sour our day. So while the unhappy woman lost out on her day with her kids, I got the best kind of day with mine.

I've thrown together some of the photos I took yesterday into a "movie" that you can see below. I call it "Faces of the Zoo." I hope you enjoy it, and I hope if you have kids you will find your own kind of Zoo days to share with them.

Full, on Empty

2010-09-18T16:06:00.000-04:00

One of my friends commented that I was good at multi-tasking; my witty response was something along the lines that I should be named "Mr. Multi-task Guy." Which, in my wild, multi-tasked, 14 different pathways sort of way brought me to this post.

At 45, with 23 years of teaching and leading behind me, I've finally self-diagnosed myself with Attention Deficit Disorder. Or, Multi-task Addiction Disorder (MAD).... Or, something else. Anyway...

My life is, purposely, run on several tracks. Christ-follower, Husband, Dad, Son, Principal, Teacher, Author (well, blogger anyway), Grandson, Thinker-these all occupy my head pretty much all of the time. And that's the difficult thing. So much of contentment (mine, it seems, anyway) is based on an ability to compartmentalize these different roles and the thoughts that come with each of them. I fully admit a deficit in this area; at best I can limit the room in my head to two or three of these roles at a time, which still makes for an active, if not convoluted discussion in my head most of my waking hours.

Of course, the realization that I've made, diagnosing this disorder/lifestyle, begs two questions: how do I quiet these thoughts, or, do I want them quieted at all? I work with students all of the time who are faced with the same question...many of them refuse to take medications that would slow the activity in their minds because they are afraid "they won't be themselves" anymore. Oddly enough, I'm kind of caught up in the same concern. Out of the mouths of bab...er...teens.

My wife denies I have this dilemna. Who can blame her, though, given it's taken me 45 years to figure it out...oh look, a bird...

And the peace of the bookstore be with you, always...

2010-09-06T14:33:00.000-04:00

Have you noticed that among the fraternity of bookmongers there is a significant spiritual aspect attached to bookstores-our favorites, especially-and the time we spend in them? The denizens of our kind move between "Classic Literature" and "Modern Poetry," carefully avoiding the "Humor" section for fear of the chortles that might distrub our fellows. (God forbid I start reading a David Sedaris or Kurt Vonnegut essay-you might as well call security...)

The advent of the "Cafe," the ubiquitous eatery attached to the Hall of Words I frequent, has allowed me to humor all of my vices in one place; clearly part of the master plan for world domination by Barnes and Noble...or was it Books-a-Million...or Borders? I can read the magazines I have no intention of buying while drinking coffee strong enough to raise the dead and ascend them to heaven. All this while watching my fellow bibliophiles discussing the recent choices...
"Did you get the new James Patterson book?"
"No...you know, that's just too 'yesterday' for my taste...I'm more of a Jonathon Franzen type..."
Of course, I'm now caught between the guilt I feel for eavesdropping and my nearly undeniable urge to demand the discount cards from these simpletons who have dared discuss books rather than literature. I've tried to persuade them silently via my over-the-rim-of-my-glasses stare that, clearly, I am an English teacher and that they must therefore at least mention Shakespeare, Greek Mythology or Hemingway once in their "conversation" to avoid being struck dumb by the Sprites and Pixies of literary purity and justice. They probably ordered a decaf, 2% latte, to boot.

But, I digress. Even with distractions like these, I blissfully add to the stacks of unread books in my home, like some super-gifted squirrel piling away nuts for his long winter's retirement. I thank God for the many blessings He has given me, and, most days, words are chief among them. Well, words, my wife, children and doubleshots of espresso...or bourbon. Oh, yes, and fountain pens...

Preparing to land

2010-09-05T09:17:00.001-04:00

We are almost back to the US now. Going overseas to serve as a messenger for the God I believe in is a privilege and great joy, though coming home is a greater joy still. My life's work-my calling and ministry are all here. The great frustrations of my life are here, proof that what I care about resides here, too. (after all, who gets frustrated over things they care nothing for?

When we land at JFK, I hope the passport agent will welcome me home. There is something special about having a complete stranger welcome you home, given that the only thing that you have in common is that you are both citizens of the nation. We share rights, a common national history and, perhaps, a common cultural heritage...but that is not guaranteed...nor is it vital. It is remarkable that a few sheets of paper filled with ideas of men long dead should bind us so closely, but they do.

It is good to be home. One more short flight and my dogs will be barking at me, my cats will hiss at me and my home will open itself to me. It's fun to travel; it's better to return. God bless America.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Flying over the Atlantic

John Wooden's Guide for Living...

2010-07-02T16:49:00.002-04:00

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance.
Count and give thanks for your blessings every day.

A Helluva Life...

2010-06-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

My granddad, Joe Deike, working on his 95th year, is lying in hospice care today. My mom and aunt were able to spend the day with him last Friday when he, though sick with pneumonia, was still lucid and as engaging a man as you'd want to meet. He knew he was pretty sick, and my mom tells me that he said he'd lived "a helluva life," and he was ready to go when God called him home.

Quite a life, indeed. A wonderful musician...he could play just about anything you put in front of him. He introduced me to the violin which I played for years, and which I keep telling myself I'd like to pick up again. His love for the arts infected me and opened my eyes to the beauty that all of the arts lend life. He played the violin for years in several chamber groups around Grand Rapids and continued to regale us, even this past winter, with stories of his teachers that led him to a life of art.

He loved much, marrying three times (one divorce and widower twice) and having a family, and extended family, that reaches down four generations, I think, and around the world. The joy and life that he brings into every room he enters is my goal. To have lived 95 years and to have that fountain of love still gushing forth...I want that when I grow up...

I hope God is graceful toward my grandfather. We all face the transition from life to life with a bit of trepidation, of course, but I pray that the transition isn't awkward or painful for him. I am sure that when he sees his maker, my grandfather will have a fiddle, or a clarinet, or some other instrument in his hand and will offer to join the heavenly orchestra straight away.

Here's to a man that lived a helluva life, and to the hope that we all can learn to live likewise...

Relegation sucks...

2010-04-24T13:15:00.001-04:00

I'm a soccer fan. WAY... One of the hazards of becoming a fan of a sport and, ostensibly, of a given team, is that you are tied emotionally to the fate of said team, subject to the rules of said game. Today that attachment makes me want to vomit...

Ebbsfleet United, the soccer club which I support the the MYFC web-based ownership model (we buy an annual subscription as owners of the club...LOTS of fun...) won their final match of the season, but sadly will be relegated to a lower league next year because of a tie-breaker known as goal differential, the difference between the goals you score and the goals you allowed in a season. We obviously didn't win enough of our games, which is the first issue, though given the economic climate and the piecemeal team we were able to put together for our coach, Liam Daish, we can hardly blame him.

Not to worry, I'll subscribe again next season (actually, I already have!), and if you have a spare hundred (roughly equivalent to 50 British pounds), you can go to http://www.myfootballclub.co.uk/ and join me and about 3000 others who love the game. Oh, yes...Up the Fleet!

IKEA cool

2010-04-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I would like to think that I am way past college dorm furnishings. But...

I do have to admit that IKEA is very cool, as stores go. And, I have to admit that I bought this really cool laptop stand for $14.99, and will undoubtedly NOT be the last thing I buy there. Just sayin'...

Chromosomes, sunburn and bosoms (ewww!!!)

2010-04-09T23:30:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here watching Star Trek (read: minding my own business), and my soon to be 16 year old daughter tells me that her "boobs are peeling." While I'm not sure how to respond, I'm fairly sure the appropriate response is to cover my ears, scream like a girl and start rocking like I have autism (no offense to any autistic friends out there...I've found rocking wildly to be an effective escape mechanism for years).

My daughter responds to my display by reminding me that I contributed some word having to do with biology to the fact that she has bosoms; my soon to be 13 year old son proudly shouts "Chromosomes!" At this point he either has gotten extremely lucky at the life science vocabulary word bank, or has made some correlation between my chest and his sister's; I'm hoping for the first one since I'm pretty sure my daughter aspires to a much more shapely figure than mine.

I am endlessly bemused...amused...by my children. I did, in fact, contribute chromosomes to my daughter...and son. I've got news for both of them...I was a bird-chested youth, and knowing vocabulary was my only solace.

Vacation thinking

2010-04-05T22:34:00.000-04:00

Have you ever gone to a vacation only not to be able to press the cares you left behind from your mind? I'm sitting here overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, the breeze and surf by far the loudest sounds in the environment, and I'm having to purge my concerns and worries about the next two months from my system; the first days of any vacation are spent in this pursuit. While at the moment it seems a futile work, by Monday-Tuesday at the latest-I hope to be "on vacation."

Bless my family for having to swim in the swill of my persona for these 48 hours. The art of my business is learning to be transparent without speaking the full truth to people. the cost of developing this skill is that when you have the chance to let your guard down, the stuff that comes forth is often black and sour and spiteful-and I dislike it, and myself intensely, for darkness, I hope, is not my nature. So here's to the power of sunshine, and salt air carrying sand against my skin, and the hope that Easter, this year, might hasten the process of cleansing and forgiveness and, well, resurrection.

2010-02-12T17:24:00.000-05:00

So, we get a couple days off of school. Anne and I leave the country to lead a marriage enrichment retreat in Eger, Hungary...and our kids WASTE a snow day! What's up with that? I get this picture from halfway around the world...shouldn't you be doing the dishes and cleaning the house, Hannah Kline?!

IndieFeed: Performance Poetry

2010-02-05T19:48:00.000-05:00

IndieFeed: Performance Poetry

One of my favorite podcasts is the Indiefeed Performance Poetry podcast. Some of the poetry is NSFW, but, then, poetry can be, by its nature a raw, passionate medium.

Derrick Brown's I Feel Safe When You Lie is an exceptional short piece that exhibits some of the best poetic language I've heard in a new poet in a while. Enjoy...

Anne Frank's Diary Banned From Virginia School For Sexual Content | NowPublic News Coverage

2010-02-01T21:46:00.000-05:00

Anne Frank's Diary Banned From Virginia School For Sexual Content | NowPublic News Coverage

For shame...what the hell are these people thinking? Let's see...21st century? Yep...unlimited access to pornographic content everywhere you look? Yep....and they choose the diary of a teenage girl who acted like a...wait for it...teenage girl to censor?

Oh, and don't give me the crap about "It's just that version." It's the original version, the one she wrote that is banned in favor of a milque-toast, middle class, "don't want to offend anyone" version. Sad and pathetic..."I don't want to make a big deal out of this. So we listened to the parent and we pulled it."

One parent? Really? Anything, just so you don't have to make a "big deal" out of censoring literature...oh, wait...it IS a big deal! Shame, shame, shame....

Thoughts of Heaven

2009-12-22T09:56:00.001-05:00

I have a lot of friends-extended family, really, people I love tremendously-who wonder why I believe what I believe about God. Closeness, the intimacy of friendship, bnreeds conversations of meaning and I've been blessed enough to peer into the hearts of my friends and to open mine to them.

What drives my belief? Foremost, I suppose, are thoughts of heaven. We so often dwell on good versus evil, right versus wrong, but we miss the "why" behind all of that. The why is a person, Jesus Christ, and heaven is where He lives…and reigns. I am compelled to spend time with Him, the most extraordinary person ever to draw breath, the king of creation, the word that was spoken to create light from the darkness. When offered that chance, to be filled with His life and to bring love to the world on His behalf, how can I turn from that opportunity?

The promise of spending eternity with the best person, friend and master imaginable pretty much does it for me. I believe we spend far too much time on the mechanics of salvation and far too little on the man of salvation. It is that relationship we are called to build that will press us into submitting our lives to the Lord of Heaven who knows better-indeed, best-what we need for eternity. Without the relationship the obedience is empty, the call to love and submit and endure a hollow cry seemingly intended to encourage us to "do better" without any compelling reason to do so.

Why Jesus? Why not Buddha, or Mohammed or some self-help guru? I begin and end with what the bible says, and is. I take the bible to be an ancient historical record, a text of ancient yet relevant wisdom and, most importantly, the very word of the living God. No other faith can claim this combination in the sourcebook of its faith; indeed few even dare the attempt. That audacity, the audacity to make a claim to divinity begins with the author, the person of Jesus Christ. This audacity has drawn me into a friendship, a companionship, a following of my Lord that no passive amount of information could inspire.

And that's the thing. Jesus is no milque-toast savior; He shows up when no one else will. He's the real deal and he calls me to His reality. He dares me to be a man in rebellion against the world; He makes all of the world's rebellions pale in comparison. That's why I believe what I believe.

Today's Prayer List...

2009-12-19T13:53:00.001-05:00

The DiMartino Chronicles

Okay...I work to be faithful in my prayer life...and fail miserably. At any rate, I can take a cue, which the Holy Spirit is only too glad to provide me! Today's list is heavy on starts and finishes...read on, and you'll get what I mean:

-Our dear friends (anyone I've carried on my back qualifies as a dear friend, Aidan!), Ricky and Aidan DiMartino are expecting their first child, Aolani (Hawaiian for "Heavenly Cloud"). The link above will take you to their blog. Aidan is an extraordinary woman. Diagnosed with Friedrich's Ataxia (a nervous system disorder) in college, she has embraced God's grace as the life preserver it truly is, and is living an extraordinary life married to a remarkable man...and soon to be remarkable father. Please keep all three DiMartino's in your prayers.

-My friend, colleague and fellow book-o-phile Christa Miller, her husband John and new son Reece who, born several weeks early, is home and soon to break 5 pounds! Needless to say, anxious moments attend any parenting endeavor, let alone new parenting...of a premature son. All are well, but certainly can use your prayers as well!h

-My friends Lauren, Rankin and Russell, two colleagues who are heading into the home stretches of their respective pregnancies. Lauren Rankin is due on Dec. 29th, while Mrs. Russell is due later this spring. Baby #2 and #1, respectively. All you moms out there know how to pray in both cases, I'll bet!

-My aunt Paula, who unexpectedly lost her sister Cathy this week after a brief illness, and for Cathy's husband (I'm sorry that I misplaced my notes after talking with my mother...not the first time I've misplaced notes after talking with my mother, at that...). Death is a strange companion with whom we all walk, unsure of when it will appear. Suddenness is no blessing; there is no blunting of pain. Please prayer for all of Cathy's family, and that she is at peace with the great God whose grace I have learned to covet.

Thanks for joining me in these petitions. Prayer is a blessing of unity, with one another and with the Spirit of God.

YouTube - World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

2009-12-14T20:47:00.000-05:00

YouTube
- World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

Okay, so everyone who reads my blogs knows I'm a HUGE fan of Bobby McFerrin's. This video from the World Science Festival may be the most powerful evidence I've ever seen displaying the universality of music and the nature of the "hard-wired" part of our brains. This is incredible...

Naturally 7 beatboxes a whole band | Video on TED.com

2009-12-12T14:03:00.000-05:00

Naturally 7 beatboxes a whole band | Video on TED.com

I've been amazed by beat boxers and vocal musicians since being introduced to Bobby McFerrin about 20 years ago. Here's a great group with a very cool group vibe...enjoy!

Winter Sports

2009-11-28T16:22:00.001-05:00

Things around us die. That's one of the givens of life, that things die. My aunt Betty Jean died today as a matter of fact. She was my grandpa Kline's daughter from his first marriage, before the rest of us Klines appeared. She was kind and sweet, outliving her daughter and her husband, passing into that matriarchal realm that widows often find themselves in when they have children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, not to mention an expansive extended family.

Aunt Betty Jean always displayed this toughness that was just below the surface. Her kindness always belied the stern stuff of which she was made. I always respected her for that, for the ability to care about her family, to always seem happy to see us, to respect the bloodline that connected us all and all the while managing her own family with good counsel and love. It isn't surprising that she was unhappy as she surrendered to age, recently suffering from a debilitating stroke that required her to move from her beloved home in Northern Indiana to a rehab center in Georgia. Hey, I choose to live here, but I can relate to the shock it must have been to her system to have to come down here so late in life, even if to be closer to her grandson who inherited the responsibility to care for her.

Our football team lost last night in the state playoffs. I think Betty Jean would have enjoyed cheering on our team, especially as her grand-niece was kicking for them. She would have greatly enjoyed watching and knowing the "stern stuff" gene was passed down into another generation of Kline women. And she would have been the first to encourage the kids to start preparing for next year, even in the face of disappointment, I think. So we send Aunt Betty Jean off, knowing that she's surrounded by people we've all loved on the way to heaven, certainly realizing the great amazement that awaits us all who know Christ. The rest of us will keep working, keep encouraging and loving so that one day, when our course is run, we can stand with her again.

Gratitude attitude

2009-11-26T21:26:00.001-05:00

I am a big believer in gratitude as a foundation for our broader attitudes. We all know from experience, I think, that everyone we meet...especially the guy or gal in the mirror, has a core attitutde that they approach life with. You have the glass half full types; you have those who constantly see the glass as half empty. You know the encouragers, the optimists, the folks that keep putting energy into everything that they do, and you know those who take energy away from any system that they might be involved with. Gratitude is the engine that drives most of the positive energy in our lives. We either realize that we have been the recipients of great grace throughout our lives, or we don’t. That’s not to say that some of us haven’t received more, at least in this world’s way of measuring grace, but all of us should recognize the beauty of what we have, of what God has given us in every breath we breathe. Be astounded at your life!

When our mothers tell us to “count our blessings,” what they are telling us to do is to see the moments of grace in our lives. In honor of my parents, who taught me to be grateful for all I’ve been given, here’s the 2009 list on Thanksgiving Day:

-I am grateful for a wife who drives the car on long trips, allowing me to think and read and write and do all of the things that I never get a real chance to do when I’m stationary…I have promised her that one day I will be able to stand still with her without 1000 people asking my permission, opinion or thoughts on what needs to happen next. One day…

-I’m grateful for parents who still look forward to seeing me. So often I listen to friends and family who think the whole purpose of child-rearing is to get the kids out of the nest, rather than to build a lifelong relationship with them so that they will occasionally come back to report on the great things that they are doing while flying about. I long to hear my kids tell their stories of greatness and to let me know, in some odd, indirect way, that their mom and I did a decent job making them human.

-I’m grateful for my children and the lessons they teach me. I love it that my son, the boy of changing voice and rapidly stretching height, is the more emotionally sensitive of my children. I also love it that my daughter, the beautiful 15 year old that sits in my car with bruises and the occasional cut and shoes that smell of, well, death…I love it that she takes life by the very throat and conquers the fears that must swirl in her heart just so she can experience life in a way that few, if any other 15 year old girls experience it. I love it that they both understand their place as God’s children…I love their hunger for His grace and presence and mercy.

-I love my work. I’m grateful that God uses me. My greatest fear is that I am found unworthy for use, that when important things-God’s important things-need to be done, that he looks beyond me to some other person, to another tool that is sharper or more ready for work. I am eternally grateful that God has seen fit to use me, to give me responsibility, to surround me with people who need love and leadership and who need some of the knowledge and wisdom He has given me.

-I am grateful for the church. That includes Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Stockbridge, Georgia; it also includes my family of believers that extends to Hungary and Uganda and China and South America, people who have touched my life in a way that makes me aware of God’s great work in the world. I am grateful to be a part of revealing God’s great kingdom to those who seek it in this world. My favorite parts of the Gospels start with “The Kingdom of God is like…” Hearing Christ speak of our eternal home is as good as it gets.

Be thankful. Let your heart overflow with gratitude. It is in that overflow that God’s grace abounds from you to others.

2009-09-30T19:55:00.000-04:00

Okay, so out of the entire line of Jackson High School football players, mine is the easiest to pick out...can you tell?

Beware small characters crawling around your table...

2009-09-19T13:17:00.002-04:00

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

One of the vices from my youth, now recycled with my 12 year old son, is Dungeons and Dragons. Living vicariously is an art....

Days I can't think of anything to write

2009-09-07T17:07:00.003-04:00

This is why I'm a high school principal. I find it impossible to get my muse to speak to me when I want her to speak with me. I have notebooks filled with topics, lots of fodder for the fountain pen or keyboard. And here I sit on a free day when the ink could be flowing, and while I'm waiting for the one voice in my head to speak I hear seven, or a hundred, or none.

This bodes well for my future, I think. There's so much to say. So many people to understand, to know, to share. Maybe I'll live to be 100 and have the time to ruminate about the experiences I have everyday. Which is why I'm a high school principal. It gives my muse something to talk about.

Courage and the future...

2009-08-29T16:39:00.003-04:00

Somewhere in every parent's heart there is the hope that your children will be brave, courageous souls. Courage, as a human condition, requires opportunity to be exhibited and developed; you can't be brave without the danger of failure. Taking part in one sure success after another will never make you full of courage, just lucky. So we put our children in successively more risky scenarios, hoping that they will find the tenacity, the passion, the willingness to fail until they succeed.

So there's my 15 year old daughter running out to the 15 yard line in the 4th quarter last night, the lone girl with 21 other young men who are hot, odiferous and hitting each other as hard as the rules allow. Some coach screamed "Field Goal" and their she was, holding the kicking tee and figuring "What the heck, someone has to kick it..." and off she went. The crowd hasn't ever seen this before. We've had other female players...a few...but none who appeared to actually put points on the board. The crowd watched as the ball was snapped to the holder and the scrawniest kid on the field, number 99, took three steps kicked the ball from the left hash mark 25 yards away from the goal; in that silent moment of three steps, all of the courage in the stadium was hers.

Then there's Aaron, charming his way through the seventh grade, determined to be the youngest mass-published author ever. The whole notion of failure is foreign to him...the first element of courage. Not that failure won't happen, and not that he won't have to cope with it, but he just doesn't think about it. He'll tell great stories, he'll be great at what he does, and he'll have a life that's extraordinary.

McDonalds singing - BestofYouTube.com

2009-08-14T22:04:00.001-04:00

McDonalds singing - BestofYouTube.com

Shared via AddThis

More fun than we're supposed to have...even at McDonalds! I'm lovin' it...(oh, wait...)

Bobby McFerrin playing the audience like an instrument - BestofYouTube.com

2009-08-14T21:58:00.001-04:00

Bobby McFerrin playing the audience like an instrument - BestofYouTube.com

Shared via AddThis

Bobby McFerrin does it again...and for my friend Mike--down comes the fourth wall...

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D - BestofYouTube.com

2009-08-14T21:34:00.001-04:00

The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D - BestofYouTube.com

Shared via AddThis

Extraordinary. While science may offer a detached view of the beauty this telescope discovers, saying that we occupy a "tiny" part of the cosmos, it is most humbling to think that God created us as the pinnacle of this creation, and that He allows us to look into His magnificent creation with ever growing knowledge and sight.

Apollo 11

2009-07-19T20:33:00.002-04:00

I was 3, soon to be 4 years old 40 years ago. I can remember this night going to bed, everyone excited about the notion that "we" would soon have men walking on the moon. In 24 hours (tomorrow, minus 40 years), I remember my parents waking me and going with me into our living room to sit in front of our television. I think I remember Walter Cronkite or the ABC science reporter (name, anyone?) talking the world through the events that were taking place about a quarter million miles away. I remember the grainy black and white television picture of Neil Armstrong descending the ladder to the moon with type across the bottom of the picture, something like "Picture from the surface of the moon."

Tonight I'm watching the John Glenn lecture from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum with Chris Kraft and the astronauts telling their stories, 40 years on. Very, very cool. 2020 seems too long to wait for a return to the moon, to how we felt about ourselves then, and how we might again feel about being Americans.

Cleaning out the closet

2009-07-05T16:52:00.002-04:00

Once every couple decades I harness my limited dejunking talents and go through the accumulation of the more or less meaningful things I have accumulated, trying to decide what should stay and what should go. In this most recent case the time since the last dejunking stretched 25+ years which includes virtually every love of my life, compounding my natural pack-rattiness by making sentimentality part of the equation.

Digging through boxes of old letters (yes, I keep letters and still, in my duty as an asynchronaut (KLINISM!), I continue to write them...), I've been able to collect virtually every love letter written to me by my wife. Lovely stuff...and to think she wrote most of them when she had yet to actually know me. I've kept every one of them, and will one day collect them so that my children and grandchildren might know something of the kind of love it took to make me a better man.

I've even kept fragments, notes, cards from each of the loves that got me to Anne. Yes, girlfriends (not to worry, my dear ones, as I long ago either ate or burned any incriminating evidence...), but even more profoundly many letters from my mother and grandmothers (all the more valuable since it's doubtful I'll be receiving any more with one dead and one 94 years old) and grandfathers (same...), as well as one from Dallas Green when he was the general manager of the Cubs in 1985 and one from President Clinton (stamped rather than signed, though nice someone thought enough of my letter to respond). All of these provide some kind of proof that I have aspired to be a man of letters, among my better qualities.

I have a theory about us packrats. I think we keep hold of our pasts out of a) the notion that the past was so great that we dare not let go of it, and/or b) a fear that the future, in its uncertainty, may not give us the same opportunities to claim handholds-like letters-that the past did...so we cling for dear life to those past holds. Ironically, noone ever climbed while clinging to a hold below them...so I clean out my closet every couple of decades, burning the ships, as it were, in the hope that my adventure will continue in the assurance that there is no turning back. Like Cortes, I continue to seek the city of gold; I've been blessed with many loves who have made the map more legible. Here's to the future, and a cleaner closet.

English gets millionth word on Wednesday, site says - CNN.com

2009-06-30T21:04:00.000-04:00

English gets millionth word on Wednesday, site says - CNN.com

Well hot damn...just in time to make me feel inadequate with my culturally over-sized 1000 word or so vocabulary! And of course, I'm pretty sure this doesn't count my own stash of Klinisms, like uniquity...a unique iniquity...

Here's to the millionth word, whatever the heck it is, and to our extraordinary language...here's to the next million words!

Where would you be?

2009-06-21T20:15:00.002-04:00

NOTICE: GRAPHIC CONTENT

Interesting that in struggles for freedom, so much that happens is, indeed, graphic. We have cleansed and sanitized the experience of peoples yearning for freedom; our language, with words like "torture," "murder," "slaughter," even "protest" seem so removed from visceral experience that we pay lip service to what they mean, taking for granted that we in America don't have to suffer any of them in our own experience any more...

Watch only if you are prepared to see the cost of freedom....

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...?

2009-05-30T15:15:00.002-04:00

Well, we pulled, pushed, coaxed and prodded 177 seniors out the door last night. I frequently tell people that I feel like I'm stealing my salary because I enjoy my work so much. They can go ahead and pay me for last week...all of it...all of my salary, for one week. Coming to the end of an endeavor and telling people...a few, not very many at all...that they won't be making it to the finish line, at least on time? The crappiest job ever.

There are times as a parent when, obviously, I am the final decider, or say-so. In my personal life, I exercise my power of decision and responsibility frequently, and I have very little problem accepting responsibility for my actions. In my work, though, by the time a decision is left to me, there are many MANY decisions that have been made before me, usually several bad ones, and it is my job to confront the poor decision making of students or parents or teachers. That is the job, and I do it, but I despise the fact that a great many people simply can't accept the notion that they have controlled their destiny to a great extent and they have contributed to their own failure. They are happy to claim the credit for their success...and truthfully, I'm happy to give it to them; they aren't, however, ready to accept that those zeros in the gradebook are theirs, or that the 35 days they missed may have contributed to their failure. There is always an excuse..."I had to work," or "my mom was sick," or "I was pregnant." I try to be sympathetic...but the bottom line is that each of these is an excuse laden with personal responsibility issues. "I had to work," because your mom and dad didn't have the stones to tell you that you couldn't get your own car until you graduated? "My mom was sick," and because she's so codependent, I have to spend my youth carting her around to doctors who try to fix the damage that her irresponsible living has done? "I was pregnant," because my parents didn't care enough to have clear talks with me about my future, about their dreams for me, about hope and goals and opportunities?

I'm the principal, and it all comes down to 5 minutes in my office, to be the first person to say "You know, I'm sorry, but you just haven't done what it takes..." and to hand them a box of Kleenex and to listen to them blame me for their shortcomings.

I'm glad it's summer. I have to get ready for the first day of school.

I'm in...are you?

2009-04-11T00:21:00.002-04:00

I've been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan lately, and we've been studying it with our discipleship group. Funny how God speaks to me...and what He says...

I read this same passage a couple of months ago in my study of God's word and was challenged by it...what will happen if we pray this and mean it? What would God do with all of the gifts we bring if we let Him have them, and if we trusted Him to provide all we needed...really?

Okay, so let me get this straight...

2009-04-11T00:06:00.002-04:00

College educated? Check.
Successful professional? Check.
Great family? Check.

And a 33 year old Jewish carpenter walked around Judea and Galilee 2000 years ago, healing the sick, casting out demons and speaking truth to power...all for me. Yep, that's true. He knew my need to be forgiven; He also knew that I'd never learn to forgive others unless He forgave me first. Hmmm...but even with this forgiveness that He would provide, justice was required by His Father...my God. And justice requires that something die for my mistakes, because God cannot tolerate me with the sin I bring. So this Jewish carpenter? He died...for me. He forgave me, then He died for me.

Oh, yes...and for you, too. Amazed yet? No?

Wait until Sunday morning...

Spring Break...Service?

2009-04-07T22:12:00.002-04:00

My family and I enjoy touristy kinds of places. Every spring break we end up somewhere that we really enjoy, pay way too much for and make great memories. This year we decided to return to Gatlinburg, Tennesee, the "Gateway to the Smokies!" don'chya know? Where else can you be surrounded by knife and cutlery shops, pan for gemstones, see an indoor horseriding show and get snowed on? Perfect!

Of course we pay too much for this respite. Indeed our few days here seem an extravagance in these economic times. Part of the expected charm here is the kindness of the folks we run into-people on the street, cashiers, waiters and waitresses. We have had really wonderful experiences here in the past, but something seems different today...

Like the lady who walked up to me on the sidewalk-a perfect stranger-and loudly exclaimed "Jesus!" (in a disgusted voice...obviously not trying to proselytize me...) because I didn't drop prostrate at her feet-ior at least get out of her way on a crowded sidewalk. Really? Because I walked a straight line toward her? Hmmm.....

And what about the grumpier-than-usual ladies behind counters? It seems that even those who still have jobs are feeling the constant stress of low sales, higher prices and unemployed spouses.

I'm ready for the people with hope to come back.

Shift Happens 2.0

2009-03-20T23:11:00.001-04:00

I have shared this with my faculty a couple of times...so good, it'll make your head split...

Snow Day?

2009-03-01T16:08:00.002-05:00

I can't remember the last time I was even moderately close to having a snow day in March. In Indiana, where I grew up, we were so used to snow by March 1st that we rarely had the motivation to miss any more school. Our refrigerators were full and the shelves had all the canned vegetables that our grandparents could foist upon us, covered with layers of parafin and topped with stamped metal tops with names like "Ball."

Of course, I now live in Georgia where at the first sign of freezing temperatures combined with water we run to the store to get milk and bread. Why milk and bread, you ask? I don't know. I gave up feasting on 2% milk and Wonderbread years ago, but native Georgians still seem to have a hankering for this combination.

So, I'm watching dime-sized flakes fall, waiting for the telltale phone call from my boss that will notify me...and all of my teachers and students...that we have a day to stay late in bed, get up to a feast of scrambled eggs with our children and maybe, just maybe, swallow a glass of Mayfield cow juice...

Wizard of Oz, McFerrin style

2009-01-11T17:43:00.001-05:00

My favorite rendition of the music from the Wizard of Oz....

Bobby McFerrin

2009-01-11T17:28:00.002-05:00

Several years ago my wife and I had the opportunity to see Mr. McFerrin perform at the Rialto Center in Atlanta. About half way through the show, he asked for several members from the audience to come to the stage...a fairly random and spontaneous act...just as his music would suggest!...and so I bolted from my seat (several rows up in the house) and went like a madman to the stage (who knew I was such the public person!?). This video gives a sense of that moment...what he does with the audience in this video is only the very first thing he did with the "mini choir" at the Rialto. Still one of the highlights of my life...

Rives: Levitate

2009-01-03T16:00:00.003-05:00

Rives is far and away, way, way my favorite performance poet. I think I know the boy who can levitate...I think he goes to my school...and I take care of him...every day...except tomorrow, when he gets a snow day, but I have to report to my desk by 10 AM...

A New Year

2008-12-31T18:31:00.002-05:00

2008 is history within a few hours, and we await another beginning. Along with cheapening the true meanings of most holidays-we give thanks? really? And Christ...in Christmas?-we have cheapened the idea of beginning again, of embracing opportunity and of making the most of every new day.

We have lost the notion of grasping every chance we are given, but, then, we have lost the idea that we have a purpose to fulfill too. But we do. That purpose? How about loving one another...

So often we take "love" for granted, that it's some kind of "feeling" or some mystical magnetism that we sometimes feel for another person. Rather than a happenstance, "might happen with one in a thousand people" thing, though, love is a capacity that can be developed and applied to any other person. How should we begin?

By considering what we would want to have happen for ourselves. See someone struggling to load their groceries in the car? What would you want for yourself? Some help? Then help. How about a South American village that doesn't have clean water? What if it were your family that drank out of a sewage littered stream every day? Wouldn't you want someone to help provide clean water? Then do it...

Loving others is simple, really, especially if we begin with how we love ourselves...it seems we're especially talented at considering ourselves, aren't we? But once we commit ourselves to transforming that self-love into a love for others, a love constituted in action and selflessness, we have tapped into the center of Christ's passion for us, His love for us and how we, as His body, can translate that love into the world.

Giving

2008-11-28T13:32:00.002-05:00

I'm filthy rich. Please know that I don't say this in any way to brag, but simply to identify myself as blessed by God. How do I know I am rich? Well:
-I have a house;
-I eat, often more than three meals a day;
-I own two cars;
-I have four pets, two dogs and two cats, none of whom have ever been considered as a possible item for the above lunch table;
-I drink clean water-out of the tap!-and only drink bottled water when I choose to spend the money;
-I have more than one set of clothing. Heck, I have clothes!
-I have a computer (more than one);
-I have all of the entertainment I can stand-and it comes in more than a soccer ball;
-I just had a "Thanksgiving feast: that provided enough calories to feed a small village for a week.

And what of all this bounty? It is meant as a sign of God's blessing, grace and love, to compel us to love others, and God, in reutrn. So many of us horde and worry about the security of our futures that we are handicapped in our ability to love others as God would have us love. We believe that the God of grace who has showered blessing on us thus far will one day forget us. Why would we believe that? Only in the human mind can we totally ignore and distrust our own experience, let alone what someone tells us (ever read the Bible?), in order to draw our own malfrmed opinions. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us, who lives in and with us, who shows us how to love, to give, to embrace our brothers and sisters who are less ftunate yet who are still full of love to be unlocked.

And isn't that the business of Heaven to unlock love? Of course, the only way to do so is to love, to give unselfishly, to open your heart, your home, your wallet, and in so doing to encourage others in the name of Jesus to the same. It is shameful to consider how little we truly know of sacrifice, especially when we ponder how much Christ gave for us. May God bless us as we learn to love...

Unsent Letters

2008-11-26T21:55:00.002-05:00

The holidays usually find me able to work up enough of a head of steam to write. Writing is, for me, a vacation for my mind to be enjoyed as my body recuperates from the usually, daily activities that it dreads. Not only do I blog and add to my journal on occasion, I am an avid writer of letters; I've got this great hope that my children, and my children's children will know me, know who I am through all of these outlets. So often I wish I knew so much more of my father and grandfathers...and so I am trying to build the vault of written evidence of who I am.

Unfortunately, I am also the greatest of the world's procrastinators...and packrats. I have multitudes of finished letters, many of which are actually in addressed envelopes...and which are sitting in various stacks waiting for a stamp and a trip to the post box. Heck, I even have stamps (what did I ever do before the "forever stamps?") tucked away in covers of books and in trays of writing paper and hidden in drawers.

So, I guess my letters become time capsules of sorts, sitting in envelopes for months...even years, in some cases(!), waiting to expose what my life was like so many months ago to dear loved ones who are, blessedly, glad to hear from me whenever they can. As I travel to Thanksgiving dinner with friends tomorrow, posts to my father, grandmother and grandfather will be sent, pre-gravy stains, with as much love as I can muster...with interest accrued!

An Open Letter to Our New President

2008-11-23T21:51:00.003-05:00

Mr. Obama:

After what feels like the longest executive search in history, the shareholders of our country met on November 4th of this year and chose you to be our next CEO. Congratulations.

Please keep in mind that nearly half of those holding stock in our country chose someone else. Their reasons were myriad. Some were off-put by your demographic (middle-aged, married with children, Harvard Law grad? Been there, done that!), while others decried the relative thinness of your resume'.

With that said, it should be pointed out that our country has often chosen its leaders from a pool of candidates with less experience than many of us thought necessary. But then, Mr. Obama, we didn't select you for your experience, or even for your administrative expertise. We've hired you to be a change agent, someone to recast an American vision based less on brute force and more on thoughtful consideraon of the future. We want something great left to our children; it's up to you to help us envision what that will look like.

As you begin, there will be immediate transitional concerns to deal with. We resently have a military force fully engaged in two foreign countries, neither of which has ever declared war on us, and both of which today can only marginally be considered threats to us. The expense of maintaining these theatres of war, first terms of human cost, secondly in terms of materiel, is a constant and significant drain on the available pool of resources we have to use in governing our country.

Of course, we are also facing a domestic financial downturn. Our response to this situation is necessarily hampered by the above situations; it seems counter-intuitive to offer the same ill-managed companies that have contributed to this siuation a $700 billion chance to underperform and fail-again-at taxpayer/national shareholder expense. If we are supposed to trust these companies to perform, why aren't their shareholders demanding change in leadership of the countries? Isn't it the shareholders responsibility to govern how their companies are run?

You have begun to talk about the important things, particularly how we, as a culture, set out to care for the least among us, while challenging and enabling us to produce and support the best citizenry we can. I'm excited at the prospect of claiming another century as an "American Century." While many are "selling" stock in America, I continue to buy, trusting in the innate power of freedom and democracy to elicit greatness from those of us invested in it. I hope that while you deal with the pressing matters of the day, you will also challenge us as a nation to be great...how about Americans on Mars by 2020, or clean water for every person in the world by 2030? I wish you Godspeed in this challenging endeavor!

Duane Kline
American Citizen

Citizenship

2008-11-04T20:18:00.002-05:00

It's nights like tonight that characterize what it means to be an American citizen. Being able to be a part, even a small part, of history being made is part of the blessing of American citizenship. Apart from the thrill of being engaged in such a massive and important endeavor, the notion that the framers of our system of government trusted the American people to have this kind of input is incredible, perhaps unique in human history.

When we think about the responsibility given to us, that trust extended to us means that we are to consider not only our own concerns, our own personal economy or circumstances, but the welfare of the other 300,000,000 Americans who share our country as well. This is the incredibly meaningful part of who we are as a nation; we are a confederation of individuals brought together by civic responsibility for one another. I am amazed that for the last 200 years or so we've been able to have disagreement be the basic format for determining our government, and we've survived and prospered.

Vote if you can. If you can't, talk about voting. And no matter what...pray for God's guidance and blessing...I do pray for God's blessing on America tonight...

Palin Versus McCain's Other VP Hopefuls

2008-10-25T19:18:00.000-04:00

Palin Versus McCain's Other VP Hopefuls

Okay, a few points about the Republican ticket in the upcoming election:

1. Governor Palin is not the candidate of record. Please stop talking about "her candidacy." Yes, she'd be "a heartbeat away" from the presidency...which is worrisome, to say the least...but let's face it, she does for John McCain what a great looking prom date does for the school nerd--she gives some social cred until, oops, she opens her mouth...

2. Alaska, in all of its geographic glory, can't claim much in terms of complexity when compared to virtually any of the 48 contiguous States of the Union. I mean, heck, if a big part of your time as governor can be spent a) hunting for moose and b) posing for pictures with them once you kill them, how hard a job can it be, really?

3. I'm sure Governor Palin is a nice person, I suppose, but I'm not electing nice, I'm electing leadership, I'm electing smart, I'm electing common sense. So, I'm not voting for the ticket that includes her...

4. And any mention of Sarah Palin and 2012? You have GOT to be kidding me?! I understand the sorry state of affairs that made Senator McCain choose Governor Palin as his running mate, really...desperation does that to common sense. But if this is the best running mate the Republican Party could find for their presidential ticket...they deserve to become a third party...

No really...I said "Slow Down..."

2008-10-22T13:04:00.002-04:00

Okay, so here I am, sitting on my couch watching Nicolas Cage in Family Man--all during the school day. What the heck is going on here?! Every now and again God has me stand in the rain a tad too long...you know, just long enough to catch a cold...and reins me in. Here I sit, for the second day in a row, nose running, head full and bobbing like a balloon. Whatever it takes to get the tank full, I suppose...

I can drink a pot of Douwe Egbert's coffee, straight from Hungary and think about who I'm going to interview for the two positions we have open at school; I can type out evaluations and live in the quiet that this house gives...and wish that it wasn't quiet at all.

That's the thing that gets me on sick days. It's remarkable how much I miss the noise and energy and interaction of my school. I miss walking down the hallway greeting students and teachers--heck, I even miss yelling at kids who are going to be late between classes. So much for enjoying my sick days...

Landing in Budapest...

2008-10-05T05:46:00.003-04:00

Anne and I have returned to our friends in Budapest, Hungary for a fall week's respite. I often forget that my back really doesn't like sitting on the plane for prolonged periods. I'm doing exercises suggested by my doctor which take the edge off...now I can say I've done them on two continents!

We're staying with Jolayne and Tibi and Emma, our very dear friends. Emma is now a three year old in all of the brilliant ways kids can be three...talking up a storm, loving to read (or, be read to...), not quite potty-trained, but getting there and having a mind of her own in most things! Wonderful! Tibi has finished his schooling and is in line for a promotion to first lieutenant with the Hungarian Air Force...Jolayne is leading English clubs and bible studies and opening her home to ne'er-do-wells like me...maybe it's my wife's charm that gets me in the door?

We're taking today (Sunday) to de-jetlag. We're seeing our first group of friends tonight...these friends have been fellow workers at summer camps over the years, and we truly enjoy their company. Our adult English class friends are stopping by later in the week...party city!

Tomorrow brings a Budapest day...pictures will follow!

One true thing

2008-09-09T19:25:00.002-04:00

I am continually amazed by God. By His grace, by His love...and recently, by the singularity of the call He places on my life as a Christian.

I love many people, many things. I love my wife, my children, my parents and sister. I love my work. I love my extended family and dear friends. And I love God.

Isn't that the thing that many of us face? The love we have for God is one love among many, one that we can mention in a list, that makes us comfortable, feeling that we can "check the box" of love for God. And this is the lesson God is showing me, that He doesn't want to be part of a list of loves, but rather THE love of my life, one that consumes me and becomes the source for all of the other loves of my life.

I'm a little concerned with that idea, that I won't be the master of my loves. I worry sometimes that someone, or something will be left out...but then I recall that by refusing to give this control to God, I am leaving a great deal out--I'm missing out on a great deal, as well.

How can I be Jesus to everyone I love? How can He use me to serve the world, to change it, to fill it with Him? Perhaps by seeking His will, His life, His word, and by realizing that Jesus will transform me, change me to be His image because He loves me....

ABC News: Is the End of Unlimited Internet Near?

2008-09-01T11:58:00.001-04:00

ABC News: Is the End of Unlimited Internet Near?

I wonder if this is a thing that could have been forseen? It makes sense, in a capitalist economy, that those that have a resource will begin to limit access to it. Why? So that they can begin to charge for various levels of access. I mean, of course people are going to scream; you're taking away something they're use to. And how will Comcast, et. al. respond? By acknowledging their customers' "need for convenience" by agreeing to allow for greater levels of access (oddly enough, back to the levels we already enjoy!) if only the customers will pay for it. How gracious of them...sounds just like the oil companies..?? (Interesting, too, that Comcast is setting their limit-250GB-so much higher than other competitors...won't the customers come flocking to the company that gives them so much more??? Let's see...the big guy starts pushing out the little guy because the big controls more of the resource...hmmm....Monopoly, anyone?)

What? WHAT!!??

2008-08-26T10:29:00.002-04:00

ESPN - 9-year-old boy told he's too good to pitch - ESPN

Read this article. This is obscene. If a parent is afraid to let their kid face another 9 year old because HE CAN PITCH, let them take their kids off of their teams. "I don't want you to pitch to me because you're too good." Someone unplug my morphine, because I am NOT believing this....

This is why our kids are becoming second rate people...because we're teaching them to be afraid of being first rate.

Speaking of which....let's let this kid throw out the first pitch at Game 7 of the World Series this year...in a Cubs uniform! He can pitch for my team any day...

Cosmos

2008-08-23T12:54:00.003-04:00

I can remember as a kid being allowed to stay up with my parents and sister each Sunday night to watch the original broadcast on public television. Having just downloaded the series from iTunes my children and I are having Cosmos-fest. While Carl Sagan decried belief in God and viewed Christianity as a form of "mysticism," I don't take offense. I see the same world he saw, the same universe, and am filled with the very same sense of awe and wonder it seems that he had. After about 30 years, I feel not only a sense of wonder, but a sadness for Dr. Sagan who missed out on the greater wonder of faith.

He told of the history of our world and our understanding of it, and opened my mind to the notion that life may well be all about us. As a Christian I do not find anything in my God or His word that excludes life in other places, simply that He prizes life here, among His children, most highly. I am a privileged child of a God who has given me the opportunity to be able to contemplate His creation, and I am humbled and awestruck by that gift...

Where who's going?

2008-08-23T08:10:00.002-04:00

"If you really want a winning ticket, this is it," Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a June interview on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos". "I've looked at every other possible candidate. No one brings to a ticket what Hillary brings -- Eighteen million people committed to where she's going."

You see, that would have been the problem with an Obama-Clinton ticket (one I absolutely would not have even considered voting for...); the majority of Democrats...people in their own party...have said they were committed to where Barack Obama was going--not Hillary Clinton. Being vice president means understanding that you'll spend at least four year in the background, privately and quietly working to shape policy and have influence (if only Dick Cheney had figured that out...). I'm pretty sure Mrs. Clinton wouldn't have worked that way and, to put it bluntly, as an independent voter, I really don't care where she's going. It's about Obama and McCain, presently, and about the House of Representatives and the one third of the Senate that will stand for election. I'm glad for Mr. Obama that he chose Senator Biden as his running mate; it seems like a smart if moderately uncomfortable fit. Now if both candidates will just say something intelligent and inspirational and forward looking about America--I'm listening...

This is policy-making? By smart people?

2008-08-22T22:20:00.001-04:00

Texas university leaders join debate on lowering drinking age | Top stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Okay. My favorite argument being used for this is an old chestnut I used to use myself..."if I'm old enough to vote, and old enough to go to war, I'm old enough to drink." As I've aged a bit, I've had several life lessons in flawed logic; this is a prime example, given the fact that consumption of a legalized depressant has little to do with voting, other than the act of voting is also a legalized depressant. Come to think of it, so is going to war...

Of course, the one right that doesn't come with any age is the right to increase the chances that you'll kill me while you are inebriated. I certainly understand the balance we Americans choose to have between responsibility and rights...it's just that I work with 18 year olds every day, and while I love every one of them, I'm disinclined to leave my life in their hands while their other hand has a beer in it...

Let's take a pass on this notion. What the college presidents in Texas and around the country seem to miss is the idea that "binge drinking" is a function of 18-20 year olds not being able to manage the inherent relative freedom of their college surroundings. You want to make people safe and help them to make better choices? Give them alternatives to their behaviors and structures that guide their thinking...not easier access to their poison of choice. And I had so much hope for my post-secondary colleagues...

Now just wait a dang minute!

2008-08-22T22:10:00.001-04:00

Georgia 'still under Russian occupation' - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

You know, I'm astounded that we've just stood by as Russia has gone barging into another sovereign country. They rolled into Georgia based on some feebly grounded foundation of pseudo-fact, attempting to assert control in a part of the world that would give them increased access to oil....oh, wait...nevermind...

Finding a balance

2008-08-10T14:54:00.002-04:00

I've noticed over the past few years that as I've been raising children and leading a school and working to help guide my church and take on a love of missions work in Hungary and...and...and...well, you get the idea, that I may have lost something along the way. As I have tackled these larger responsibilities, I've found myself moving away from personal goal-setting. In younger days, my growth was closely tied to individual goals, frequently health or activity related like running a certain number of 5K races or completing the Peachtree road race or riding my bicycle across Georgia each summer. Completion of these goals meant a great deal to me and fueled the ambition I had in the other parts of my life.

Of course, as I met those ambitions the energy I spent to maintain the levels of focus I had as a husband and parent and leader drained my pretty much to empty each year--fair to say that this wasn't the kind of cycle I'd planned to find myself in over the long term.

Luckily I have a 14 year old and an 11 year old who are both now invested in meeting goals, and who may well drag me along with them. Here's to a new year (school year, of course!) full of new goals and fuel for great things...and a family to go along with me.

Waiting for the pizza...

2008-08-07T19:32:00.001-04:00

It's Thursday of the first week of school, which means my menu is slowly morphing into its school year version...frozen pizza, hot dogs at half time and the occasional high nutrition Diet Coke. We've gotten off to a great start this year...which is wearing me out. Trying to get enough sleep, and waiting for my DiGiornio's frozen thin crust pepperoni pizza. Life is good...

Revelations on the 43rd Feast of My Nativity

2008-07-27T18:06:00.002-04:00

Aging, to wit:

--A year ago I could actually read this print without glasses. Not so much now....
--I spent the day being harassed alternately by my back, and then by my wife who insisted I get the appropriate drug to address said problem. Of course, at 43, muscle relaxants relax more than muscles so I go there infrequently, pain be damned...
--Then there was Mark, the very kind fellow behind the counter at Williams-Sonoma. I stopped there to pick up a gift certificate for a friend (didn't want you thinking that I was cooking...). While checking my ID against my credit card, he glanced at my circa 1996 picture...fairly youngish and sans facial hair...and said "You look better with the goatee." God bless you, Mark, even if you were flirting...
--Which, of course, is another sign of aging. I'm simply much more tolerant of the variety of people who coexist with my on the planet, and truly appreciate their kindnesses without regard for any presumed hidden agenda.
--The burdens we carry as we age have little to do with the physical world. I have friends struggling with matters of faith and of maintaining relationships and parenting; I carry burdens for them, mostly because of the remarkable blessing I live with in my own life. A day doesn't go by that I'm not struck by the love of my family-a beautiful, talented wife and two kids beyond remarkable-as well as the blessing I have in that both of my parents and my single sibling are still here to enjoy life with me. I have a great job that kicks my butt, friends that help me to get through it and a variety of interests that I am blessed enough to indulge. Happy Birthday, indeed...

Eating well

2008-07-11T13:47:00.002-04:00

One of the great things about going to places for conferences with a group of colleagues is the bonding power of food. We're enjoying our trip to the High Schools that Work conference, learning and thinking about way too much to possibly change, but we're eating well! A little Italian, a couple of steaks, maybe some seafood tonight?

Of course, the real fun is the notion that we do this together, that we can learn to build relationships and enjoy each other, we can talk about the stuff that is important to us, that will really contribute to the success of our students. What a great way to open the new school year...

On the road...again?

2008-07-10T12:34:00.003-04:00

My wife and I really enjoy working together. We've found that to be less than normal, though we can't imagine not working in education, let alone not together in the same school. We've tried working in different schools, though there is a real drain on our collective energy when we separate our concentration.

One of the perks of our work is that occasionally we get to travel together to a conference. This week finds us in Nashville, TN, at the national High Schools That Work conference. It's always fun to hear a combination of theorists and practitioners, and to try to steal the best ideas for use in our school. It also makes for interesting rides to and from the conference, given that my wife-a dynamic, wonderful teacher-clings to the notion that the principal (that would be me) might not always be right. I'm working to correct that misinformation...

The only hazard at this conference is that the same good presentations tend to draw everyone...I'm sitting this session out because both of the presentations I wanted to get to were overflowing by the time I got there. Not to worry, however...lunch is right around the corner, and I should be able to get a head start to the 1pm session!

Too Tired to Blog

2008-06-06T20:49:00.004-04:00

Each spring our house goes through a brief period of deschoolification, a two or three day period when all of the problems of the previous school year more or less die away, and we retool for a less stressful couple of months during the summer. That's about where we are now...

We have our first no school, no soccer weekend coming up, and the possibilities of late sleep, a trip to the zoo and simply being quiet are thrilling me. I still have a situation or two to straighten out at school, but for the most part I and the school and the family are at peace. Anne has had a health scare (more on that later...), but that, too, seems to have passed with God's blessing.

Maybe I'll summon my strength and write more this weekend...

Who Shouldn't Vote

2008-05-17T20:07:00.001-04:00

I was listening to Dan Carlin's Common Sense podcast today and I was struck, again, by a notion that I've been reminded of lately, that not everyone should have a vote in our country's national elections. I see you reaching for the rope to hang me with, not to mention the lighter you'll be using to burn me in effigy (...not, "in effigy" you say??), so I'll hold forth a bit in an attempt to explain myself...

First, it should be known that I am not the first to have this notion. Indeed, it could be argued that Thomas Jefferson..you know, the guy who wrote about inalienable rights, was also the originator of this thought in terms of American politics. The founding fathers, Jefferson included, were wary of the power of ignorant masses and worked to make provision against that ignorance (can you say "branches of government" and "separation of powers?"). So, with the foundingest of fathers having my back, I'll proceed.

It's not that I believe that a blanket rule against votership should be crafted, nor would I ever even consider any rule that used a person's ethnicity, religion or sexual preference (I'm doing my best to avoid mixing my morality with politics....eeewwwwww...) as a way to keep them out of the voting booth. There are, however, a few categories that I believe should be excluded...like:

1. People without a high school diploma, or some semblance thereof. Education in America, such as it is (and I'm hip deep in it every day of my life..) is nothing if not a cultural door through which we expect our young to pass, even if all they have managed to pick up is the rudiments of reading, writing and ciphering, and being a citizen requires some facility in each of these areas...
2. People who can't pass a basic citizenship test. And I mean EVERYONE...including those born here. Part of the scourge of American politics is that candidates believe that they must avoid any serious conversations or policy thoughts because the average voter wouldn't understand what they are saying. And they're right. In the most important franchise we exercise as citizens, we've allowed the disengaged and uninformed to gain the majority...and that is NOT what the founders had in mind...and even if they'd had that in mind, I'm still pretty sure it's wrongheaded. If the person standing in front of me at the polling station has no idea that there are three branches of government, let alone what they are...and if they don't know the words to the National Anthem...or that the American Civil War was fought in the 19th century, then I'm certain I don't want them deciding the fate of the free world. Of course, that's just me...
3. People who believe that their vote should be cast, or any election should be decided over one issue. I don't care what it is...the right to bear arms, the right to have an abortion, the right to pray in school...no one issue encapsulates completely what it means to be a leader, let alone to be a leader of the most diverse and free population of people on the planet. You might as well choose to vote for the guy (or gal) who looks good in a blue shirt; if history has taught us anything, it is that politics is the art of mastering the changing position, and being skillful enough to explain your shift in a way that makes it sound like no shift at all. The political landscape is rife with candidates who tell us what they think we want to hear, knowing that in most cases we'll stop paying attention after the election, and they can do whatever is expedient from then on...

When I interview teachers, I look for people who genuinely like children, who have a clear notion of what should happen in a classroom and who are people I can like. When we vote for a president, shouldn't we vote for a LEADER, someone who sees what needs to happen and who will commit themselves to the best (not necessarily most popular) way to achieve the goals before them? And shouldn't I be able to ask them to prove that I can be comfortable with the way the make decisions? That's about it...tell me what principles (yes, you have to have some) guide your decision making, and I'll decide if that's good enough for me and my country. And don't pander to ignorant nabobs who are unwilling to do their homework...they live here, but they're hardly citizens...

Which brings me to two groups who should automatically qualify for votership...teachers and soldiers. And why these two groups? Because the ONLY reason they might have gone into those professions is to serve others and to make our country a better, more learned and safer place for the rest of us. I'll forgive ignorance in people who are willing to give their lives for me...

Things my mom taught me...

2008-05-10T21:35:00.003-04:00

Educators seem to have a greater debt than most to their parents. Since we're celebrating Mother's Day tomorrow, I thought I'd review some of what I've learned from my mother over the years (she's still teaching...):

-Veg-All, the kind in the can? Leave it in the can...
-Persevere...and eventually, your son will eat whatever you put in front of him, except for lima beans...
-Adapt as life continues...
-Presume love...
-People are more important than things...
-Serving others requires more than desire...
-Love often looks different than we think it should...
-A phone call can mean as much as any amount of money or gifts...
-Parenting is way more challenging than she made it look...

Happy Mother's Day, mom...I love you...

Go The Fleet!!!

2008-05-10T11:32:00.002-04:00

Ebbsfleet United! FA Trophy Champions! 1-0 over Torquay United! What a great day!!!

Go The Fleet!

Snakes and fish?

2008-04-09T18:02:00.000-04:00

So there we were, walking across this wonderfully scenic bridge at Callaway Gardens, minding our own business...

We were enjoying the grey, misty day, taking in some of the spring foliage, when Aaron hollered "Hey! You guys! Come here! You've GOT to see this!" As we walked up, Aaron pointed down into the water along side the bridge, and this is what we saw...

This snake had just caught his lunch, and was in the process of getting somewhere that he could snarf it down (that's a term for what amphibians do with their meals). He made for the rock so that he wouldn't have to battle the current, and then swallowed the fish...whole. We got to see the whole thing, not in the zoo, not behind glass, just a fortuitous 5 foot glance over a bridge railing. Way too cool...

One Mean Bunny

2008-03-29T22:41:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite online pasttimes is to use my "stumble" button to find cool new sites. This bunny showed up on my screen, and it made me think of a couple of things:

First, a day in my office. The life of a high school principal is very much like being the meanest looking bunny rabbit around; warm, always trying to avoid being put in someone's stew, and occasionally grimacing just enough to make everyone think I bite. Hmmmm....maybe I do?

Then there's the scene from Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail--the Holy Hand Grenade scene with the vicious bunny rabbit. Wonderful...still the funniest movie ever. EVER.

Now, if I can only look this distinguised one day...

Persistent scent...

2008-03-21T22:32:00.001-04:00

You can almost smell it, can't you, on this holiest night of a Holy week? The nard that Mary lavished over Jesus just a few days ago still lingers in his hair. I wonder if Jesus caught its odor as He was beaten, or as his blood-mixed sweat dropped from His face in the garden at Gethsemene. I wonder what he remembered? Mary's beautiful act, the friends that surrounded him--perhaps their amazement at her gift, or Judas' disdain at the "waste."

As he was beaten by the guards, did they smell the perfume? What an odd juxtaposition...pain, the smell of blood and leather overlaid with the sweet scent of myrrh and frankincense and nard.

As the guards stripped him and gambled for his clothes, stained with blood and sweat, did they pick up on the faint hint of Mary's gift that stayed in that garment? Did they have any idea where it had been, what it's owner had done?

Did thoughts of Lazarus enter Jesus mind as he smelled the perfume still remaining in His hair? Mary and Martha and Lazarus, His best friends...what did that scent bring to mind?

As he uttered His last, drew in His last breath, looked down upon His mother and disciple, asked His heavenly father to forgive His torturers...His murderers...did He once catch a sweet scent that brought even the least respite, a reminder of kinder times, kinder people...perhaps a preview of Heaven?

And are we the scent of heaven? Are we the odor of God's grace to the world around us? Are we a sweet scent before the Lord? On this Good Friday, I wonder what perfume I'm wearing as I consider all that Jesus did for me two millenia ago...

At the end of the row...

2008-03-12T20:06:00.003-04:00

My son, Aaron, won his school's Reader of the Year essay contest. I was out of town when I learned about his triumph, so I told him I'd take him out to dinner and to, of course, the book store as a reward.

We wandered into Books-a-Million and I made my way to the back of the store where the magazines reside. Lots of magazines. As you enter the magazine area you are confronted with guitar player magazines, fantasy baseball magazines, a score of magazines with barely clad women...Cosmopolitan with a poor girl who had to wear a bag-looking sort of dress while attempting her best come-hither look...difficult for a relatively fresh faced coed in her early 20's to do. I kept walking past Architectural Digest and Southern Living to where the smart people's magazines reside. Just a couple of shelves, mind you, magazines of poetry and writing and ideas. It wasn't crowded at all in front of these magazines of progressive and religious and political thought...certainly far less so than in front of Esquire.

But this is where I hang out. This is what my son's victories get me...time to stand and ponder and think in front of magazines that only I and three other people buy. I'm glad for the victories we have...

On Richard Dawkins

2008-03-02T17:05:00.004-05:00

I've been listening to Dr. Bill Dembski via podcast talk to student theologians at Asbury College. The topic at hand is a discussion of Richard Dawkins' statement that Darwin made it possible, through his theory of evolution, for Dawkins and others to be "intellectually fulfilled" atheists. The talk proceeded to discuss the evidences of God's creative handiwork in cellular design--all of which I buy, by the way--and to claim that while Dr. Dawkinhs could certainly continue to cling to his atheism, he really didn't have grounds to claim "intellectual fulfillment."

I am a Christian. I completely accept God's role as creator--and His son's as redeemer, and His spirit's as comforter and sanctifier--so the premise that Dr. Dembski puts forward for intelligent design I can accept as one way for a Christian to make sense of God's creativity.

But that's just not the point, is it?

Christians and non-believers alike are guilty of working to prove facts about our belief systems, thinking that in that proof lies the ability to persuade others to our way of thinking. We worry about how many angels fit on the head of a pin, and how long a day of creation was, and whether cellular biology proves God's hand in our design. As we examine each of these trees very closely, we miss the forest, don't we? The people with whom we are arguing--the ones we so desperately want to persuade--are dying--REALLY dying, falling victim to Satan's guile.

Rather than trying to persuade Dr. Dawkins and others like him by the power of our argument, shouldn't we be praying for the spirit to open the eyes of this blind man? Shouldn't we be ministering to him, loving him so that he can see the spirit of the living God at work? While I am sure the field of apologetics is a key tool in the work of the kingdom, I am also sure that the Holy Spirit alone will provide the grace needed to make the dead live again (Ezekiel 37).

We need to keep our eye on the ball, it seems to me. God wants souls saved; he'll answer all of our questions (like "what did you write in the sand when you stood between the adulteress and her judgment?") on the other side of Heaven's gates.

"Love me," He says, "and love your brothers and sisters, just like you love yourselves," God tells us. Faith isn't about knowing all of God's secrets, but rather it's about trusting Him in spite of our lack of knowledge.

The evidence we claim is the love of God as shown to us in Jesus Christ. Love. Faith. Trust. We know these things to be true because we've seen them modeled in Christ Jesus. And that's the point--we live these truths so that we might model them for those who don't know Jesus, and those who don't believe.

Oddly enough, I can't call to mind anyone I know that has been argued into God's kingdom, but I know several who have been loved into God's presence. I hope I can become thekind of lover that God will use to fill his kingdom...

Because He Loved me first,

2008-02-23T19:53:00.000-05:00

I'm getting into shooting series

2008-02-23T19:26:00.000-05:00

of photos, same subject matter but different exposures. Black and white, color, sepia--it's great fun to see with a different set of eyes the same thing, over and over.

Next to seeing Neil Armstrong...

2008-02-23T19:22:00.000-05:00

In the visor of Buzz Aldrin's visor, this picture has got to be the coolest spaceman's visor shot ever taken.

"So there I was, floating a couple hundred miles above the earth, checking the oil and cleaning the windows when all of a sudden I looked up...and there was this great looking planet..."

I can remember daydreaming about being the guy who would say those words. Needless to say, high school principaling is an adventure that a) I'm way better suited to, and b) is every bit as inspiring and dangerous as floating over the Earth...

The Catching Point of Grace

2008-02-22T21:39:00.003-05:00

I was walking through the bookstore today and was perusing books on faith and Christianity and was astounded at the number of books by atheists who have decided that attacking Christianity is the best way (only?) to try to convince others of the veracity of their claims. It would seem, by and large, that if those on the cultural forefront of atheism can call us believers enough names loudly enough that they expect to convert the uncertain, agnostic masses.

The catching point of Christianity for many of this current brand of atheists (and many of us Christians, I'd suppose) is that we can't rationalize a loving God who is also a God that demands justice.

I saw a book today that stated that Jesus' act of propitiation, the shedding of His blood for our sins, is simply a reflection of a human mythos that sees shed blood as a symbol for justice. I'm okay with this notion. After all, why would God not use a human, real world image and/or set of circumstances (shed blood, bread and wine, death and resurrection) to communicate His need for justice...and His forgiveness? The Old Testament gives a series of strong foretelling examples for this redeeming work of Jesus Christ. Part of our problem is that we presume God simply wants to "act," rather than include us in His plan. We have this incredible inferiority complex (cleverly disguised by my non-believing friends as humanism) that dissuades us from believing that God loves us, let alone that He created us in His image. It's so much simpler to plot our own design without considering God as our master, isn't it? On the one hand we have a God who demands our submission; on the other the same God who loves us enough to send His own son to die for us. Each of us, individually, mind you. I don't always get it either, but I do know that because of His love for me, I love Him, and because of that shared love--because of the example of His son Jesus, I'm not so worried about giving myself to Him to serve His purpose. And that is the point...can we give ourselves to the greatest of kings for a purpose we don't necessarily understand? Can we believe? And there's the funny thing--I can't even do that without His help and love. That's grace. Amazing.

Damn these rabbit ears!

2008-02-07T21:05:00.000-05:00

Good evening. I'm Duane.

"Hi Duane."

I'm a Lost-a-holic.

"That's okay, Duane. We're listening."

It all started when this friend of mine (a loosely used term, mind you) let me "borrow" season one. "Go ahead," she said, "you'll like it."

I held off for a while, not wanting to commit myself to trying something that might prove addictive. The DVD's sat unwatched for a couple of months. I was strong...or so I thought.

Christmas break rolled around and I found myself with nothing else to do...and I put one DVD in...and then another...and then another.

Soon I'd watched all of Season One and started downloading season two from iTunes...I kept getting fixes to tide me over. I found it hard to go to sleep, and it was even worse as I'd run out of episodes and had to WAIT for new ones to download. I'd shake and get tremors...it was horrible...(small sobs...)

"We feel your pain, Duane."

As soon as I got back from break, my "friend" was waiting with seasons two and three...no more downloads, just hours of mindless droning, wondering if Jack's father was dead or alive or Jacob; feeling really bad for Sayid as his life fell apart; watching Charlie die-I think. I've been mind-numbingly confused and attached and befuddled and up and down.

I don't know if I can even stand a week to week viewing schedule...

Oh, and by the way, my wife doesn't allow cable OR satellite or TIVO...just rabbit ears. Everyone on the show is living through a snow storm apparently. Just a little annoying for a story taking place on a tropical island!

Things I love because of my wife...

2008-01-26T21:17:00.000-05:00

Jesus. Robert Cray. Cats named for operas. Stouffers Macaroni and Cheese. Candles...the ones the smell. My children. My church. Staying home on Saturdays. Small restaurants with great food. Going to the symphony with my kids. Teaching. Being a principal. Andromeda. Naps. Waking up at 2AM. Watching soccer with her. Going to Eastern Europe. Friends-in Hungary-in our discipleship-that we've taught with. Life.

Streams of Consciousness

2008-01-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

I'm eternally grateful to the stylistically lazy school of writers, James Joyce please stand up, who leapt off of the cliff of normalcy to allow ADHD afflicted writers like me to exist-welcome to the internet!

My wife loves baskets you know the wicker ones which we have scattered about our home in her creative and well-intentioned effort to introduce order to my scattered thinking and collection of stuff. I count no less than two baskets in my living room, the holiest guest travelled space in my home. Of course I count no less than three piles of my stuff...I win!

We give each other knowing smiles, the gift of 18 years of marriage. She smiles putting away the groceries and vacuuming and placing my stuff in baskets-I smile sitting on the couch placing books and notebooks and writing utensils and water bottles all around me. Bliss-lots to smile about.

I found this music site called Bedtime Music, with its companion site Afternoon Delights. I'm hooked since I'm a huge electronic/acoustic/mellow sound fan. Just discovered Sara Bareilles-wonderful! Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap; very cool.

I'm resting since I am the face of a perpetual motion machine in nearly every place and phase and group and piece of my life. You could say I lead, if a surfer "leads" his surfboard, or the cowboy the saddle-the horse will carry you where he wants to go, you just need to agree with him. Every now and again I find myself allowed to truly lead in quiet, individual moments. I get a charge out of making life better against the worse current.

Three Day Weekend

2008-01-19T15:38:00.000-05:00

Locust Grove, Georgia. It's snowing now, Anne is napping and the kids and I are watching DVD's, blogging and enjoying the day.

It's seldom that I have an opportunity to think. You might find that a bit confounding, coming from a high school principal. You'd find, though, that as with most of us, principals live their vocation as much out of talent and habit as any other person. Given that, and the calendar that attends my work, thinking is a luxury.

And one that I like to pursue at my leisure. I'm not much of a pressure thinker, to be sure. So, with a few hours to spare, here's what thoughts will be knocking around my brain this weekend:

-who will I vote for in the coming presidential election, and why?
-how is God working in my life, and what is He calling me to do?
-what album should I buy next?
-my next Sudoku puzzle...
-Shakespeare's histories...
-the Cub's chances in 2008...
-power, who's got it, and how they use it...

All of that, and I have to write several blogs. So much for MLK weekend 2008...

Deferring Hope to Another World

2007-12-29T22:53:00.001-05:00

I like to listen to a wide variety of podcasts. Presently, I'm listening to Dr. Dan Strait give a message to the Asbury College community at a Wednesday Chapel. Dr. Strait is discussing a work by Dr. Samuel Johnson, and the notion that hope exists not in this world, but yet another.

This notion strikes me as pivotal to Christian life. Hope--the desire to see something happen that benefits us--cannot exist in a world bound by individual, personal desires. It cannot exist in a world where what we get determines our level of happiness, nor can it exist if we have no notion of a life of blessing. How we improve our lives is the text of a lifelong discussion; we Christians pray fervently that God would illuminate His gift of grace to us, that we would become completely reliant on Him for the peace and love and yes, hope, that opens life to us.

Of course, that hope is capped by the greatest hope we have, of the "many mansions" prepared for us by our Father, the God of Heaven, who sent us hope in a manger. Nifty gift wrapping...

Can I have your autograph?

2007-12-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

I was watching my son enjoy his newly found fame as emcee of the school talent show, and I was amazed. Here he was, nine at the time, signing autographs like nobody's business, totally oblivious to me and everyone else but for the person he was signing for. I didn't realize that autographing was such an art and science; seeing a natural do something they were born to has the impact of impressing us (me) deeply. What a wonderful and amazing time I live in, to see my son become a man and a leader and a brilliant man of the people...

Messing around with Zoho

2007-11-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

Zoho is one of a couple online office suites that I play with regularly...check out the amazingly stupid facts about myself I'm able to share with you through cutting edge technology...

Map Maker

2007-11-20T21:49:00.001-05:00

I have a friend
Who draws maps.
He makes ancient cities
New,
Replacing the boulevards of despots
With streets
And avenues
And alley ways
That free people
Travel.

There is a cartography
of the heart,
Unseen on his work,
Blue streets travelled
by remorseful lovers
Parting,
Red paths
Showing the secret trails
Used by enflamed hearts,
Searching each other
Out.

We can find our way
and be lost
at the same time-
A map only helps
If you already know
Where you
are going.

Quiet Saints

2007-11-20T21:44:00.001-05:00

They don't say much
Now,
The folks for whom
The bell tolls
Today.

Names and memories
From a thousand
Pasts,
Some shared
So that a collective smile
Crosses our faces.

All saints, I suppose,
Some more than others;
Though true saints,
To be sure,
For someone.

The pastor calls out names,
Many he never knew,
The shared faith
Enough of an assurance,
Blessed and certain,
That God's city
Will have enough room
For all of them
And us.

Saturday Songs

2007-11-20T21:40:00.001-05:00

There you go
with the rest of the
Dream Carriers,
White on top of Black,
at least light on dark,
Singing the tunes
Written
To set apart
This day
From all of the others.

There's this strange connection
Between you and me;
I find you instantly,
One out of a couple hundred
By the shape of your head-
Mine, only smaller,
And I wonder
If you can do the same, see me,
One of a thousand
Clapping heads
In the darker hall...
No, I don't suppose so.

But then flashing bulbs
Stop
And parents collect the future
And I see you looking
For me
So hard that you look
Right through me,
Until I fill your gaze,
Close enough to
Touch,
Tomorrow reaching for today.

For a Moment

2007-11-20T21:36:00.001-05:00

Frustration is the bellows
that blows the coals
Hot.

Thankless work begs
to be done,
Needful and important,
Necessity its only charm.

So we labor
Doing our best,
Filling the gaps
and wondering
What we should do
Next.

For a moment
We see the fruit
Hanging on the tree;
We must walk
the Red Hot coals
to taste its
sweetness.

The Road with You

2007-11-20T21:33:00.001-05:00

I've been walking this road
for some time now,
enjoying the curves
and bends
and hills, the valleys
not so much.

This road, this path
occasionally with shaded
shoulders, at times
Full Sun Hot, is anything
but straight.
Boredom never walks
with me here;
my eyes must always
be open,
waiting for the next
unexpected dip or
s v
w r e.
e

My love reminds me
that the only way
is forward-
backward can never happen-
it's best to forget the stumbles
as soon as they happen
lest we trip over them
again.

The reward is in the journey-
I can say I walked
with you on this road...
and that you enjoyed enough
of the trip
to love me.

Getting Ready for Company...

2007-11-17T13:03:00.000-05:00

Okay...

Can I just come clean for a minute? I love my in-laws...really. I love my friends, too. A goal my wife and I have had for much of our marriage is to be able to open our house to people we love, to share everything we have with them and to have the life of our family enriched by their love as they come and visit and share. There is, though, one hang-up.

Cleaning.

Now, please understand that I am not a lover of pig-sties. Truth be told, I'm a pile guy...don't mess with my piles, and I can tell you where everything is. Perfectly. I'm not a neat freak. I don't ask the rest of the world to be neat freaks either (just ask my mom, who tried to impress upon me the lack of Godliness inherent in messiness...). But the word "visit" or "visitor" or the phrase "come on over" trips some kind of psychological switch in the otherwise wonderfully balanced mind of my beautiful wife who, at the mention of the above words leaps freakishly into a frenzy, dragging my poor, sweet children along with her, racing against the clock (because these frenzies can never happen when we have time for them...) to vacuum, sweep, dust, mop, shake, deodorize and, yes, de-pile my abode. And it drives me nuts.

I am presently parked in our blue recliner typing away on this blog in order to look busy enough to avoid the feverish, labor camp-like work that is going on. Of course, I've tended to my well ordered cleaning tasks--handling the garbage--but there's a 13 year old girl...honest to gosh...mopping the kitchen floor as I type. Good googly moogly, what IS the world coming to? And where can I hide?