Happy Land - Pa's Filddle Project

Last night we had one of those Nashville moments where we enjoyed top notch musicianship at a free concert. The event was Pa's Fiddle Project - a musical odyssey inspired by the music mentioned in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. Janell has been reading the books to our girls (so far they've read Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prarie, and On the Banks of Plum Creek), so the whole family attended the show at Vanderbilt University. The songlist included Arkansas Traveler/Devil's Dream, Sweet By and By, Money Musk, Highland Mary, The Girl I Left Behind, Old Dan Tucker, The Gum Tree Canoe, Barbara Allen, Captain Jinks, The Blue Juniata, Irish Washerwomen, Oh! California, and On Jordan's Stormy Banks. The project and concert are both products of Vanderbilt's Blair School of Music. They have two cds available (highly recommended). This music is a cross-section of Americana: hymns, sprituals, ballads, bluegrass, etc... and will appeal to historians, lovers of american folk music, and of course fans of the Little House books.

Harry Potter is Dead - Long Live Harry Potter!

Janell and I both finished reading the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I'm not much of a literary critic, but I will say that the Rowling is a great story teller. Her characters are both fantastical and "real". I found myself really being moved emotionally as they experienced laughs, dangers, triumphs, and loss.

Most surprising of all was the more blatant Christian imagery and references in the final book. Christianity Today has a special section dedicated to the cultural phenomenon and in particular this review (caution: spoilers).

Also check out what aka Pastor guy has to say about the final book and the whole Christianity & HP controversy.

And finally, check out what the guys over at Scriptorium Daily are saying about Harry (caution: spoilers).

Update: My good friend Scott used his superior blogging skills to share his thoughts on Deathly Hallows.

And if you thought the epilogue was too short, check out J.K. Rowling's online chat transcript.

LOTR alternate ending

I'm a big fan of both the LOTR books and films, and I have never complained about their length. That said, this video is hilarious.

Is Harry Potter great literature?

I consider myself a fan of JK Rowling's Harry Potter series (I've read each of the books and watched the movies). However, I've always thought of the series as just children's literature and fun summer vacation reading - almost a guilty pleasure.

Thanks to the Hogwarts Professor, I'll won't feel guilty anymore. Check out what he has to say about the literary (and even spiritual) value of the series and his speculation on the 7th and final book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Warning this blog says its for the "serious reader of Harry Potter" and much of what he says may make your brain hurt (no pain, no gain).

hat tip: Filmchat

a little quiz

Where are you right now? Dallas, TX
What are you doing? I’m volunteering/consulting with Wycliffe Bible Translators – helping them establish an archives.
How long will you be there? Two weeks.
Is your family with you? No they are at home and I miss them dearly.

Done anything touristy? Scott came up from Waco and we went to Dealey Plaza to check out the grassy knoll.









What about church? I attended Irving Bible Church with my hosts. It’s the first truly modern, seeker-friendly mega-church I’ve attended. The worship band was very good and one of their elders spoke on the dangers of materialism. Very Cool!

Any good food in Dallas? A group of Wycliffe folks took me to a Pakastani restaurant and my hosts took me to the Original Market Diner on the city's westside.

Are you reading anything interesting? Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller (thanks Daniel!) This one of my new favorites.

What’s new on your iPod? Mute Math’s “Typical” and “Control” along with some Coldplay from X&Y and Rush of Blood…

What are watching on tv? Besides The Amazing Race which Janell and I closely follow, I’ve been watching Jericho and Lost. Streaming webtv has transformed my lunch breaks.

How about football? Well I’m pretty pleased with UT’s season. I’m so glad that Fulmer has turned the program around.
And the stupid underdog contest? I’m having a great season (17/33 for 100.5 pts. and in the top 100).

POST #100 / David McCullough and the Qualities of Leadership

We'll it took a little over a year to reach this milestone. I have good intentions of blogging more and reaching #200 at a faster pace...

This past week I attended a lecture by the Pulitzer Prize winning historian David McCullough over at MTSU. Overall David McCullough both enlightened and entertained. He began his speech with an amusing anecdote about being asked "Besides John Adams and Harry Truman, how many other presidents have you interviewed?" He also noted that the most striking impression of his only encounter with President Truman in person was the fact that Truman was in color.

The speech was entitled "Qualities of Leadership" and drew heavily upon the author's most recent works John Adams and 1776. During the lecture, McCullough stressed the importance of having a proper sense of history - that our founding fathers had a deep appreciation for classical history and a profound sense of duty to future generations. He also chided our culture for its nostalgic pining for a time when life was more simple. The "Good ol' Days" never happened! September 11 was perhaps the worst single day in our history, but it didn't fundamentally change everything. Furthermore, life in 1776 was not a picnic. For those present in the early days of our nation, the great American experiment was not guaranteed to succeed. McCullough reminded us that the actors in history did not know how their story would end, just as we do not know what the future holds for us today. He pointed out that throughout history, unexpected events often changed the course of history (for example, George Washington's miraculous retreat from Brooklyn made possible by favorable wind conditions that prevented the British from sailing upriver). McCullough also stressed the importance of teachers in our society and encouraged us to make history a priority in the education of our children.

the book list

There's a book list that's been making the blog rounds. Since Mark called me out publicly, I feel compelled to respond with my own list. I enjoy reading, but I don't read as much as I should or would like to.

One Book that Changed My Life

I'm not sure how to respond to this question. Certainly the Bible has played a very influential role in my life. Outside of the Bible, I'd have to say that Charles Sheldon's In His Steps and Elizabeth Elliott's Through Gates of Splendor.

One Book I've Read More than Once

This is easy - Tolkein's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings

One Book to Bring to a Desert Island

Forget books, can I bring my iPod?

One Book that Made Me Laugh

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

One Book that Made Me Cry

I'm not sure It made me cry but Charles Dickens' David Copperfield tugs at my heart strings.

One Book I Wish I'd Written

Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers

One Book I Wish had Never been Written

A Light in August by William Faulkner (required reading in 10th grade)

One Book I'm Currently Reading

I'm currently in the middle of a couple books: Starving Jesus by Craig Gross and JR Mahon and The Glory and the Dream by William Manchester.

One Book I've been Meaning to Read

This could be a very long list. Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis and Erwin McManus' The Barbarian Way would be two that top this list.

Body Piercing Saved My Life

Christianity Today has posted a book review for a new boook on "Christian Rock" called Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock by Andrew Beaujon. I love the reviewer's opening paragraph.

Show me an evangelical between the ages of 15 and 50, and I'll show you an evangelical who can tell this story (or something much like it): I used to listen to secular music, then I discarded it all and listened only to Christian music. Then I realized I didn't like much Christian music, so I slowly started listening to secular music again. Now I listen to the David Crowder Band in the mornings and Radiohead on the drive home....

2005: The Year in Review

Well another year has come and gone, so I'll take this time to blog the highlights:

Mt. View Baptist Church
In December of '04, two congregations (Mt. View and New Life Community Church) voted to merge into one. We were attending New Life at the time and watched the merger unfold this past year. In the spring, we were part of the first membership class and officially cast our lot with the church. Despite the inevitable conflicts and setbacks, we remain convinced that the merger created a stronger church than either had been prior and that God is at work in our midst.

Family
It is wild to watch our little girls mature before our eyes. I won't take the time here to reminisce on all that they have done in 2005, but I hope I can write more about them in the near future. Here are some photos posted earlier this year: Taylor & Addy, Muddy Addy, and family picnic.

Bethel College
I taught four classes this year. Each experience has stretched me as a "teacher" and I have discovered new facets about the past (and about myself) each time through. I'm looking forward to the three classes already scheduled in the new year.

Travel
In April, Janell and I celebrated our 9th anniversary by visiting Monteagle, the University of the South and South Cumberland State Park.

We also took two family road trips to Frederick County, Maryland to visit my in-laws. Our trip in June was all about leisure and relaxation: riding on/driving Dad's new tractor, visiting the National Zoo, overeating, playing games, and laughing heartily. And our trip over Labor Day was dedicated to family - a chance to visit with Uncles, Aunts & Cousins galore and with Janell's brother Matt before his first deployment to Iraq.

Finally, we traveled to Knoxville for Christmas at my parent's place where we were joined by my sisters, bro-inlaws and grandmothers, one niece, one uncle/aunt combo, Janell's parents, 2 of her brothers, and a few family friends. I think there were 21 of us at Christmas dinner. My sister, Rebecca, is expecting in May and everyone learned the baby's gender on Christmas Eve - I'm going to have a nephew.

Friends
We have been blessed by the many friendships we have developed over the years. Many of you we hung out with this year (playing games, breaking bread together, laughing with and at each other, and encouraging one another). We also added many new friends to our list this year and heard from old friends as well. In particular it was nice to receive word and photos from Jason, Schimpf, Shelly, and April.

It was also the year for blogging as several of my friends started blogs of their own: Scott's Confessions, Mark Jackson's aka Pastor Guy and the One Hundred, Mark Pucket's Missionary Musings, Paul's Zion Red's Head, and Jeff's Thanks For Noticing Me.

Exercise
Janell joined Gold's Gym back in '04 and has kept with it throughout the year - capped by running her first 5k run this fall. I've been trying to go to the gym at work two days a week since July. It's not much, but it's a start.

Music
2005 was the year of the .mp3 for me - I spent quite a few hours ripping my cd collection to my laptop this year and I officially joined the iPod crowd this Christmas.

CT Magazines' Music Site posted their top 12 albums of the year. I purchased five of them and have two others on my wishlist (Room Noises by Eisley and The Everglow by Mae).

Here's my favorite albums of the year
1. How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - U2
2. O How the Mighty Have Fallen - The Choir
3. A Collision - David Crowder Band
4. Men and Angels Say - Ashley Cleveland
5. Nothing Is Sound - Switchfoot
6. Redemption Songs - Jars of Clay
7. Drunkard's Prayer - Over the Rhine

Discovery of the year: Mindy Smith's song Come to Jesus (view video here)

Movies

Janell and I don't get out to the theater like we used to (before kids) but here is a list of my favorites:
1. Batman Begins
2. Star Wars Revenge of the Sith
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
4. Wallace and grommet
5. Hitch

and here's is my top ten movies I didn't see in 2005 that I'd like to:

1. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (we may see it this weekend)
2. Walk the Line
3. King Kong
4. Millions
5. Cinderella Man
6. Elizabethtown
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
8. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
9. War of the Worlds
10. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

Highlights on video this year:
Napoleon Dynamite, The Gathering Storm, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Village, All's Quiet on the Western Front, and Luther

Books
Janell does more reading than I do. In particular she read (and discussed with me) Winston Churchill's World War II memoirs (abridged edition) and a two volume biography on Churchill by William Manchester. Currently, we are both working on Manchester's history of the U.S.(1932-72) called The Glory and the Dream. We also re-read The Count of Monte Cristo and Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince. I plan to dust off the Chronicles of Narnia as soon as we see the movie.

Katrina Relief
In October, I went to the Gulf Coast with a group from my church to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts. See my blog posts for details and photos (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Recap) It was a great experience and I hope to more similar projects in the future.

Politics
I haven't blogged much this year on politics (here, here, and here). It's been a difficult year for this conservative Bush supporter.
First, the President's social security reform proposals went absolutely nowhere dooming my generation to pickup the tab for our parents' and grandparents' selfishness.
The War on Terror has had its moments of both triumph and tragedy this year, but the key is to hold the course. I'm concerned that we as a nation don't have the same character as the Greatest Generation necessary to win a sustained conflict against evil men. Remember the men and women of the armed forces in your prayers and support them in whatever small way you can.
The confirmation of Justice Roberts was a bright spot in 2005. Bush's nomination of Myers was a tactical mistake (Alito should be confirmed).
Then Katrina brought out the worst from our leaders. Bush made mistakes, but received more than his fair share of the blame for problems in the rescue and recovery. In a just world, local and state leaders (in Louisiana) should be voted out of office for their inept handling of the affair and the shameless way they passed the buck.
A federal judge has saved us from the nefarious plot to mention the words Intelligent Design in biology class despite polls that indicates that a majority of Americans believe in either creationism or ID. The 1st Amendment is supposed to protect free speech and is not about expunging all references to religion from the public square.
And now we have a media-storm over domestic spying - coming from the same people who said Bush didn't do enough to prevent the 9/11 attacks.
All in all a difficult year - I've cussed the NPR broadcast multiple times this year. Here's hoping for a brighter 2006.