Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Funny Little Things

Nothing really big at the Gates Home, just some small things that are funny, interesting, and thought-provoking.

Lincoln is getting funnier by the day. One of the funny things he's been doing is, after I've laid him down for a nap or for bed-time, he'll stay awake for a while, then bang on his crib really loud. It almost sounds like he still has his cast on. Then, when I go into his room to lay him down or move him to the middle of the crib, he just starts laughing at me. I find myself just having to leave the room because the more I try to keep him from standing up again, the more he laughs... and if I give into the top temptation of the moment (to laugh at him), then he'll laugh even more, and this isn't the behavior I'm trying to re-enforce.

When Jenn goes to check on him, he falls down really fast to make it look like he wasn't standing up. What a stinker!

Work has been interesting for Jenn lately. There have been a number of events at the clinic that just aren't right or normal, and it has caused her to think about her employment there. I'm not giving any secrets away here... she's already had a conversation about this with the practice owner. She really enjoys her clients, but with some of the weirdness lately... it's just causing her to think long and hard about stuff. When you think about it, keep Jenn in your prayers.

Life has been kind of coasting at our place for the past week or so. That's kind of a good thing. It's also given us some time to think about our commitments for the upcoming fall and beyond. I'm meeting with the middle school minister at HCC tomorrow to discuss volunteering for him. It looks as though I'll be a small group leader, but I'll find out for sure tomorrow. It's been a while since I've given my time to a particular ministry at church beyond spending some time on our Adult Bible Fellowship's leadership team (the last time was when Jenn and I worked with the Kindergartners on Wednesday evenings) and I've really felt a calling to give my time to student ministry. Why middle school? I'm not sure... they had a need, and I need to serve, so it seemed right. I also had a couple of small experiences helping out with the middle school ministry that I've written about before.

And speaking of the ABF, there's been a decent amount of transition over the past year-plus, and that's taken it's toll on us, mentally speaking. Currently, we've got a great group of couples that seem to want to cultivate a good, meaningful, substantive community at church. We've also got a new teacher on the way, so on one hand there's a certain level of excitement, but on the other, there's a certain level of weariness given the amount of transition, specifically with friends coming and going. So I'm doing my best to leave it up to the LORD.
ABF starts back up in late-August or early-September, I'm not sure which yet, and that ought to be a good time.

I'm in the middle of a very good book right now: Money, Greed & God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem, by Jay Richards. This is the first authentically Christian defense of capitalism, and so far, he's hitting the ball out of the park. It's a good follow-up to Atlas Shrugged (at least it is for me), because Ayn Rand is an atheist, and while I loved (really, really, really loved) Atlas Shrugged, there were some sticking points for me as a Christian. I remember in several parts of Atlas thinking, "Now, how can I reconcile this with my being a Christian." While a few areas of Rand's philosophy (Objectivism) are clearly not compatible with Christianity (e.g. one's highest moral calling is one's own happiness), Richards points out that the overall view of capitalism that Rand describes and espouses isn't just benign on the Christianity front, but is actually the preferred economic system... it's not about greed, but about creating an environment for entrepreneurs to think and risk and grow. Only in capitalism, Richards argues, can wealth be created, and wealth creation is the only solution to poverty.

Jenn's reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Don't hold your breath for a book review.

1 comment:

Emily said...

I think we're blogging simultaneously. =) That Lincoln. . . he is a funny guy! I hope his leg is continuing to heal. It was good seeing you all even though it was brief.