Lincoln's Fort

There are a few interesting things that have happened in and around the Gates home over the past couple of days. All of this has been happening in the midst of coughs, sneezes & runny noses, but Lincoln and Lydia have not been letting their symptoms stop them.First of all, Lincoln and Mommy built a fort in his room! He's napped and spent the night in his fort, and he's really into it! The details are in the video below.This morning Lincoln made a finger-paint piece for his fort, and that was a lot of fun.There are a couple of robins that have made our back yard their home, and one of the females is trying to build a nest on our deck. She's not having much luck right now, but she's persistent, so we're waiting to see if we'll have a finished product along with eggs then nestlings.As far as Lydia's solids go, there are some times when she's interested and other times where she's not. Today was a "not."Her coordination is getting better, though, and she's been taking her pacifier in and out of her mouth with better skill.Also, she's been experimenting big-time with her voice. She's funniest after she wakes up, and we'd laugh in the morning if she didn't wake us up 1 hour earlier than any of us really need to wake up.

Also, Atlas Shrugged pt.1 comes out in less than a week. Here's another scene from the movie:

Atlas Shrugged Movie Trailer and Previews

While the sources of the two books couldn't be more different, the release of Atlas Shrugged, pt. 1 is my most anticipated movie release since Passion of the Christ. Here's the trailer, a scene sample and a behind the scenes feature. The movie is due on April 15. (Interesting choice of days, huh?)Can't. Wait.

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.

Quote of the Week

"When money ceases to be the tool by which men deal with one another, then men become the tools of men. Blood, whips and guns – or dollars. Take your choice – there is no other – and your time is running out." -- Francisco d'Anconia

Managing just fine

Lincoln hasn't spent a minute feeling sorry for himself. He's been a man on the move despite his cast, and because he's got an anchor attached to his leg, he gets tired of moving more easily, so when he's decided he's had enough of moving, he just sits in one place and plays very nicely.

Jenn's been working her way through the Twilight series for the third or fourth time. She says it's the best series of novels she's ever read. I finished Atlas Shrugged last week, and it was an amazing novel. Written in the '50's, Ayn Rand, the author, darn near wrote about our current events 60 years ago. But more than that, she told a story that verbalized the moral foundation for capitalism and detailed the segment of society that vilifies and attempts to punish the successful. Rand touches on science, government, business, farming, art, industry and medicine, claiming that one's pursuit of success in their chosen field is not only in their own best interest, but is also in the best interest of society. Taking from one's success to supplement the failure of another is immoral, and Rand points out why. The premise: John Galt, a brilliant engineer, decides he's not going to follow the new CEO's plan of compensation: to each according to his needs, from each according to his ability. And as the government takes over more and more of the private sector, more and more industrialists join Galt. You can probably guess what then happens to the nation, and just like governments of all time, they make the wrong decisions, and things spiral downward. Will the industrialists return to save the nation? Will the bureaucrats loosen their grip on an ailing economy? How much taxation can a business owner stand before he decides to give up? It's a long read, but a wonderful one.

So now I'm on to Tom Sawyer, which is quite the shift in gears. I've been laughing out loud through the first couple of chapters.

The Indians stink, and despite injuries, I'll still argue that it's time for change at the top. The Indians stunk before Grady and the others got hurt. Speaking of Cleveland sports, there's a Cavs rumor that looks pretty cool. LeBron to Yao?

Right now we're watching The Odd Couple... a funny flick.