This Little Plot

Last Post Here- Go To New Site

2010-03-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

I have a new site for my blog: http://www.thislittleplot.com/
It is still under construction, but I will only be posting over there from now on..... thanks!

Urban Homesteading

2010-03-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

Something to shoot for!

Reforming Marriage (3)

2010-03-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

I have been plugging this book for a couple of weeks. Let me do it at least one more time. I will insert an entire paragraph (page 25):

The commands are given to our respective weaknesses in the performance of our duties. Men need to do their duty with regard to their wives- they need to love. Women need to do their duty in the same way- they need to respect. But men are generally poor at this kind of loving. C.S. Lewis once commented that women tend to think of love as taking trouble for others (which is much closer to the biblical definition), while men tend to think of it as not giving trouble to others. Men consequently need to work in this area, and they are instructed by Scripture to undertake it. In a similar way, women are fully capable at loving a man, and sacrificing for him, while believing the entire time he is a true and unvarnished jerk. Women are good at this kind of love, but their central requirement given to wives is that they respect their husbands. As Christian women gather together (for prayer? Bible study?), they frequently speak about their husbands in the most disrespectful way. They hurry home to cook, clean, and care for his kids. Why? Because they love their husbands. It is not wrong for wives to love their husbands, but it is wrong to substitute love for the respect God requires.

Cultivating the Plot

2010-03-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

As my wife and I plan this season's garden, we each have different tasks and dreams. My wife primarily thinks of harvest: What do we want from the garden? How much from the garden? I think in terms of gettin'er done: Where do I plant? When do I plant? How can I use my space and time to achieve our desired end? So we have an end in mind- a plan, and we have drawn them up and ordered the seeds. In another month, I will work the soil on three of our raised beds and cover them in plastic to plant spinach, kale, lettuces and other greens and a few other cold weather crops.

Working the plot involves turning over the soil, adding a little compost if needed (we cover each plot with leaf mulch and other organic material in the fall), and removing any weeds. After the soil warms from the plastic, I will turn the soil again and remove any more weeds and then plant. All this planning and preparation is necessary to enjoy a good harvest at the end.

Isn't this process how any desired end is achieved? Plan, work (making, naming, separating) evaluate and enjoy? Do you see your task as a mother or father as cultivating your plot? What is the desired end for your children? How are your plans carried out?

Whose Justice?

2010-03-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

Plato wrote four dialogues set around the trial and death of Socrates. Socrates was charged with heresy and corrupting the minds of the young and was eventually given the death sentence after the court found him guilty. Euthyphro, one of these dialogues, is set outside the court-house just before trial, where Socrates encounters Euthyphro- a self described expert on piety. Since the charges against Socrates fall in the category of impiety, Socrates engages him on the issue of piety.

The big question from Scrates is this: Is something pious or holy because it is approved of by the gods, or is something approved by the gods because it is pious (holy)? Euthyphro could not answer the question, so he argued that piety was a kind of justice, whereby we would seek to gratify the gods. But, as Socrates points out, does something gratify the gods because it is pious (holy), or is it pious (holy) because it gratifies the gods? Reason alone shows piety to be elusive. If Man, by his reason cannot determine what is truly pious, how can men judge Socrates for impiety?

In the other dialogues we learn more of Socrates ideas of the afterlife. After death a person is judged and receives a new life (life form) to learn from the mistakes or unjust deeds of their past. And yet, my question (not Socrates) is, how is one to learn true piety and justice? From Socrates own reasoning, we cannot and man is doomed to the eternal cycle, with no hope, no vindication, no Savior.

This is the similarity between atheistic and polytheistic religions/thought: there is no real justice, only a struggle in this life over whose justice is followed and no hope for any good or satisfying End.

Sonnet 29- Shakespeare

2010-03-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least;
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Enjoying the Task and Enjoying God

2010-02-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

This was suppose to be up yesterday- sorry. I am in the process of changing blog sites and didn't get a chance to do all I wanted. My blog site will be up and running very soon.

As I have written before, all we have is from God, and it is given as gift and task. Because ALL is gift this brings to bear two things:

First, is that the ONLY proper way to think, act, live, breathe, etc, is through gratitude. Giving thanks and praise to God for His gifts to us is our primary task. Out of gratitude comes humility, stewardship and generosity. I will be commenting on these in the future, but it is important to know that it is "meet and right to always and everywhere give thanks" to God. If you recognize the quote, it means you come from a church background that properly sees our Eucharist (thanksgiving- Lord's Supper) as the pinnacle and purpose of worship on the Lord's Day. Gratitude and communion go hand in hand, and what is enacted and celebrated on Sunday is meant to direct and carry you throughout the week in all your tasks.

Second, is that all life is lived by faith in the Giver. That means that if you are comparing your lot in life to other people and feel that some injustice has been carried out against you, you need to repent and trust in God once again. ALL is gift from a Giver that loves and knows you. These tasks he has set before you are NOT TOO MUCH for you to bear, neither are they beyond finding joy in them and especially in Him. These tasks are uniquely yours, stop wishing for something else. In EVERYTHING give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus!

I am convinced from Scripture AND experience, that enjoying God, and I mean a real joy that takes place even in the midst of sorrow, comes only when we learn to give thanks to God for all his gifts.

Random Stuff on Friday

2010-02-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some random things going on in my life and/or in my head:

1. Although our main goals for the garden are to produce a lot of food, with an eye toward beauty, we are going to be planting more heirloom plants than ever. We are doing this for two reasons: First, for the taste! Second, to be able to save seeds, making it cheaper to plant next year.

2. I'm happy for the Canadian women's hockey team- they did great and should celebrate.

3. I miss football and talking draft doesn't satisfy my longing.

4. I just started reading a book called Coop (thanks Mary Jo!)- I have enjoyed it so far and promise a few posts on it in the near future.

5. Has anyone seen Where the Wild Things Are? What is an appropriate age to see this? It was my favorite kid book as a kid, and next to Good Night Moon, it is my favorite kids book to read to my kids.

My Wife is now a Blogger

2010-02-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

Check out my bride's new blog: Little Farm in the City.

Blessed are the Cheesemakers

2010-02-25T16:43:00.000-08:00

Forgive the Monty Python reference, but my middle son thought it would be appropriate. I just wanted to brag about my wife.

"What's for dinner?"
"I don't know. I have spinach we have to use up- any suggestions?"
"How about pizza?"
"No problem."

Little did I know, we didn't have cheese, so my wife MADE SOME!! She then used the whey in making the crust. Delicious!

Garden Planning at Seed Saver Exchange

2010-02-25T15:29:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this with you.

To End All Wars and Plato's Republic

2010-02-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

To follow up on this post, I wished to commend to you one of my favorite movies of all time: To End All Wars. From Wiki:

To End All Wars is a 2001 war film starring Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland and Sakae Kimura and directed by David L. Cunningham. The film is set in a Japanese prisoner of war labour camp where the inmates are building the Burma Railway during the last three and a half years of World War II. It was filmed primarily in Waimea Canyon, on the island of Kauai, Hawai'i, with some excerpt shots of Thailand. The film was awarded the Crystal Heart Award and Grand Prize for Dramatic Feature at the Heartland Film Festival.

The screenplay is based on the autobiography of Ernest Gordon and recounts the experiences of faith and hope of the ínterned men. The autobiography was originally published under the name Through the Valley of the Kwai, then later as Miracle on the River Kwai and finally re-issued with the title To End All Wars to tie in with the film.

What makes this such a powerful film for me is the outworking of "justice" through three groups of people. In the movie, the POW's form an underground school and begin discussing Plato's Republic. One group of POW's believe that justice entails doing good to one's friends and harm to one's enemy, a concept of justice spoken of in The Republic. The second group are the remaining POWs who believe Jesus Christ was the Just One and justice must entail following the teachings of Christ, including his command to love enemies. The third group are the Japanese soldiers, and most importantly, the soldier/warrior who was directly in charge of the prisoners. This third group follow the principles of Bushido which regulates the different classes of society- a view of justice very similar to Plato's.

So we see in the film Plato's Republican society at work. Within this camp some are trying to do harm to the guardians of the camp, and others seek to bless them. One group tries to topple the society through violence, the other overcomes the unjust society through love. It is a great movie.

Oh, by the way, it is a true story (in every sense of the phrase)!

Tending to Our Plot

2010-02-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

Everything we are and have has been given to us by God- our life, time, possessions, relationships... everything. God gives us these things as gift and task. In this post, I will speak of these things briefly as task, but on Friday I will post on these things as gift. Since we are in the middle of a conversation, you may want to read this, this, and this, first.

God put Adam in the garden to work- he is to make things, order things, name things, relate to things, people, and God. This is our basic task as well- we tend to all that God has given us. All these things, I call my little plot. If I tend to my plot well, it flourishes, but if I neglect it, all these gifts wither.

This spring, I will plant my garden. Even now we are planning and ordering seeds. I have a great array of choices to make, but until I plan and execute the plan, I will only have a plot of weeds. I can plan for utility, or I can plan for extravagance. I can plan to make things easy or hard, sparse or abundant, plain or beautiful. I have the freedom to do anything the bounds of my plot allows. It is a task I enjoy immensely, yet it is hard. I want to grow an abundance of food, with a great amount of beauty. The pleasure for the tongue and eye is well worth the work.

Of course, you know what I am getting at. All our tasks are like this. Take the task of tending to your family. What are you planning and executing? Aiming for easy? How about beauty? Do you take time to evaluate and pull the weeds? Is your family flourishing? Are the relationships bearing fruit?

Over the next several weeks, I will share my thoughts and experiences with tending to the various facets of this little plot of mine. Until then... get to work!

Plato's Republic and the Just Man

2010-02-23T12:10:00.000-08:00

One of the tremendous benefits of homeschooling our five kids is the opportunity to talk about things that really matter. Our oldest and I have been discussing JUSTICE over the past few weeks. What is justice? This is a question that has been asked for several millennium, and it is great to bring my son into the conversation.

I won't go into detail about Plato's view, but the discussion on whether it is best to be just or only to seem so is a great discussion. Although Socrates pokes holes in Glaucon's arguments, his concern seems universal and is a theme the prophets of Scripture bring up. According to Glaucon, the happy (blessed) man is the one that is not actually just, but only seems to be. Here is one of the gems in Plato's Republic:

...let him be clothed in justice only and have no other covering... Let him be the best of men, and let him be thought the worst; then he will have been put to the proof; and we shall see whether he will be affected by the fear of infamy and its consequences. And let him continue thus to the hour of death; being just and seeming to be unjust... [T]he just man who is thought unjust will be scourged, racked, bound... and at last, after suffering every kind of evil, he will be hung on a pole (impaled). Republic, Book 2, 361-362ish.

Sound familiar? Do you recall that the cross is foolishness to the Greek? Do you remember the testimony of the soldier at the foot of the cross?

"Truly, this was a just man."

Reforming Marriage (2)

2010-02-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

One of the main reasons I love this book is that it is theological in nature and not therapeutic. By this I mean that Wilson is calling husbands and wives to a right understanding and practice of marriage, rather than trying to help people cope with the marriage they conceived on their own.

God is Lord. He is central to the coherence of all things, including marriage. He has preeminence over heaven and earth, and all His human creatures have the moral responsibility to acknowledge that preeminence in all they do, including how they marry. A man and woman who have this orientation together, in a covenant bond, enjoy a Christian marriage. If they deny or ignore this truth, they do so at their own peril. Reforming Marriage, pg. 11.

A Taste of Summer

2010-02-22T17:27:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about summer is eating your work. One of our favorite dishes in the summer is ratatouille served on a mound of polenta! We grow the egg plant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and most of the herbs. This past summer, we froze some to try in the winter. Today we had our summer treat and I am glad to say it was great. I want spring to come sooooonnn!

Great Men Have Been Among Us

2010-02-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

GREAT men have been among us; hands that penned
And tongues that uttered wisdom--better none:
The later Sidney, Marvel, Harrington, Young Vane,
and others who called Milton friend.
These moralists could act and comprehend:
They knew how genuine glory was put on;
Taught us how rightfully nation shone
In splendour: what strength was, that would not bend
But in magnanimous meekness. France, 'tis strange,
Hath brought forth no such souls as we had then.
Perpetual emptiness! unceasing change!
No single volume paramount, no code,
No master spirit, no determined road;
But equally a want of books and men!

by William Wordsworth

I sometimes feel a longing for great men among us. It is like Wordsworth is talking not about France, but contemporary America.

On Being in the Image and Likeness of Our Creator

2010-02-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

I mentioned here that our lives should display the distinctive excellence of God; that is, we should show forth the glory of God in what we do and how we live. We can do this with intent, because of all creatures we are made in the image and likeness of the Creator.

If you take a look at the first couple of chapters in Genesis, you can see the likeness on display. God had a plan, and then made things, ordered them, named them, and evaluated them ("good"/"good"/"very good" and "not good"(for man to be alone))... and so do we! For instance, someone had a plan to make coverings for feet, made them and called them "socks". I bought some, use them, order them in my sock drawer, and determine if they are still good or not. I do this because I am made in the image and likeness of God. God has made us in order that we have dominion over all earth. We make wilderness into a garden. If, from the beginning Man had been faithful to God in carrying out his task, we would still be in Paradise, but because sin entered the world, we have not ordered our world to the glory of God.

So now, in Christ, we are to live our lives in and by faith, taking our little plots and ordering them to and for God's glory. How have you ordered your life? Does it display the distinctive excellence of God? Is your life characterized by truth, and goodness, and beauty? Faith, hope and love?

On Wednesday, I will continue the discussion. Please feel free to comment.

Trials and Temptations

2010-02-21T13:22:00.001-08:00

Just a couple brief Lenten observation:

1. If Jesus spent times of waiting, times of trials, temptations and suffering, why do we think we should be exempt? We should all expect these times as a part of life and assume that the people we meet along the way, or in the pew next to us are going through these times even now.

2. If Jesus got through these by faith in the Word of God, how can we expect any different? Why do we look for everything but the Word of God for strength, encouragement and promise?

Perhaps we who are called by Christ's Name will use this Lenten season to take seriously the life and sufferings of Jesus, and so follow Him.

My Titus 2 Wife

2010-02-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children... Titus 2:3-4

Today, my wife has her "Cook & Book" time with a group of younger woman. Now to clarify, my wife is NOT old, just older than the group of 20-something women that come and learn some cooking skills and discuss biblical principles of home keeping and husband loving. I am proudly her guinea pig in all this and the husbands of these women have also expressed their gratitude.

Of all the things churches attempt for Christ's Kingdom, I can think of nothing better than just doing what scripture teaches. A "Cook & Book", once a month is not an overwhelming commitment, provides a few hours of good teaching and good times, and an opportunity for the guys to do some bonding time with their kids.

Seven Brides For Seven Brothers

2010-02-20T04:59:00.000-08:00

In my Random Things post the other day I mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing East High School's production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Well... it was wonderful. The entire production, from the stage props to the pit orchestra, to the choreography- great!

Our friends who played Ben and Dorcas did us proud. If you aren't familiar with the details of this musical, Ben is the 2nd oldest brother and he ends up with Dorcas, so watching the two of them together was fun.

The surprise of the night was seeing the lead brother, Adam, sing and act and do his thing. He did a fantastic job. Then during intermission, as I was looking at the program, my wife reminded me of who he was. This was the kid that would come to our church Vacation Bible School and talk our ears off!

To all involved in the musical (including you supportive parents)- thank you!

Temps for the Teen

2010-02-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

In a few hours I will be taking our oldest son to the DMV to get his temporary license. And you know what? I am not worried in the least. I think our son is ready to drive and he will do well on the road. I am glad he wants to drive and have some independence- this is part of the goal in raising our kids, is it not?

I am actually proud of this moment. Here is our 15 year old boy (man/child as we call him, being 6'2" and growing) in whom we trust, taking a big step toward adulthood. If only auto insurance wasn't so expensive, we'd probably celebrate. Maybe when he gets his permanent license.

A Link From the East- sort of

2010-02-19T05:41:00.000-08:00

Fr. Stephen is a former Anglican priest who converted to Orthodoxy. He always has some good things to say, but often he says some very profound things. There is much to commend to you in Orthodox thought, especially their Biblical view of creation. The following link is a great example of something that is both profound and simple. Miracles and Creation

This Little Plot has a Tag Line

2010-02-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

This is the first question and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. All Christians; Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Evangelical, Reformed, Pentecostals, and even, dare I say... Baptists (!) should commit this to memory and teach it to their children and their children's children. This one question answers, and answers correctly, THE question: What is the meaning of life? (I can already hear my son ask, "You mean it is not 42?") So my "little plot" is one that seeks to glorify God, and to enjoy Him, both now and forever.

But let me ask, what does it mean to glorify God? Glory is one of those Christian words that is often used, but not well understood. For the purpose of this blog entry, I will focus on and simplify the main concept of glory. Glory is the distinctive excellence of a thing. If you came into my house last August and saw on my back porch 20 good sized and great looking zucchini from my garden, you would assume (besides being crazy to have that much zucchini in my garden) that I was a good gardener. That zucchini is my glory. It displays the distinctive excellence of my gardening abilities. If we are to glorify God, our lives should display the distinctive excellencies of God!

My next post about the Little Plot will talk about more about how this is done.

Random Stuff

2010-02-18T04:22:00.000-08:00

Random Thing #1

This is the image of the day. Just thinking of a friend. Enough said.

Random Thing #2

Andrew Garcia is my favorite on American Idol, he is probably the most talented, but I know he will not win. If you don't know who he is or what I mean by talent, you can check him out at this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5V0iKkfuuA

Random Thing #3

I am looking forward to this: http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100207/GPG04/2070672/Green-Bay-East-to-present-%5C-Seven-Brides-for-Seven-Brothers%5C- tomorrow night. Dorcas and Ben are played by two we have known since they were 5, and are both very talented "kids".

Random Thing #4

Do you know anyone in NE Wisconsin that has been successful with growing peaches? I notice some that say they can grow in zone 4 and we are technically zone 5, but I am sceptical.

Random Thing #5

Steven Wedgeworth has a good article about the goodness of, well, stuff. This is a constant theme in my preaching, teaching, and life. http://www.credenda.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164:the-goodness-of-stuff&catid=96:theology&Itemid=122

Random Thing #6

I am a blogging newbie and I will learn how to make these links look a whole lot better very soon.