All posts by tje

Homeschooling, Project 366

A Civil Skirmish

5 Comments

Today, the kids and I attended a Civil War Re-enactment at a State Park about 90 minutes from our home. With only about 150 soldiers (both sides combined) it was more of a skirmish than a war, but that didn’t stop ‘em.

Conferderate Zoave Soldiers
The Confederate Army carried the day, mostly because of superior artillery support.

We all had a good time, viewing the battle and touring the encampments. Many of the Civil War buffs were available for questions, and would hold forth on their role in the battle or camp for 20 minutes at a time, much to the dismay of David and Sarah.

Photo op with a Union Cavalry officer
This man must be a lot tougher than he looks, because he was shot dozens of times and stayed in the saddle.

Tim
Project 366, Day 271

Share or follow
Share

Related posts:

tn_100_8748
Budget & Money

Falling Off the Budget Wagon?

8 Comments

Some of you, especially those who know us well, may be wondering if there is some significance to our recent silence on the blog. September 1st came and went without a post, trumpeting our financial stewardship success.

Some readers are probably thinking: “Those weasels. I bet they quit trying to pay down their debt, and are too ashamed to admit it. Let’s call Dave Ramsey and have him pay them a little visit, har har har.” Dave Ramsey’s budget goons know how to strike terror into many a lapsed budgeter.

Airplane Kiddos
Not Dave Ramsey’s actual goons.

I’ll admit, we had a bit of trouble. We went on vacation, and lost track of some of our incidental expenses — we couldn’t find the receipts and had trouble with some of the numbers when we came back. It is tempting, when that happens, to throw up your hands in defeat, and to sneak in additional purchases.

“Oh, sorry Kath — I bought that boat in the driveway ‘while we were on vacation’ … did I ‘forget’ to record that as well? Darn the luck!”

… or maybe not. :)

This was a weird month for us. We went on vacation with Kathy’s folks, but they bore many of the expenses. I got a quarterly bonus from my work, but we bought a new laptop. Since I get paid every two weeks, this was one of the months when we get an extra paycheck; but we had some really large homeschool curriculum expenses, and had to replace our broken microwave.

September Debt Progress
We’re down to 44% of our original debt, after five months!

When the dust settled, we managed to stay within our budget, but we don’t have much to show for the extra money we took in. Our debt is down to 44% of where it was on April 1st. On the surface, this is very encouraging, but the last two months’ progress is small compared to some of our earlier large jumps of debt repayment. Dave Ramsey would not use us as poster-children for ‘gazelle-like debt reduction intensity’.

Fat Gazelle
This is more our kind of gazelle.

All this said, we’re still on the budgeting wagon. We’re not quite as excited about it as we were at first, but we’re still eager to see what God will do with the tiny amount of faith and effort we are bringing to the table. We’re a little worried about our first Christmas ‘under the budget’ (both Kathy and I love to spend a lot at Christmas); we’ve been putting some money aside for Christmas each month, but if our roof fails this Fall, we’ll have to spend all that (and more) on repairs.

It is at this point that we are reminded of our continual dependence on God. His strength is made perfect in our weakness, and perseverance is definitely a weak area for both Kathy and I. We continue to be thankful to our Lord for His provision for our needs, to the extent that we are not really even surprised that our big homeschool curriculum expenses came ‘coincidentally’ due the same month when we received an extra paycheck.

Kathy is teaching a course at our local homeschool co-op using curriculum from Dave Ramsey (Financial Peace for the Next Generation) — she’s very excited about it, and will probably have more to say on this topic in upcoming weeks.

We’re committed to continuing this budget process at least until we are free of all non-mortgage debt, so tune in here for a month-by-month record of our struggle toward financial peace.

Tim

Share or follow
Share

Related posts:

Events, Project 366

Endurance Hiker

6 Comments

In these troubled times, it pays to have a guidebook.

For example, when choosing a hike for an afternoon outing, it might be helpful to read these words, describing a trail I chose, somewhat at random:

Goat Peak #958C — 2.8 miles

A very steep, long climb with no water, this trail is for the endurance hiker. At the summit of Goat Peak there are views from Glacier Peak to Mt. Adams and everything in between. Slippery when wet, with an elevation gain of 2600 feet, the trail is closed to horses. The trailhead is at Hells Crossing.

I’ve been called a number of things, but ‘endurance hiker’ is not one of them.

Boys of Chinook Pass
We stopped for a quick picture at Chinook Pass, on our way to the east side of Mt. Rainier.

The boys and I attended the our church’s annual Men and Boys Campout, which I wrote about last year. This year, we brought along two other boys, and had a nice time. The weekend event is pretty unstructured (purposefully), so we camped, whittled, rode horses, built forts, played in the river, poked sticks in the fire and hiked to Goat’s Peak.

A boy and his hatchet ...
Our hatchet figured prominently in many of these activities.

I guess the trail’s origin at Hell’s Crossing should have been a clue. I sought advice from the event organizer, a semi-retired pastor who administrates at our church and heads up Men’s Ministries.

Weekend Cowboys
Everyone who wanted to (and even some who didn’t) got a chance to ride.

“It’s a little steep,” Dale cautioned me, “but not too bad. I used to hike up there quite often,” he assured me breezily.

I probably should have remembered that Dale used to train with runners competing for a place on the U.S. Olympic team.

A man and his faithful steed
No horses were injured in the filming of this blog.

As we set off up the trail, my heart sank. Leading the way, Joshua strode out as though the incline were a minor annoyance; I found myself gasping for breath after taking only 50 steps.

“Tell … ya … what,” I huffed, long pauses between each word. “How ’bout you guys take one of these whistles, and give a blast if you need help. I’ll keep one as well, and you boys wait for me from time to time.”

What's keeping you, Dad?
A relatively flat part of the trail …

David charitably kept me company, providing me an excuse for going so slow. Every 20 minutes or so, I’d catch up with the rest of the boys, who were usually lying around on rocks, chafing at the bit to be off. “What took you so long, Dad? We had time to build a lean-to and whittle a staff … “, Daniel asked, reproachfully.

“David … has … short … legs … “, I wheezed, hoping to pacify him with a true, but irrelevant fact.

Heroic poses
“Is that the peak? Or maybe that one over there?

Eventually (after several tries) we reached what we thought was the top of Goat Peak. For a long time, the trail slithered up a ridge and across several saddles, so we were never entirely sure. We later discovered the trail was part of a larger, 27-mile path, which had duped many a hiker before us into miles of extra climbing. Based on the topographical map I checked, the vertical rise was as much as 3000 feet to where we called it a day.

At the top?
I declared this the top, by the authority vested in me …

The older boys laughed and skipped down the trail to the parking lot, while I plodded downward with David. Due to a knee injury I sustained as a parachutist in the Army, I can’t really go very fast downhill, so they were snacking and guzzling root beer at the car for a good while before David and I arrived.

My faithful companion
David didn’t seem to mind that I was so slow.

That night, knee throbbing, I hobbled from the car to the campsite, while the boys sprinted around, playing tag. “This whole ‘aging’ thing is not very well managed,” I mused, remembering my own youth. I used to squander my energy playing Ultimate Frisbee and such, never realizing how briefly that strength would be available to me.

Goat Peak, or maybe not
We never were sure, even from the road, which peak we had climbed. Maybe this one?

Maybe my current ‘exercise plan’ (mostly involves moving my computer mouse) has something to do with my lack of physical prowess?

American River
Um, that river is glacier-fed, isn’t it?

Nah, probably not. :)

Tim
Project 366, Day 222

Share or follow
Share

Related posts:

Project 366, Silliness

Forbidden Fruit

3 Comments

Fundamentally, it is all about tomatoes.

Some men have a mid-life crisis that involves a sports car, or a new job. For me, it was gardening, so we spent a good part of the Spring planting tomatoes. Then we had to transplant, stake and prune them, and we even managed to sell some of the plants.

We drew all kinds of deep, philosophical lessons from the planting, growing, staking and pruning, provoking one common reaction from our readers:

“For crying out loud, enough with the tomatoes, already!”

A-Camping We Will Go
This boy was so sick of tomatoes, he’s packing to leave.

But at last we have arrived at the day we’ve all been waiting for: Harvest Time.

When I returned home this evening, Kathy asked me eagerly, “When are you going to eat one of your new, red tomatoes?”

I chortled with glee. “Maybe today … ” I hinted, waggling my eyebrows in a conspiratorial way.

Later, I went out to water and inspect my little darlings, and to photograph them appropriately. Looking closely, I noticed that there were only two crimson globes, where three had dangled yesterday. Frantically, I searched in the dirt at the foot of the plant — nothing! Could it be possible that someone had eaten one of my precious tomatoes?

My Precious
The first fruits of my harvest

I rounded up the usual suspects. “OK,” I snarled. “Who was throwing a frisbee near my tomato plants, and what did you do with the tomato you knocked off?” I marched up and down the line of ‘persons of interest’, noting their beady eyes and guilty faces.

But none of them cracked. “We don’t know what happened to your silly ‘ole tomato,” wailed my youngest daughter.

Forbidden Fruit
… and then there were two …

Finally, a confession was received from an unexpected source: “Um, I had one, sweetie,” admitted Kathy, scuffing the dirt with her toe. “It looked so good, and the snake said it would make me wise … ”

It is things like this that really put a marriage to the test.

Tim
Project 366, Day 220

Share or follow
Share

Related posts:

Parenting, Parenting Tips

Live at Peace with Everyone

10 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading the Bible at lunch, and I came across Romans 12. “What a great chapter,” I thought to myself. “I ought to memorize this.”

Bible memorization has been on my mind lately, ever since Tom Meyer (a “Wordsower”) recited all of Jonah and Nahum to us at church. He did a nice job, articulating the story of Jonah, especially, with lots of dramatic flair. “I wonder how hard it would be, to do that?” I mused to myself.

When I was a young lad, I had a great memory. One year I memorized more than 600 verses (on sheets of twenty-five at a time) so that I could earn money to attend a Christian camp. It used to be that if I scanned a page of print carefully, I could see a picture of the page in my mind for some hours afterward, and could literally read the words off the page in that memory picture.

This is true no longer. These days, memorization takes substantially more effort, both up-front, and in terms of maintaining the memorized passage.

In a family with five children, there are always relational challenges, and some even among the kids. Thinking particularly about verse 18, which talks about living in peace with one another, I issued a challenge to my older three children: “I’ll pay a dollar a verse for memorizing Romans 12, and a five-dollar bonus to anyone who memorizes it before me.”

Hold on, Buddy!

“I’ll pay a dollar if you’ll slow down, Daddy.”

Rachel and Daniel are eager to go on a youth group retreat (their first since joining the lofty ranks of Middle School), so they jumped on it, burning the ‘midnight oil’, memorizing in their beds. Daniel had the first eight verses down at breakfast the next day, and so I knew I would need to move fast if I was going to be a credible threat.

Joshua disdained the monetary prize (flush as he is with cash from lawn-work) but casually memorized the whole passage in one sitting. He was reciting it happily (and a bit ostentatiously) to himself as he biked off to do some lawn work. Sometimes we think he was accidentally swapped for some other child in the hospital. I can just imagine a set of wealthy and successful parents as they scratch their heads at their slap-dash, irresponsible son. “Maybe he takes after your Uncle Erwin,” confides the Dad to his wife.

Okay, you may take my picture, Mom.

Joshua, try Psalm 119 and get back to us.

Rachel keeps her cards close to her chest, but I think she is nearly done memorizing the passage. Kathy and I were out in the backyard yesterday evening, and my oldest daughter was inside, washing some dishes. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil … ” we heard her shouting, trying to make herself heard over the rush of the water and the clanging of the pots and pans. “Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody … ” she bellowed. Apparently Joshua was checking her progress.

Even the little two are picking up on it. “Do not be overcome by evil … but overcome evil with good …” they sing, as they run across the yard.

Where are the brakes on this thing?

It seems nearly every day, someone asks me, “So, Dad, how much do you have memorized?” All the little ears perk up as I clear my throat nervously. “Well, let’s see … Romans 12:1-21.” There is an embarrassed silence, and then another silence after that.

Finally one of them speaks up. “Um, is that all?”

I try to maintain a haughty dignity. “Yep. I’m still getting started. I do know the last verse, though.” I launch into song, accentuating my point with excessive volume: “DO NOT BE OVERCOME BY EVIL … ”

They shake their heads, sadly, fingers in their ears. “You’re not doing very well, Dad.”

Truth be told, I don’t really mind losing the wager. I’m glad to help the kids raise money to go on their retreat, and I’m delighted to incentivize Bible memorization in the lives of my children. I guess what irks me is how easily they leave me in their dust. I try to stall them, insisting that they recite the passage word-perfect. “After all,” I tell them sententiously, “the scripture is worth our best effort, since it is the living Word of God. We dare not corrupt it by sloppy memorization.”

“Do pauses count?” Rachel asked me. “No, but if I have to tell you a word (or correct a wrong word) then that counts as an error,” I told her. Already Daniel is down to five or six minor errors in the whole passage.

Some people might think it inappropriate to pay kids to memorize scripture. One of my favorite pastors was once challenged about this:

“Isn’t it sort of crass,” a woman asked him, “to pay your kids to memorize? Shouldn’t they be motivated out of love for God and respect for the scriptures?”

“Well,” he answered gently, “that’s an interesting question, but let’s look at it pragmatically. My kids know hundreds of verses. How many verses do your kids know?”

This boy knows a lot of verses.

If you’re a grown-up like me, and your head is already full of the things you need to know to work, or to raise your family, then you’ll have to apply some clever technique to overcome your handicap.

I have three strategies that I use:

  • First, I read the passage over several times, trying to fix the picture of the page in my mind, the way that I used to when I was younger. It doesn’t work anymore, but I seem to be unwilling to try my other two strategies until I’ve proven that this one is no longer effective. I think it helps a little. Maybe.
  • When that doesn’t work, I try copying it down, either writing it by hand or typing it. I look at each sentence and then try to type it from memory, going back to check after I’m done. This usually gets me to the point where I have the passage mostly memorized.
  • To get a passage word-perfect, I resort to my third technique. I write the passage on our whiteboard (or as much of it as can fit) and then I recite it repeatedly. Each time I finish reciting, I erase a word or two. Pretty soon, I’m looking at an empty whiteboard and am able to recite the whole chunk of scripture.

How ‘bout you? Do you memorize scripture? How much, and how often? What techniques do you use? Do you pay your kids to memorize, or do they do it for free?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. -– Romans 12:1-21

Tim

Share or follow
Share

Related posts: