Wise words on prayer, parenting, and dogma
If you haven’t already found it & subscribed to it (either via RSS or email), you’ll want to check out Memorial Moments by the Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray. At the risk of being redundant, it’s good, solid, practical theology, in a nice & easily digestible format. [HT: FatherDMJ]
Of note is the 5/15 entry, Dogma of the Spontaneous, in which Rev. Murray begins with the fabulous first paragraph,
As a pastor and a parent I am often appalled by the number of parents who allow their children to do everything in church but pray. They can eat Cheerios, scribble on the bulletin, tear pages out of hymn books, go to the bathroom three times during the service, gawk around, and so on. However, they don’t seem to be able to bow their heads, fold their hands, close their eyes, and pray, “Our Father…” I am not talking about toddlers who are a challenge to train in the discipline of prayer, but grade schoolers and teen aged children.
This is an issue with which I struggle each week. It’s been a challenge, but I think we’re finally starting to make some headway with our 8.5 y/o daughter (Melissa); however, the going has been much slower with our 7 y/o son (Matthew) — perhaps I should take solace that at least they’re beginning to understand that they actually can hold it & not run to the restroom for an hour, and that church really is about more than just putting in some time before getting donuts. There are times that I despair at the inadequacy that I display as the spiritual head of the household… 
-ghp
Kids as experiment fodder
I’ve long detested the entire premise behind postmodernism. It’s evil, it’s destructive, and it’s flat out wrong. Relativistic thought yields folks nothing more than a whole heap of trouble & woe.
Get Religion has a posting (Postmodern parenting: Only time will tell) that describes the latest gem to come out of the postmodern parenting arena — adults who checked-out of organized religion wanting to check their kids back in. Not for eternal truth/Truth, mind you, but for more worthy goals like the senses of “spirituality” and “community.”
What troubles me most about this latest trend can be summed up in the last sentence of this excerpt/quote from the article that inspired the post (emphasis mine):
So she and Gauri are dishing up a religious smorgasbord: Islam from one grandma, Hindu from the other, a Quaker school, a Buddhist retreat and a bit of evangelical Christianity via their former nanny. As Khan acknowledges, “Only time will tell if we were creating great confusion or great enlightenment.”
I’m horrified by the blithe acceptance & intent to use one’s own child(ren) as fodder for an experiment based on one’s own hubris. If you want to sacrifice yourself on the altar of your own hubris, fine. But to do it to your kids? Horrifying! Logical in the context of the whole twisted, postmodern milieu, but horrifying nonetheless…
-ghp
I Want One Of These
This sounds very cool: Ion iTTUSB Turntable Records Vinyl Straight to MP3!
It would make my life easier… well, not really, but it would certainly make it simpler for me to finally get the rest of my LPs & 45s ripped & added to my iTunes library. The rather cumbersome process that I’ve had for doing it over the past few years has just caused me to procrastinate & not get the job done. I think that this could be the answer. Not a great long-term investment, mind you, but certainly a good way to get a particular task done, quickly & easily.
-ghp
AI:5 - Suspicious Minds Can Rest Easy
Wow.
I guess that this blows the conspiracy theorists, who moaned that Chris was “The Chosen One”, out of the water, now doesn’t it?
I think it lays bare the fact that the producers are, when push comes to shove, either not willing, or not able to overcome the will of the voting public. Because if the producers were so inclined, there’s no freakin’ way that they’d have gotten rid of TCO-Chris at this stage of the game.
Am I shocked? No.
Am I outraged? No.
Am I disappointed? Yes.
I wanted Chris in the final 2. The problem is, I also wanted Taylor & Kat in the final 2 along with him. 
And even a (former) History major like me knows that the math on that one just wouldn’t work.
I really would’ve preferred that Elliot got eliminated last night, but props have to be given to his fanbase, because they really came through for him. There could be one little problem for the Yaminions, however — I don’t see any way that the Daughtry Gang sends their votes Elliot’s way next week. I think Elliot may get slammed by a bit of backlash, which could (should!) result in my now preferred Taylor vs. Kat final 2 matchup. And Taylor will win this matchup, and win it BIG, because the only one who had any hope of beating the Soul Patrol was Chris.
Well, now we get to look forward the homecoming videos, as next week we get to see each of the top 3 return home for huge amounts of love & adulation. We’ll also get (IIRC) to see how the contestants deal with not having any input on song selection, although given some of the judges’
past efforts, I’m not holding out too much hope…
-ghp
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