Spring Break for Homeschoolers

  I imagine most people do not end up wasted on the beach for Spring Break. I certainly do not. I end up doing things like my taking my little siblings to the park to feed the ducks.

A Review for Unbroken

 

  Because I am a millennial, and a homeschooler, I grew up learning a lot of things about the World War II generation. Their heroism and morality has been lauded countless times. Then I got a little older and started reading accounts of the men who lived and fought in the Second World War. By their own accounts, they were far from being perfect men, their lives not that much more moral than those of their descendants.

  Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini, who was one such man. Laura Hillenbrand paints his story with an arresting vividness usually reserved for novels; chronicling his devious childhood, tempestuous adolescent and his career as a young Olympian.  

  As Louis' story continues we read of his life as a soldier, a cast-away and then as a POW in a Japanese prison camp. In the prison camp, Louis and his fellow POWs endured unspeakable violence and torture at the hands of their captors. Torture that should have killed Louis, torture that should have broken his will and his spirit. The story of Louis' life in the prison camp and after his release is both heart-rending and inspiring.

  Laura does us a great favor by not ending Louis' story right after he comes home from the war. In spite of all he endured, Louis was not unbreakable by himself. Louis' experience in the war left him with countless personal demons he could not will away. Louis' story is not just one of personal strength and unbreakable will. It is a story of love and grace and salvation and forgiveness. It is a story that chronicles the beauty of the gospel. And it is one that I highly recommend.

The Creation of Nothing in Particular

  The past few day have been cold and rainy. So today I hauled my craft box out of my closet and my brothers and I created nothing in particular. Usually I have some kind of purpose when I craft. But sometimes it is just fun to glue sequins, pom-poms and toilet paper tubes together.

One brother made a wonderful little nod to the greatest comic book villain.

Thoughts on Humanity and Driving Cars

  Cars are wonderful. Because of the day and age in which I live, I can hardly imagine life apart from these devices of transportation. And because I live in America, everybody drives (even those who complain of the effect driving has on the environment). For the most part, society sees driving as absolutely indispensable. And whether a body uses public transportation or their own car, most Americans spend some portion of their day inside of a vehicle.

  After driving for the past few years, I have found cars do strange things to people. I am not sure if it is because people turn into their true selves when they get behind they wheel of a car, or if it is because they become some horrible alternative version of themselves. And maybe I am just thinking this because I encountered a particularly rude driver yesterday. I had never in my life seen this person, and it is their own fault that I hope to never encounter them again.

  People are going to be rude and selfish, but for some reason, driving a car seems to amplify these qualities. But it can also go the other way. It seems sometimes, times I have encountered the most courteous people in existence when they were behind the wheel of their cars.

  My Dad always says people drive like they live. There is a lot of truth in that. Some people drive fast, others drive slow, and then there are those who meticulously follow the speed limit. Some people are rude, some people are polite. There are drivers who are painfully indifferent to driving while others attack the road with the ferocity of a race car driver. And we who drive get to encounter all of these people every time we settle behind the steering wheel. On America's highways we get to meet humanity at its most honest.

Never too Big

 While we live on this earth, we as people never outgrow our capacity for failure. It is an intrinsic part of our humanity: our inability to perfect ourselves. That does not mean we do not try to do the impossible. Clutching at the bright strands of beauty and wealth and intellect given to us; trying to weave a garment of them to cover the nakedness of our imperfections. We grow till we believe failure is wholly behind us. Never more will we have to fear stumbling in this life because the false wealth we have created will cover all the bad we have ever done.
  So thought Israel. Hosea 12:8 says, "Ephraim boasts, "I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity of sin."" And so lived Israel, fooling themselves with a false image of goodness. Thinking by the might of their wealth they could trick both God and man into believing they were beyond sin. But wealth and the appearance of goodness cannot fool the all-knowing God. He saw through their wealth, through their false righteousness, and Israel fell because of their sin.
  There is no protection we as men can make to save us from the consequences of our sin. We will not, on this earth, outgrow our humanity. We are never too big to fail.

No Longer Whispering

  Spring has done more than merely whisper of its coming. After the ice of the morning has past, spring shouts of its impending glory. It leaves no doubt about its growing newness.

The Gospel, Grace, and a Terrible Goody-Goody

  Recently, my Mom started reading the children's version of Pilgrim's Progress to my little brothers. The other day I heard them reading the part where Christian encounters Worldly Wiseman on his way to the wicket gate, which will lead him to salvation through grace. Worldly Wiseman advises Christian to turn away from the path to the wicket gate and to go the house of Mr. Legality in the town of morality so he may be freed of his burden. Instead of running to grace for freedom from his sin, Christian turned to the house of Mr. Legality where he hoped to become good enough to earn his salvation. One might criticize Christian for the foolishness of his decision, but turning to our own goodness as hope for salvation is an easy thing to do. Sadly, I find myself trying to do the same thing.
  Morality is good. But being a moral person does not give a body salvation. And when one lives their life trying to simply be moral, they often become a legalistic person as well. Priding themselves in a false righteousness which they think will merit God's favor.
  As a fallen person, I cannot actually attain goodness. All of my efforts fall immeasurably short of perfection. The deeds I do are broken and no effort of my own is going to save me. Rather, I am saved by a gospel of grace. In spite of all things I have done, both good and bad, I am a child of God. And I am a child of God because of the work of Christ. I am saved because Christ came to this earth and lived the holy and perfect life I could never hope to. Then He died in my place and bore the punishment I deserve. Finally, He rose from the dead. He conquered death so I can forever be with Him. That is what saves me. Not my own ability to keep the law, but Christ's having kept it for me.
  In Pilgrim's Progress, Christian also finds the same to be true. On his was to Mr. Legality's house, Christian encounters the law and realizes his complete and utter inability to keep it. So Christian returns to the path which will lead him to the wicket gate. After going through the wicket gate, Christian finds his way to the foot of the cross and to the opening of the empty tomb. Christian throws himself on the grace of God and is saved by the work of Christ alone. Like me, Christian had no goodness to save him. He was saved by the love of God.