Something to look forward to

As my wife played with our cat and I lay with my feet propped up on the edge of the futon, the usual question arose, "What do you wanna do today," followed by the usual response, "I dunno, whada you wanna do?" We sat there a bit thinking to ourselves. The silence was broken by a comment of my wife's, "What do you want out of life, Tim?" Before risking much and giving a quick answer, I asked why she was curious, why she asked in the first place. She looked away and asked the question to herself: "What do I want out of life? [looking around] This is not it. I do not want to settle down, to have a pet, have kids, a mortgage, car payments, insurance payments as my only worries. They seem so miniscule to what we can do." This is not an exact quote, but it does convey what she was trying to say. She doesn't want to comfortably make a difference in a stationary home far from the problems of the world. And neither do I. Settling down into a house and starting a family, worrying about payment after payment is not necessarily what I want out of life either. I want to make a difference where a difference is needed. We both have it in our power to do great things -- by 'great' I mean beneficent.

It is because of our agreement on this issue that after our schooling, we hope to possibly join the Peace Corps or some other organization where we can have the opportunity to serve others world-wide. We are both in agreement that it would be a time of fear, of change, of marriage hardships, but nevertheless are also excited to truly make a difference to those who need it.

Half-Blood Prince Review: Why I liked it...

7/18/2005
What did I think of the book?...I enjoyed it immensely -- why?...That is a good question. It could be that the book was enjoyable because of my fondness for the previous five, but I think the reason for liking this book goes beyond that. The overarching plot remains the same: destroy/stop Lord Voldemort, but the overall feel of the book was different. This book seemed to make many connections, answer many questions that I had been hoping it would,yet there was not the usual plot to be solved...a philosopher's stone, a prophecy, a diary. The feel was very much that of the fourth book when Lord Voldemort returns. It is a dark, depressing book -- conditions in the wizarding world and the muggle world are growing worse; the Death Eaters are triumphing without many getting caught at all -- in fact only one or so at the end of the book. For those who haven't read it yet, I won't give away who the Prince is or which main character dies, but both elements leave many unanswered questions still to be answered in the next book. If you like mystery, betrayal, love, trust, the thematic battle between good and evil, and the magic of fantasy this book is for you. Although I recommend reading the other books first or you may find yourself really lost at times. If you've been wondering about Tom Riddle's past, why he's not dead yet, then this book aids in understanding his character. But this book does not have a happy ending. There is no stopping Voldemort or the Death Eaters in this book...in fact they are the ultimate winners in this book.

Many questions have still not been answered, and I doubt many of them will be in the next book...allowing the audience to fill in holes for themselves is a great rhetorical strategy.

When I have more time I'll give a more in depth review, but time is short right now...

7/19/2005
I've thought more about the book and looked over a few sections that really stand out to me and make the book worth reading. The conversations between Harry and Dumbledore, especially in Chapter 23 Horcruxes, indicate Rowling's difference between good and evil. What makes Harry different? His love...but why is that such a special thing...because Voldemort never could, never did, can never understand. He has 'torn' himself too many times to understand or even feel the way a human being, a wizard can.

What would you do for immortality? Would you kill? Would you rely on someone, something else? Would you try to achieve it yourself?

Are friends a crucial part of your life? Another difference between Voldemort and Harry is that Harry is surrounded by real friends willing to die for him out of love for him...if Voldemort's servants (not friends) find that he can never induce fear into them again, never come back to punish them (kill them) will they still die for him? Fear is a powerful tool to control others, as is seen time and time again throughout history, but it is not everlasting when it is a mortal (in this case a wizard) inducing it...

What benefit is there to a soul that's whole rather than one that has been split into pieces?

What role does human/wizard autonomy play when an evil source relies too heavily on prophecy?

Why must Harry kill Voldemort? Because Voldemort makes it necessary for Harry to try...what is the significance? What advantage does Harry have? Self-sacrificial Love? A whole soul? Friends? The self-sacrificial love of friends? Meaningful relationships? Motivation?

Despite Harry's horrible past experiences he still has the ability to love...unlike Voldemort who finds it weak and without power.

What then is power, true power...I'll ask Dumbledore...

I have greatly enjoyed the development of the characters in the Harry Potter books, which has made much of the difference for me...The characters are dynamic, interacting with the setting and each other to animate the story...

An overarching good battling evil is always a good, linear story-telling (rhetorical) strategy that portrays certain key themes and ideas that an author wants to convey (truth).

What is Dumbledore's purpose in the books? To be the protector of good? Harry's mentor? A symbol of hope? To convey that no wizard is infallible?

Who is Severus Snape? What is his motivation? This current book was not altogether clear for me on this issue...

The story-telling strategy is typical of many great books, but still effective as it takes a different twist and revolves around different characters. Prince finishes with evil seeming to overshadow all that is good, though hopeful Harry remains with his friends. The theme is similar to that of Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia, and other such books.

It is too bad that the Harry Potter books have caused somewhat of a religious discrepancy in communities, when it conveys much of the same truth as Christian literature...

As I think more about this, I'll post periodically...right now my new project is researching and exegeting the epistle to the Romans in comparison with the other audiences to which Paul writes to in his other letters...chow, much explicating to be done...

On the Eve's Eve of Harry Potter

Many people, including me, are anxiously awaiting the next chapter in the world of Witchcraft and Wizadry. Many local bookstores are having fun activities beginning at 8:00 or 9:00pm tomorrow to kick-off the release of The Half-Blood Prince, the sixth Harry Potter book, which will be sold beginning this Saturday, July 16. This means, I'll probably have a review the 17th or so, so keep your eyes peeled (though the cliche/phrase sounds painful).

Question for today: What makes a good tale -- the language or the story? Or do they need each other to make a good story?

I'll send an owl to retrieve the answer, personally.

Apologetics

Why is it that Christians are always on the defensive when it comes to scientific propositions, atheistic inquiries, etc? It seems that it is on the Christian agenda to equip Christians to battle with philosophers and atheists who challenge their faith. At least this is the impression that "Dr. Craig" employed when he talked about his book concerning God (which is a dialogue concerning the views of a Christian and an Atheist). Being knowledgable is of course important when debating issues...but to term the world a battle ground seems awkward to me.

I do have a few questions concerning Craig's comments:

In various arguments he accuses his debating partner of being to speculative on issues and that seems to be a form of avoiding other arguments...religion is just as speculative (to a certain extent). Revelation is speculative...Thus his book could mostly consist of speculation and not help equip Christians with holy grenades (for you Monty Python lovers)?

There is a rising and falling of disbelief throughout history which correlates with the corruption and reform of the church according to Alister McGrath, who presents a very interesting historical sketch in his Twilight of Atheism, published a year or so ago. Perhaps instead of viewing the world as a battle ground for defending the faith against 'the other', we should be looking for discrepancies within? We're not perfect afterall.

Many of the classical atheistic arguments that are cited and talked about in the book seemed dated to me.

The topic of Scripture I found to be unrealistic because the atheist (in the book) was not a man who had any expertise on Scripture and for some reason did not think it an important historical work. But I know offhand that this point of view is not shared by all disbelievers (in Christianity that is). Many of my atheist friends find the Bible to be a great historical resource, but take it to be more of a mythology, revealing truth but absent of anything divine. The point of view of the atheist was not necessarily in the majority and so not helpful for me.

The book is informative to those Christians who wrestle with similar issues and does describe classical issues (perhaps outdated) that should be thought about, but it fails (for me) to be engaging or convicting.

Craig also talked about his certainty of a beginning to the universe and cited the Big Bang as a feasible cosmological possibility. The other day I was skimming an article in a scientific journal (I can't remember its name, sorry) based on research being done with the new deep space telescope. The research indicated that the Big Bang theory didn't add up as a create-all happening. Other scientists defended suggesting that current research has become congested with too many add-ons and amendments to the original, basic Big Bang scenario. Anyway, I found it interesting to read about...the possibility of no Big Bang...what could that mean?

The over-debated Uncaused Cause was another strong point in Craig's book...though the information was nothing new.

What stuck out to me, was Craig's emphasis on process within nature and his discussion of chaos.

Anyway...book review over...

Fixing a truck: a worship-full experience

Driving to Texas seemed like such a great idea considering the fact that my wife and I will be moving from Illinois to New Jersey in late August: much further from our families than before. But, like most long trips, there were obstacles. We started our trip with a stop by the grocery store, to stock up on snacks for the trip, and noticed a good sale on Cheez-its.

After finally setting out on our journey, the air-conditioner in my '94 Ford Ranger decided to be indecisive. It couldn't make up its mind whether to blow cool air, or engine hot air. It had been doing it off and on the week before our trip. I shrugged it off as a fluke, perhaps hoping it would fix itself. (If only I could install Norton on my truck to fix the bugs...) So the day of our trip the AC decided to swear off blowing cool forever.

We drove with the windows down, cruzing down the freeway at 75 to 80 mph catching as much breeze as possible. But we sweat...a lot. I feel terrible for the gas station attendents who had to suffer through my stench as I forked over (extensive amounts of) money. A lady in Tulsa even backed off a bit trying to catch a breeze from another direction I think, but she also could have been stretching...I don't know.

Unfortunately, there was much fourth of July traffic. Despite our semi-wreckless attempt at non-stop driving, road construction proved too powerful for the likes of the Ranger.

Anyway, skipping ahead...we were stranded in Oklahoma City after our truck overheated (well, for an hour or so). I blamed my driving at first, then my wife's and then my truck. I never would have guessed that our air conditioner problem was a good sign that our antifreeze was low in the radiator. My dad guessed it first hand. I hate asking for help, so I'm not sure if I was more upset about the truck problem or about having to call someone for help.

We waited for the engine to cool, filled the radiator with water and drove the remaining hour to our destination...

The Lube and Tune place near my parents house always had a mechanic on hand when someone came wanting fixings other than just an oil change or a cleaning and so I hoped he could decipher the problem. An hour and $20 bought me the verdict: bad water pump. The mechanic went into a concealed room for about 15 minutes and came out with a slight grin and a piece of paper in his hand. His estimate on replacement was around $300 which I knew was out of bounds (as far as my bank account is concerned). They wanted about $100 for parts and $200 for the labor.

I did some research, found that replacing the water pump wouldn't require taking out the engine and hopped on board with a vacation goal of fixing my truck. Technically the goal was mandatory since we couldn't drive back home with a bad waterpump.

I bought the parts and a new thermostat for around $40. What were those guys at the Lube and Tune place charging me $90 for? Sheesh.

Instead of buying a manual for $20 or so, I just drove to the community library about 7 or 8 minutes from my parents house and checked out the book for a few days. The process sounded easy, and it was, but maneuvering my arms to reach bolts and still have enough leveridge to loose them was challenging. In fact my wife volunteered to help and it was she who unscrewed the bolts I couldn't manage (despite my squeezing and screaming) to take off.

I worked off and on for three days in sweat and blood and grease. The process was not only aggravating and long, preventing me from doing vacation-type things, it was miserably hot and painful...but it was also a worshipful, humbling experience. There is much to be learned from hard work, doing things for oneself instead of having others do it for you. I worked to the point of dehydration to where I was completely disoriented and exhausted yet still just as determined as when I started. How does one stay determined, keep interest without a sure end? Faith and hope and love...fear? These motivated me to fix my truck. What's your motivation (Ugh...dontcha hate cliches)?

Off topic: Though hard work is not required for salvation, it should exemplify someone's orientation of heart, right? So faith without works is an imbalanced life -- saying but not doing...Christ is always an active God, always aligning his actions with his words. (This is a different response to a question a friend posed the other day).

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