Today, according to my handy, dandy Booklover’s Day Book, is Lord Acton’s birthday. I had heard of him, but couldn’t place him. It turns out that he’s the one said this: “Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end…liberty is the only object which benefits all alike, and provokes no sincere opposition…The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to to govern. Every class is unfit to govern…Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
I had never heard the part about “every class is unfit to govern.” I like that. We are unfit to rule over others for an indefinite period of time. After a while, we do get power-mad. We enjoy playing God. Acton was a historian and also a book-lover. This website says that he owned over 60.000 books when he died, and many of them had passages marked that he thought were significant. I thought I had a lot of books!

I’m still reading Guns of August, but it’s on hold for a day or two while I read The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg. Written after 9/11 and before Operation Iraqi Freedom, the book is somewhat prophetic fiction about an attack on the world’s leaders by Saddam and his henchmen. It’s also sort of eerie because in stead of being what could happen, it’s what could have happened if we hadn’t invaded Iraq. I’m also reading The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator’s Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child. The first rule is: “When responding to any adult, you must answer by saying “Yes, M’am” or “No, Sir.” Just nodding your head or saying any other form of yes or no is not acceptable.” I LOVE IT. We’re going to work on this all week at my house, and then we’ll go to Rule #2 about making eye contact. If my children only knew how impressed everyone (possible employers, teachers, authority figures) would be if they followed this simple rule all the time! And then if they could learn to look directly at someone who is speaking to them or to whom they are speaking, they’d almost be set for life.

Yesterday was Tolkien’s birthday–gives me another excuse to talk hobbits and Middle Earth.

“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“It’s a dangerous business going out your front door.”
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
J. R. R. Tolkien

“This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and the counsels of the Great.” -Elrond

“My friends, you had horses, and deeds of arms, and the free fields; but she, born in the body of a maid, had a spirit and courage at least the match of yours… who knows what she spoke to the darkness, alone, in the bitter watches of the night, when all her life seemed shrinking, and the walls of her bower closing in about her, a hutch to trammel some wild thing in?”-Gandalf

“…And now leave me in peace for a bit! I don’t want to answer a string of questions while I’m eating. I want to think!”
“Good Heavens!” said Pippin. “At breakfast?”

“I will take the ring, though I do not know the way.” -Frodo

2004–Flylady’s motto for this year is “less is more in 2004.” De-cluttering our home is one of my goals for the year–in fifteen minute increments, of course. R is reading Euripides’ Trojan Women. I remember being told back in the 70’s when I read the play that it was an “anti-war play.” That was during Vietnam when everybody who was anti-war latched onto anything that they thought supported their position. I’m not sure Euripides was saying “make peace, not war,” though, as much as he was just showing how sad and horrible war is.

The other children are watching Pirates of the Carribbean–again. We’re going to have to hide that movie; this is the third time for them to watch it since Thanksgiving. I wonder what lessons they’re learning from it?

Today is the birthday of Arthur Hugh Clough (1819-1861). I remember him from my Victorian poetry class. He was a firend of Matthew Arnold, a student at Rugby which was run by Matthew’s father Thomas, and he was “an epitome of the sincere Victorian who abandoned orthodox religion, renounced his childhood beliefs.” He wrote this rather cynical poem that I remember reading in my class:

The Latest Decalogue

Thou shalt have one God only; who
Would be at the expense of two?
No graven images may be
Worshipp’d, except the currency:
Swear not at all; for, for thy curse
Thine enemy is none the worse:
At church on Sunday to attend
Will serve to keep the world thy friend:
Honour thy parents; that is, all
From whom advancement may befall:
Thou shalt not kill; but need’st not strive
Officiously to keep alive:
Do not adultery commit;
Advantage rarely comes of it:
Thou shalt not steal; an empty feat,
When it’s so lucrative to cheat:
Bear not false witness; let the lie
Have time on its own wings to fly:
Thou shalt not covet; but tradition
Approves all forms of competition.

As I look at it again, it seems applicable, especially the part about murder. Let’s not go to any great pains to keep anyone alive whose “quality of life” is likely to be poor in our estimation.

I’m not really musically “educated.” I can hear a sour note, but the nuances escape me. Nevertheless, I do enjoy good Christmas music. R and I went to hear excerpts from Handel’s Messiah at University Baptist Church tonight, and I thought it was very good. It made me think of Christ and what He has done for me–how He is my ‘refiner’s fire” and “shepherd.” Christmas is a good time of year.

I think the Democrats have gone crazy. There’s a link on Drudge Report to a story about Madeleine Allbright saying that Bush probably knows where Osama bin Laden is and is waiting until next year to produce him so that he can win the election. Do they even half-way believe these conspitacy theories? MA said she was joking.

Also Ann Coulter says that “In 24 months, Bush has perceptibly degraded terrorist operations throughout the world. The rebuilding in Iraq is going better than could possibly be expected. Liberals don’t care. They just want to turn everything over to the French. (And, apparently, the recent capture of Saddam presents us with a golden opportunity to do so!)” As Jesus said, “To what can I compare this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge and you did not cry.'” Liberals are like that. If we don’t have Saddam, they say that Bush ought to catch Saddam and why hasn’t he? If we get Saddam, the liberals say catching Saddam doesn’t really make any difference and why haven’t we caught Osama? It’s all a conspiracy; don’t they know that?

The four oldest children and I went to see Return of the King tonight. Wow! It was wonderful–all about courage and faith and hope and friendship and perseverance. I thought it was the best of all the three movies. It was really scary in some parts–especially Shelob’s lair. I have claustrophobia anyway. I don’t think I could ever make myself go into a dark cave-like place with sticky webs. It’s not the spiders so much, although that would be horrid, but rather the feeling of being closed in and trapped. I don’t like small dark places.

Anyway, the movie made me want to do something heroic or see my children do brave, heroic deeds. I remember God’s command to Joshua: “Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” So. RCHEMIBZ, be strong and courageous–like Frodo and Sam. Don’t let anyone steal your dreams and your joy.

I’ve been learning a lot of stuff lately;

From fly-lady: I can get a lot done in fifteen minutes. My timer is my best friend–well, maybe not my BEST friend, but a friend nevertheless.
From Dave Ramsey: I can get financial peace by taking baby steps. I can control my money or else it will be “out of control.” doing things that I don’t want it to do. And we won’t have enough to do the things that God is calling us to do.
From Martha: Just do what God brings you to do–no excuses, no procrastination. I don’t need to have some grand plan; just do what God puts in front of me today.
From Barbara Sher: Find what you love to do, and do it. You will be blessing yourself and blessing the world by doing what God put in you to do.
From Tim: Keep plugging. If you don’t get it today, try again tomorrow. Never give up.
From Emily: I need to be more positive: “don’t get in a bad mood.” We can still have a good day.
From Zion: Watch out! If she’s quiet, it’s time to be afraid, be very afraid.
From Wayland: Too much stuff is a curse.

R is worried that I will get too enamored of this courtship idea and try to pick out a husband for her. Actually, I don’t want to pick a spouse for any of my children. I just think of courtship as a protection device. If THE guy comes along, wouldn’t it be nice if he were willing to go to your parents and ask their permission to court you? Wouldn’t that show more about some guy’s worthines and character than whether or not he can play cricket? I just want whoever marries each of my daughters to be entirely wonderful and worthy of the great honor of her hand. And I want him to be prepared for marriage–financially, emotionally, and spiritually. So I think he had BETTER come talk to us if he wants to get near my daughter!!

I wish I could figure out exactly what we’re supposed to do about CHURCH. We have toyed with the idea of moving to Trinity Evangelical Free Church, but so far we’re still committed at Heritage Park Baptist. I suppose I could list reasons to move and reasons that I’m reluctant to do so.

Reasons to move:
1. I think the people at TEFC are generally more supportive of the things I have come to believe are important, such as large families, homeschooling, parental authority and influence, young people becoming adults instead of adolescents, courtship or mature dating, and family worship. I could talk about these concepts without being considered odd or seeming to be judgemental or critical of other people’s choices in these areas.

2. I like the idea of my younger children being under the influence of the adults that I know at Trinity, such as David and Susan, Tamara and Van, Steve and Martha, etc. I also would like to encourage their friendsuips with other homeschooling, conservative, courtship-minded families and their children.

3. I enjoy the worship time at TEFC, probably because I’m tired of the service at HPBC.

4. I have a great deal of respect for the leadership at TEFC and the things I have heard about the way they do things in that church family. I like what Martha told me about Krystal’s baptism and about the way some other situations and problems in the church were handled.

5. I am struck often by the superficiality of much of the teaching at HPBC. I still don’t understand why Tony was asked not to finish the series of lessons thaat he had planned on people’s response to September 11th. I can’t believe some of the things that my children tell me that they hear in Sunday School. (One child’s teacher congratulated them on being almost 17 so that they could go to R rated movies. Another teacher told them that Catholics aren’t Christians. Several children tell me that they don’t learn anything at church. Many of the people at HPBC are committed to Christ, but the material taught especially to the children is very light and fluffy.)

6. Heidi doesn’t want to go to HPBC anymore for some reason. (Of course, she doesn’t want to go to TEFC either. She wants to go to church with her friends from dance.) Emily would like to move to TEFC, and next August would be a good time just before she moves into the youth group. Miriam, Isaac, and Bethany all have friends there. Our children would also enjoy AWANAS at TEFC.

Reasons to stay:

1. We have to stay until at least August 2004 because we are committed to teach fifth graders in Sunday School

2. I am concerned about Heidi’s lack of commitment to our church and her possibly frivolous reasons for wanting to go to Haley’s church. I am afraid that by leaving HPBC we may unintentionally reinforce the idea that you choose a church family like you choose a place to shop or a club to join. You find out where you feel comfortable and where your favorite people are, and then you go there. If you get tired of one church or mad at the preacher or unhappy with this program or that, you go somewhere else. I believe that the reasons for choosing a church or for changing churches have to be much more significant than those, and I don’t know if the Lord is truly telling us to move or if we’re just feeling restless.

3. Christopher absolutely refuses to consider leaving HPBC. He says that the only place he has any friends is HPBC, and I think he is learning something from Jason’s teaching.

4. We’ve been at HPBC for almost twenty years. We have a relationship with that church family that will be impossible to re-create. These people have seen all our children born, seen us through tragedy, celebrated with us. It’s almost like breaking up a family.

5. The preaching is theologically sound and Baptist. I really think I believe what Baptist believe—even if I might like the worship style somewhere else (not going to TEFC for the high church worship style either.) I don’t know if I believe what the evangelical free church believes even though I’ve checked it out some and it seems to be very baptistic. I also like Southern Baptist traditions and concepts: the emphasis on missions, the cooperative program, Lottie Moon, Bible drill (which we’re not doing anyway), etc.

6. The grass always looks greener on the other side, but what happens a few years down the road if the pastor of TEFC moves and the make-up of the church changes, and the people we went there to be close to move away or leave? Is God leading us to a new churchfor better or for worse? Or will we be church hopping again in a few years?

7. Maybe we’re supposed to be at HPBC for a reason. I don’t really feel like I have much influence over anyone in that church, but maybe I don’t know. I would like to think that our being there could influence someone to try homeschooling or to pray about the number of children that God wants them to have or to “kiss dating good-bye” or just to think more deeply about their faith and what it means to live Christianly in this society. However, I’m afraid that our being at HPBC may have the opposite effect of causing our children to abandon these concepts before they’ve even tried them. If your Bible study teachers at church hardly ever require you to think and if the Christians you see all the time at church don’t see any problem with public schooling or with birth control or with serial dating, then why would our children think these things are worth being concerned about.

SO..o..o..o, I don’t have it figured out, and I wish someone would help me. Maybe my husband has some ideas about these things???