The worst book i'll ever recommend

There are many reasons not like the book, To Train Up a Child, by Michael and Debi Pearl.

Their tone is proud, and they paint the world in too-broad strokes. The authors underline their own most important points. Egregious. And they proof-text like it’s goin’ out of style, which is bad practice (Matthew 4:1-11).

Also, they say some really stupid things. Like this: “Gender role distinction is demeaned in modern education. Don’t let a coven of Sodomites and socialists…reprogram your natural feelings on male and female distinctiveness.” (I wonder if in their co-authorship group think pushed them past the edge of reality).

But this book has made Beth and me better parents. His main points are that to train children we need to be consistent, calm and severe as you would be if you were training an animal. They say, "Parent, you can't blame your children if you have trained them to obey only after several warnings, threats, an ultimatum and finally a gesture of force. It's not their fault, it's yours." I’ve kept reading this book because I haven’t yelled at my kids in the month since I started it. My own kids are happy to have me not yelling at them, and seem to prefer occasional hard spanks to whole days of pleading with them to decide to do what is right.

I’ve never read any books on parenting in the past because of my own sinful pride. I always understood it to be a real organic thing, like child birth (or how I imagine child birth); something that God has sown within us that if we listen attentively enough we will find out how to do as well as the child-rearing experts. But I’m learning that child rearing is more like marriage. It is a learned art for which we need the help of those who know what they’re doing. I’m learning through the experience of listening to the Pearls about my training my kids that we won’t find the answers to our parenting problems by looking at our kids or at ourselves. It seems simple to write, but it really is an important lesson for me.

So I’m open to suggestions on other good books about training children.

the truth about Haiti

This article sheds some good light on Haiti's history.

classroom quips, November, 2008

In a diabetes in-service, a teacher asked the facilitator what "hello" means on the test meter. The facilitator corrected the teacher that meters do no say "hello," but "hi," meaning that the child's blood sugar is over 500.

This was about the time I decided to start watching "The Office."

a review North! Or be Eaten

North! Or Be Eaten

I love stories. I love stories that have fantastical elements. I do not love fantasies.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Andrew Peterson’s first novel, was an excellent story. It’s characters were totally believable yet fully fictional. It’s villains were horrible, like the nameless evil named Gnag the e and the horrid Fangs of Dang. Dang. It was laugh-out-loud funny more than 20 times. The insights one knowing APs music would expect were all over. It was a great story that included fantastical elements.

In North! Or Be Eaten, Andrew seemed to tinker with his winning formula some. It became a fantasy with good elements, instead of a novel with good elements, one of which was fantasy. Also, the story felt a bit too action-packed. There was danger at every turn, but I found that the characters were not given enough time to breathe and pick up the pieces between near-death

I mentioned the insights that APs consistently delivers in his music or books. I wanted to share one from North! that hit me hard as a I read.

One of the characters is Artham P. Wingfeather, whose job is that of Throne Warden. His purpose is to protect the true King of Anniera, who at this point in the Wingfeather Series is his little boy nephew. At an earlier point in his life Artham has been tortured and inculcated with lies about himself. The following is written as Artham is being tortured again and ready to give in to his captors, but then has an awakening:

The voices in his head that cried "coward: and "weakling" drew back into the shadows. He knew he was those things but feared them no longer. Then another voice spoke. It called him "throne warden" and "protector" and "uncle," and at last he believed it.

It was resounding insights like these and a relationship I now have with the characters that kept me going, even though the fantasy elements don’t suit my fancy.

I did enjoyed reading North! Or be Eaten, but I hope he goes back to his Dark Sea of Darkness ways for his next addition to the Wingfeather Saga.

classroom quips, 2-5-07

One day Ismael did a really bad impromptu rap for the class.

Mr. Stipp: Wow, Ismael, that was a great rap. Did you write it?

Ismael: No, I made it up.

Amy Stipp = my hero

My sister Amy shared with me this week that a colleague of hers came to her to gripe about some work situation or other. Amy’s response to this colleague has jolted me. She said, “Can I pray for you?” The co-worker said “yes.” They prayed together and went their separate ways.

Amy explained to me that she realized as she listened to her friend talk, that she did not have any hope or wisdom to offer her. All she had was Christ, and so she shared him the best she knew how.

Also, she said, if the lady was offended and didn’t want to keep coming to her to complain, that would be ok, too.

I was struck by this story on a couple levels.

Amy understands that the starting point to accepting to gospel is our nothingness. In her journey as a Christian she has not fallen into the trap of becoming wise. I know Amy had thoughts she could have shared with her friend; she wasn’t using prayer as a cop-out. She knew, though, that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and that her own thoughts really could not do much long term good for her friend.

I also am inspired by Amy’s story to share God in ways like my sister did. Amy did not discuss theology, or where this lady had attended church in the past, or her conceptions about Christians, or try to build a friendship that could hopefully one day lead to evangelism. She very simply went straight to the Source. I get the feeling she’s letting God deal with the other details.

Finally, I see in my sister’s faith an answer to the question, “what difference does it make whether or not we are the People of God?” I see this answer, too, when I read the Old Testament or in my Friday morning men’s group. We as God’s People are not primarily people who agree on politics, music and entertainment. We are not always a group that is comfortable with one another. We are not always exceptionally good. An important way of defining who we are, though, is in our posture. We are a people who look to God. We are a people who know our wisest wisdom will run us around in circles. We bow. We hope.

Thanks, Amy, for these reminders.

The value of nothing

I will be reading this book.

classroom quips, 1-10-07

Dan Burke is a white Illinois Congressman, whose seat is being challenged by Rudy Lozano, a Mexican American from Little Village. The majority of the people in Dan Burke's constituency are hispanic, which is why some people think it will be hard for him to win.

Yesterday I had this conversation:

me: Jose, what did you do during the break?

Jose: I made a commercial

me: wow, what was the commercial about?

Jose: I don't know. Me and my brother just said, "thank you, Dan Burke" for the camera. Who's Dan Burke?

New Decade's Resolutions

New Decade’s Resolutions

Writing New Decade’s Resolutions will allow me just 1/10 of the opportunities for failure were I to write New Year's Reslutions each year. It just so happens that my 40th birthday will fall a month before my ten years are up, so these are also goals I want to accomplish by the time I’m 40.

Family
1. I resolve to take my wife on weekend getaways 20 times.
2. I will coach a baseball team that with Isaac, Suzy and Eli on the roster.
3. I resolve to live with with my family in a poor country for an extended period (a month or more).
4. I resolve to try to teach each child to play an instrument.
5. I resolve to allow my children to learn to grow and raise food on a farm (I would say to teach them, but I don’t know how to do this myself).
6. I resolve to take the family camping 10 times.


Community
1. I resolve to develop meaningful relationships with 4 families (not just the kids) on our block
2. To lead a Bible Study or discussion group with neighbors
3. To train one neighbor as a Christian disciple
4. To become a board member for the Little Village baseball league


Spiritual
1. To fast for two weeks from media 10 times
2. To fast for two weeks from food and media 10 times
3. To do a 40 day food fast
4. To study 10 books of the Bible (like with commentaries and what-not)
5. To focus study on Theophostic prayer, and develop a ministry of prayer with others

Physical
1. To bat .500 for the Little Village Lugnuts
2. To pitch a no-hitter for the Little Village Lugnuts
3. To beat Siri Greeley in ultimate Frisbee once
4. To work out for a period of 6 months, once

The Arts
1. To practice my cello 20 days out of one month.
2. To finish the canons of: Wendell Berry (just his fiction), C.S. Lewis, Leslie Newbigin and Frederick Buechner
3. To read the Koran and the Catechism of the Catholic Church
4. To write 10 songs
5. To add 100 postings to this here blog
6. To send 20 hand-written letters


Work
1. I resolve to continue working as a Special Education teacher for these ten years
2. To achieve National Board Certification.
3. To come up with some more goals for work.