A Great Opening Sentence...

As Westminster dives into its reading initiative this year, I began to think about great opening sentence in novels. Which one is the best one? There are many great ones, but only a few that merit greatness. The opening of G.K. Chesterton's The Napoleon of Notting Hill is, in my opinion, one of the very best. See if you agree.


"The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do it till the end, which is a nuisance for the few people who grow up."

As we strive as a school community to reach our reading goals, may we do it for His glory and the education of our children. Blessings!

A Few Great Quotes

Here are a few great quotes or sayings that I stumbled on today. I do not know who said them, but they are worth noting. Read and think on them. Blessings!

The word listen contains the same letters as the word silent.

Good judgement comes from experience, Experience comes from poor judgement.

Duct tape is like the force, it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together.

Best

What has happened to this concept of "best?" Today, there are too many who think they can achieve something special without giving one's best. I do not understand.

I read a great quote in our locker room that Coach Keith had put up on our walls: "if you want something you have never had you must do things you have never done." Yet, today there are too many that want everything for nothing. There is a legitimate belief that if I just want it bad enough and have a good attitude I will get what I want. It does not happen that way.

I worry about the next generation losing this ability to give their best. What I see too much of is the concept of getting done. Most just want to get done and never even think about giving one's best. Why?

Here are my thoughts on the subject.

First, we have a society that has moved from a collective mindset to an individual mindset. Why? It sells far more products that's why? Selfishness is more profitable than selflessness. Think of the commercials you see... any of them rooted in any virtue?

Second, we are being appeased from every angle. Appeasement is a dangerous concept and will lull one into accepting what was once unacceptable.

Third, the west openly promotes the idea that if you can't get something there is either something medically wrong with you or there is something wrong with the teacher or coach, but the answer will never be to try harder or do your best.

There are many more thoughts on this issue, but those of us in Christ ought not be caught on the wrong side. We are commanded to give our best in everything. Paul exhorts us to run the race to win and train to win. Christians ought to be examples of how to give one's best in all things. How are you doing with this concept of best?

Belief

Have you noticed that belief is defined differently these days? Those of us in Christ have a belief, but those who believe in other things or nothing (atheism) have the truth.

Perception is a very interesting thing. It changes according to what you believe. If you believe someone is a good person, and they do something not good, you will still give them the benefit of the doubt because your perception of them is good. It will not be the same for someone you do not view as a good person.

Often we allow our perception to serve as truth; it can not. Truth is found, as our Lord defined: "where two or three gather in my name I am there." The Lord Jesus is truth.

Many will scoff at this notion, yet what is the alternative... usually perception. Is atheism true? Atheists will say yes, but the proof is speculation and perception. Is evolution true? Evolutionists will say yes, but only the sincere honest searchers of truth will admit that there is still a lot they do not know. They speculate it is true which is... perception.

As Christians, we ought to be the examples of how to arrive at truth. We ought to understand the power and the danger of perception. One side to a story is not mostly truth but perception.

We will never engage culture for Christ until we understand and live by truth, and not by perception. Perception is easy; truth is not. Yet, we are commanded to live by truth. May we work hard to live by the truth of Christ and not the perception of our own hearts. Blessings!

Another Quote...

Here is another quote for our collection. Enjoy!


“Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right.”
--H.L. Mencken

Better or Worse?

Is our country getting better or worse in education, generally speaking, of course? Let's look at the average SAT score for the last 40 years. Well, should we be concerned? I would say... yes!

Why are we not alarmed? I am weary of politicians claiming they have the answers to our educational woes. Let's look at the correlation between political involvement and test scores.

In 1965 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was launched as a comprehensive set of programs; it included the Title I program for disadvantaged children in order to address the problems of poor urban and rural areas. In that same year, the Higher Education Act authorized assistance for postsecondary education, including financial aid programs for needy college students.

In 1980, Congress established the Department of Education as a Cabinet level agency. Today this department operates programs that touch on every area and level of education. This Department's elementary and secondary programs annually serve nearly 14,000 school districts and some 56 million students attending roughly 99,000 public schools and 34,000 private schools. Department programs also provide grant, loan, and work-study assistance to more than 13 million postsecondary students.

Now, let's see... when do we start to see the sudden drop in scores? I believe it is a little before 1970, say 1965, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was launched. Why are we not looking back to what we used to do to understand what we are no longer doing? Do politicians really want to solve this problem. My humble opinion is no.

Why do private and faith-based schools excel with less money and less resources? That answer is the answer to our educational problem in this country - competition! If you give parents a choice on where to send their children to school, within five years every poor school and poor teacher would be gone. Why? Those schools and those teachers would have no students. The system is set up for this. The bus fleets are there. The schools are there. All it would take is some re-organization, some energy and some effort.

Is this country really serious about its educational problem? Actions speak louder than words, I am told. Blessings!

An Amazing Video

My wife turned me on to this video. There are no musical instruments being used. Enjoy!

The Fox and the Hedgehog

The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

Archilochus (7th-century b.c.e.)


Basically, human beings are categorized as either "hedgehogs" or "foxes." Hedgehogs' live according to a single, central vision of reality to which they "feel", breathe, experience and think. Foxes live centrifugal lives, pursuing many divergent ends approaching reality in ways that prevents them from formulating a definite grand system of "everything", simply because they "sense" that life is too complex to be squeezed into any Procrustean unitary scheme.

Hedgehogs tend to be driven by that one world and life view; foxes tend to be pragmatic, looking for anything that works to bring the desired goal. I believe, as a Christian, my goal should be to live life more as a hedgehog than a fox. Christ should permeate every decision and be my motivation in all that I do, but I am human and a sinner and will be tempted every day to be a pragmatic fox.

The battle is made easier for me when I understand who I am, and then understand who I should be. Are you a hedgehog or a fox? What should you be? Blessings!