On the nature of the blogosphere ...

There are many blogs out there which are like spider webs. You innocently start reading one article, and before you know it, you get caught in their web. (Due to my lack of writing time, my blog is safe.) So beware, readers out there, you might be their next victim ...

Cook-out at the Disseau's.

Last week, I had several students from my Statics class at St. Augustine's College, and a few others, come to the house to eat and hang out. I have often wanted to do this, but in the many years I have been teaching college level classes, I have never quite gotten around to it.

We did not discuss forces and moments or centers of gravity, but life, dating, cooking, fishing, ethics, and much more. It was nice to be able to relax and get to know my students a little better. Unfortunately, I will not be back at St. Augustine's College next year, but luckily, due to technology, I'll be able to keep in touch with some of them.

May I urge the ones of you who are in academia to take time to spend with your students on a non-academic level? These young adults need mentoring, and mentoring goes far beyond just academia. I promise you, you will never regret pouring your life into theirs, after all ... that is what teaching is all about.

Tae Kwon Dodo!

We spent the morning at a Taekwondo competition. Our friend, Cheryl, and her Christian Martials Art School competed at the Third Annual Factory Taekwondo tournament. I am very proud of them: they not only did very well when it comes to technique, they were a great example of what it means to be a Christian martial artist. Great job y’all!

Week-end off ... part II

So we spent 3.5 hours shooting all sorts of guns.
We started out shooting a Smith and Wesson 38 special (100 bullets) and a 40 caliber Glock (50 bullets). We then proceeded to shoot some 20 gauge and 12 gauge shotguns (250+ shells). The girls shot stationary targets, and the boys shot clay skeets. BTW - my favorite was the 12 gauge pump action shotgun. Finally we moved to rifles: the boys each took a long range shot with a deer hunting rifle (4 bullets) and all did a lot of shooting with some smaller 22 rifles (200 bullets).
We then finished the day with some great food, fellowship, a lunar eclipse, and a couple of movies.


Cindy and I also took some time to talk to Kenny, Rob's dad, about landscaping for the house. Hopefully in the not too distant future we will be able to post some pictures of the results of our conversation.

Week-end off ...

Well, this is the picture of the year: Cheryl with a dog on her lap and a smile on her face!

Alan's Blog, a must read!

* that is a reference to a comment Margaret made on my blog.

Family ...

I just got off the phone (well actually Skype) with a sister in Christ, R., who lives on the other side of the world. I had not talked to her since before she and her roommate left several months ago. It was great to be able to talk to her and share in the life with her, even if our conversation had to be guarded.

This conversation, and the fact that I miss them so much that I almost cried, made me think of the family of God. In theology we spend much time distinguishing between the "local" church and the "universal" church, but the more I study Scripture, the less I see this distinction as being beneficial (see discussion on membership link mentioned earlier for some food-for-thought on the matter). For me, R. is not just my sister at large (part of some esoteric "universal" church), but she is also still a member of Messiah Baptist Church. She might not be on the roll, but the impact on our spiritual family is still felt and will continue to be felt. Also, I see her work for Jesus oversees as being an extension of our family's work in Wake Forest. The link that we have through the Holy Spirit and through the time that we shared in the life (1 John 1:3) face to face is not breakable by great distances.

Finally, this conversation makes me praise God for technology which allows us to continue to share in the life, even if it is in a different way than when she was here.