Tuesday, May 8, 2012

May 8, 2012


 1. I ran in this blog a couple of weeks ago a blurb about Salman Khan. He has created a website designed to help teenagers with their education. My interest was in the subjects of math and science, because that is where I am of little help to my kids.
            Khan came up with this idea trying to help his teenage cousin solve algebra problems. Since she lived far away, he attempted to help her online. He succeeded.
            I have found this site very helpful.
            If you have teenagers, it will be helpful to you as well. The site is free, and here is a link http://www.khanacademy.org/
2. I think the new DICK’S SPORTING GOODS commercial-“Untouchable”-is one of most inspirational of all time. It features music from the movie RUDY, and shows athletes in the state of preparation for their particular sports. The ad’s culmination features the athletes competing in their respective events. I showed the commercial on YouTube to my four kids. Four out of four kids surveyed said they found the commercial highly inspirational. Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abd1OYiAcGQ
3. I'm glad to see vocational education is making a comeback. Guess where this quote came from:

            “Over time… public schools cultivated the theology that every child should go to college (a four year liberal arts college at that) and therefore every child should be required to pursue a college prep course in high school. The results have been awful. High school dropout rates continue to be a national embarrassment. In most high school graduates are not prepared for the world of work.”

Answer–TIME Magazine May 14, 2012 (Here’s a link to the article: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2113794,00.html)
            I agree with TIME. Too many students are destroying the integrity of high schools because they are being pigeonholed into something that is so disconnected from their temperament and future lives, they are willing to sabotage all school activity around them—and potentially their own lives as well.
            I knew that we have a deficiency of welders in the U.S.; I did not realize we're also running out of qualified auto mechanics.
            I hope vocational education in schools is trending up.
4. I recently started a new series at Shiloh that I am calling “Seven Life-Affirming Virtues.” The genesis of this idea came as I thought of doing a series on the seven deadly sins. After some study and reflection, I moved the framework for the series toward a more positive direction.
            I chose seven fundamental virtues that describe the location where one can find God. I decided to address the sins and the flanking either side of each virtue. For example, last week we looked at humility, which is a spot one can find Jesus (See Phil. 2:1-7.)
            On one side of humility is thinking too high of oneself; on the other side of humility is thinking too low of oneself.
            It so happens that in each one of these sermons, one of the corresponding vices comes from the list of seven deadly sins. Consequently, I have read several books on the Seven Deadly Sins as conversation partners.
            One I have found helpful is an older book that you may have read. SEVEN DEADLY SINS was written by Tony Campolo back in the 1980s. In this book, Campolo is typically thought-provoking, occasionally outrageous, and often practical.
            Another book, for those who would enjoy a more scholarly and classical treatment, is THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS by Solomon Schimmel. His perspective is Jewish, and it was written when he was serving as a professor of Jewish education and psychology at Hebrew College in Brookline, Massachusetts. What intrigued me about this book is the way he draws from classical, Jewish, and Christian traditions.
5. I like San Antonio, but for my Mavs’ sake, I am pulling for Oklahoma City or Miami to win the NBA championship. Dallas wrote off this season before it began. OC and Miami is bound to win a championship; why not let them get it out of their system this year?

*Thanks to Peter King for the inspiration for this blog's title.


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