March 1 - 14
One of my all-time favorite posts to re-read on this blog are my Lifestyle of Learning posts. I love how they capture so many details of our lives; details that may seem mundane, relatively insignificant, or rather simple but are actually evidence of the rich lives that we are leading, actively seeking new information and experiences, building a web of knowledge that allows us to make more and more connections. These posts are an interesting time capsule. In the past, these posts were also a way to document the kiddos homeschooling journey and document the evolution of my educational philosophy. Nevertheless, I am committed to continuing these posts. In 2021, I did a couple of posts that attempted to document how the members of our family were living and learning. I have found that that approach is unsustainable. We are all adults and our lives are going in so many different directions making it too complicated for me to try to document. I realize now that I was trying to replicate what I had done when the kiddos were younger. I am now in a different season of life, however, and have decided that I can maintain these Lifestyle of Learning posts but they must reflect the season that I am in. These posts will now primarily document MY lifestyle of learning. I will capture the details of MY life and will revel in all that I am learning.
*I have been listening to a host of podcasts. I primarily listen to true crime podcasts which provide me with a lot of psychological and sociological fodder. I also have some very personal interest in methods and tools of investigation, particularly for older cases, and these podcasts provide me with many investigative ideas. Over the last two weeks, I have also listened to some political and geopolitical podcasts and The Exorcist Files, which has provided some theological fodder.
*I continue to make time for reading and, again, have the goal of reading an average of four books per month.
I read The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander; a quaint piece of romantic fiction. This book is set in England and I loved that it referenced places and customs that I have learned about while following along, virtually, on Maceo's UK National Tour of An Inspector Calls and other adventures. The main character went to a theatre in Exeter at one point and I couldn't help but think of Exeter Northcutt where Maceo performed "Lonely at Parties." Plymouth was referenced. I had just researched Plymouth because Maceo's tour would be performing there in a weeks time. Within the pages of the book, there was chatter about taking a Devonshire tea, as opposed to a Cornish tea. Maceo had performed in Cornwall and the theatre served the cast and crew a proper Cornish tea, which I, of course, had to research. It delighted me to able to connect with the book in this way.
I read Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen. This is a book that I have probably owned for over a decade and had not read. I am pleased to have completed it. For my own personal purposes, I want to document this statement: "Nothing engenders strife so much as a forced unity, within the same organization, of those who disagree fundamentally in aim. But is not advocacy of such separation a flagrant instance of intolerance? The objection is often raised. But it ignores altogether the difference between involuntary and voluntary organizations. Involuntary organizations ought to be tolerant, but voluntary organizations, so far as the fundamental purpose of their existence is concerned, must be intolerant or else cease to exist. The state is an involuntary organization; a man is forced to be a member of it whether he will or no. It is therefore an interference with liberty for the state to prescribe any one type of opinion or any one type of education for its citizens. But within the state, individual citizens who desire to unite for some special purpose should be permitted to do so. Especially in the sphere of religion, such permission of individuals to unite is one of the rights which lie at the very foundation of our civil and religious liberty. The state does not scrutinize the rightness or wrongness of the religious purpose for which such voluntary religious associations are formed - if it did undertake such scrutiny all religious liberty would be gone - but it merely protects the right of individuals to unite for any religious purpose which they may choose." When an organization is founded upon a specific creed, it is important that that creedal character be maintained. "The fact often seems to be forgotten that the evangelical Churches are purely voluntary organizations; no one is required to enter into their service. If a man cannot accept the belief of such churches, there are other ecclesiastical bodies in which he can find a place."
I am presently listening to the audiobook version of Green Fraud by Marc Morano. I really need to score a paper copy of this book. There is a LOT of information that I would like to vet.
I am also revisiting "Thinking Like a Christian: Understanding and Living a Biblical Worldview" by Noebels and Edwards. Although I had understood the concept of worldview prior to reading this book, I did not have the language for it. This book stands out in my memory as an important one in my educational journey. It is time to revisit it and see how it holds up or if there is anything new to glean.
*I played games both at work during Employee Appreciation Day celebration and at a brewery celebrating a friends birthday. I played Jenga and Go Fish. Simple games, for sure, yet the anxiety I experienced playing Jenga suggests that I really need to push myself to play more 'different' games. I love games but tend to gravitate to a handful of games, of which Jenga is not one. Everybody else's familiarity and confidence intimidated me just a bit. Silly, huh? I pressed on. I continued to play. I feel far more comfortable now. This is good for me. Go Fish at the brewery was a blast. I LOVED this game as a child but hadn't played it in forever. There was quite a bit of research involved (none of us could remember how to play it) and it does require focus and memory. And we had a LOT of FUN!
*I attended a special event during First Friday ArtWalk, the Show Your Colors art event. There was an art exhibition that included 2-D and 3-D art, a classical pianist, two poets, a folk artist and a band. Bishop had three pieces of work in the exhibition, pieces I had never seen and they fascinated me. I didn't connect with most of the poetry but I was reminded of the power of words.
*I have been maintaining a daily journaling practice. This is certainly a creative, artistic endeavor as much as it is documenting my daily happenings.
*I ushered at a local community theatre for The Play That Goes Wrong. Although I had heard of this show, I had never seen it until now. It was hysterical. The comedic timing of most of the performers was really quite good and the set was truly amazing.
*I have set a goal for myself that I recapture my ability to move like a child. My first challenge was to be able to tiptoe again. With weaknesses in my knees, ankles and feet, tiptoeing was extraordinarily difficult. I couldn't sustain standing on my toes without assistance and certainly couldn't walk in that position. I have been working on that, doing a variety of exercises to strengthen those weak areas and now I CAN TIPTOE! I can sneak up on people now. Watch out world!
*I attended a lecture at a science museum on intermediary forms (or the lack thereof) as it relates to the theory of evolution and the baramin theory.
*I found a copy of the journal Raw Vision which explores and highlights outsider art from around the world. I LOVE outsider art and this journal introduced me to artists I hadn't heard of previously. So cool!
I have definitely had some cool learning opportunities over the past two weeks, taking in new ideas, pushing myself to do new things, and look forward to learning something new tomorrow... and the day after that... and the day after that!
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