Mr. Mom Chronicles 11

Well, many of you who read this blog know that Kathy made it safely home from New Mexico and that Eric and I survived yet another "Mr. Mom" period of bachelorhood. Thankfully as well we have a little longer stint with Kathy at home, she won't be heading out of town again until the second weekend in May; at that time she will be joining the women of her family for a crafting weekend retreat.

After several days away we all really made the most of the weekend. We spent all Friday afternoon together as Kathy unpacked and Eric and I settled in to the idea that we weren't totally responsible for ourselves any longer and that Kathy would provide a moderating role. On Saturday we spent the morning lounging around the house and then in the afternoon joined Rick and Rene Horner and Becky Bratt for 18 Holes of Disc Golf at the College of Southern Idaho. It was a very nice day to be outside with warm temperatures and plenty of sun. Unfortunately the weather did not stay nice, but that just drove us toward another day together with church in the morning where we actually got to sit together as a family (as I took a Sunday from preaching before Holy Week) and then an afternoon lounging on the sofa with Eric watching TV, Kathy playing games on her laptop and me drifting in and out of a nap or two.

Today we are back to regular routines. Eric is off to school. Kathy is working in her home office. And I guess for me it's not so regular. I usually drink coffee and enjoy a few hours of quiet reading time, but in about an hour I'm headed off to Burley, Idaho for a day-long meeting. This time, though it is not as tense as my Investigating Committee work for Kendall Presbytery. Instead I am acting as the advocate for four churches in the presbytery that have submitted grant proposals to our Presbytery's Board of Trustees. So my role is to provide that group of people with compelling reasons for granting the funds to three small rural churches and our one New Church Development in the Teton Valley of Eastern Idaho.

Thankfully, though, I don't have to worry about Eric, so I'll drink a little coffee and maybe read a very little bit before heading east on I-84 for a day in the Eastern Magic Valley secure in the knowledge that when I come home both Eric and Kathy will be home.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 10

Day Three of Kathy's latest trip has turned out to be a breeze, especially after yesterday's shoe-finding, Ketchum driving, late night getting to bed, Tuesday.

Somehow I managed to get out of bed at a responsible time and got the trash and recycling out. Eric's shower went smoothly. And even when Eric asked to do something different from our regular routine; namely, he wanted to make sure that Zlatko--the custodian at the school he attends and also the custodian for our church--passed the citizenship test and Eric wanted to draw a picture for Zlatko. Of course, Eric came up with that idea within forty-five minutes of needing to head to the bus along with needing breakfast, teeth brushing, and shoe-finding. Thankfully Eric had a week or so before drawn an American Flag so all we had to do was write the words "Congratulation" and "Zlatko" at the bottom in order to make the morning chores and gift complete.

The rest of the day involved going to the "Fellowship Lunch Club", a group of women from church who get together monthly at Idaho Joe's where Eric was the perfect little gentleman. Then we came home and he let me read while he rested in front of the television and we did homework, Wii, Dinner, a little TV and bed. So, all in all, it really was a good day to be Mr. Mom. Granted, we are both looking forward to Kathy's return on Friday afternoon, but hopefully we will get through Thursday as smoothly as Wednesday.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 9

Wow! What a day! It started by, admittedly, sleeping in too late. Part of the blame goes to me because I just LOVE flannel sheets and I sometimes can't pull myself away from them even when the "snooze" feature on my alarm clock is smoking! Of course part of it had to do with Monday beginning at 5 a.m. But eventually Eric and I each managed to get our showers; yes, at 6 he is learning to shower each morning, though the whole shampooing of the head thing seems to be a very mysterious and difficult thing for him to figure out.

So we made our way to breakfast and thankfully Eric decided on toast. Yes, toast, how easy is that?!? But then things went downhill for a bit as I tried to pump out a blog on "The Unforgiving Minute" and simply asked Eric to find his shoes and put them on. Lo and behold, though, he had no idea where his shoes were. And so we nearly stripped the house clean trying to find his shoes, with my blood pressure rising and Eric trying to help by asking to wear everything from sandals to snow boots (there was no chance of snow at all in Twin Falls today and there hasn't been for several weeks). And guess where the shoes were? They were ... right ... behind ... the ... chair ... I ... was ... sitting ... in. Lesson learned, dads need to chill out and take in their surroundings before jumping to conclusions.

The rest of the day after we just barely made the school bus was blessedly better. I made my way through a chapter of another book and Eric headed off to a good day at school. Then I got Eric to a sitter before I made my way to Ketchum for a three-and-a-half hour meeting that was draining but necessary. And thankfully, Eric had a fantastic day at the sitter--a friend of Kathy's and mine who gave up about eight hours with our darling child.

So here I sit after a full day and Eric is sleeping upstairs after I had read to him of Robin Hood and we will both get a night's rest before another day of adventure. Thank you for your prayers and interest.

"The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education" by Craig Mullaney Final Assessment

Several days ago, before I got too sick to do much of anything, I finished Mullaney's top rate memoir. In fact, I skipped an evening of television--a big deal for me--because I couldn't pull myself away from seeing how Mullaney's tour in Afghanistan ended and the rest of his story unfolded.

His chapters on his combat time in-country were very interesting. In his one tour his platoon experienced a wide range of things. From the intensity of close contact with Taliban fighters along the Pakistani border to uncertainty coupled with well-deserved pride of providing security during a humanitarian mission to the boredom of service at Khandahar Air Base Mullaney received a very full picture of our military's endeavor's on the front line of the "Global War on Terror."

In the end and all throughout this book the reader is presented with a very patriotic and thoughtful approach to what it means to serve these United States in uniform. Sadly, I feel the need to put the words patriotic and thoughtful together, because all too often over the last eight years being thoughtful and patriotic have not always been respected. And perhaps as a pastor whose only uniforms have ever been a preaching robe and a high school band uniform perhaps I don't have the right to be thoughtful about my patriotism. But no one should question the right of Craig Mullaney to question our nation's endeavors overseas, especially as a West Point graduate who has seen action in the very lion's den of our nation's foreign policy.

Again, if you haven't already, go out and buy this book or borrow it from me or you local library!

Mr. Mom Chronicles 8

Eric and I got Kathy off to the airport this morning by 5:28 a.m. And needless to say we both are feeling as though it is much later at night than this sun-still-hanging-over-our-heads leads us to believe. Then again, after a full day of being up we both should have a good night's sleep.

Thankfully Eric got his shower and I did too and we got off to the bus stop just in time. Thankfully as well Kathy made her way out of Twin Falls, through Salt Lake and on her way to Albuquerque without a hitch. Actually, Kathy's layover in Salt Lake lasted an hour or so longer than she had planned thanks to wind and snow, but by midday she let me know that she got to New Mexico without incident.

This afternoon at home went o.k. Though, I just can't get past the homework with Eric. I'm sure that doing his work fast is important, but it seems to me that some reasoning would help beyond just memorizing the formulas of addition, even in Kindergarten. Thankfully, we got through his homework and made our way to the Wii, when "wee" enjoyed "Boom Blox", "Celebrity Sports Showdown" and "Mario Kart" before a dinner of lasagna and some special TV dinner for a little boy.

All in all, this new adventure in Mr. Mommism is starting off on a good foot. I look forward to seeing what tomorrow has to bring with Eric going to a friend's home after school and me going to Ketchum for Presbytery business! Your prayers are MOST WELCOME!

"Kings", NBC & the Bible

Just when you might have thought that religion was dead or dying in America NBC has chosen to make one of its biggest shows since "West Wing" based not on contemporary American politics, but on the story of Saul and David beginning in the Bible at 1 Samuel. Granted, in NBC's new Drama "Kings" they have changed Saul's name to "Silas", but David's remains the same. And the show does not take place in the pre-history of Israel but in what looks like Manhattan and North America, minus any branding that would make a direct connection to our culture.

Be forewarned, however, this is not a Hallmark Family Special. It is presented as grittily as the times in which David and Saul lived with all the political intrigue, sex, lust, and power presented if not explicitly in the Bible then certainly implied in Holy Writ. So I don't know if this is a recommendation or merely a WOW that a major network has taken a story from the Old Testament as the subtext for a major investment of time and money. It should be interesting over the next twelve weeks of this Season One of "Kings" to see how closely and how far apart the story on the small screen parallels and diverges wildly from what is laid out in the Bible.

But for all those who wonder where religion in America is going, you have to be a little curious that such a foundational story of the Bible is being presented with so much thought and energy by one of the Big Three TV Networks.

"The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education" by Craig M. Mullaney--250 pages in

One of the things I find difficult about this whole blogging exercise is whether or not people are reading what I bother writing about. Not to make any of you feel guilty, its just when i see "0" comments it makes me wonder.

And so again I want to appeal to anyone out there who might read this post. Please read this book!!! It is not only a page turner, but also a great work of literature. It is a coming of age story, but also so much more. From West Point and the peculiar culture that is one of our nation's military academies to the peculiarities of Oxford University in England and then on to the confusion and frustration that is Afghanistan; this memoir is compelling reading for anyone interested in our role overseas as a nation and as a people.

Not only does Mullaney give an insiders' view of the American Armed Forces, but also he gives us a look at what it means to be engaged in Nation Building in a place that can just barely be considered a "nation". Equally compelling are his passages regarding his lead up to deployment. Receiving information about the flora and fauna of Afghanistan, while interesting, was not much help when faced with the indifference of people he was being sent to help.

Mullaney's book is a must-read for anyone curious about our continued role in Afghanistan--whether you are a died-in-the-wool supporter of the "Global War on Terror" or you wonder about how Obama will make new strides as Commander-in-Chief, this book is well worth your time and effort.