I am thinking about the last year and the new year this morning, much as everyone else has this week at some point. The highlights of the year kinda thinking, as well as academic stuff and globally important stuff. So what are my highlights, what sticks out to me about the last year and has me excited for the next year?
First, my wife and I celebrated our 16th anniversary on Christmas Eve. For my two cents, the most amazing thing in my life is that she puts up with me and stuck around for nearly two decades so far. She makes it possible each day for me to get up get dressed, go to work, etc. Even when I fail, she is still there supporting me.
Second, my sons are a joy. The oldest finally started caring about his school work. The youngest continues to rock on through school. They both still play football, but new positions for them both this year--the oldest is now a wide receiver and defensive back, the youngest now plays center and defensive end, and a few snaps at receiver to run the ball on a reverse (a 25 yd. touchdown run and two other 20+ yard runs for his 3 carries). The oldest also plays basketball (not well, but I can't dribble or shoot, so what do I really know about the game). The youngest is wrestling, another sport I never learned beyond practicing Saturday morning TV wrestling moves on a trampoline and being a teenage boy once around other teenage boys.
Third, I still love my job. I took a sabbatical in spring 2015, it was great. Of course now I can't have another for about six years. But more importantly, time to rest, read, research left me rejuvenated for the effort of serving my students, my colleagues, and the college. Learning and passing on knowledge and techniques for learning to bright young people is such a great way to spend ones time. Hey, I even get paid to talk about things I enjoy.
And then there are the things of this world other than my family and my work. The blog post I made that gathered the most attention this year was about Syrian refugees. Guess what, I still support accepting refugees--we do need to vet them closely, we do not have to allow them full and free access to our country (refugee camps anyone, don't we still have the FEMA trailers and facilities that can be repurposed?). I think Vladmir Putin is a major threat to the U.S. vision of global order and stability--because he has his own vision and his own population to please. I believe Daesh needs to be defeated and serves as proof of the ugliness of extremism regardless of underlying religious ideology. I believe that the security of individuals can never be guaranteed by a government or any collective and thus support the right of individuals to keep and bear arms (not just in the U.S. but everywhere in the world).
As troubling as the travails of this world may seem, I remain assured of the truth. Good news does exist for all mankind. Jesus Christ eschewed his role as God, came to earth as a man, died for our salvation. The blood He shed still remains as the source of cleansing us from sin if we answer God's call to us. I can handle success, I can handle failure, I can enjoy my wife, my sons, my life because God is with me. All of the problems of this earth are just that, problems of this earth, they exist because we humans are at our core a pretty rotten lot capable of great destructiveness and banality. But God remains our hope, our salvation. I hope you all have a blessed 2016.
First, my wife and I celebrated our 16th anniversary on Christmas Eve. For my two cents, the most amazing thing in my life is that she puts up with me and stuck around for nearly two decades so far. She makes it possible each day for me to get up get dressed, go to work, etc. Even when I fail, she is still there supporting me.
Second, my sons are a joy. The oldest finally started caring about his school work. The youngest continues to rock on through school. They both still play football, but new positions for them both this year--the oldest is now a wide receiver and defensive back, the youngest now plays center and defensive end, and a few snaps at receiver to run the ball on a reverse (a 25 yd. touchdown run and two other 20+ yard runs for his 3 carries). The oldest also plays basketball (not well, but I can't dribble or shoot, so what do I really know about the game). The youngest is wrestling, another sport I never learned beyond practicing Saturday morning TV wrestling moves on a trampoline and being a teenage boy once around other teenage boys.
Third, I still love my job. I took a sabbatical in spring 2015, it was great. Of course now I can't have another for about six years. But more importantly, time to rest, read, research left me rejuvenated for the effort of serving my students, my colleagues, and the college. Learning and passing on knowledge and techniques for learning to bright young people is such a great way to spend ones time. Hey, I even get paid to talk about things I enjoy.
And then there are the things of this world other than my family and my work. The blog post I made that gathered the most attention this year was about Syrian refugees. Guess what, I still support accepting refugees--we do need to vet them closely, we do not have to allow them full and free access to our country (refugee camps anyone, don't we still have the FEMA trailers and facilities that can be repurposed?). I think Vladmir Putin is a major threat to the U.S. vision of global order and stability--because he has his own vision and his own population to please. I believe Daesh needs to be defeated and serves as proof of the ugliness of extremism regardless of underlying religious ideology. I believe that the security of individuals can never be guaranteed by a government or any collective and thus support the right of individuals to keep and bear arms (not just in the U.S. but everywhere in the world).
As troubling as the travails of this world may seem, I remain assured of the truth. Good news does exist for all mankind. Jesus Christ eschewed his role as God, came to earth as a man, died for our salvation. The blood He shed still remains as the source of cleansing us from sin if we answer God's call to us. I can handle success, I can handle failure, I can enjoy my wife, my sons, my life because God is with me. All of the problems of this earth are just that, problems of this earth, they exist because we humans are at our core a pretty rotten lot capable of great destructiveness and banality. But God remains our hope, our salvation. I hope you all have a blessed 2016.
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