The UmBlog

Sweet Land is a sweet story told well, shot well, and, mostly, acted well. It's about love, racism, discrimination, commitment, and determination. A Norwegian bachelor farmer in Minnesota has a woman recommended to him by the family back home. Turns out, she's German, which makes her highly unpopular as WW1 just finished. She doesn't have the proper papers and is clueless as to how to not offend her new community. The church won't marry them and the state won't even when they jump through all the hoops. Eventually, the give up and declare themselves husband and wife. The leave a powerful legacy that shapes their grandson. It also shapes the viewers of this movie. Enjoy. Image via Wikipedia

Notes from the Tilt-a-whirl by N.D. Wilson read like the carnival ride to me. It started off slow and Image via Wikipedia bumpy then picked up speed and I lost myself in it then it bumpily delivered me to the end, longing for the enjoyable middle part. Wilson uses the imagery of the earth circling the sun and the changing seasons as the inspiration for the Tilt-a-whirl approach to theology in general and the problem of evil in particular. Just as William Young tackled the issue through prose in the The Shack, see my review , so also Wilson uses his first person narrative to touch on aspects of this monstrous theological elephant. Unlike Young, Wilson's writing did not bog down, which is an impressive feat. Wilson is, in fact a very good writer, practically a poet in spots trapped in a narrator's job. His imagery is usually fresh and his turns of phrase often coerced me into re-reading. I'm not claiming omniscience, so if he is a good plagiarizer, so be it, but I liked pa...

Last year, we hiked Pack Monadnock, because that park allowed dogs, unlike Monadnock . This year, the dog stayed home so we could hike Monadnock Mountain in Jaffrey, NH. If I had known better, I would not have started from the state park campground, which although providing the shortest route to the top, also has one of the steepest routes, the White Dot trail . If I can get my wife to go again, I think I'd like to try the gentler, Old Halfway House Trail . Of course, it's longer, but I like the company. A new and nice feature on the White Dot trail is the installation of a spring-fed spigot that some Eagle Scouts set up. The park rangers, recommend 2 L of water per person. We might have had that total between the three of us, as well as three apples. It was a warm day and my daughter was thirsty. Something this steep can do that to you under the hot sun. We enjoyed the summit, eating our gorp and apples, cooling off in the strong breeze, enjoying the company of several dozen. ...

This is the 2nd year we stayed at the Woodmore Campground in the Monandnock Region of southwestern New Hampshire. We originally picked this campground for it's policy of allowing pets. We brought our dog, Honey, last year. But, she is such a protective herd dog, she can't let any human or dog near our site without her alarm. Her approach to life can be summed up in this haiku. I sound the alarm. That guy comes to kill us all. Look! Look! Look! Look! Look! She's actually a terrible watchdog when none of the family are around. She only feels on duty if she can see us. We also learned the hard way that dogs are not allowed at Monadnock State Park , the most hiked mountain in the world. We took her to Pack Monadnock in Miller State Park instead. Image by boatapple via Flickr This year, I really wanted to hike Monadnock, so we kenneled Honey but returned to Woodmore. We are mid-week campers when the crowds are light and the owners are not frazzled and the pool is not crowded...

I had never heard of the Acts 17 apologetics ministry to Muslims . They seem to have good ideas. They have a good heart. They have a blog where they like to show videos of their formal debates with Muslims as well as man-on-the-street interviews. I would think, if their agenda is to win people to Christ, then they would accommodate others as much as possible. In this post , they share a video of their attendance and subsequent altercation with security at an Islamic festival in Dearborn, Michigan. I think they let their second citizenship interfere with their primary citizenship. Indeed, their right to free speech was infringed on. But why fight the battle of their second citizenship, U.S., to lose the war for their first citizenship, heaven? Sadly, it took a Muslim commenter to point out their neglect of common decency and neighborliness. Not a good job my eager brethren. Not good.

I don't think so. Image via Wikipedia Yes she rambled through a resignation speech. Yes she's only half way through her term as governor. Yes she has racked up a half million dollars in legal fees to defend herself from political opponents and their accusations . Yes her chances for a bigger political stage seem smaller. Her response is basically, so be it . All these facts are also in the same article . Obviously, there is something else going on. She did express pain over the Letterman joke. She also expressed family interests. I think this might be the actual reason for her resignation. It's not necessarily about running for president, though I could be shown very wrong very soon. If I were in her shoes, as if, I'd look at Trig and all the junk that sucks away time from all politicians and think about choices. I don't think Trig was planned. Yet, she received him as a gift from God despite knowing he had Down Syndrome . I think she might be admitting to herself ...

Two nights ago, a predator, neighbor and I blame the raccoon, tore up our ducks, story here . Only one was left alive in the morning, Norbert, the tough male named after Hagrid's pet dragon. Image via Wikipedia He had many bloody wounds and a lame leg. My son spent time tending to his wounds and giving him water within his reach on the ground. Despite the tender mercies of my son, Norbert died before I got home from work. My dad duties include undertaker. It's a sad job. Image via Wikipedia