Good Enough

     Skiing all day in the beautiful cold definitely wiped us out. Asherel and I looked and felt like zombies the next day. And it was a full day we had to tackle the following day. I love skiing but it is probably a good thing the season is short. I am like the walking dead the next day.  This is often the case with bliss. It is followed by crash.

     On the plus side,the mountain cold was exchanged for 64 degree sunshine. I stepped outside in the morning and felt like dancing. There is something about warmth after frigid cold that makes me throw all caution to the wind and do a jig beneath the clouds. And it was particularly welcome since we had trebuchet practice which must be done outdoors.

     For those of you that haven't followed my blog every day for the past two years, first of all, why not? Secondly, the trebuchet is one of the Science Olympiad events I coach. A trebuchet is like a catapult which flings objects through the use of a counterweight pulling a pivoting arm.

We had altered our trebuchet a little, and at the lowest counterweight, it was no longer flinging projectiles at all. It would anemically swing the pivoting arm, and the projectile would plop out of the sling 2 inches in front of the treb, or even and most frustratingly, fling backwards. So we set up in the lovely warm sunshine, and videotaped the fling in action to try to figure out why it was no longer working.

     After much top secret tinkering and adjusting and highly educated winging it and guessing, we finally got it to fling 2 meters.

     "How far should it fling?" asked Ben.

     "I don't know...probably a lot more."

     "It's funny how we are so excited about just 2 meters," he said.

     I thought about that. It probably needed to shoot 3 or 4 times that far, but after all we could do for an hour was shoot backwards, 2 meters felt like a gift wrapped in chocolate. Failure seems to be a critical element in savoring success. Even just modest success. Even dismal success. Forward is better than backward.

     When the Israelites escaped out of slavery in Egypt, even the little they had had in Egypt seemed abundant in the deprivation of their desert wandering. They grumbled that they would all die in the desert subsisting on just the manna God provided. They longed for the leeks and onions of their now bucolic memories of abundant life as slaves.  Their eyes were on what they didn't have, not on what they had. That of course bred discontent.

     "How'd it go?" asked Ben's mom later.

     "Well, it went forward, and so we quit for the day," I told her, "Sometimes good enough is, well, good enough."

Chronicles 20:12

Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you”

Forcing the New Into the Old

Modify what we already had made, or build a new one? The only difference in this year's Science Olympiad requirements from last year, was the size of the trebuchet-- ours was 10 centimeters too big in all dimensions. Still, it had been a great trebuchet, shooting as far as the National winning treb. I saw no need to scrap it altogether, and it seemed to me,  time wise and cost wise, this was the best option.

My husband, Arvo, would be the one working with the kids since this part of the coaching involved the use of power equipment that could remove a body part before you can say "ouch". My team was skeptical about rebuilding. However, in the end, they agreed to give it a shot. It is still early enough in the season that if it didn't work, we could build a new one. They could devote all their creative energies then to building an ingenious Trebuchet flinging arm using advanced calculus and physics to determine the perfect arm design. And if that failed, we could fall back on the tried and true: luck.

From the beginning, things did not go swimmingly. Asherel had covered our old treb with beautiful duct tape designs. We had been very proud of how our treb had been by far the prettiest treb at the State contest. However, the duct tape covered the screws that we needed to unscrew to dismantle the treb in order to chop it down 10 cm.  She and Ben had to first cut off the duct tape around each screw.  They had hoped to cut down the size with minimal dismantling, thus chose to cut out the middle of each of the treb's legs. It seemed, in theory, like a very good idea. The reality (like always!) was not quite so wonderful. The top of the legs must have been slightly off from the bottoms of the legs, and it was very hard to get a completely clean, parallel cut. Thus now, the treb legs didn't quite line up. We think we can shim, and glue, and bolt in such a way that it might work. We are willing to put one more day into trying, but the full afternoon of a Saturday wrenched from the talon grip of leisure time ended a little disappointingly.

Sometimes, you can't force the new into the old. Jesus knew that. He has a wonderful parable just on that very topic! He tells his disciples that they can't pour new wine into old wineskins. If they attempt to do so, He advises, the old wineskins will burst and all the wine will be wasted.  I pondered this while I was guzzling new wine after our day of Trebuchet dismemberment. I could see His concern in not wasting one drop of wine, however I think the disciples, being poor men were interested in frugality. Wine skins were not easy to make.


This is the conversation the Bible did not record:
"Jesus, what about the proverb 'waste not, want not?' We have oodles of these old wineskins. Surely you are not telling us to toss those away just because they are a little cracked?"
"That is exactly what I am telling you. HINT: think fermentation. What do you think will happen when we pour that new wine in the old skin?"
"We save money and can put it towards that new Ferrari I have my eye on?"
"Remember, I never teach you things on a purely physical level. There is always a spiritual message."
"Yeh, money grows on trees, at least for you. Remember when one is not God, money is a little harder to come by. Let us just give the old skins a good old college try."
"I will put it to you plainly just this once. Scribe, please don't record this in the Book. I prefer my people try to figure it out for themselves. The lesson seems to stick better. Ok you thick headed disciples, listen up. The old covenant is represented by those old wineskins. This is the covenant where if you are perfect, you get to be with me. But if you are not, you have to keep repenting and sacrificing to try to restore my good favor. Let's have a show of hands on which of you perfectly followed my old Covenant laws? I thought so. Now, the new wine is the New Covenant- the covenant of faith, where the one atoning sacrifice of Jesus is the only one you need for all eternity. You can't go back to the old Covenant of working towards God, when the new better way of faith in God's perfect, substitutionary sacrifice is bubbling up. The law is no longer external...it is now written on your very heart. Yes, Thomas, you have a question?"
"Does that hurt?"
"Well of course it does, but believe me, it hurt Me, more than it will hurt you. You will have to give up some things, but there is no gain without pain."

The team and I looked at the dismantled Trebuchet.
"I don't think this is going to work," said Ben.
"Maybe not," I agreed, "But let's give it the old college try!"

Hebrews 8

¹ Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ² and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.  ³ Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. ⁴ If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. ⁵ They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”^{[a] 6} But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
 ⁷ For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. ⁸ But God found fault with the people and said^[b]:
   “The days are coming, declares the Lord,
   when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
   and with the people of Judah.
⁹ It will not be like the covenant
   I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
   to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
   and I turned away from them,
            declares the Lord.
¹⁰ This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
   after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
   and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
   and they will be my people.
¹¹ No longer will they teach their neighbor,
   or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
   from the least of them to the greatest.
¹² For I will forgive their wickedness
   and will remember their sins no more.”
 ¹³ By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Unexpected Reasons to Smile

We really could not believe it. Our trebuchet was shooting 5-8 meters further than it had with the old arm.
It was raining and we had to test our new trebuchet. We have way too many hours of work left to do to collect the data before the State Science Olympiad. We had to find a way to practice in inclement weather.

So I called my church.

"I have an unusual request. I need the church gym to test a trebuchet."
"Is that some new sort of evangelistic tool?"
"Well it certainly could be. I mean I could fling bibles into dangerous neighborhoods from at least 20 meters away."
"Hmmmm. Well let me see if trebuchet evangelism is listed as one of our allowable uses for our gym. "
"Ok, that would be great. You may remember me, by the way. Last week we used the gym to test our helicopters."
"Oh? And what spiritual category was that listed under?"
"I believe it was scientific research into seeing just how high heaven really is."
"Let me discuss this with our facilities director and get back to you."

The facilities director agreed that since the gym was miraculously empty that afternoon we could use it to test our trebuchet. And our new top secret arm design performed beautifully. We actually hit 20 meters, a new record. We worked a total of 6 hours over two sessions yesterday. The kids were collapsed on the floor taking what Josh described as a "power nap."
"Wimp!" I shrieked, "If a mere 6 hours of tedious and monotonous data collection does you in, how do you ever expect to get anywhere in life?"
I fed them stale peanut butter crackers I found in the car and threatened they would never see their mothers again if they didn't get back to work. Asherel, my dear daughter thought that that sounded like a promise, not a threat.

I understand what effective teaching is all about, no question about that.

(Now just for you literal folk out there dialing social services, this part was made up. We did indeed work 6 hours in a morning and afternoon shift, but I assure you, the peanut butter crackers were not stale.) And yes, the 6 hours was on top of a full day's curriculum for both kids, but they may as well learn young that life is busy.

However, even my weary team was dancing a jig with me when the projectile slammed into Josh's skull at the 20 meter mark.
"Hooray!!!!!" I yelled, and began texting all my friends.
Josh staggered, "Hooray I got hit in the head?" He looked miffed.
"Oh, no... I am really sorry about that. How many fingers am I holding up?"
"What are fingers?"
"How far did our projectile fly?"
"20 feet."
"You're fine. Mop up that blood and get back to work."

Meanwhile, the literary agent wrote to me. She wants to see more of my book. And she is encouraged by how my "platform" is developing. I have now demonstrated through my various connections, organizations, memberships, and lies, I can  reach 3 million potential readers. (I really didn't lie...btw...that was for humorous effect in case you are having a bad day.) She tells me the numbers I really need to increase however are my monthly blog hits. She claims the fact that my parents read my blog faithfully every day is insufficient for most savvy publishers. So if any of you have friends, please tell them to go look at my blog. And tell them to tell all their friends. Who knows but that you may be jump starting the career of a future Dostoevsky, or Dickens....though I suspect if Dostoevsky or Dickens had had to build a blog readership of  a half million or so before publishing, they would not be lining the bookshelves today with their work.

So what was God saying to me with all these sudden, surprising, happy turn of events? Sometimes life doesn't stink. Sometimes good things happen out of the blue. Sometimes it is hard not to smile. And during those times, don't forget to say "Thank you".

1 Thessalonians 5:17-19

¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

As Alexander the Great once said.......

One-two-three-fire!
The projectile headed up, up, up, through the tree limb and down down down. It had traveled about a meter forward.
After hours of adjustments to our trebuchet, hammering, filing, sawing, brainstorming..... it was shooting projectiles worse than ever.
"What are we doing wrong?" I groaned.
So back to the drawing board, back to tinkering, and now it is slightly better on average than it was before the regional Science Olympiad competition. Very slightly. I understand that some of the schools have scientists, engineers, experts in the field called in to consult with and work with  the kids. As homeschoolers, all my team has is me.

"We have to figure out if we want to use the short sling, the middle sling, or the long sling," I told Josh and Asherel, my trebuchet team.
"Well," said Josh solemnly, his chin thrust forward, "As Alexander the Great once said- it is not the high road, or the low road, but the middle road you should take."
I blinked at Josh.
"Did he really say that?" I asked.
"Probably!" declared Josh, "I mean he might have. He could have."

Right before our practice, I had received an email from the agent I most want to represent my book, the one I have been writing, editing, revising, and peddling for two years now. The agent said my proposal was very professional, and she was interested! BUT....always those buts that stick their noses in every bit of good news and mangle it, I needed to work on my 'platform' section, the part that indicates I have a market frothing at the mouth in anticipation of my book. For example, she continued, I don't mention radio or TV appearances. Radio or TV appearances?

I can see it now. The local news has caught wind that I want to publish a book. Put that newsreel on the bombing of Libya on hold! Someone has written a book and might publish it someday! Breaking news!  Can't you just picture the anchorman setting me down across from him:
"Well Vicky, before we begin, could you again reiterate exactly why we are interviewing you? My notes indicate you hope to publish a book? While this is indeed fascinating, can you tell me if there is anything you have actually done that might interest our viewers?"
I whisper a few hurried words in his ear.
"Hahaha, well no, I am not sure that raising a rabbit in 4H actually is the sort of thing I meant. Do you have any other accomplishments, something that raises you from the status of a nobody?"
And so on.

I wrote back and told the agent that while I fully expected someone might want to interview me for a radio or TV appearance after I published my book, I wasn't quite sure they could be persuaded to do so beforehand.

And then this blog I write. I get about 20,000 hits a year. The agent gets 20,000 hits a month on her blog. And even that is not enough. I need to find a way to find more people to read my blog. I need to increase my readership at least ten fold. Everyone has advised me on that. One suggestion- add interesting sidebars, like recipes to my blog.
"Oh yes," agreed Asherel, "Press the 2 button on the microwave."
"Now that was funny..." I said, "Disrespectful, but funny."
And alas, true. Josh had brought in the trebuchet and was chatting with us while I whipped up dinner.
I opened a box of chicken cordon bleu, ripped off the cellophane, plopped it on the cookie sheet and set the oven at 400. This special meal only occurs rarely.
"I make chicken cordon bleu!" said Josh.
"Do you pull it out of a box too?" I asked.
"Oh no, I roll ham, and provolone in the actual chicken breast. It is delicious. Then I coat it in breadcrumbs..."
Josh is 13. No, I don't think recipe sidebars on my blog are exactly my forte.

"Well," asks the TV anchorman, "Vicky, what exactly is your forte?"

At our helicopter practice, right before trebuchet practice, Ben insisted the .09 rubber band motor was going to be too strong for his helicopter.
"Look Ben, it is what the experts recommend. We have to try it to find out or we will never know."
So under protest, he wound the heavy rubber on his helicopter, which snapped off his motor hook , flailed around like a club and smashed his week of work to smithereens.
He looked pointedly at me.

"Vicky," said the anchorman, "I am waiting. We cut to commercial in 20 seconds. Can you summarize why exactly the producer put you on this show?"

"Well, as Alexander the Great once said, greatness is not measured by what you do, but by your heart."
The anchorman arched his eyebrow, "Did Alexander the Great really say that?"
"Probably! He might have....he could have."

Matthew 19:29-30

²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

Set Free

The trebuchet was flinging accurately, if not at amazing distances.
"We could cheat," suggested Josh.
"How?"
"I didn't really mean it," he said, "They have very stiff penalties for cheating."
"What are they?" I asked, weighing the pros and cons.
"You can be banned from science olympiad for life," he answered.
(And this is a bad thing, how?)
"Maybe even thrown in jail. Science Olympiad jail," he continued.

That is where I already am. Day and night...no escape. Helicopters whir and trebuchets catapult in my dreams.  Endless testing, charting, breaking, repairing.....Two more weeks of science olympiad jail and then I am free....free! Unless we do well and go to States Competition.
Suddenly I knew what I had to do. I had to cheat to insure we did not make it on to States level.
"Do they feed you in this Science Olympiad jail?" I asked.

Some people take my every word seriously so I would like to categorically state right now that I am kidding. I would not cheat, even to avoid any more Science Olympiad. And the kids would not cheat even to win a trophy. They are upstanding and honest and wonderful kids. And they have survived my Attila the Hun leadership with remarkable good humor.

We have our flinging down to a science now. Now we have to just fling a few billion times and chart our results. Unless we break our copters, they are flying long enough to be respectable. The end is in sight. Soon we no longer be under the law of Science Olympiad. We will be free!

We are studying Galatians 4. It talks about no longer being a slave to the law once we have come to faith through believing that Jesus atoning death was the final and only sacrifice necessary for us to be freed to a righteous relationship with God. But Paul begins his letter in Chapter 3 to the Galatians with this phrase, "You foolish Galatians!"
Asherel was perplexed by this.
"He is trying to convince people to believe in Jesus, right?" she asked, "This doesn't seem the way one would talk to people you are trying to win over."
I don't know. Sometimes I need more than kindness. Sometimes I need a good swift kick in the pants to get me headed on the right path. Sometimes I need to be reminded that I am imprisoned, and there is a better way, a whole eternity of freedom that is beckoning me, if I would stop clinging to foolish and stubborn habits and sins.

Science Olympiad is not really so bad. But I am looking forward to the day when I will no longer be under its law, and I will no longer be a slave to the laws of flight and gravity.
But I think God might be urging me to contemplate even further than when I am not bound by Science Olympiad.
"You foolish coach...."  Be a slave no longer to the law but to the lawmaker alone.

Galatians 4: 3-7
...we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. ⁴ But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. ⁶ Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Better than Trophies

I am an animal lover so rest assured that though the picture indicates we flung a cat in our cat-apult (trebuchet), we did not. I will not tell you what I wanted to fling due to the young audience and tender ears that might be within shouting distance of this blog. I will say in calmly, carefully measured tones that when Science Olympiad ends, if I never see another trebuchet or model helicopter in my entire life, it will be too soon.......

We went to collect more data on our trebuchet which was not flinging far, but it was flinging accurately. We knew we could not win, flinging approximately half as far (on a good day) as past winners.... but we hoped to lose with style. That hope flew away further than the projectiles our treb was supposed to be flinging when the release pin of our sling broke off. I had known that would happen at some point. I had just hoped it would happen after the competition was over. I don't care if dust and moths corrupt once I am done with the thing.....

The good thing was that I could now impress upon the kids why the idea for the sling release I had had earlier might be a wise way to go. Since we had to come up with something.....fast....... they agreed to try it. It is top secret, in case it works, although with 3 weeks to go til the contest, one would hope our sentences were not so littered with words like "if it works."  Besides the ominous doom and gloom message of the release pin breaking.... the sling was suddenly tangling and not slinging at all. And Josh, our partner was recovering from either the flu or Valentinitis, which is the disease resulting from inhaling 3 pounds of candy in less than 10 minutes.  We have never worked so dispiritedly for so many hours straight. They smiled....but weakly.

"It is all about the journey," my sister Holly said.
"Yes, it is," I agreed, "The journey has been Hell."

Now this is not entirely true. There have been brief moments of success and we went from knowing nothing to knowing a few things. And we met 3 delightful fellow homeschool students that have developed into fun and happy friendships. On occasion, the devices we constructed have worked, and may surprise us and work in the contest. But if they don't..... I need to start preparing my speech so the kids go away feeling it has all been worth it. Because it has....hasn't it?

When a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer and would be going in for a double mastectomy, I asked what I could do for her. She said she would like a painting with the following verse on it:
Habakkuk 3: 17-18
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
   and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
   and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
   and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
   I will be joyful in God my Savior.

When all the blessings and good things don't flow our way, when frustrations and calamities mount, when it seems that the sun has forgotten there is this little corner of the world where it should be shining..... that is when it is hardest to find the joy, to find the rejoicing. And yet, it is then and only then when faith is truly put to the test. If God can be Lord of your life in the trenches, He can be Lord of your life anywhere. And if He is Lord, and His promises are true, then in the end, "I will see God."(Job:19:26)

Unfortunately, these kids will probably experience greater frustrations and setbacks some day than catapults that couldn't fling a cat even if they wanted to, or helicopters that consistently don't fly. If Science Olympiad has taught me one overriding lesson, it has been that sometimes things don't go as planned even when we put forth our best effort. Sometimes despite giving our all, we fail.  But that doesn't mean it wasn't worth the effort. No matter how hard we fight it, someday every one of us will die. That doesn't mean that in the interim, we shouldn't live.

To emerge from failure and still be smiling, still be rejoicing, still be looking for the spring in the dead of winter.... that is the lesson I think we may be steering towards. And in the end, it will probably serve us better than a trophy anyway.

1 Thessalonians 1: 2-10
² We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. ³ We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁴ For we know, brothers and sisters^[b] loved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. ⁶ You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. ⁷ And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, ⁹ for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

When Life is not the pits......

Hollow Creek Farm is starting a Pitbull club and will be selling really wonderful pitbull paraphernalia....I know this top secret in advance because I have been asked to help design the really cool pitstuff. This is the kind of project I can really sink my teeth into, which pitbulls are given a bad rap for doing themselves. Since the nicest dog I know is a pitbull, I am happy to help educate the public.

In my research to help me come up with a really wonderful, clever, way-cool Pitbull slogan I uncovered some fascinating pitbull facts. Did you know that Pitbulls were the pet of choice for at least two presidents, Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt? Woodrow Wilson presided during the famous Treaty of Versailles, ending the "Great War", WWI.  And do you know how he brokered that peace? He consulted his pitbull, who advised him to be peaceful, but strong.

In fact,  only a generation or so ago, pitbulls were considered the dog of choice by many due to their reputation for determination, dignity and strength. They were considered a symbol of what made America great. There were patriotic posters featuring pitbulls wrapped in American flags. Even more shocking given their poor reputation nowadays, they were called "nanny" dogs because of their loyal and tender, loving protection and care of children. Helen Keller and Fred Astaire both owned pitbulls. So what happened....how did the pitbull become so maligned and hated?

I can answer pretty much any question with two simple choices- 1. Jesus, or 2. Stupidity and Ignorance
.
Try it. Ask anything and either 1 or 2 will fit.
Let's give it a shot:
1. Who will protect me when I dare to go skiing again?
 Answer: Jesus
2. Why will I dare to go skiing again?
Answer: Stupidity and Ignorance
3. What got me into this mess?
Answer: stupidity and ignorance
4. Who will get me out of this mess?
Answer: Jesus
5. Why are we having broccoli again, Mom?
Answer: depends on who is asking this one. If you love broccoli, the answer is Jesus, if you hate broccoli, the answer is stupidity and ignorance.

But you get the point. So why did Pitbulls get such a bad rap? Answer #2- Stupidity and Ignorance.
In the 1980s, dog fighting became a growing underground gambling operation, and the pitbull with their notorious strength and tenacity were bred and used as fighter dogs. Any breed that is not socialized and trained, exercised, and loved can and likely will become dangerous. It is not dogs that should be licensed.... it is people. Unfortunately, there is no way to legislate against stupid, ignorant people owning dogs so it is always the dog that suffers.

Speaking of tenacity..... after working on my pitbull slogans, we traipsed off to our weekly smacking our head against the wall Science Olympiad practice. Our first class was helicopter, to be followed by our trebuchet class. As you recall if you read my blog faithfully, (which is what everyone on the earth should be doing), after months of work and hours and hours of diligent researching and building, we had neither a working helicopter or Trebuchet. With only 4 more meetings til the competition, this was very not good.
But, we tested our 3 helicopters and every single one flew! One of them hovered a half inch off the floor but it hovered for almost a minute. If it can do that at the competition it would likely place.

Then, on to trebuchet. The kids altered their sling release peg, and voila, that treb flung the projectile a mile. At least we think it would have. We flung a little nerf ball indoors to test it, since we couldn't go out in the rain. We are pretty sure it would have gone much further than the dismal flings we had been getting.

So unlike the poor pitbull, our tenacity is paying off.....

Hebrews 10:35-37

³⁵ So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
 ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For,
   “In just a little while,
   he who is coming will come
   and will not delay.”[

Fling Carefully

Asherel was assigned another Science Olympiad event and I was asked to coach a second area I know nothing about. We will be flinging things. The goal is to fling things further and more accurately than other teams fling things. We must design our own flinger, called more scientifically a "trebuchet", and then we have to practice flinging things zillions of times and chart all the parameters that might help us to fling things to within centimeters of where we hope to fling them. We will receive scores as long as we fling them at all, unless we fling without warning. This results in immediate penalty.

I think this should be applied to oak trees as well. Depending on how high the acorn is when it begins its descent, factoring in the pull of gravity and rate of freefall acceleration, many acorns have been known to bore holes 3 inches wide in unsuspecting skulls .  It would be a safer world if God had programmed the oak trees to give some sort of warning. Just a simple 3 second advance notice, an Acorn Warning System.  I would not presume to improve on the Creator's Design as I have noticed He has not left a little "Suggestion box" at my bedside, however, perhaps just a few quick words that harmonize with the lovely tree, like, "Look out blockhead!" or "Incoming!".

This is the season when acorns are falling all over the place. As I pull out of the driveway, there is frequently massive crunching crashes against the roof of the van. As I cringe, I hurry to back out from under the trees. Sometimes I see squirrels pointing at me and high fiving, and I am not sure the acorns have fallen of their own accord.
"Penalty!" I scream at the squirrels, which only makes them chitter louder.

It is a season of flinging. Friends are being felled with dire diagnoses, temperatures are plummeting, money is being ricocheted every which way as the holidays approach. Sometimes damaging words are bandied about too as the stress of the season mounts. The leaves that were so magnificently brilliant are now being ripped from limbs and tossed in the air to swirl madly to collective brownness.  Soon it will be all laid bare, and then all that can be flung will have succumbed to the unbeatable call of gravity. Quiet will descend.

But in that silence, maybe we can listen more deeply to the warnings God has been flinging since time began; and maybe we can catch those words of comfort and delight that always accompany what He throws at us. And words we have thrown to others might then be carefully and thoughtfully considered. We have the power to inflict damage by what we fling, words that don't encourage, inspire or point to the One who could fling us all away if He so desired.  It can be a season of reflection and sometimes dismay.

"Fling away!" I say to my trebuchet team, "But fling thoughtfully, or you will pay the penalty!"

Galatians 5:9-11 (New International Version)

⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. ¹¹