The Year in Review

As I did last year, I find it helpful to reflect upon the good and the bad of 2016.

Minimization

After 2015 focused on minimization, I didn't need to do as much in this area.  I did notice, however, a general spirit in my life now of 'use it or lose it.'  It's a helpful attitude to have, and I continued to minimize (albeit at a slower pace) in 2016.  May it continue!

Personal Spending

I did reasonably well here, using only gift money (or proceeds from game/card sales) for personal spending. That is, until November, when I became infatuated with a 'dead' CCG and spent a few hundred dollars on that.  I must make up for it; my Christmas money went towards minimizing that deficit.  I'm less materialistic than I used to be, but I'm not there yet.

Reading

I met two important goals this year in the books:
- I read down the number of books in my "owned but unread" pile
- I read less

Regarding the first goal: after starting the year at 30 such books, I ended at 5.  As long as the number is less than 10, I'm happy.  I don't want to start piling up things here I'll never get around to doing.

Regarding the second: yes, this sounds odd, but there's only so much time in a day, and reading 80+ books/20,000 pages per year came at the expense of other priorities.  So though I exceeded my 2016 goal (36 books), my numbers are still down from the year prior: 53 books, just over 14,000 pages.  Solid; I'm happy with that amount.  My post here recaps this year's recommendations.

Fitness

My goal was to get to 180 lbs; I failed.  I dropped 5 lbs in the first few months, then gained it back and leveled off the rest of the year- I'm still at 195 lbs. My overall health improved, though, as I worked out a lot more and exceeded my goals in that area:

2014: 51 runs for 104.6 miles, 98 gym workouts
2015: 47 runs for 103.0 miles, 81 gym workouts, 5 soccer games, 5 PT sessions

2016 goal: 80 runs for 150 miles, 100 gym workouts.
2016: 98 runs for 205.8 miles, 115 gym workouts, 4 bike rides

I also did 36 yard work sessions (mowing, raking, weeding, trimming), which definitely counts as exercise.  Unfortunately, I did not stretch more frequently, and that's shown.  I need to work hard on flexibility in 2017.

Nutrition

Ahhh, here's the problem.  I worked out more and didn't lose weight in part because I ate poorly.  I need to eat less sugar and snacks in 2017.

Spiritual

My relationship with the Lord still isn't where it should be. I read the entire Bible this year (well, I listened to it).  This year I want to do more focused, in-depth study.  I didn't make the time for prayer  nearly as consistently as I should; that must improve next year. I didn't get the family into daily devotionals, either- that must change.  On the plus side, we got actively involved in our church community, which was a blessing.

Parenting

This section is a verbatim repeat from last year.  I'm not a great parent. I'm too quick to anger at home- I have to remember that I can't expect my children (ages 6, 4, and 1) to act (or reason) like adults. I also get uneasy when the house is a mess- which is all the time- so I have to dial back the OCD if I have any hope of surviving their childhood. Finally, I don't do a good job cherishing the time, frequently looking away to the future when the current challenges will be overcome. May I remember that current challenges will be replaced with other, possibly harder, ones, so I need to learn to enjoy each stage for what it is. Our kids actually like us now- so may I take advantage of that rather than view it as a burden that they're CONSTANTLY in our faces, even when we're in the bathroom.

Conclusion
This year, I made considerable progress in:
- reading
- working out
- Scripture reading

but fell short in:
- flexibility
- nutrition
- prayer
- family devotionals
- parenting

I'm glad I made certain strides, but 2017 needs to see improvement in many areas.

Thus Concludes 2016

Another enjoyable reading year "in the books." This post recaps the year and presents what I consider the best of the bunch.

According to my spreadsheet, I completed 44 books this year, but read a percentage (10%-80%) of 9 more works. Those 'partials' totaled 1,362 pages read, so I feel obligated to include them- that's a lot of time. So let's make it 53 books read, and those totaled 14,008 pages- about 38 pages a day. That takes less than an hour- it's not nearly as imposing as some think, especially when 2,249 of those pages were listened to on my commute into work.

Of the 53 books, 4 were audiobooks, 2 were eBooks, and 5 came from the library or friends. I rated 23 a solid 'A' or higher, and 2 a 'C' or lower. By category, I read 12 history books, 14 religion, 7 fantasy, 5 literature, 4 Arthurian/Robin Hood, and a smattering of other genres.

Here are my top ten reads from this year:

Glen Paauw: Saving the Bible from Ourselves

T.H. White: The Once and Future King

Bram Stoker: Dracula

David Dark: Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious

Charles Dickens: Great Expectations
John Frame: Systematic Theology

Robert K. Massie: Nicholas and Alexandra

Barbara Mertz: Temples, Tombs, and Heiroglyphs

Keith Martel: Storied Leadership

Bryan Stevenson: Just Mercy

And three honorable mentions:

Hear the Word ESV Audio Bible [we should read the Bible every year, which is why it normally doesn't appear on my lists- it's a given.  I included it this year because audio bibles vary in quality (mainly due to the narrator's performance), and this was an excellent choice.]

C.S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Susan Wise Bauer: The History of the Medieval World

Happy reading in 2017!

Systematic Theology (John Frame)

John Frame is a noted theologian, prolific author*, and Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Florida.  He's known for his 4-volume set on the Theology of Lordship among other things.  It's appropriate that he would produce a volume on Systematic Theology, the subject of today's review.  Any quotes here are from that book.

First, what is theology?  It is "a study of God," but Frame argues that we should develop a more precise definition.  In his view, "theology must be essentially a study of Scripture."  Scripture is sufficient, though.  "Why, then, do we need theology in addition to Scripture?"  Frame's answer: "because we need to apply Scripture to life."  Hence his definition: "theology is the application of Scripture, by persons, to every area of life."  For what purpose?  Edification.  It "responds to the needs of the people.  It helps those who have questions about, doubts about, or problems with the Bible."

What is systematic theology?  "Systematic theology seeks to apply Scripture by asking what the whole Bible teaches about any subject."  The Bible is not written systematically; for example, we hear about God's attributes across many books throughout the Old and New Testaments.  We develop a comprehensive understanding about this (or any) topic only through careful study of all such passages in their respective contexts.  In other words, systematic theology helps answer the question "what does the Bible teach about _______?"

Systematic is just one of several kinds of theology.  For example, "exegetical theology is interpreting the Bible verse by verse . . . it aims to help people understand particular passages in Scripture," and historical theology is "a study of the church's past theology, for the sake of its present and future." In Systematic Theology, Frame's focus is on the Bible as a whole; his "chief interest is to state what the Bible says" about a given topic.  His monster (1100+ page) tome is organized in the following sections:

Introduction to Systematic Theology
The Biblical Story

The Doctrine of God

The Doctrine of the Word of God

The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God

The Doctrine of Angels and Demons

The Doctrine of Man

The Doctrine of Christ

The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

The Doctrine of the Church

The Doctrine of the Last Things

The Doctrine of the Christian Life

This is an amazing book for these reasons:
- Frame's writing is simple and concise; he has a gift for teaching.
- He can discuss alternative points of view without sounding judgmental or demeaning.
- He focuses on what Scripture says and does not deviate from it, acknowledging where people (even those from within his tradition) have strayed (or at least added things that have no Biblical basis)
- He's not afraid to be uncertain.  God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), and there are mysteries in the Bible.  Frame's humble enough to acknowledge areas where we just don't know the full picture.

When I began (way back in August), my goal was to read it cover to cover.  As I read, I learned so much, was humbled and pointed to the Bible, and realized how little I know; all good things.  I particularly appreciated his discussion on the Word of God.  However, I eventually decided to read only portions of greatest interest to me at present.  This is a reference book- it's meaty.  Every page was akin to eating a steak . . . it felt good, but needed time to digest.  I would miss/forget a lot reading it all the way through.  So I took a few months to read 30%, and this will sit on my shelf as a handy reference for future use.  This one is highly recommended.

Rating: A

*some of his works are available for free

Maintenance Complete

image from here

A few weeks ago, I posted that the blog was under renovation.  It's complete!  Well, 99% done, anyway.   You may not notice, but I:

- changed almost all the tags, streamlining them for brevity
      > example: "book review" became "books"
- updated links on 108 posts to point to this new site (I changed the name back in July)
      > note to self: before changing the URL next time, think it all the way through  
- made 22 other changes for consistency and 'quality,' though that latter term should always be used loosely on this site

I now have a better appreciation for what it takes to keep a site consistent, correct, and current.  More hours (and drudgery) than you might think . . . anyway, we're now in reasonable shape heading into 2017.

Wisdom in the Rings, Part 1

The Lord of the Rings movies (reviewed here, here, and here) are among my favorites of all time.  Don't tell anyone . . . but I probably enjoy them more than the books (also excellent, and reviewed here, here, and here).  One reason I enjoy the films so much: it's more than just action and adventure.  Genuine wisdom is pervasive throughout the trilogy; today, I look at wisdom in The Fellowship of the Ring (hereafter, FR), nominally grouped by category.

On Life in General

The Hobbits know that "it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life."  They love the simple things- but most of all, they desire peace.  The Bible speaks of peace hundreds of times.  Blessed are the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), and seeking peace (Psalm 34:14) is commanded.  We could learn a thing or two from that mindset.

On relationships, Bilbo delivers a classic line:

I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

I use this routinely.  I desire to know many better than I do . . . but in my sinful state, I also think less of many people than I ought.

On adventure, Bilbo has another classic:

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.

Later in the film, Frodo responds:

I spent all my childhood pretending I was off somewhere else . . . off with you on one of your adventures . . . my own adventure turned out to be quite different.

We're all on an adventure in this world, and it is both dangerous (at times) and tempting to wish we were part of someone else's story.  Our own is worth telling; there is no greener pasture.

On the Nature of Man

"Men," the film tells us, "above all desire power."  Yes, "the hearts of men are easily corrupted."  It's the reason for the trilogy in the first place- a man had the power to destroy the one ring eons ago, and chose instead to keep it for himself.  The ring eventually destroyed him, and its presence allowed evil to remain in the world.  Throughout the films, the fellowship is affected by the corrupting ability of the ring due to their natures.  It's always tempting to give in to evil; Scripture says that none is righteous (Romans 3:9-18) and our temptations are due to this (James 1:13-15).  Yes, FR nails the condition of man.  

We get only hints of Gollum in this film- the one who had the ring for decades as it consumed and destroyed him.  Gollum "hates and loves himself," which is related to our sinful condition.  More on that in parts 2 and 3.

On Unity

To accomplish their quest, the fellowship must be unified.  "You will unite or you will fall," says Elrond as he addresses the fellowship before their departure.  Later in the adventure, when the group is grieved and beset by trouble, Galadriel adds, "hope remains while company is true."  Unity is important in this world- and we see it several times in Scripture (including Philippians 2:2 and 4:2).  We'd do well to remember this today; the temptation is to nationalism and protecting 'us' at the expense of 'them.'  Yet, our best hope moving forward in society lies in mutually beneficial (and sacrificial) relationships.

On Sacrifice
Sacrifice is a theme prevalent throughout the films.  Consider:
- As Frodo is (at one point) ailing, Arwen speaks "what grace is given me, let it pass to him."
- Later, she (an immortal elf) states to her love (a mortal human) that "I would rather share one lifetime with you, then face all the ages of this world alone."
- Boromir speaks of his people's sacrifice: "By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe."
- Frodo sacrifices a life of peace and comfort to carry the ring.  "What must I do?" he asks, adding "I will take the ring to Mordor . . .only, I do not know the way."  There's both courage and humility in this statement- a willingness to do what is necessary for the good of all coupled with acknowledgement that he has no idea how to get the job done.
- Gandalf tells the ring bearer "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."
Sacrifice is a great theme in Scripture, too.  Jesus came to serve and give his life for many (Mark 10:45), we're called to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), we need to look to the interests of others (Philippians 4:2-7), and the greatest love is laying down our life for our friends (John 15:13).  We may be wounded in this process, as Frodo was by a Nazgul ("The wound will never fully heal . . . he will carry it the rest of his life.").  Yet whoever would save their life must lose it (Luke 9:24).

On Mercy & Purpose

It's tempting to look at unfortunate events and think on what might have been in an alternate reality.  Frodo does this below, as he mourns Gollum's tracking of the fellowship.  Gandalf, however, has a different perspective.

FRODO: It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him [Gollum] when he had the chance.
GANDALF:  Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo?  . . . Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment...even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many.
FRODO:  I wish the ring had never come to me...I wish none of this had happened.
GANDALF:  So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.  There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring. In which case, you also were meant to have it...and that is an encouraging thought.

Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13), and God has a purpose for all of us (as with Jeremiah, who God knew before he was in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5).  It's comforting to know that nothing can separate us from His love in Christ (Romans 8:35-39), and who knows whether or not we've come for such a time as this (Esther 4:14)?  Therefore (as Elrond says to the fellowship), "hold to your purpose."  "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."  Let's not forget that God chooses the weak to shame the strong (1 Corinthians 1:27).

On Power
"To bear a ring of power is to be alone."  I quoted this in a post on leadership.  Being in any position of power is indeed lonely.  Appreciate your leaders.

Conclusion

The Fellowship of the Ring is probably my favorite Lord of the Rings film, in part for the wisdom summarized above.  If you haven't already, watch it and enjoy these pearls.

Star Wars: Rogue One

This review is spoiler-free, assuming that you've seen a trailer or two.

Last year, Star Wars returned to the big screen with Episode VII (The Force Awakens).  That movie, however, was set decades after Episode VI (Return of the Jedi) and was an "Episode" film- part of the main story arc which (to date) has seven movies, with at least two more to come.  This week, Disney released the first non-Episode film, Rogue One.  Set immediately before Episode IV (A New Hope), this is a side story, featuring all-new characters.  Here, the Empire is building a superweapon- the dreaded Death Star- and a band of rag-tag Rebels works to steal its schematics, hoping to find a weakness and bring hope to a galaxy gripped by fear.  Will they succeed?  Anyone who's seen A New Hope knows they do, as that movie starts with Princess Leia in possession of said plans.  But how they succeed, it turns out, is a tale worth telling.

I liked this movie.  A lot.  The time period takes us back to the original trilogy (Episodes IV-VI) era, which (for me) is the best and most interesting.  It's fun to meet new characters, and there are some good ones here; the droid and blind monk were my favorites.  The movie was darker/grittier than the originals, which I enjoyed.  There were some delightful 'easter eggs'- pay attention, star wars fans.  There are several surprising twists, which were fun (though some are sad).  And the action- wow.  Epic battles on land (stormtroopers!  Imperial walkers!) and in space (spaceships!) made me want to watch this again and again.  Now, there are some downsides- the pace is super-fast, rushing character/plot development, and the music (not done by John Williams) lacks the power of the Episodes.  But overall, this is a good one.  I need to see this again in the theaters.

Rating: A

The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World (Stephen Nichols)

We rapidly approach 2017, and with it, the 500th anniversary of The Reformation.  In his book of the same name, Stephen Nichols gives a brief overview of the primary personalities, events, and/or movements in select countries and how they shaped Reformation efforts in those areas.  After an introduction to the Reformation and why it matters today, he discusses:

- Martin Luther (Germany)
- Ulrich Zwingli (Switzerland)
- Conrad Grebel and the Anabaptists (Switzerland)
- John Calvin (Switzerland)
- King Henry VIII, the Anglicans, and John Knox (UK)
- The Puritans (England and America)
- Prominent women of the Reformation (multiple countries)

The book was a solid introduction.  Each chapter (sort of) stands alone, so it's not one interwoven narrative.  That's both good and bad- it makes it easy to read selectively, but also felt choppy in places, and it ended abruptly (with no overall conclusion).  It's a favorable treatment to be sure; at times it even felt a little defensive (especially of the Puritans and their beliefs; the author argues that they're misrepresented in current culture).  But it's a quick read (128 pages), and it's good for those wanting an introduction to this seminal event in history.

Rating: A-

Encouraging the Heart (Kouzes & Posner)

In Encouraging the Heart, James Kouzes and Barry Posner offer "a leader's guide to rewarding and recognizing others."  They argue that many today are starved for encouragement/recognition, and
"if you're going to lead people you have to care about them."  In fact, of three basic needs we express and desire- inclusion, control, and affection- the highest-performing managers were ones that expressed and wanted affection.  Yes, "we all really do want to be loved."  So how can we encourage each other?  The authors spent the bulk of the book presenting:

The Seven Essentials of Encouraging
1. Set clear standards
2. Expect the best
3. Pay attention
4. Personalize recognition
5. Tell the story
6. Celebrate together
7. Set the example

The book offered good points but could have been much shorter than its 200 pages.  Most of the above list is pretty intuitive; in fact, the first two chapters (31 pages) summarized things nicely.  Perhaps even a blog post by an amateur writer could suffice here.  Repetition can be a key to learning- but it can also get old fast.  I'll end on a high note- it reinforced that employees want more than anything to be appreciated and feel informed.  It also gave me some points to ponder concerning values and goals, something I personally have a hard time developing/sharing with others:

- "Human beings just don't put their hearts into something they don't believe in."
- "Clarity of personal values is the force that really makes the difference in an individual's level of commitment to an organization."
- "The important function of a goal is to get us moving with purpose and energy."

Rating: B

Splendor

Today's game review is for the 2014 release Splendor.  For 2-4 players, it can be played in 30 minutes.

Overview
You play the role of a merchant who uses gems to acquires resources (development cards).  These in turn allow you to produce more gems to acquire more resources.  Collect the right combination of development cards, and  you'll warrant royal visitors.  Some cards you acquire, and any royal visitors, will carry with them victory points.  Be the first to acquire 15 and you win!

Each resource (development card) in the game has a cost and a output, and some have victory points.
- cost: indicated on the lower left of the card.  The cost will be a certain color and quantity of gems, which you need to pay to acquire that card..
- output: on the upper right of the card.  If you can pay the cost and acquire the card, you then get to use the output one time per turn for all future turns.
- victory points: on the upper left of the card.  If you own that card, you get that many victory points.

For example, look at the image below.  The leftmost card has a cost of 2 blue and 2 red, and yields 1 green.  So if you have two blue and two red gems on your turn, you can pay for the card and put it in front of you.  The next turn (and any thereafter), you can use that card to produce 1 green to pay for other development cards.  Note that some development cards also have victory points.

example development cards; image from here

Simplified Gameplay
There are three development decks, each with development cards that offer higher benefits (for higher cost, of course).  See illustration below for how the decks are laid out; each turn, you perform one of four actions:

- pick up 3 gems of different colors
- pick up 2 gems of the same color
- reserve a card and pick up a gold coin

reserving a card means to keep it face-down in front of you; it allows you to buy it later (if you want) and prevents others from doing so.  The gold coin is a 'wild card' and can be used as any color of gem when paying for a development card.

- buy a card (either on the table or in your reserve) and put it on the table in front of you

Whenever you buy or reserve a card, put another card (from the corresponding development deck) onto the field.

At the end of your turn, if you've amassed enough development cards (with gems of the right colors/quantity) to meet a noble, that noble permanently visits you and adds his/her victory points to your total.  The nobles are at the top of the example below.  For example, if you collect 4 cards with a brown jewel output and 4 cards with a red jewel output, you'll get a visit from Henry VIII and earn 3 victory points.

the layout- image from here

After your turn, the clockwise player takes his turn.  The game ends when one player has 15 victory points.  The full rules are here.

Review
This is a solid, fun game.  It's easy to learn (the rulebook is so short!) but hard to master, and the replayability is high.  It may seem to start slowly, but it accelerates rapidly, and a game can be over before you know it.  It reminds me of a simplified combination of Dominion and Ticket to Ride (thanks to a friend for that insight; he's spot on).  This one is recommended.

Rating: A

The Confessions of Our Faith

As a member of a reformed Presbyterian church, I agree in large part with documents called the Westminster Confession of Faith, The Larger Catechism, and The Shorter Catechism.  These documents are summaries of (but subordinate to) the Bible.  Today's book review, The Confessions of Our Faith, presents these three documents with 1500 Scriptural proof texts for the statements therein, as well as a short historical introduction.  But let's take a step back and learn the background of these documents.

Background
In 1643, the Puritan English parliament (amidst Civil War with the crown) "organized an assembly of ministers (or "divines") to create standards for a Church of England that would be reformed in worship, government, and doctrine."  Five years later, they would complete their task and produce "five great documents of theological orthodoxy and ecclesiastical stability for the church in England, Ireland, and Scotland."  These were:

• The Directory for Public Worship
• The Form of Church Government
• The Westminster Confession of Faith
• In 33 chapters, this summarizes "what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man."
• The Larger Catechism
• A summary of doctrine presented in question and answer format.  It is "more exact and comprehensive" than the Shorter Catechism.
• The Shorter Catechism
• A summary of doctrine presented in question and answer format.  It is "more easy and short" than the Larger Catechism.

Are creeds valuable?
Some people disagree with confessions or creeds of any kind.  I understand the sentiment but disagree: as Scripture is not systematically presented, it can be hard (or impossible) to concisely answer important questions about what we believe.  Therefore, I think producing a confession or creed based on Scripture is a good idea.  It can be dangerous, of course- brevity can produce erroneous or dangerous generalizations, and the authors can always get it wrong on a given topic.  Nevertheless, a creed can be helpful to convey the essence concisely, and is useful for both Christians and nonbelievers.  That's why these documents were produced in the first place- they are "a summary of the central truths of the faith, a summary that we can hold in our hands and retain in its essence in our minds . . ."  Done well and properly based in Scripture, "they provide a wonderful framework for the understanding and articulation of the message of the Bible."  Again, these do not (and should not) replace the Bible, but they are a handy reference to summarize what the Bible says about a number of key topics.

Review
I must say, I'm impressed.  This is an excellent resource covering the basics of reformed Christianity.  It's evident that each statement was carefully crafted; each word drips with meaning.  Sentences can be long and meaty, so it can take time to work your way through a given thought.  Nevertheless, anyone interested in learning the basics of reformed faith would do well to read these.  Of course, there are many Christians who may disagree with various statements, and as I said at the beginning, these texts are subordinate to Scripture- but they are worth your time.  If you're interested, these three documents are available online.  If you read only one, go with The Shorter Catechism.

• The Westminster Confession of Faith
• The Larger Catechism
• The Shorter Catechism

Rating: A