Hal Young's Blog, page 46

Stormy Weather – Time For Another Look

When you grow up in the Carolinas, you get used to thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches. They're so commonplace, most people seem to ignore them until the wind actually picks up. Some of us actually enjoy the dramatic weather … to a point. After the disaster in Joplin, Mo., last year, the National Weather Service is testing new, more alarming messages -  for example, "You could be killed" – to try and prompt better public response.

But I'm not waiting for the NWS. A couple of videos I saw this month are getting me to think a bit more seriously about it.

 

This amazing footage from a NBC news helicopter in Dallas-Fort Worth, shows their recent tornado striking a truck terminal and throwing semi  trailers hundreds of feet in the air (1:00 mark).




And this video from a home security system in West Liberty, Kentucky, captured the effect of a twister as it ripped the siding off the house and disintegrated the neighbors' storage buildings. Check out the tree rolling around the lawn after it was uprooted, and the backyard furniture bounding across the yard like tumbleweeds. Wow. The garage only stood for thirty seconds, and the whole event was over in sixty.

 

We aren't amateur storm chasers by any means, but I admit there are times I've enjoyed the spectacle when maybe I should have been inside, instead.  These videos are not only good supplements for science class–and something the boys would find fascinating, to boot–, they offer an opportunity to talk about the need for discretion and judgment to complement our sons' natural courage and daring!

 

The Goal

Earlier this week we started our third class of "Boot Camp 9-12″, and we talked about our approach for training our boys. I explained it something like this:

The goal of all of this for our sons is to become young, strong, independent men, who can stand on their faith, and stand for God and Christ, come what may; who can do what God has called them to do, and be what God has called them to be.

Because we  don't really know what our sons are going to be called to face, and we don't know what career God is going to bring them into or what opportunities or challenges they'll encounter, we want to prepare them to be young men who have the faith and strength of character to say "Wherever God takes me, I'm going to rely on Him."

We have to give them a vision:

"Your goal in life is not to be a teenager. Your goal is to become a man, and we're giong to help you become a man. What are the characteristics of manhood? We want to look at these virtues, things like honor, diligence, courage, and integrity, things that even a young man like you can develop and practice in small ways around the house …"

"Show them how it's done."

If you've got a son in that crucial age between 9 and 12, when those changes you're bracing for at 13 are actually cranking up, we think you'd enjoy the program we've got lined up. This week we talked about the emotional and mental changes which show up long before the first whisker appears, and next week, we'll dive into how that affects their schoolwork–and what we can do about it! Why not join up with dozens of couples already on board? We're meeting Mondays at 8:00 (Eastern), and we'd love to meet you online.

CLICK HERE to find out more!

 

Coming In May! (Updated)

Wow, what a great trip we had in March – 4100 miles, from South Carolina to Manitoba, speaking at two conventions and four local events, giving nineteen presentations in fourteen days, and meeting a lot of terrific families along the way. To all of you who came to listen, who opened your hearts and homes to our family, and who organized six terrific events, thank you!

This month we’re back at home base focusing on online events (Boot Camp 9-12 and The Ultimate Home School Expo) and preparing for our next road trip – from Michigan to Maryland, then to our home conference in North Carolina!





View May 2012 in a larger map



May 8 – Corydon, Ind.

Corydon Baptist Church



May 10-12 – Lansing, Mich.

Michigan Home Education Conference



May 15 – Jarrettsville, Md.

North Harford Baptist Church mini-conference



May 24-26 – Winston-Salem, N.C.

North Carolinians for Home Education Conference

ONE OPPORTUNITY LEFT! 

Wednesday, May 16, we’ll be on the road through Virginia, and we’ll be available to speak anywhere in the state (the yellow zone, right). Since we’re on the road already, we’ll be glad to stop over at no charge to your group!

So drop us a line (speakers at RaisingRealMen.com) if you’re interested!

Coming In May!

Wow, what a great trip we had in March – 4100 miles, from South Carolina to Manitoba, speaking at two conventions and four local events, giving nineteen presentations in fourteen days, and meeting a lot of terrific families along the way. To all of you who came to listen, who opened your hearts and homes to our family, and who organized six terrific events, thank you!

This month we're back at home base focusing on online events (Boot Camp 9-12 and The Ultimate Home School Expo) and preparing for our next road trip – from Michigan to Maryland, then to our home conference in North Carolina!

May 10-12 – Lansing, Mich.

Michigan Home Education ConferenceMay 15 – Jarrettsville, Md.

North Harford Baptist Church mini-conference

May 24-26 – Winston-Salem, N.C.

North Carolinians for Home Education Conference

OPPORTUNITIES! 

Tuesday, May 8 we'll be passing through the Ohio/Kanawha River region (the green zone, right), and if you're somewhere between Louisville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Charleston, W.Va., we could stop over and speak to your church, book club, or support group for free!

Important Note: We will NOT be speaking at the Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati this year! See us in Akron in June!

Wednesday, May 16, we'll be on the road through Virginia, and we'll be available to speak anywhere in the state (the yellow zone, right).

So drop us a line (speakers at RaisingRealMen.com) if you're interested!

Cheese Curds, Brats and Home!

Dear Friends,

 

We're traveling through West Virginia on the way home. Hopefully we'll make it home tonight — probably in the wee hours — unless we are too tired to keep going.

 

We had a wonderful stopover in Minnesota Tuesday night. We spoke at a church in South Haven, in the middle of nowhere, and had tons of people show up! It was a great lot of fun to meet the Gunn family, who have followed us for a long time and were extremely gracious hosts.

 

Our drive across Wisconsin the next day was incredibly gorgeous. The little farms you play with as a child looked nothing like the farms in the Carolinas,. Well, now we know what they designed them after! We saw lovely white farmhouses, big red barns with barn quilts painted on them and tall white silos. Lovely country! Wednesday night we spoke at a high school in Shawano, Wisconsin for a support group there. It felt a little weird to say the things we do in a public high school building, but we had a good turn out – some from quite a ways away – and good sales, too. We stayed with the Bergmann family and had great fellowship!

 

Thursday morning, we made a trip to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers (Matt's a fan) and ate the celebratory meal of the trip at Krolls West. We greatly enjoyed booyah (which is similar to Brunswick Stew), fried cheese curds and bratwurst. So yummy!

 

Thursday night we stayed with cousins, a young homeschool family, outside of Chicago and greatly enjoyed our marketing discussions (Melanie's cousin is a marketing director at a Christian publisher). Last night we stayed with the Back family, old friends in Ohio. Today we made our last stop at United Dairy Farmer's – a wonderful store with not only milk at $2.50 a gallon, but what they call "Seriously Chocolate" milk. It's the best chocolate milk ever – like drinking chocolate pudding!

 

It was a great trip, full of ministry, fun and new sights!

To Manitoba and Back

Dear Brethren,

Since our last update, it's been a whirlwind! We spent last Wednesday night with a family in Minnesota who found out about our ministry by attending a Households of Faith Gregg Harris conference in Texas put on by some old friends of ours from when we lived in Louisiana – Gene & Lora Keeth. We'd donated some resources to the attendees and through that, this family offered us hospitality. They have three grown daughters still living at home and no sons. We had very sweet fellowship with them, and the next day they helped us with our inventory and adding "Made in the USA" stickers to all our merchandise for the border crossing.

The border crossing took a few hours and we had to have an immigration interview, but there was no trouble (well, other than $300 and something in GST taxes, but we expected that) and we were able to briefly see some of the northern lights on our way into Winnipeg.

We had a wonderful conference in Manitoba! The Lord seemed to really use our messages to touch and encourage the homeschoolers there. We spoke with many who the Lord blessed through the conference. In a wonderful blessing, the hotel we found on Priceline for just $67 a night for each of our rooms (in a place where rooms run $150-$200 a night) was really nice and the closest to the conference location and within walking distance for the boys and Hal at least, so we parked there and saved a lot on parking fees. Our sales were just great for a small conference like that, praise God!! We had great fellowship with the Manitoba board over lasagna Saturday and pulled out yesterday after the boys changed a tire that popped on the trailer. We're now out of spares for both the trailer and the van — please pray for protection from further flats!

For lunch yesterday, we had Tim Horton's doughnuts, which are apparently the favorite food of all Canadians, judging by the Tim Horton's on every corner. They were yummy!

Last night, the Lord provided another inexpensive, but really nice Priceline hotel find — and it was Christian run! We stayed in Fargo, North Dakota, last night and we're headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, tonight to speak. Please pray! We need the Lord who calmed the storm to calm this wind! We're traveling into a headwind of 50mph and it cost us about $50 in gas to make it the first 70 miles. We can't afford that!!! We are currently drafting trucks like Richard Petty on the prairie!

Tomorrow we speak in South Haven, Minnesota, west of Minneapolis and the next night in Shawano, Wisconsin. Please keep praying for us, dear friends!

Hal & Melanie

From South Carolina to Wisconsin!

Dear Brethren,

We had a very good conference in South Carolina at the Teach Them Diligently Convention. Our session on Shining Armor: Your Son's Battle for Purity and the first getting started Homeschooled from the Beginning session were both packed out with folks on the floor. Despite the worst booth ever (seriously – you couldn't see us until you were in it!), sales were pretty good.

Sunday night we had one of the MOMYS offer at the last minute to host us, so we had a nice visit with Dave and Erica Johns in Lancaster, KY.

Monday night we spoke in Toledo, Ohio, to a group of teens and their parents on Doing Real Things, which encourages teens to resist the low expectations of our culture and start being adults. We had some sweet fellowship with three families who've followed our ministry for awhile and could not have been more hospitable!

Last night, the Lord helped us to find super nice hotel rooms in Madison, Wisconsin by Priceline bid for only $41 each! We greatly enjoyed eating fried cheese curds at supper on the recommendation of Tim Irwin. Thanks, Tim! The guys think you ought to go into business and bring these treats to North Carolina: Irwin's Curds.

Tonight, we'll be staying with a family with all daughters who have followed our ministry since learning about it last year at a Gregg Harris conference put on by friends of ours in Texas. They live in very rural Minnesota.

Please be praying today as we complete an inventory of *everything* we'll be bringing into Canada (yes, pens and receipt books, too) and tomorrow as we cross the border. It is much more complicated when you are bringing in commercial items and they have the right to make you unpack and open every box. Please pray they don't and it goes smoothly and quickly and inexpensively.

Thank you so much for praying for us!

Hal & Melanie

Coming In March!

In March, we have five confirmed speaking events:

Spartanburg, S.C. – March 15-17 (Thursday-Saturday)

"Teach Them Diligently" Convention
Toledo, Ohio – March 19 (Monday)

FAITH Homeschool Support Group
Winnipeg, Manitoba – March 23-24 (Friday-Saturday)

Manitoba Association of Christian Home Schools Conference
Sioux Falls, South Dakota – March 26 (Monday)

Sioux Empire Christian Home Educators
Kingston, Minnesota – March 27 (Tuesday)

Cornerstone Church of Central Minnesota

BUT … there's room for more! We'll be on the road for more than two weeks and 3700 miles, and several days we have no specific plans. The route we take and how long it takes us are still open questions. We might follow the direct line, or we might go as far south as Oklahoma or Arkansas. And that means you might be able to host us for little or no cost to your church, support group, or even just a circle of friends!

How can you know?  Simple! Just look at the maps below, and if you live in one of the shaded areas, we could be in your area soon!

And if you'd like to see if we're available to stop, drop us a line at info@RaisingRealMen.com ! We'd love to hear from you!

March 18-22

Week of March 18



Sunday, March 18

We'll plan to stop somewhere between Lexington, Ky. and Charleston, W.Va.

Tuesday, March 20

We'll probably be near Milwaukee, Wisc.

Wednesday, March 21

We may stop between St. Cloud, Minn. and Fargo, N.D.

Sunday, March 25

Week of March 25Sunday, March 25

After the Manitoba conference, we could easily stop and speak for a church group in Grand Forks, Fargo, or even a bit south



After speaking in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Monday and Kingston, Minn., on Tuesday, we'll head south and east, but the exact route is open:Wednesday, March 28

We could be in southeast Minnesota, north/central Iowa, or southwest Wisconsin

Thursday, March 29

We might be in Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City or Louisville! Or anywhere in between!

 

The Power of Biography

George Rogers Clark fording the Wabash

- If we ignore the lessons of history, we've been warned, we'll be doomed to repeat them. I would say in addition, if we ignore the lessons of biographies, we're likely not to repeat them. And given the right lives to study, missing their example would be a tragedy indeed.

The little South Carolina town where I grew up was the site of not one but two significant (and for the patriots, pretty disastrous) Revolutionary War battles. The Civil War only arrived with General Sherman, and late in the game. If you were interested in local military history, it involved redcoats and patriots, not the Blue and the Grey.

Baton Rouge was different. When I brought my family there after a year of exile on the West Coast, we were just a few miles from Port Hudson and a morning's drive from New Orleans and Vicksburg. All the history buffs in the neighborhood were students of the Civil War. Even my best friend, as truly Yankee as ever set forth from Maine, bought a grey frock coat and a reproduction Enfield rifle, to fall in with his erstwhile Confederate buddies in the frequent historical re-enactments.

Surprisingly enough, my public school textbooks seemed discreetly embarrassed to talk much about heroes of the South, so I decided it was high time to get to the bottom of the mythology of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Were they really as great as all that? Or were they just figureheads in a historical grudge match – the star players in the partisan give-and-take of the re-enactors' world I had encountered?

I turned up a couple of biographies written by men who were close to the subject. As it happened, both of them were chaplains who served with the two generals, writing their accounts within a few years of the two men's deaths. Who better to judge their real worth?

It was eye opening. I was gratified to learn that Lee and Jackson truly were men of honor and character, and with their flaws and failings in the balance, there were many admirable traits that still shined through.  As I read more widely, I found some Federal commanders to admire as well. Fair's fair.

But more importantly, as dove into these biographies, I found myself asking – how would Lee have approached the situation I'm in? How did he deal with disappointment, setback, opposition from his own side, misunderstanding? How did Jackson live out a Christian profession (literally) under fire? Looking at the near-awe that men felt for them, what kind of life did they live in front of their soldiers  to earn that respect? What could I apply to my own life as a father, a husband, a staff member, a believer?

I suddenly realized that, without intending it, I was getting an education in character for myself. I found it in the life stories of Lee and Jackson; I found it in the lives of George Washington and Patrick Henry, of Martin Luther and John Newton, of Samuel Adams and Booker T. Washington. My shelves began to fill and I haven't stopped yet.

Kenneth Ruscio, the president of Washington and Lee University, wrote an excellent editorial for Inside Higher Ed  about the challenge of evaluating great figures of the past. When considering the real men behind the popular portrayals, he acknowledged, it is difficult "to steer an honorable course between idolatry and evisceration," as historian Joseph P. Ellis put it. Justice and truth demand that we find that balance.

That's why I look for the studies that show the true character, not just the events, of the lives displayed. They were real men, not figureheads or political chess pieces. And that's why, when I find those biographies, I ponder them, and then I share them. We can't all live in the presence of heroes, but we can get closer to them through the eyes and pens of those who did. And we should!

========

How do you find real heroes for your sons, and how to you teach them to consider the lives of men (living, historical, or imaginary) from a Biblical standpoint? Listen to our workshop Where's Roy Rogers When You Need Him? for ideas and suggestions!

To find some right now – and have fun along the way – check out our dramatized audiobook, Hero Tales from American History, by Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge!

Virtuous Spy Thrillers? Really!

I love mysteries and spy thrillers because I have insomnia. Seriously. I have to read something exciting enough to keep me from thinking about life long enough to fall asleep. That's challenging for a Christian because the exciting genres are usually full of sleaze. Let's face it, murders don't often happen in nice families! And, as Dorothy Sayers once explained, the life and death stakes in a murder investigation adds needed tension to the puzzle.

That's why I was excited to receive a copy of Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey's newest book, Chasing Mona Lisa, and its predecessor, The Swiss Courier. Tricia is a Christian and homeschool mom, so I was hoping her books would hit that high standard we keep hoping for – fast-moving action, good writing, realistic setting, and the hardest of all to judge by what's out there, godliness. I wasn't disappointed.

The Swiss Courier begins the story with Gabi Mueller, a Swiss-American working as a cryptologist in the Basel station of the OSS. The safe-cracking skills learned from her locksmith grandfather, though, quickly make her a valuable asset to the intelligence community in the closing years of World War II. With the heartbreak of the plight of the Jews to the nail-biting race for the atomic bomb as a backdrop, Goyer and Yorkey's characters keep you on the edge of your seat as they risk their lives to rescue a Jewish nuclear scientist and prevent the disaster of a Nazi victory. The plot twists and surprising revelations are just delightful. The best part, though, is that the heroes are believers, real Christians, who did not allow evil to triumph by standing by and doing nothing. How unusual is that these days!

I was concerned about whether they "got" Switzerland — its unique political culture and its glorious countryside, but when I began to recognize foods and sites I flipped to the back and found out, yes, they got it! Mike Yorkey's wife is Swiss and they lived their for a time, but not only that, they interviewed a lady who'd been a teen during the War in the town where the novel was set. This attention to detail makes it easy to feel like you are right there. I loved it — just like I love Switzerland!

Chasing Mona Lisa begins just shortly after the main action in The Swiss Courier ends and it brings Gabi and her partner in espionage (Sorry, got to keep it a secret to keep from spoiling one of the most delightful twists of The Swiss Courier) to Paris just as the Liberation occurs. Once again, it's like being dropped in the middle of one of the most exciting events of the last century. The thrill is just beginning when the Nazis flee Paris before the approaching Free French and Allies. The story follows the desperate attempt of the French and Allies to protect the national treasures of the French people during the turbulent days and leadership vacuum after the Liberation.

My guys just love this kind of book and it is hard to find any that are even half-way acceptable. So, can you hand them to your teen sons? Well. we did. Even encouraged them to read them.. There is a very brief scene where a Nazi has someone in his quarters he shouldn't. It's discreetly handled and you could even black a line or two if you needed to and it would be beyond question. Emotionally, there's a rather heart-breaking scene with a Jewish family (hard to avoid in this time period) and a child in danger in another place, though she's released unscathed. There is a good bit of violence and death, but the books do not glory in it, so it didn't bother me. There are a few things I might have changed, but compared to most books in this genre, these are squeaky clean!

There is a whole lot to recommend them, too. The father in the story and other male heroes are strong, straight, godly, and active. Lots of virtue on display here, too: discretion, sacrifice, courage, commitment, perception. Evil is indisputably evil and good is, well, good, which is rather unusual – even the best spy fiction today assumes that the end justifies the means. In these books, though, pastors are strong characters and the church is an active, loving body that goes beyond talk. The Word of God is portrayed as a rock to depend on. And best of all, the strong, safe, godly guy gets the girl – and more!

The Swiss Courier and Chasing Mona Lisa are just great fun! Action-packed, great characters, accurate in history and geography, a downright good story — it's hard to beat. My teens and twenties are lined up to read them! In fact, I couldn't find either of them to check some details in this review. I think somebody took them off to college… Hey, bring 'em back, son, so your brothers can read them, too! Highly recommended.

You've got a great chance to hear Tricia talk about the novel herself, too! She's having a LIVE video chat with Amanda Bennett and her co-author Mike Yorkey, talking about Amanda's new Unit Study on France and Chasing Mona Lisa on Monday, February 13th from 7-8:30pm CST. Theyre giving away prizes, too!: http://triciagoyer.blogspot.com/2012/02/save-date-france-france-france-live.html

The Swiss Courier, Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey, Revell, 2009, $13.99. Only $9.99 at CBD!

Chasing Mona Lisa, Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey, Revell, 2012 (just released!), $14.99. Only $9.99 at CBD!

We received a free copy of these two books in return for our always honest review.