Writer and Teacher
Archive for January, 2010
Fun With Our Grandchildren
Jan 30th
Last summer Barbara and I wanted to spend a day with each of our four grandchildren. We set the following guidelines—one day only, one child only, and suited to the child’s interests. At that time Dane and Luke were twelve; Hope and Mark were nine. They live within three miles of our home.
Hope, our little drama queen, has acted in two plays at the local Stained Glass Theatre. We went to a Disney Cinderella play performed in a classic theatre in Springfield, Missouri, about eighty miles away. One hundred fifty young people made up the cast. Hope identified one of the step-sisters as the part she would like to play. We also visited the Springfield Zoo for a couple of hours in the morning and ate lunch in a quaint café before attending the play.
Mark loves animals. We spent a couple hours at the Tulsa Zoo in the morning. We drove across town, grabbed a sandwich, and spent the afternoon enjoying the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, Oklahoma. We found it interesting to see what caught his attention. He entertained us with his comments and descriptions of the marine creatures. The amazing diversity in the animal world declares the creative wisdom of God.
Dane, Hope’s brother, expressed interest in flight. We arranged to meet a flight instructor at the Joplin Regional Airport who graciously showed us the trainer he used in training pilots and the other planes in the hanger. He answered Dane’s questions. Then we went to Tulsa Museum and Planetarium. We learned about constellations, saw many airplanes (including the F-14A “Tomcat” Fighter Jet), and participated in the interactive exhibits (including the Space Shuttle Robotic Arm and Space Maneuvering Unit).
Luke, Mark’s brother likes science. We went to Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri, which has a special program in solar energy. The director of the program met us in their house powered by solar energy. He explained solar panels and the value of solar energy. After lunch we went to the Kansas Technology Center at Pittsburg State University. A professor guided Luke in designing a 3-D frying pan using engineering software and gave us a walking tour of their facility. We also stopped by the Chemistry and Biology Departments.
I quipped to someone, “How else would we get to do these fun things if we didn’t take our grandkids.” The best part of our outings was spending time with each grandchild individually and hearing what they think. Watching them mature has been a blessing. Connecting with grandchildren keeps the family legacy alive and well and keeps grandparents young.
Where Is God When We Suffer? Now Available in Russian
Jan 4th
Last year Sergei Golovin, president of the Christian Center for Science and Apologetics (http://www.scienceandapologetics.org/engin.html) requested permission to translate and publish Where Is God When We Suffer? What the Bible Says About Suffering. The book has been translated and is now available in the Russian language. My Christianity Stands True has been in Russian for several years. Dr. Golovin, a scientist, was converted to Christ and has devoted the last several years to a ministry of building faith in God, Christ, and the Bible among his people. He wrote the following comment about Where Is God When We Suffer?
The Good News of Suffering—Lynn Gardner’s Book in Russian
by Sergei Golovin
The people of The Soviet Union have experienced a great exodus from the Egypt of communism and atheism into the desert of democracy. Now, twenty years later, flourishing enthusiasm is replaced with general apathy and disappointment with religion. Wrong expectations were never met, right expectations were not developed. There is an issue however nobody is indifferent to—the issue of pain and suffering. That makes Dr. Gardner’s book, Where Is God When We Suffer? an extremely effective tool for proclaiming Good News of Jesus in the postcommunist part of the world.
Some books on the issue of suffering comfort a reader. Some explain suffering. Some explore the biblical view of it. Some tell how to cope with suffering and help others. The book by Dr. Gardner shows the issue from all these viewpoints. The book is not just theoretical reasoning, but is written out of the personal experience of the author who has suffered a lot. Instead of aborting the human race because of sin God’s plan allowed suffering in the world with the goal of redeeming the fallen world through his sharing suffering at the Cross. The Cross of Christ is the only way to overcome suffering. Clear focus on Christ makes this book on suffering a vehicle for the Good News.
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