Harry

Thanks to an intense lobbying effort from my 8-year-old daughter, I can now be counted as one of the vast legion of fans of the Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. I've just finished Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (#4 in the series), and stayed up late last night digging into book 5. To put it bluntly, I'm hooked.

My daughter, who is a voracious reader, started reading Harry towards the end of the school year last Spring. By her birthday in July, she had read all 6 previously published books, and was counting down the days to her birthday, not so she could celebrate with a party (which she did), but because book 7, the final book in the Harry Potter series, would be released to the public on that same day. She devoured that final book (which she got as a birthday present) in just a week's time, and it took her that long only because she wanted to savor it, rather than rush through it.

As my daughter shared with me tidbits from these novels, I, trying to be a good parent, asked some pretty pointed questions, and found myself more and more intrigued. The morning that she finished the final book, she came to me with such a look of triumph on her face and proceeded to say, "Papa, you have to read these books!" How could I refuse?

I'm a big believer that as a parent I need to have an interest in the interests of my kids. Since I too love to read, I asked her for book 1 (which she took down from it's special place on her bookshelf and handed me with a smile) and began. Almost immediately, we switched roles. She became the one asking me pointed questions each night before bed, and sharing little insights and giving foreshadowing hints. I've now instituted a rule with her that she can't reveal anything that I haven't read, no matter how small a detail or hint it might be. It's been a really great point of connection for the two of us.

Like many books in the past that include magic (The Lord of The Rings trilogy, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia) as a part of the plot, there have been some Christian groups attempting to boycott the Potter novels, or at least to turn people away from them. I, for one, am thrilled that my daughter has read these books (multiple times now), and that they have led us into some deeper conversations on evil vs. good (Voldemort vs. Dumbledore and Harry), racism (pure bloods vs. mudbloods), injustice (the role of House Elves) and predjudice (preconceived notions towards muggles and giants). Like The Chronicles of Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time, my daughter has seen God between the lines and through the characters. I'm truly thankful for the role these books are playing in our relationship.

Now if I can just figure out whose side Severus Snape is on...

New Creation

Last week, my children returned to school. Well, at least three of the four of them did. Two of them, for full days of 1st and 3rd grade, the other for a 3-day-a-week preschool program. It is a bittersweet day for me as they head back to school. Not only does it signify the end of summer and a return to the fullness of the regular routine, but it also reminds me that the years are passing, and my children are growing up. Faster than I would like (most of the time).

So on that first day of school, my daughter heading into the 1st grade was a bit nervous. As I talked with her I tried to provide comfort by reminding her that this year will be a lot like last year, just for a few more hours each day (last year was a half day kindergarten). I reminded her that it was the same school, the same friends, the same daily snacks, etc. But to all of that she said "No, it's not. It's new."

What I started to figure out as I talked with her was, that although she was a bit nervous and scared, she was excited that it wasn't going to be just the same as last year. She was excited that it was going to be new. Me telling her that it was going to be the same was not what she needed to hear. She needed to hear that the "newness" (is this a word?) was going to be OK too. For her, the chance for "new" was what she was looking forward to the most.

Literally just a day or two after that first day of school, I was emailing with a college student from my church who is off to freshman year in college, and she told me that the best thing about college so far (she had been there for a couple of weeks at that point) was that it was all new. That she had a chance to recreate who she was, because no one approached her with predeveloped notions about who she was, what she liked, and what was important to her. Not only was it a new experience on almost every level, but she too became "new" in the midst of it.

I've often reflected on the words of the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians 5:17, when he writes that "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (TNIV) I have witnessed people become new creations, as Christ has entered into their lives and brought change into places of pain and hurt. It is good to become new.

We live in a world and in a time that is in deseperate need of re-creation, of becoming "new". On this 6th anniversary of 9/11, I pray for the day when the old has indeed gone, and the new has come.