Around the Horn – June 13, 2014

At first, here’s an interesting article on forensic science. For those who criminal investigation experience extends all the way to Law and Order and CSI, this article gives a side of the equation that removes the simplicity. Which leads me to wonder about fingerprints and snowflakes. It is commonly said that no two are alike, but how would they know that unless they have compared every single fingerprint or every single snowflake? Which I say mostly to remind pastors (and prosecutors) to be careful about using illustrations which cannot be proven to be true, because someone out there will be thinking about it.

At second, here’s a good article by Mark Snoeberger on raising children. Mark gives a needed reminder that the modern emphasis on giving grace to children should not exclude common grace. I am reminded of an article I read recently of a father who was going to punish his son for disrespecting his mother. Instead, he gave the belt to his son and told the son to hit the father ten times as hard as he could. Not only does that distort the atonement, it disregards the biblical command for fathers to teach and discipline their children, and it disregards the biblical teaching on respect itself. A child should never strike a parent.

At third, here’s an article on hyperactivity among children. We have probably all experienced the soundness and ease of a night’s sleep after a physically strenuous day. Or even the comfort of sitting in a chair on the porch and having no energy to move after an afternoon of work in the yard. Perhaps some common sense in dealing with fidgeting among children would go along way towards solving certain problems. There is no “one size fits all” solution. But there are some common sense things that get overlooked. Maybe this is one of them.

And last, Jurgen Klinsmann may have been a good soccer player, and a good tactician, but he’s clearly a bonehead as a coach. He came out several times recently saying that the US cannot win the World Cup. Now, let’s be honest: That doesn’t take a particular helping of clairvoyance to know that. But it’s a dumb coaching move to say it. That’s the job of commentators (of which there is not shortage). It might be something you say after it’s over. But it is not something you say going into a tournament.

While I am on this topic, I continue to think that the idea that Landon Donovan is not one of the 23 best players in this country right now doesn’t stretch the bounds of credibility. It is blows far past said bounds. For Klinsmann to leave Donovan off the roster was both a dumb PR move and a dumb coaching move. If Klinsmann wants to prepare young people for the 2018 World Cup, he has four years to do that. And it starts by exposing your young players to the experience and leadership of the most decorated players in US Soccer history. I maintain that if the US doesn’t make it through group play, Klinsmann should be fired in a post game press conference.