the boys

It is just me and the boys this weekend.

My beautiful wife is off at some creative scrap-booking memory-making thing-a-ma-something. She is going to be with her mom and her sister for the entire weekend.

But she knows how to take care of us though. Before she left she bought me an assortment of "snacks" and "meals" for the weekend.

frozen pizzas, cinammon rolls (in the tube), frozen fries, chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, ravioli in a can, frozen egg rolls, and a few other odds and ends.

Talk about a bachelor's diet... Me and the boys will be eating like kings!

the question

We were on the shores once again. The fire was going, the fish were cooking, it was almost like it had never happened, but we all knew that it had happened. They had killed him, we had seen it. But there he was, just sitting there in front of the fire, conversing with us about our families, the weather, and our futures. And on top of everything else, he had cooked us breakfast!

After the meal, I hung around the fire just to be close to him. I just wanted to hear his voice. It was a voice that was filled with confidence, and could fill with confidence. It was a voice that made me think that I could go to the ends of the earth for him. It was a voice that could make me tremble when my heart was filled with pride. And it was a voice that could soothe my shaking heart when it was loaded with doubt. I wanted to dwell in that voice and have its sole attention. But right now his eye was on someone else. And I knew that before long that voice would be directed toward Simon.

I listened in.

"Simon son of John, do you truly LOVE me more than these?"

Peter knew this word, this LOVE. This unconditional LOVE that he had claimed to have for the Christ. This LOVE that Jesus had demonstrated to us time and again in his life and ultimately through his death. Oh yeah, Peter knew that word for LOVE.

"Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

I almost went over there at Peter's response. A simple statement of a warm brotherly love was all that he could come up with. I wanted to grab him and say, "c'mon, Peter, you know you have more passion about him than any of the rest of us." But Peter didn't even look up to meet his gaze. He was ashamed of what had happened, and we all knew it. I wish that he had just glanced up into the face of Christ. Jesus' face was filled with compassion, and his reply, though quiet, shouted volumes.

"Feed my lambs."

Peter shifted uneasily. I wasn't sure if he understood what was happening. Jesus wasn't done with him yet. Oh, Peter thought that he had blown it for good, but like usual, Jesus just didn't see things that way. There was a place for him. A job to be done.

"Simon son of John, do you truly LOVE me?"

This time Peter flinched. Then he said,

"Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

But his expression said, "Yes, Lord, you know that there is an affection there... But I'm useless! I denied you. How could you..." But before he could utter another sound, Jesus puts it out there again:

"Take care of my sheep."

Jesus leaned in a little toward Peter. The tone of his voice was reassuring. It whispered, "The job is still here, Peter, my rock. The job is still here."

"Simon son of John, do you love me?"

I felt like my heart would break, and I could see the hurt in Peter's eyes. This time Jesus had changed his word. No longer asking for the unconditional love, now a simple request for a warm tenderness. It was almost as if Jesus had said, "alright... I know where you are. But I also know that I still LOVE you and want to use you." His compassion is overwhelming.

"Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

"Feed my sheep."

The rest of the time that I knew Peter, I would hear him mumble under his breath, so lightly I could barely hear it, "Yes, Lord, I love you." Never with the unconditional love, but always with the brotherly love. But I have heard tell that from his cross, his last words were, "Yes, Lord, I LOVE you."

Since that day, the question has continued to come. Not only to Peter, but to all of us who are now called Christians. It comes when we are being persecuted for our faith. It comes loud and clear when we are being tried and convicted. It comes quietly when things just don't go our way.

He asks us again and again,

"do you LOVE me?"

fallen.

fallen.
face in the mud. the smell, the stench of an old puddle.
soaked through the clothes, some in the mouth.
runners passing, not noticing, dodging.
the race continues.
fallen.
a scraped knee, a scuffed elbow.
missed the mark, hit hard.
fallen.
not the first time, not the last.
efforts to rise; to no avail.
the strain of muscles tired and
worn from this days race.
fallen.
more effort. every ounce, every drop.
tightening, teeth clenching.
knuckles white with the exertion
of energy already used. one foot up.
mud still caked on, clings as if for life.
renewed heart energy is expended
to its last little drop.
fallen.
injuries compounded, stacked like layers.
some from terrain. some from error.
its part of the race, the cost, the price.
rising.
eyes gaze. as if reaching for the sky.
for something to cling to. to grasp and hold.
the race goes on.

But we...

If you look on the sidebar, you will see that I am currently reading more than one book. Now, I don't know what works best for you, but for me it works great to just read a little bit of a book every week. That way I don't get bogged down with the book, and I can also plow through several books at once.

One of the books that I am reading is called The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. It is a relatively small book, but I have been so impressed with it.

I just finished the chapter titled Removing the Veil, and I would like to share a couple of the quotes with you.

"God formed us for His pleasure, and so formed us that we, as well as He, can, in divine communion, enjoy the sweet and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities. He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile. But we..."

Isn't that always how it goes. God has created us and made it possible through the death of His son to have a perfect communion with Him -- Our Creator! But we step in. Like the prodigal son, we want things our way and we want it now, and if we can't get it... We are upset! Here we are as created beings, and all we care about is the created instead of the creator. And that selfish sin has separated us from the Holy God.

In the Old Testament, the temple was separated into two parts. The outer room was called The Holy Place. The inner-most room was called The Holy of Holies. And in those days it was in the inner-most place that the very presence of God dwelt. The two rooms were separated by a veil. And during the time of the sacrifice the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to sprinkle blood on the altar.

When Christ was on the cross, His final proclamation was, "It is Finished!" At that moment the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. In the book of Hebrews we are told that we can now have entrance into the Holy of Holies. We can have communion with God!

But we block the way.

In many ways self keeps us from entering into that communion. There is still a veil there. "It is woven of the fine threads of the self-life, the hyphenated sins of the human spirit. They are not something we do, they are something we are, and therein lies both their subtlety and their power." Our very being separates us from God. "Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We may as well try to instruct leprosy out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are set free. We must invite the cross to do its deadly work within us."

This is why Jesus tells us, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me."

Self must die.

"It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet this is what the cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free."

But He died so that we might die.

"The cross is rough and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when its work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, and the pain is forgotten for joy that the veil is taken away and we have entered in actual spiritual experience the presence of the living God."


Check out the book
The Pursuit of God
by A.W. Tozer.

Blogger Idol - Week 14 - Spirituality

Spirituality. This is an interesting topic.

spir-i-tu-al-i-ty The state, quality, manner, or fact of being spiritual. (by dictionary.com)

Umm, OK. But what does that mean? What does it mean to "be" spiritual?

I am sure that in reading other people's entries for this week, you could find all manner of opinions on this topic. Everybody having their own definitions and examples. But is this how we can know about spirituality? Is the "state ... of being spiritual" up for debate? Is spirituality a contextual issue?

I don't think it is.

There are several places in the Bible that talk about spirituality. I know that in one place, Paul the Apostle writes about this topic. Let's take a look at his "blog" on spirituality:

1 Cor. 2:12 - 16
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM ? But we have the mind of Christ." (read the whole chapter)

This passage is referring to a new state of being. A Spiritual State. First of all it is referring to those who have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Who have been justified (declared legally righteous). Who have been saved and added to the ranks of those who are true Christians. And whose spirituality starts with a perspective change.

This passage also draws the lines. Either you are spiritual in your understanding or you are fleshly (or natural) in the way you view this world. There is no middle ground. This blows a big hole in the "trust your instincts" approach to life. The natural way of viewing things and doing things is the old way. And frankly any parent will tell you that we aren't born spiritual. There is not a child in the world that isn't selfish by nature.

You were born that way.

But the Bible talks in many places about a "new way" or a "better way." It is talking about a quality of being spiritual. Once when Jesus was talking to one of the religious leaders of his day named Nicodemus, the conversation turned to the topic of spirituality. Christ taught Nicodemus about being born, and then being "born again" ...into the Spirit! Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:1-10 that we used to be spiritually dead and that we were by "nature children of wrath." He then goes on to say that even in this dead state, Christ has made us alive! Now we are different! Something has changed! We now have the very "mind of Christ." We are enveloped into a spiritual quality.

This new state of being, this spiritual quality isn't just some theological textbook notion though. Having the "mind of Christ" changes you. It transforms you. It sanctifies (cleanses) you of the old futile way of living this life. You see being spiritual is not about a feeling or an emotion, it is about a different way of living.differentfernt way of "being." If you keep reading through the passage in Ephesians you will see that being a now spiritual being will begin to show on the outside. The spiritual will work its way to the outside. The faith that you now have will show itself in works. (James 2:14) You will have a different manner of life, and it will be a spiritual manner of life.

And it is a reality. It is a fact. Spirituality is not skin-deep. (Or clothing-deep for some people.) It is your very being. We hear in the Bible that we are a "new creature" or a new being.

Spirituality is not just a feeling. It is not an emotional response. It is a "state, quality, manner, or fact of being spiritual." And "being spiritual" is to think and live the way you were created to be. The way God intended you to be. And this is accomplished through the working of The One True Spirit in your life. A work that will continue to make you more like The One True Man -- Jesus Christ.

the end is near!

I have been looking at my calendar, and I have noticed that the end is near.

The end of school, that is.

And it is sad. I know that God is moving me on (that is a long story that will have to be saved for another day... another blog), but man, is it hard. They don't teach you about this in college.

Some of you teachers know what I am talking about. The Love! I mean, I really love these kids! I just think through my day, and there are about 200 people that I genuinely care about, that I might not see again. I could go down the list of names, but it would take too long. Normally when I move, I am leaving about 5 people behind, this time it is a little different.

They just don't train you for this. I am sure that I had plenty of warnings, and even if I didn't, its almost like, "duh!" I mean, if you spend every day of your life pouring your time and effort into a group of people, love is gonna arrive. And I don't even think I knew how much I loved this particular group of people until I knew that I was gonna leave. And then, WHAM! Heart-breakage! I can't say that I haven't shed a few tears at the thought of going.

And then keeping it a secret from them for such a long time, what a relief for me, but it was a blow to them. I had gotten used to the idea, but it was fresh for them.

On the positive side... I will say that I have received some of the most heart-felt compliments in the last couple of weeks though. These kids are very encouraging with their words. And there are some of them that have made me feel so loved these last few weeks, its amazing!

I won't continue on any further, cause I could go on for awhile. I just wanted to say thanks for the encouragement, and I wanted to let you all know how much I love you.

Seriously, I love you guys.

Blogger Idol - Week 13 - Blog Tips

I have been allowing my mind to wander all day trying to think of some blog tips. I don't know if I have any tips that could make someone's blog any better, but I think that I might have a tip or two that relate to blogging.

Tip #1 -- Blog! (Written in the form of a command.)
Just do it. Blog away! "But I'm not a writer..." So what, neither are 95% of the other people out there blogging. Don't let something like that stop you. Just click this link and start your own free blog. It is fun and easy to do. If you have any questions about how to get started, just e-mail me personally at mattharmless@hotmail.com and I will hook you up! Once I got started about half of the highschool that I teach at got started. The english teacher even promoted it with her students! I'm serious, just get started and let me know how you do!

Tip #2 -- Don't let it run your life!
It seems like a lot of people who blog, it tends to become a major part of their life. I think that it might actually be habit forming. If you find that all you think about is your blog... remind yourself, "it is just a website, it is just a website...!" I mean really, don't get carried away with it.

Tip #2b -- Don't focus on the layout.
A great layout is nice, but it is not everything. Some people can get really caught up on the design, and never post anything worth reading.

Tip #3 -- Don't let it affect your job!
As a Christian, you are to be working as unto the Lord, and not unto men. Your authority, whether godly or not, is an ordained by God kind of authority. If someone is paying you to work, that is what you should be doing. Don't forget that!

Tip #4 -- Be careful what you say.
If your blog is mostly read by your friends, family, co-workers, etc. Don't get too personal on your blog, it might come back to bite you! In fact, sometimes it is good to use your blog to say something really nice about somebody else (especially a special friend or a spouse). When they see it published online, you will have made a memorable impact in their lives.

Tip #5 -- Don't stop.
Every blogger tends to go through some dry spells. Don't stop. (unless you are not following tips 2, 3, or 4...) Just write about something. Every post doesn't have to be a work of art!

Tip #6 -- When you write, speak from the heart.
Pour it out. Be sincere and REAL! Don't forget Tip #4. It is usually easy to tell if someone is speaking from the heart. And that just draws people in. I love reading other blogs. Some of them I read because they have a good writing style. Some of them I read because I feel like I am actually looking into the mind of another human being. Getting a chance to glimpse into their heart.

Tip #7 -- Use the blog.
Make it a teaching tool. Not only to teach your readers, but to help you to learn more. None of my posts are very long or in depth because I'm really not a good writer. (In fact, I have never written anything until I started this blog, which is why I put Tip#1 in here.) But I will have to say that I have learned a lot from posts that I have written, because I don't want to post if I don't know what I am talking about. I have had to study the Bible and some other books, looking for answers. Besides, who really wants to listen to another nobody just spouting their own opinions?!?

Tip #8 -- Have fun.
I don't know. Don't look at me that way! You know that everybody always uses this as their last point. You know how it goes, "...and just remember everybody, don't forget to have some fun!" So I will say it too! Blogging is fun, have some!

Now if you want any real tips that have any actual value, you can find them here. I don't think that I stole any of his tips, but if I did it was unintentional.

If these tips help you in anyway, just let me know!

Thanks everybody!

living in a tin house

For our anniversary my wife bought me a book. It was a book that she had seen me looking at while we were strolling around Barnes & Noble. The Title of the book is THREE TO SEE THE KING by Magnus Mills.

It is a small novel about this guy that leaves everything to live in a house made out of tin. He is thoroughly content with his simple life until neighbors start showing up. It is a very intriguing little book that you are sure the whole time you are reading it, that it is about someting more. The cover has a testimonial from some journalist that says it is about "... leadership..." and "...relationships..." and since he is some journalist and I am Matt Harmless... well, he's probably right.

All I know is that I felt like I really related to the main character. I appreciated his approach to the circumstances that came his way. I think that living in a tin house in the middle of the wilderness wouldn't be all that bad.

It was a good little read, and a nice quiet interlude before the "flu-epidemic." I think that I enjoyed it, and would recommend it. Thanks Magnus Mills!

Check out the book...
by Magnus Millsimg

And then there were two... I hope!

I had a very interesting Easter Weekend, but in order to really get a feel for what happened, I am going to have to ask my beautiful counterpart to tell the story from her view-point. I might have some extra little details to add later, but for now, she will have to fill you in...

...It had the makings of an excellent Easter weekend. "Extended", actually, because I had these long-term plans with three of my high school best friends to go to Chicago and spend the night Tuesday and Wednesday. My sister called from Michigan earlier in the week to ask us if we would be able to all assemble at my parents house on Friday for one last gathering before our big move. (A collective *sigh* is heard by several Faith students...) We agreed and headed out Friday with pies and snacks and enjoyed a day with my five other siblings minus Travis my baby brother who floated in for about 30 minutes to say "hi" and leave to go to a sale barn to buy chickens. Yep, chickens. I was raised on a farm and believe it or not the purchase of the chickens was a HUGE point of conversation most of the day. So, the plan was to go our separate ways on Saturday and then re-assemble on Sunday for church and a big Easter dinner. Saturday, I was awakened with the news that my brother and his niece has arrived home with the chickens and a little, shall I say, "tummy trouble". My sister went into hysterics that Trav had held her new baby and we made an unofficial, official "law" that anyone having thrown up in the past 24 hours was disbanded from any partying with us for the rest of the weekend. They humbly agreed and could have cared less since they were dead on the bathroom floor when the decree went forth. I spent the day shopping and fixing the meal for the next day and retired into bed around 11:00 p.m.

Then it happened. I was awakened about 2 a.m. with a sick feeling coming from the general direction of my stomach and intestines. I thought it was probably my hypochondriac tendencies and tried to push myself back into sleep but failed miserably. I decided that I should at least attempt to make it to the downstairs bathroom since it may become necessary but impossible with much delay. I was able to descend the steps but when I reached the bottom, I dropped to my knees and began to crawl to the bathroom. Now, understand that my parents house is approximately 3,000 square feet, so it was a LONG crawl and a pathetic one at that. I found my way to the bathroom floor which is where my dad discovered me on his way to throw up, himself. Neither one of us admitted sickness to each other out of fear that we would also be thrown from the house by my hysterical sister...who was at that very same time beginning to be sick in the upstairs bathroom. We all made it through the night and feigned some sort of "mysterious" non-contagious illness until each realized that they were not alone.

Then...all "flu-hell" broke loose. This is the order that people began to fall ill:

Travis
Morgan...who was shipped off to her grandmother
Morgan's grandmother
Charity
Dad
Julie
Eddie...who had to be hospitalized for dehydration
Amanda
Jared
Josiah...who so sweetly "waited" to throw up until his daddy picked him up!
Mom
Lori...who had to leave her sub job at school early because she became sick only to be called back in the next day due to several other teachers who had suddenly come down with the flu...she declined the second time!
Bill
Larry...Julie's stepdad from the Saturday visit
Mitchel
Samuel... he took the record at throwing up more than 17 times and passing out!

We thought we were home free with Samuel who didn't officially get sick until 10 hours before I was suppose to leave on my trip! He seemed to bounce back brilliantly which caused me to investigate into a later train that would get me to Chicago just 6 hours after the girls and he threw up 15 minutes before I walked out the door. My hubby had to call the girls and cancel AGAIN while I cried in the bathroom....not a place I wanted to stay for long.

So, we're home now and we are trying to put the whole ordeal behind us. The only people in the house who didn't get sick were Matt (Mr. Harmless) and Jeff...my sister's husband. They have a theory that the illness was contained to those inhabiting some sort of "Lathrop" blood, but I'm not putting any stock in it. I think God just knew that there had to be somebody to eat up all that Easter food and Matt and Jeff were the most qualified for the job....both hungry and too scared of my sister to get sick themselves.

My dad is having t-shirts printed for all of us saying "I survived Easter 2004". He plans on giving them to us for Christmas....shipping them, that is. I doubt many of us will be ready to gather again that soon!

The Friday Five

All of these questions come from the Friday Five

1. What do you do for a living?
I am a math teacher at Faith Christian School. I am also a mover in the summer time. I work at Herren's Twin City Moving and Storage.

2. What do you like most about your job?
I love working with the kids. I love teaching. I mean really teaching something. It is great to present something to somebody, and they "get-it." I mostly love teaching my Bible class. It is composed of sophmores and juniors. I love presenting the Word of God to them. His word is awesome, it applies so much to everyday life.

3. What do you like least about your job?
I have to be honest, all of the responsibility. It presses me daily.

4. When you have a bad day at work it's usually because _____...
... of me. When I am not looking at things the right way.

5. What other career(s) are you interested in?
I have always been interested in being a pastor, a youth pastor, or a missionary.

Blogger Idol Week 12 -- Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Birds of a Feather Flock Together
Why? I mean, I am sure that most birds do this because of instinct or something, but why people?

Some might say that it is just something that naturally happens. People end up flocking with other people who have similar interests. Similar likes and dislikes. Similar passions. But as with all things, I want to question that.

Is it possible that amoung other reasons, one of the main reasons that birds of a feather flock together could be because they don't want to be stretched. People like it when they find someone who will just accept them as they are, and not push them in the areas that they need to change. I hear that all of the time from different characters on TV. "Why can't you just accept me the way I am?" "I have just gotta be me!" Why can't we just all get along?!?"

If there is one thing that I have learned, (and I have learned many things, and I usually learn them the hard way), it is that a true friend will say something if they see something in you that needs to change.

Though your natural tendency is to flock with others like you, stop and consider some of the other "groups" around you. They might be the exact people that you need to be around.

To my wife on our anniversary

I loved you when
Our journey began.
I love you now and
I'll love you then.
And when this journey comes to its end,
I'll listen to the story told
Of love...
... and love again

going non-stop

2:00 pm-- Friday afternoon -- Charity calls. The boys are going to stay with my mother-in-law. They are going to spend the night there. No kids. No kids after school, no kids during supper, no kids in the evening, and no kids to put to bed.

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. Anybody that knows me, knows that I love my kids. You try to take my kids away from me, you're gonna see wrath. But if they want to go stay with one of their grandmas... "luv ya kids, have a nice trip!"

Well, the kids were gonna be gone, and our anniversary is April the 5th, so we decided to go out!

5:00 pm-- At the school. -- Finally telling Paul Rolley to go to work, Charity and I left the building, and made a quick trip home so I could put on something a little more casual.

Stop #1 -- 6:00 pm-- Buon Appetito. The only wood-fired oven in the state of Indiana & Charity's current favorite restaurant. And her fav dish... The Chicken Saltimbocca (sp?). My current favorite... The Drunken Chicken Pizza. (Don't worry Faith Christian School Students, no drunken Mr. Harmless...)

Stop #2 -- 7:00 pm-- Barnes and Noble. While we were there I visited the coffee shop and purchased a coffee. Charity purchased a Hot chocolate. We also purchased each other a book. I got the book, Three to See the King. Charity got Emma.

Stop #3 -- 8:20 pm-- Sacred Grounds Christian Coffee Shop. We were going to see the student band - "The Illumination Band" play. We didn't have anything else to do, so we thought that we would just go ahead and arrive early. I got my second coffee of the night, and sat down to watch the band warm-up.

9:00 pm-- The band begins. -- After warming up for over a half of an hour, and listening to someone say "check, check" 5,727 times, the band finally begins. This band features some of Faith's students, so of course there was a huge turnout of Faith kids. And suprisingly there was a substantial turnout of Faith teachers... Weird, I know. We were forced onto the stage to participate in singing "School's Out for Summer". There is nothing like watching Mr. Heim sing some Alice Cooper. It was a really good time, and Joe, Nick, Adam, and Brady are very talented.

Stop #4 -- 11:00 pm-- We finally leave Sacred Grounds and head to the next stop. We don't have children for the night so we decide to stay out.

Stop #5 -- 2:30 am-- home at last. But instead of going to sleep, we decide to watch a movie. We were pretty pathetic. Neither one of us can stay up that late anymore.

7:00 am -- at Meijer. Getting a couple of donuts. I also finished the gift for my wife. We then decide to make a day of it in Indy.

Stop #6 -- 11:00 am --Steak & Shake. To get a couple of large drinks for the road. Diet Vanilla Coke for me, Sweet tea for Charity.

Stop #7 -- 12:00 pm -- McDonalds. Just for a small snack. We are planning on going out for a big dinner.

Stop #8 -- 12:30 pm -- Indianapolis Museum of Art. A free art museum. Mostly enjoyable, but we were both tired. And half of it is under construction. So some of the coolest exhibits were closed. I also tried their coffee shop. Which by the way, they have a coffee shop 10ft before you get to the entrance of the first exhibit. But they don't allow food or beverages of any type inside of the exhibit area. Annoying.

Stop #9 -- 2:00 pm -- Keystone at the Crossing. We walked around there for a while. Looked at several different stores.

Stop #10 -- 5:00 pm -- Maggiano's. A very good Italian place. My first time going to that restaurant. After the meal, I had another Coffee.

Stop #11 -- 8:00 pm -- Grammy's house. (My mom.) Need sleep. Going to spend the night here. It was good to see the boys again.

Overall a good anniversary weekend.

good news for the dull of mind

"...those who have a natural talent for calculation are generally quick-witted at every other kind of knowledge; and even the dull, if they have had an arithmetical training, although they may derive no other advantage from it, always become much quicker than they would have been."
--Plato

See, there is some good in taking math in highschool.