Seriously Steve 3: Relaxing His Grip as He Prepares to Turn 70?

[theologygeek]

Joseph is going to London this month for the magento meetup.  It would be nice if he took his sister so she could see the world.  

[ClareDeLune]

This week's Steve Says is wonderful.  He has re-listened to HIS OWN conference presentation and was so impressed he feels compelled to beg every Christian to listen too. 😂😂😂 https://articles.titus2.com/please/

[nokidsmom]

On 6/1/2022 at 1:55 PM, fundiefan said:

And Joseph went on a vacation that was not to Colorado to feed squirrels.

I am rather curious where Joseph went on his squirrel-feeding vacation.

[MomJeans]

regrading Steve hawking his old presentation ...

To me, this speaks volumes that whatever revolution happened last year in MaxHell, it didn't in anyway change Steve's beliefs.  So it was truly a revolt, not a group awakening.

[theologygeek]

2 hours ago, MomJeans said:

regrading Steve hawking his old presentation ...

To me, this speaks volumes that whatever revolution happened last year in MaxHell, it didn't in anyway change Steve's beliefs.  So it was truly a revolt, not a group awakening.

That's also what I think.  I think they also got the pastor to intervene because they couldn't take it any more.  Steve was backed against the wall once the pastor got involved.  

[Bluebirdbluebell]

6 hours ago, MomJeans said:

regrading Steve hawking his old presentation ...

To me, this speaks volumes that whatever revolution happened last year in MaxHell, it didn't in anyway change Steve's beliefs.  So it was truly a revolt, not a group awakening.

I think the "revolt" happened two years ago. I think Anna and Mary started school in 2020. 

I'm not sure if Steve has changed or not. This podcast is supposed to cover raising children. It goes from infant years to the teen years. Mary is 25. She hasn't been a teen in long time. 

On the one hand, Steve's kids are varying a little from the path. On the other hand, as far we know, they are very, very conservative Christians. I feel like if I talked to one of the Maxwell kids now, I would still be under the impression that they are fundies. 

Steve could be looking back on this old podcast and shaking his head wondering where he went wrong. And he could be looking back feeling smug that all of his kids are still devoted to Jesus. It's hard to say.

Steve is exposed to more people by going to church. It could be he's worrying about other people's kids.

[treemom]

12 hours ago, MomJeans said:

regrading Steve hawking his old presentation ...

To me, this speaks volumes that whatever revolution happened last year in MaxHell, it didn't in anyway change Steve's beliefs.  So it was truly a revolt, not a group awakening.

That presentation in particular is obsessed with controlling your children.  So I agree with you.  Which makes me all the more happy for the Maxwell women.

[Bluebirdbluebell]

This week's Seriously, Dad? is called Encouraging or Dampening and it's from June 22, 2022. 

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Walking around the convention hall one couldn’t miss the sparkle of sheer delight in many mom’s eyes. They were thrilled to be at a homeschool conference hearing about and seeing the tools of their trade.

They were thrilled to be out of the house, seeing their friends, talking to other adults and meeting people who share their values.

Quote

They were thrilled to be at a homeschool conference hearing about and seeing the tools of their trade. WIth all the things an average mother does in managing her home, these moms were special because they added homeschooling to an already full mommy’s plate of daily tasks. 

Yes, homeschooling adds a lot more work to being a mom. 

Quote

 These were the elite of the elite, the “Navy Seals.” the “Green Berets” of moms in the trenches of raising children. They had not chosen the easy way of sending their children off to school. They were not just doing a job, but were delighting in it. 

Probably at least a few of them were stuck doing it, based on beliefs, or their husbands, or both. It's easy to be excited at a convention.

Also sending a kid to school is more work than you think, Steve. There is no reason for kids can't go to school if the parents chose.

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The time Teri and I dialoged with them was energizing. 

This sentence is strangely phrased.  "Dialoged" is spelled wrong and while it can be used a verb, I've never seen or heard that before. It would sound better as "Teri and I were energized talking to them." Again anyone can be energized at a conference. 

New Paragraph:

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There was another aspect that was so good for Teri and me, yet, heart-rending. Those were the stories that tore your heart in two – stories of hardship, struggles with children (with no easy answers), and of the tragedies of life. 

Yes, not everyone has an easy time of it. I'm giving Steve the benefit of the doubt and assuming these problems were just about trying to keep kids in the fold.

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What broke my heart most were the dads who stood lifeless or like a wet blanket in response to their wife’s excitement. She turns to him with an excited, hopeful voice, “Honey look at this.” He replies with a flat, dull, indifferent tone, “Ya, I see it” or something negative. 

I have to admit I would be disappointed if I was excited about something and someone else was a "wet blanket". I've had that happen before.  Both parents should be involved in raising the kids and if the family is homeschooling, then both parents should be involved. If you've agreed this is the lifestyle, then you both need to commit to it and be prepared to make sacrifices to making it work.

New Paragraph:

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Dads, we are the blessed of the blessed of the blessed to have wives who will invest their lives to school our children. 

And I hope that the men are investing some of their lives to school the children. Especially if the husband isn't working full-time. There are plenty of ways men could pitch in after work, etc. Again there is nothing wrong with sending kids to school.

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 May we love them in word and deed, honor them, and thank them. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). Please don’t forget that it takes a mother to be a father.

While I don't think homeschooling is necessary or makes a mother a better mother, I agree that men should appreciate what women do for their children. I don't have exact statistics, but imo most women do more work around the house, taking care of kids, etc. People of all sexes should value their partner and their partner's contributions to their home and family.

While I don't agree homeschooling is necessary, I will say that I like the general message of appreciate your wife and be grateful for what she does for the family. As these columns, this one was pretty good as it gave good advice and actually seemed to be for his target audience.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Bluebirdbluebell

[theologygeek]

Steve's opinion of homeschooling mothers... "These were the elite of the elite, the “Navy Seals.” the “Green Berets” of moms in the trenches of raising children. They had not chosen the easy way of sending their children off to school. They were not just doing a job, but were delighting in it. "  

Depends on the person homeschooling.  I wouldn't exactly call Teri's teaching the elite of the elite or the Green Beret of moms.  Was their education superior to that of a private school education?  A public school education?  Not by a longshot.  A Green Beret mother (whatever that is supposed to be-all mothers are Green Beret mothers) knows her limitations.  If she can't give her children a better education than traditional school, then she shouldn't be homeschooling.  

[browngrl]

I followed the links to the dad's corners and one thing struck me as I read through current and old posts: Steve is much more terse now. Where he used to write long posts , now he writes short blurbs and things seem to be worded more "simply". I wonder if he is in the early stages or dementia or if he is depressed (things like this could explain the change). Maybe this is one factor  that allowed the "girls" to escape Maxhell - Steve was no longer strong enough to mount much of a fight.

Pure speculation on my part of course but since they shut down their blog what else is there but speculation (unless someone is lucky enough to be accepted as a follower to Sarah's instagram).

[kpmom]

When he switched from Dad's Corners to Seriously Steve (or whatever it's called) a few years ago, Steve said he wanted to write a short post weekly rather than a longer one monthly.  I think he said something about Dad's having more time to read a short, weekly post?  Something like that.  But, I agree, his posts are very terse, and I swear, even more judgemental now than years ago, if that's possible.

I'm laughing at the "dialoged" sentence.  To me that sentence is Steve to a T.  He can't say he and Teri "talked" to these moms.  No, he has to go for the impersonal "dialogued".

Remember when he, now and again, would respond to comments on the blog?  Generally in one word, terse responses?  The comments were always positive, often about some of their products, but he couldn't rouse himself enough to write a full sentence.  Ya know, kind of like a flat, dull, wet blanket.

[Pammy]

About "dialogued" -- it's also completely inaccurate. "Di"-alogue is a two-party conversation, representing two points of view, with an emphasis on the interactions between those points of view. Dialogues involve speaking, listening, and responding substantively to the other person.

If he and Teri "dialogued" -- nobody else was involved, that means the two of them talked, to one another, about something they had different perspectives on. For example, on some podcasts you might find yourself listening to two people dialoging on a topic.

If a speaker "dialogued" with the audience, that means that the audience, or representative of the audience, talked enough to be considered a partner in the presentation. And that the audience had opinions and perspectives that the speaker responded to and interacted with. For example, I've been to classes with a lot of dialogue (students ask and answer questions, the teacher answers questions and integrates their teaching points with the perspectives expressed by various students on the fly) or classes with a lot of discussion (multiple people express more than two perspectives).

But if two people just give a presentation to an audience, that's not a dialogue, even if there are some questions and answers. (It's the wrong word.)

[Howl]

On 6/13/2022 at 8:31 PM, theologygeek said:

Joseph is going to London this month for the magento meetup.  It would be nice if he took his sister so she could see the world.  

And be his accountability partner! 

[fundiefan]

I still think the whole family's use of the phrase "in the trenches" to describe child raising is telling. 

They did not see it as a joy. They did not see their kids as "blessings". They saw it as dirty work that must be done, for some godly reason. They didn't raise their kids with love and nurturing; they raised them with the at war mindset. At war with what - any number of things, most likely satan and "the world" but it doesn't matter. 

Teri was not a happy, nurturing mother. She was nowhere near "elite". She muddled through and did what she was told and fought it every step of the way. 

[Bastet]

I was in a Catholic school immediately post Vatican II in the sixties and seventies, and I remember hearing “dialogue” as a verb quite a lot. Interfaith dialogue was suddenly a thing because if you wanted good relations with people of different faiths and maybe even convert them to your opinion on some matter, it was now finally accepted that exchanging views with them was generally a good idea. (And yes, now you can attend a Methodist wedding without fear that you are putting your  immortal soul in jeopardy.) Although Steve’s world didn’t intersect with Catholicism much, the word might have been in the air in many religious circles. In any case, it sounds very seventies to me. But I agree that he is not using the word correctly; he does not believe in dialogue.  Perhaps he was forced into a dialogue preceding the girls’ escape from the borg, and he is stuck in that moment, reliving that trauma. 

Edited June 23, 2022 by Bastet

[ClareDeLune]

I thought this week's blog was longer and more enthusiastic than usual. At the start anyway. I wonder if Mary helped him write it while she was home?

[mango_fandango]

Actually, dialogue is between two or more people. If there are only two people involved, it’s called a duologue.

[smittykins]

As a longtime early-Chicago fan, this is the “Dialogue” I always think of.

 

[Bluebirdbluebell]

This week's Seriously, Dad? is called Our Complaints and it's from June 29, 2022. 

Quote

Is God really good?

It's a sad day when you have to ask us that, Steve. 

Quote

Wasn’t that the serpent’s (satan’s) agenda in the Garden to get Adam and Eve to question if God was good? Sadly, they believed the serpent, and death and misery have followed. 

Next paragraph:

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The question seems to persist today. Do we believe God is good? Is He really? Do we ever grumble and complain? If not verbally, do we have complaining thoughts? We must realize that our complaints are ultimately against God. They are against the God Who allows all things for our good. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). All, really means all.

I don't believe God allows all things for our good. Sometimes bad things happen.  That bible verse sounds more like Gods make lemonade out of lemons.

Next paragraph:

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Your wife: “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD” (Proverbs 18:22).

Seriously that quote box directly above is a whole paragraph. That's not a paragraph. I'm not completely sure what you're trying to say. I guess that you're telling your target audience that their wives are blessings and they should be grateful.

Next paragraph:

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Government officials: “Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people” (Exodus 22:28).

Well, given that Biden is our leader, he's saying not complain about Biden? Biden, in Steve's eyes, is a Catholic and a bad thing as opposed to his wife.

Next paragraph:

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The weather, God gave both hot summers and cold winters: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Genesis 8:22).

I like variation in the seasons. I also was raised not to complain too much about the weather since we had a home (as opposed to people with no homes/shelter.) What about people affected by natural disasters?

Steve hates small talk and I think all of these things are things Steve doesn't complain about. Where are your pet peeves, Steve?

Next paragraph:

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“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). 

We're back to the Garden of Eden. God was talking only about a peaceful garden with nice weather. He wasn't talking about everything.

Next Paragraph:

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“And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD” (Exodus 16:8).

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Brothers, God is always good, always. May worship be in our hearts and praise on our lips. 

So basically this column is about not complaining. Steve, you complain all the time.

More importantly not complaining is often used to silence people who are being mistreated to be resigned to their lot. It was at the heart of the anti-social justice petition John MacArthur started that was signed by Jeremy Vuolo. If not a cis-het white male, quit whining that things are hard for you. Then again cis-het white men are probably Steve's target audience. Still Steve should stop complaining before telling others to others to stop complaining. 

This column is not well written and apart from the "your wife" paragraph not particularly aimed at fathers. Not a great column, Steve!

[fundiefan]

Steve is the ultimate complainer.  He complains about how everyone who isn't him lives their lives. He complains about talking children in church. He complains about grocery baggers & neighbors who don't want to talk to him. He complains about people keeping their blinds/curtains closed. He complains about television, video games, all non religious books; he complains about documentaries. He complains about fathers who let their kids participate in sports or youth group or children's church. He yelps about kids associating with "ungodly" people so they must be sheltered entirely. 

Pot, Steve meet Kettle, Steve. 

[Howl]

On 6/23/2022 at 11:43 AM, Bastet said:

Interfaith dialogue was suddenly a thing because if you wanted good relations with people of different faiths and maybe even convert them to your opinion on some matter, it was now finally accepted that exchanging views with them was generally a good idea.

I have a vague memory from my childhood of a Catholic neighbor coming to tell my  mom the good news that she wasn't going to hell for being a Protestant.  This may have been in the 1950s, very early 1960s. My mom was nonplussed. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by Howl

[Black Aliss]

4 hours ago, Howl said:

I have a vague memory from my childhood of a Catholic neighbor coming to tell my  mom the good news that she wasn't going to hell for being a Protestant.  This may have been in the 1950s, very early 1960s. My mom was nonplussed. 

That was the big takeaway from Vatican II (ca. 62-65)--that there wasn't one true religion, that even Judaism was legit. 

[Hane]

20 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

That was the big takeaway from Vatican II (ca. 62-65)--that there wasn't one true religion, that even Judaism was legit. 

That was a formative teaching from my late childhood! I was taught that God is cool with you as long as you try your best to be a good person.

[anjulibai]

I'm surprised Steve didn't decide to write a celebratory post about the overturn of Roe. 

[Jana814]

11 hours ago, anjulibai said:

I'm surprised Steve didn't decide to write a celebratory post about the overturn of Roe. 

I’m sure he will write one.