To Own a Dragon

To Own a Dragon by Donald Miller is an odd title for a book but then again growing up without a dad and then writing about what dad’s should teach their sons is sort of like writing a book about owning a dragon, don’t you think?

Here is what I learned from this book:

1. Work Ethic: Work is worship. Everything we do is an act of worship including our work. No matter whether we are photographers, garbage men, newscasters, teachers, professional athletes, writers or stay at home moms.
2. Integrity: I have to be careful not to take advantage of my surroundings. What I mean is sometimes I will take $.50 out of the lost and found money I collect for the school for a coke and rationalize it to say I’ve earned it because the cabinet is in my room. Even as I write this I feel it’s my right to a piece of the pie because it might take 10-15 minutes out of my day to organize and take care of the lost and found. I never told anyone about this before and it makes me blush.
3. Making Decisions: Miller writes about an interview he saw on Charlie Rose with a man named Salome Thomas-El. This man is a middle school teacher in Philadelphia that gets kids off the street by playing chess. He gets them there not to become wizards at the game of chess but to teach them how to make good decisions. Miller argues against the well known phenomenon that kids growing up in single parent homes are more likely to be in prison some day. It’s just that they have not been taught how to make good decisions. You string a few good decisions together and good things will happen.
4. Manhood: I am a man because I was born with the right equipment. That’s it. Nothing more than that. A real man doesn’t have to hunt, play poker, see violent movies, even provide for his family, or love Jesus. A man is a man. It doesn’t matter if you grew up in the suburbs, on a farm, without a dad, or any of that. God has made me a man and I have to start there and move forward. I know I’m not making sense but I’m done with #4.
5. Spirituality: a) God is fathering us. b) We are so obsessed with being individualistic that sometimes we forget we are part of a bigger family. What I do affects my wife and two daughters. C) God wants us to forgive each other and accept forgiveness.
6. Belonging: We all belong to God. God has given a tremendous gift to me; three beautiful girls. God has put Macy and Mia in my life to take care of them and love them and point them to Jesus. They will only be with me for a little while until they grow up and make their own families. In the end they still belong to God.
7. Education: I thought I knew all about education until Don said that we should pursue/learn about what comes natural. Math was always natural for me. I liked it and it made sense (it was easy for me). Hence, my degree from Harding is a BA in Mathematics. Leadership was something that God has pushed me towards since I left high school. My first real experience was for Pikes (Pi Kappa Epsilon) at Harding. I was the Vice President for a semester before being elected (I didn’t campaign at all!) as President for a year. Then came coaching (most recently the head coach of our varsity wrestling team) and also leadership in our 6th grade (head sponsor). So my masters and specialist degrees are in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University (63 semester hours combined). I just wish I had paid attention!
8. Spirituality: God wants to be around me because he loves me. I shouldn’t behave (or be righteous) because of guilt or trying to get Dad’s approval. I have it. He doesn’t want to be around someone better or more spiritual any more than he wants to be around me.
9. Donald Miller is my favorite writer.
10. I need a mentor like John MacMurray in my life.