Monday, January 30, 2012
Quote of the Day
“Both read the Bible day and night,
But thou read’st black
where I read white”
- William Blake
Quote of the Day
Heaven will solve our problems, but by showing us subtle reconciliations between all our apparently contradictory notions
- CS Lewis
- CS Lewis
Quote of the Day
When one experiences truth, the madness of finding fault with others disappears.
- Goenka
- Goenka
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Quote of the Day
"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods"
- C.S. Lewis
- C.S. Lewis
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Actually, Complaining Does Help . . .
I have learned that while those who speak about one’s miseries usually hurt, those who keep silence hurt more
- CS Lewis
A couple of years back, I received an email from a close (married) relative which said, "One of us has come down with a terminal illness which typically shortens a person's lifespan. We won't go into more detail as complaining never helps anyone and we are trusting in the Lord for healing."
This may be THE MOST IDIOTIC EMAIL I HAVE EVER RECEIVED.
First of all, people who love you want to know what is going on with you - the good, bad and ugly. Secondly, sharing your struggles has the power to give those behind you strength. For centuries people have found comfort in the book of Job, Psalms and Lamentations (that's right, the Bible has a book called "Lamentations" in it). The reason people find comfort is that they discover that they are not alone in their sufferings - they are not the only ones who doubt and question.
One of the most devastating aspects of suffering is the feeling of isolation. When you can connect with a person who says, "I have traveled this road and I know how you feel", there is great comfort and healing there.
In an ironic twist, those who keep a "stiff upper lip" and refuse to share honestly about their struggles may be the most selfish of all - no one benefits from their story because they arrogantly and selfishly refuse to share it. And don't get me started on people who believe we should always be happy for the good of society - that way lies madness.
Here are a couple of stories that came my way recently that illustrate the point:
Don't Carpe Diem
To The Mother With Only One Child
- CS Lewis
A couple of years back, I received an email from a close (married) relative which said, "One of us has come down with a terminal illness which typically shortens a person's lifespan. We won't go into more detail as complaining never helps anyone and we are trusting in the Lord for healing."
This may be THE MOST IDIOTIC EMAIL I HAVE EVER RECEIVED.
First of all, people who love you want to know what is going on with you - the good, bad and ugly. Secondly, sharing your struggles has the power to give those behind you strength. For centuries people have found comfort in the book of Job, Psalms and Lamentations (that's right, the Bible has a book called "Lamentations" in it). The reason people find comfort is that they discover that they are not alone in their sufferings - they are not the only ones who doubt and question.
One of the most devastating aspects of suffering is the feeling of isolation. When you can connect with a person who says, "I have traveled this road and I know how you feel", there is great comfort and healing there.
In an ironic twist, those who keep a "stiff upper lip" and refuse to share honestly about their struggles may be the most selfish of all - no one benefits from their story because they arrogantly and selfishly refuse to share it. And don't get me started on people who believe we should always be happy for the good of society - that way lies madness.
Here are a couple of stories that came my way recently that illustrate the point:
Don't Carpe Diem
To The Mother With Only One Child
Quote of the Day
"We shall be judged more by what we do at home than what we preach abroad"
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
- John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Silo Solo
by Joyce Sutphen
My father climbs into the silo.
He has come, rung by rung,
up the wooden trail that scales
that tall belly of cement.
It's winter, twenty below zero,
He can hear the wind overhead.
The silage beneath his boots
is so frozen it has no smell.
My father takes up a pick-ax
and chops away a layer of silage.
He works neatly, counter-clockwise
under a yellow light,
then lifts the chunks with a pitchfork
and throws them down the chute.
They break as they fall
and rattle far below.
His breath comes out in clouds,
his fingers begin to ache, but
he skims off another layer
where the frost is forming
and begins to sing, "You are my
sunshine, my only sunshine."
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Quote of the Day
"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."
- Albert Einstein
- Albert Einstein
Quantum Leap: How John Polkinghorne Found God in Science and Religion
This is a great book for those, like me, who sometimes feel as if they are caught between the scientific ignorance of the faith community and the philosophical arrogance of the scientific community. Quantum Leap examines not only the spiritual and scientific thoughts and beliefs of Sir John Polkinghorne but the man himself as well.
In typical Nelson / Giberson fashion, the book takes head on the hard questions of the existence of God, the purpose of prayer, miracles and the afterlife while leaving plenty of room for detractors such as Stephen Weinberg, Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, and E. O. Wilson.
It is a great read for anyone interested in approaching the issue of a scientifically informed spirituality and/or a spiritually informed view of science.
This book just might make you smarter. Highly recommended!
Quote of the Day
"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much."
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Quote of the Day
No one can settle how much we ought to give. The safe rule is to give more than we can spare
- CS Lewis
- CS Lewis
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Fight
It was over a girl,
One boy had spoken to her,
Had asked her out, the other
Had been feeling with her
The twitches of something serious.
It was a misunderstanding,
Something that might have been fixed,
Talked out or around,
But the whole school had turned out
To watch them settle it.
It was too late for talk,
It was no longer just their fight,
Something irrelevant and impure
Had entered it, honor, looking
More upright than the other,
Things which had nothing to do
With the girl, or desire,
Or what she had whispered to one of them
One night in a car.
So they faced each other,
Bringing their anger up
By saying what finally did not matter
But loudly enough so their bodies believed it.
There was a sudden coming together,
There were fists flailing
While everybody, hundreds, watched.
One was cut above the eye, the other's
Knuckles were bloodied against teeth.
It lasted half a minute until
One of them pulled back and said
Something like "This is stupid"
And the other dropped his fists
And watched him walk away
One boy had spoken to her,
Had asked her out, the other
Had been feeling with her
The twitches of something serious.
It was a misunderstanding,
Something that might have been fixed,
Talked out or around,
But the whole school had turned out
To watch them settle it.
It was too late for talk,
It was no longer just their fight,
Something irrelevant and impure
Had entered it, honor, looking
More upright than the other,
Things which had nothing to do
With the girl, or desire,
Or what she had whispered to one of them
One night in a car.
So they faced each other,
Bringing their anger up
By saying what finally did not matter
But loudly enough so their bodies believed it.
There was a sudden coming together,
There were fists flailing
While everybody, hundreds, watched.
One was cut above the eye, the other's
Knuckles were bloodied against teeth.
It lasted half a minute until
One of them pulled back and said
Something like "This is stupid"
And the other dropped his fists
And watched him walk away
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Quote of the Day
Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed.
- CS Lewis
- CS Lewis
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Life: Act 2 (Audience Participation Encouraged)
The challenge to picking a career when you are in high school / college is that you largely do so blind. Over time as you gain experience you learn that there is a difference in "work" and the "work environment". You may enjoy the work but cannot abide the environment. You also learn that just because you are good at something does not mean you actually enjoy doing it; it may just be a talent as opposed to a gift. Many people by their mid-thirties are not working at a job that matches their college degree. And that's when the chase begins.
Before you know it, you are chasing a paycheck from one career to the next. Instead of asking "what fulfills me" we start asking, "How can I get the most money for the things I can do?". Or to put another way, "How can I sell myself to the highest bidder?"
I am trying to take advantage of this economic downturn and period of unemployment to STOP. LOOK. And LISTEN. To really ask myself how I want to spend the second half of my career-life. And I may have had an epiphany this morning . . . . I listed every job I have ever had and wrote down what I liked and disliked about them. Every. Single. Job. Some of the likes and dislikes are obvious and others are more subtle.
This is where you come in. If you wouldn't mind taking a look and chiming in if you know of a career that might be a match I would be greatly appreciative (I figure there is some odd career out there that I have never considered).
So without further ado:
LIKES:
Variation in work
Caring for people in need
Learning new things
Responsibility
Not confined to one office all week
Challenging
Public speaking
Teaching / training others
Opportunity to intellectually grow
Study and research
Writing
Inspiring others
Helping people
Emotionally caring for others
Business casual
Salaried (additional small commission is okay)
Moderately Independent
Regular work hours (a little on call time is okay)
DISLIKES:
Mindlessly shuffling paper
Not stimulating
No Respect
No privacy in work space
Irregular hours
Regular long distance travel
Sales
Paying my own taxes
Work weeks consistently over 50 hours
Being on call 24/7
Servicing Salesmen
Corruption / Dishonesty / Cronyism
Thanks!
Before you know it, you are chasing a paycheck from one career to the next. Instead of asking "what fulfills me" we start asking, "How can I get the most money for the things I can do?". Or to put another way, "How can I sell myself to the highest bidder?"
I am trying to take advantage of this economic downturn and period of unemployment to STOP. LOOK. And LISTEN. To really ask myself how I want to spend the second half of my career-life. And I may have had an epiphany this morning . . . . I listed every job I have ever had and wrote down what I liked and disliked about them. Every. Single. Job. Some of the likes and dislikes are obvious and others are more subtle.
This is where you come in. If you wouldn't mind taking a look and chiming in if you know of a career that might be a match I would be greatly appreciative (I figure there is some odd career out there that I have never considered).
So without further ado:
LIKES:
Variation in work
Caring for people in need
Learning new things
Responsibility
Not confined to one office all week
Challenging
Public speaking
Teaching / training others
Opportunity to intellectually grow
Study and research
Writing
Inspiring others
Helping people
Emotionally caring for others
Business casual
Salaried (additional small commission is okay)
Moderately Independent
Regular work hours (a little on call time is okay)
DISLIKES:
Mindlessly shuffling paper
Not stimulating
No Respect
No privacy in work space
Irregular hours
Regular long distance travel
Sales
Paying my own taxes
Work weeks consistently over 50 hours
Being on call 24/7
Servicing Salesmen
Corruption / Dishonesty / Cronyism
Thanks!
Why I Hate Religion
The true church is the people - the body of Christ. Organizations who call themselves a "church" and collect and spend money are businesses that exist to support the real body of Christ.
http://youtu.be/1IAhDGYlpqY
http://youtu.be/1IAhDGYlpqY
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
New Specs!
Well the new glasses have arrived. Annie is surprisingly patient with them (wearing them for 5 whole minutes at a time). They are transitions so they darken in the sun.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Quote of the Day
All you can do is try to know who your friends are as you head off to the war
- Regina Spektor in The Call
- Regina Spektor in The Call
Time Travel
I have noticed that every now and then I will see a photo of Annie that seemingly leaps a full year into the future and leaves me wondering, "How is she growing up so fast?". This is no small feat as I am with her just about every day.
These photos stopped me in my tracks and made me say, "Whoa!":
These photos stopped me in my tracks and made me say, "Whoa!":
Shoulders
A man crosses the street in rain,
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.
This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo
but he's not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.
His ear fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy's dream
deep inside him.
We're not going to be able
to live in this world
if we're not willing to do what he's doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.
No car must splash him.
No car drive too near to his shadow.
This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo
but he's not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE,
HANDLE WITH CARE.
His ear fills up with breathing.
He hears the hum of a boy's dream
deep inside him.
We're not going to be able
to live in this world
if we're not willing to do what he's doing
with one another.
The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Extraordinary
Aimee Mullins is one of my heroes. She recently told part of her story at The Moth. It is worth your time.
Quote of the Day
God never stops doing good to his covenant people. And if an enemy is temporarily given the upper hand, we can say, straight into the muzzle of the gun, “You mean evil against me, but God means it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Since God is sovereign and has promised not to turn away from doing good to his covenant people, we can know beyond all doubt, in tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword, that we are more than conquerers through him who loved us (Romans 8:35-37).
- John Piper, in The Pleasures of God
- John Piper, in The Pleasures of God
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Quote of the Day
“Being a great father is like shaving. No matter how good you shaved today, you have to do it again tomorrow.”
- Reed Markham
- Reed Markham
Monday, January 2, 2012
First Haircut
Annie is now 3 1/3 years old and has never had a haircut but anytime the topic was broached with the wife, her hands would go all clammy, her vision would blur and I would back away slooowly . . .
Finally the wife agreed and we set the date - New Years Eve (day).
I remember when I was a kid my dad would take me to Sal's barbershop in the lobby of his office building. Sal was a short, round and balding Italian man with a seemingly constant scowl. He had one of those big jars of blue liquid that held all the combs and right next to it was a big jar of bubble gum.
"You sit still, you get gum - you don't sit still - no gum", he would growl before he started. AND HE MEANT IT. On my best days I would get two pieces of gum. Mostly Sal would growl, "You wiggle a little - you get one". Every now and then, "NO GUM TODAY!" And I would leave crying for my lack of gum but still glad the ordeal was over. My how things have changed . . . .
We took the wee one to Pigtails and Crew Cuts which is basically the Disneyland of kids salons. For a couple extra bucks, they put the first lock of hair they cut in a card with a photo of Annie.
Annie mostly took it all in stride. Mommy had to be given a lollipop to keep her from crying.
The wife swears that they CHOPPED off a good 3 feet of hair. I'm pretty sure all they did was trim 1/2 an inch. The truth is somewhere in the middle I suppose . . .
Finally the wife agreed and we set the date - New Years Eve (day).
I remember when I was a kid my dad would take me to Sal's barbershop in the lobby of his office building. Sal was a short, round and balding Italian man with a seemingly constant scowl. He had one of those big jars of blue liquid that held all the combs and right next to it was a big jar of bubble gum.
"You sit still, you get gum - you don't sit still - no gum", he would growl before he started. AND HE MEANT IT. On my best days I would get two pieces of gum. Mostly Sal would growl, "You wiggle a little - you get one". Every now and then, "NO GUM TODAY!" And I would leave crying for my lack of gum but still glad the ordeal was over. My how things have changed . . . .
We took the wee one to Pigtails and Crew Cuts which is basically the Disneyland of kids salons. For a couple extra bucks, they put the first lock of hair they cut in a card with a photo of Annie.
Annie mostly took it all in stride. Mommy had to be given a lollipop to keep her from crying.
The wife swears that they CHOPPED off a good 3 feet of hair. I'm pretty sure all they did was trim 1/2 an inch. The truth is somewhere in the middle I suppose . . .
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