This photo was snapped at Grace Central a few weeks ago. These are future men.
2.5.05
Assigned Reading
Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller.
an excerpt:
The very scary thing about religion to me is that people actually believe God is who they think he is. By that I mean they have him all figured out, mapped out, and as my pastor, Rick says, "dissected and put into jars on the shelf". You've got a bunch of Catholics in Rome who think one way about God, and a bunch of Baptists in Texas who think another, and that isn't even the beginning. It goes on and on and on like this, and it makes me wonder if God created us in his image or if we created him in ours. And it isn't just religion, either. I met a guy not long ago who was very conservative and had opinions all over him, and he was saying why God agreed with his political ideas and why that made his political ideas right, the whole time he was talking to me I was thinking about those guys in Africa, and I was feeling like this guy with the opinions was presenting a kind of Jesus who didn't even exist. His Jesus was just an invention of his imagination, someone who more or less justified his position concerning a lot of different political opinions. Sitting there listening to him made me feel tired. People like that should have an island.
an excerpt:
The very scary thing about religion to me is that people actually believe God is who they think he is. By that I mean they have him all figured out, mapped out, and as my pastor, Rick says, "dissected and put into jars on the shelf". You've got a bunch of Catholics in Rome who think one way about God, and a bunch of Baptists in Texas who think another, and that isn't even the beginning. It goes on and on and on like this, and it makes me wonder if God created us in his image or if we created him in ours. And it isn't just religion, either. I met a guy not long ago who was very conservative and had opinions all over him, and he was saying why God agreed with his political ideas and why that made his political ideas right, the whole time he was talking to me I was thinking about those guys in Africa, and I was feeling like this guy with the opinions was presenting a kind of Jesus who didn't even exist. His Jesus was just an invention of his imagination, someone who more or less justified his position concerning a lot of different political opinions. Sitting there listening to him made me feel tired. People like that should have an island.
Secret Recipe
For your viewing enjoyment, here is one of my favorite Strong Bad emails. If you've seen this one, consider it a reprise. If you've not, then enjoy!
27.4.05
A Quote I read Today
" An artist is someone who cannot rest, who can never rest as long as there is one suffering creature in this world. Along with Plato's divine madness there is also a divine discontent, a longing to find the melody in the dischords of chaos, the rhyme in the cacophany, the surprised smile in time of stress or strain.
It is not that what is is not enough for it is; it is that what is had been disarranged, and is crying out to be put in place. Perhaps the artist longs to sleep well every night, to eat anything without indigestion; to feel no moral qualms; to turn off the telvision news and make a bologna sandwich after seeing the devastation and death caused by famine and drought and earthquake and flood. But the artist cannot manage this normalcy. Vision keeps breaking through, and must find means of expression".
- Madeliene L'Engle from Walking on Water
It is not that what is is not enough for it is; it is that what is had been disarranged, and is crying out to be put in place. Perhaps the artist longs to sleep well every night, to eat anything without indigestion; to feel no moral qualms; to turn off the telvision news and make a bologna sandwich after seeing the devastation and death caused by famine and drought and earthquake and flood. But the artist cannot manage this normalcy. Vision keeps breaking through, and must find means of expression".
- Madeliene L'Engle from Walking on Water
26.4.05
Advantage Number 137 of Having a Five Year Old Son:
Watch neato cartoons while maintining dignified, adult exterior. This one is cool. Makes me wanna run around the living room making lightsaber noises. I mean... I appreciate it for it's artistic merits. ahem.
25.4.05
Ok, we forgive you. Now don't blow it.
Renowned collegiate running back and crybaby Maurice Clarett surprised the world by being drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos. In the past two years this kid alienated just about every one possible. He took illegal money from boosters, filed false police reports, bad mouthed his school on the eve of their national championship game, accused the coaching staff and atheletic director of NCAA violations, and sued his future employer, the National Football League. But he was also a 19 year old numbskull at the time. Now he's a 22 year old numbskull with a million bucks in his pocket. I really do hope he does ok and gets his attitude straightened out. Time will tell if he has matured or not. Perhaps the clearest indicator will not be how he handles the success, but how he handles it if he fails. Everybody deserves a second chance. Ok, Mo. Here's your second chance. Don't blow it.
23.4.05
Be the difference.
Ok. Most of you who read this blog are like minded enough to have one very big thing in common with the funky presbyterian. We are completely unsatisfied with the way the world functions (malfuntions!) and think things could be a whole lot better. Here is at least one way I'm sure most of you could be involved and make your community a better place for the people who need it the most. Be a Court Appointed Special Advocate for a child who has been abused, or neglected. I am thinking of a few of you specifically! If you think I mean you, you are probably right. Let's not just shake our heads and "tsk, tsk". Let's get something done. I plan to become a CASA just as soon as the formal leadership at Grace Central is in place. To misquote Bruce Cockburn "Let's kick the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight". Click the link above. Make your life an instrument of redemption in the life of a child.
Mr. Mom for the weekend
Charity took Sam and went to Michigan to visit her grandmother this week, leaving Jack and I at home to do the "Men's Weekend" thing which involves the watching of the cartoons, the playing of the star wars, the eating of the donuts, that kind of business. Anyway, I sent Jack upstairs to get dressed this morning and he emerges wearing a pair of baseball pants (you know the kind that come down just past the knee) and a superman pajama shirt. He was weilding lightsabers. (Plural). Not really what I had in mind, but I guess it'll do.
What's Rockin' the Reverend?
This week it's the entire Ryan Adams catalog. Heartbreaker, Demolition, Gold, Rock n Roll, Love is Hell Volumes 1 and 2, and soon there will be a new album out entitled Cold Roses. I know lot's of people don't like this guy. He's arrogant and self destructive. He's a loud mouth. I know all of this. But I also know he can write the heck out of a song. If you are thinking about checking him out, it is generally agreed upon that his best album is heartbreaker, though I actually think gold is far superior. (Rock and Roll is the least necessary album). Hurry up and listen to him now so when he self-destructs you can say you were a fan BEFORE he went "Kurt Cobain" on us.
21.4.05
Grace Central Recieves New Members
Sunday, April 17th Grace Central recieved about fifteen new people into membership. Here's the photo. We are growing slowly but surely.
20.4.05
Ha!
CHICAGO (AP) - Packing on the pounds is not nearly as deadly as the government thought, according to a new calculation from the CDC that found people who are modestly overweight actually have a lower risk of death than those of normal weight...
18.4.05
A Quote
For when you come to think of it, the only way to love a person is not, as the stereotyped Christian notion is, to coddle them and bring them soup when they are sick, but by listening to them and seeing and believing in the god, in the poet, in them. For by doing this, you keep the god and the poet alive and make it flourish. - Brenda Ueland
The quote above was snatched from a blog I read (birty.us). It makes a very good point. Unless that is, you are sick and in need of soup. Then it makes a bad point.
The quote above was snatched from a blog I read (birty.us). It makes a very good point. Unless that is, you are sick and in need of soup. Then it makes a bad point.
15.4.05
April 15th is Jackie Robinson Day!
Happy Jackie Robinson Day. In celebration of this fine holiday, I will be coaching the Robot Monkeys this evening. The Robot Monkeys are a co-ed t-ball team in the city rec center league for ages 5-7.
14.4.05
Helpful Tips for Effective Living
Here is some helpful advice I found online at a place called 43 folders.
1. Pencils are a great way to write things down.
2. Sharpen new pencils soon after you’ve bought them, so you can use them to write things down more easily.
3. Make sure you put gas in your car, or it won’t run very far after you’ve bought it, and then you’ll have trouble getting to work.
4. When you get letters from people, you can send a response by using some paper and one of the pencils I mentioned a little earlier. (Just make sure they’re sharpened!)
5. If you have a long list of things to do, make sure to do some of them sometimes. Make pencil marks by the ones that are “finished.”
6. When people ask you how you’re doing, it’s okay to say “Great! How about you?” They’ll probably have some kind of response, though, so be ready.
7. You can put recipes on your computer and look at them later to make food you like. Tip: You can also write down recipes using the pencils I mentioned earlier.
8. If you’re having trouble getting inspired about something, it’s probably because you’re temporarily lacking inspiration. That’s what you need. You need inspiration.
9. If you keep forgetting your house keys when you go out, you shouldn’t do that any more, or you’ll eventually lock yourself out.
10. It’s easy to remember how many teaspoons are in a quart (192) with this simple mnemonic:
Over nearly every hamburger, under nearly dead raccoons—every delayed nanosecond inculcates nearly every teenager you think wears oranges.
11. Cut your hair when it starts getting long or you’ll eventually have trouble wearing the hats that you enjoy.
12. Try putting your shoes on before you go to work in the morning. The ground is cold and sometimes there are sharp things on the sidewalk. Try taking the car if it has gas in it.
13. If you don’t like the song that’s playing on your stereo, you can put a different one on. This goes for television too, but with pictures.
14. When you get a check from the place you work, you can cash it to buy groceries, soda, and more of the pencils I mentioned earlier.
15. If you have a car, use some of the money you got from your check to buy gas, too.
16. Consider using a desk.
17. If you hear a weird scraping noise when you’re writing something down, make sure that your pencil is still sharpened.
18. Once you’ve sharpened your pencil, give yourself a reminder about the scraping noise.
19. If you forget to wear shoes to work and accidentally get a rusty nail in your foot, you should probably take it out eventually.
20. If you’ve bought pencils and already sharpened them, don’t use them to sign the check you got at work. Pencil marks can be erased fairly easily, then people can steal your money and you wouldn’t be able to buy groceries or soda or gas or more pencils. That’s a hack!
1. Pencils are a great way to write things down.
2. Sharpen new pencils soon after you’ve bought them, so you can use them to write things down more easily.
3. Make sure you put gas in your car, or it won’t run very far after you’ve bought it, and then you’ll have trouble getting to work.
4. When you get letters from people, you can send a response by using some paper and one of the pencils I mentioned a little earlier. (Just make sure they’re sharpened!)
5. If you have a long list of things to do, make sure to do some of them sometimes. Make pencil marks by the ones that are “finished.”
6. When people ask you how you’re doing, it’s okay to say “Great! How about you?” They’ll probably have some kind of response, though, so be ready.
7. You can put recipes on your computer and look at them later to make food you like. Tip: You can also write down recipes using the pencils I mentioned earlier.
8. If you’re having trouble getting inspired about something, it’s probably because you’re temporarily lacking inspiration. That’s what you need. You need inspiration.
9. If you keep forgetting your house keys when you go out, you shouldn’t do that any more, or you’ll eventually lock yourself out.
10. It’s easy to remember how many teaspoons are in a quart (192) with this simple mnemonic:
Over nearly every hamburger, under nearly dead raccoons—every delayed nanosecond inculcates nearly every teenager you think wears oranges.
11. Cut your hair when it starts getting long or you’ll eventually have trouble wearing the hats that you enjoy.
12. Try putting your shoes on before you go to work in the morning. The ground is cold and sometimes there are sharp things on the sidewalk. Try taking the car if it has gas in it.
13. If you don’t like the song that’s playing on your stereo, you can put a different one on. This goes for television too, but with pictures.
14. When you get a check from the place you work, you can cash it to buy groceries, soda, and more of the pencils I mentioned earlier.
15. If you have a car, use some of the money you got from your check to buy gas, too.
16. Consider using a desk.
17. If you hear a weird scraping noise when you’re writing something down, make sure that your pencil is still sharpened.
18. Once you’ve sharpened your pencil, give yourself a reminder about the scraping noise.
19. If you forget to wear shoes to work and accidentally get a rusty nail in your foot, you should probably take it out eventually.
20. If you’ve bought pencils and already sharpened them, don’t use them to sign the check you got at work. Pencil marks can be erased fairly easily, then people can steal your money and you wouldn’t be able to buy groceries or soda or gas or more pencils. That’s a hack!
Family Day Concludes With Construction of Couch Cushion Fort!
Thursdays are my day off. I usually try to spend lots of time with the family on Thursdays. Today was a good day full of family fun. We went to lunch at Taco Bell (Jack's choice) and then drove up to Clintonville where we stopped at Cover to Cover (a children's book store) and looked for a copy of Aesop's Fables. No luck. We bought Sam a floppy stuffed Grover doll, upon which he promptly vomitted (squash). Elmo gets all the press these days, but everybody knows Grover is way cooler. Then we drove up to Old Worthington and walked around. Grabbed some ice cream at Grater's and then returned home. Charity put Sam down for another nap (no dice) while Jack and I walked to a park known in our family as "Hello Papa Park" (it's a long story). We returned home and after dinner, the boys and I constructed a fort from couch cushions and dining room chairs. We sat in it and watched the Justice League battle the evil outerspace alien invaders. The good guys won. Again. So, now the boys are in bed and I'm turing my attention to some work I must get done before tomorrow.
I'd really like to write more tonight. The way I see it, the Christian life is a lot like building a couch cushion fort in the living room. But alas, I have no time. Maybe next week.
I'd really like to write more tonight. The way I see it, the Christian life is a lot like building a couch cushion fort in the living room. But alas, I have no time. Maybe next week.
13.4.05
A Secret Website
Click the above link to read a sobering website. If this does not break our hearts, there is something wrong with us.
Artist of the Week: Chuck Close
Chuck Close was born in 1940 and has worked for 30 years plus. He emerged as a talented photorealist who did mostly portraits. Big ones. If you've enver seen a Chuck Close work up close, you won't forget it. Here's a favorite of mine. Be sure to check him out on line. He has an extremely unique method of working which I think you'll appreciate.
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