"Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent."
~ Steve Jobs
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Don't ASSUME
“When you ASSUME to know
that which you know nothing of
you make an ASS out of U and ME."
~ tweeted by Ashton Kutcher, re Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore breakup rumors
“When we are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself & study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger." — Epictetus
~ tweeted by Demi Moore the day before her anniversary
http://news-briefs.ew.com/2011/09/29/
ashton-kutcherdemi-moore-breakup-rumors/
that which you know nothing of
you make an ASS out of U and ME."
~ tweeted by Ashton Kutcher, re Ashton Kutcher/Demi Moore breakup rumors
“When we are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself & study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger." — Epictetus
~ tweeted by Demi Moore the day before her anniversary
http://news-briefs.ew.com/2011/09/29/
ashton-kutcherdemi-moore-breakup-rumors/
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The BRAT Diet
This is the get-right diet, called "BRAT"-- bananas, rice (white only), applesauce, and 'toast' which can really be any kind of bread, even with jam and smooth peanut butter, just not butter.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Three Irrational Beliefs
quoted from:
LeadershipJournal.net
Three Irrational Beliefs ...
that I constantly have to fight
David Slagle | posted 9/26/2011
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/summer/irrationalbeliefs.html
Dr. Albert Ellis (1913-2007) was a psychologist ... most widely known for his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, so named because it is directed at irrationality. Ellis theorized that much of our inner turmoil is caused by our tendency to embrace irrational beliefs, which leads to stress, low self-worth, frustration, conflict, anger, avoidance, procrastination, diminished productivity, and difficulty in relating to others.
He identified three irrational core beliefs that cause the most trouble:
#1: "I absolutely MUST, at all times, perform outstandingly well and win the approval of significant others. If I fail in these important—and sacred—respects, that is awful and I am a bad, incompetent, unworthy person, who will probably always fail and deserves to suffer."
#2: "Other people with whom I relate absolutely MUST, under practically all conditions, treat me nicely, considerately, and fairly. Otherwise, it is terrible and they are rotten, bad, unworthy people who will always treat me badly and should be severely punished for acting so abominably to me."
#3: "The conditions under which I live absolutely MUST, at practically all times, be favorable, safe, hassle-free, and quickly and easily enjoyable. If they are not, it's awful and horrible and I can't ever enjoy myself at all. My life is hardly worth living."
Each of these statements is clearly irrational. In our best moments, we would reject them as ludicrous, wondering, "How could anyone think this way?" but then ...
Fortunately, there are better responses to each of the three irrational beliefs.
etc.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/summer/irrationalbeliefs.html
LeadershipJournal.net
Three Irrational Beliefs ...
that I constantly have to fight
David Slagle | posted 9/26/2011
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/summer/irrationalbeliefs.html
Dr. Albert Ellis (1913-2007) was a psychologist ... most widely known for his Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, so named because it is directed at irrationality. Ellis theorized that much of our inner turmoil is caused by our tendency to embrace irrational beliefs, which leads to stress, low self-worth, frustration, conflict, anger, avoidance, procrastination, diminished productivity, and difficulty in relating to others.
He identified three irrational core beliefs that cause the most trouble:
#1: "I absolutely MUST, at all times, perform outstandingly well and win the approval of significant others. If I fail in these important—and sacred—respects, that is awful and I am a bad, incompetent, unworthy person, who will probably always fail and deserves to suffer."
#2: "Other people with whom I relate absolutely MUST, under practically all conditions, treat me nicely, considerately, and fairly. Otherwise, it is terrible and they are rotten, bad, unworthy people who will always treat me badly and should be severely punished for acting so abominably to me."
#3: "The conditions under which I live absolutely MUST, at practically all times, be favorable, safe, hassle-free, and quickly and easily enjoyable. If they are not, it's awful and horrible and I can't ever enjoy myself at all. My life is hardly worth living."
Each of these statements is clearly irrational. In our best moments, we would reject them as ludicrous, wondering, "How could anyone think this way?" but then ...
Fortunately, there are better responses to each of the three irrational beliefs.
etc.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/summer/irrationalbeliefs.html
Books like Catfish
As someone once said: "Some books are like catfish: good eatin' but you have to spit out the bones."
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Stick to what you know
(in reference to changing to a particular new group)
I think you should stick to what you know. I know the weak points of my group. I know where the land mines are. I know what their faults are, and how to work around them.
~ Truthful Grace
I think you should stick to what you know. I know the weak points of my group. I know where the land mines are. I know what their faults are, and how to work around them.
~ Truthful Grace
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A dad with lower testosterone
New York Times Sept. 13, 2011
- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -
"A dad with lower testosterone is maybe a little more sensitive to cues from his child, and maybe he's a little less sensitive to cues from a woman he meets at a restaurant."
PETER GRAY, an anthropologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on a study finding that fatherhood decreases testosterone levels.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/health/research/
13testosterone.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3
- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -
"A dad with lower testosterone is maybe a little more sensitive to cues from his child, and maybe he's a little less sensitive to cues from a woman he meets at a restaurant."
PETER GRAY, an anthropologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on a study finding that fatherhood decreases testosterone levels.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/health/research/
13testosterone.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Ain't Misbehavin'
Ain't Misbehavin'
Preparing my five-year-old son, Keegan, for his first overnight sleepover, I explained, "Eat whatever is served, say thanks, and make sure you behave yourself."
"Oh, don't worry, Mom," Keegan replied. "I never sin at anyone else's house."
—Suzy Ryan, California. Today's Christian Woman "Small Talk."
Preparing my five-year-old son, Keegan, for his first overnight sleepover, I explained, "Eat whatever is served, say thanks, and make sure you behave yourself."
"Oh, don't worry, Mom," Keegan replied. "I never sin at anyone else's house."
—Suzy Ryan, California. Today's Christian Woman "Small Talk."
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Miracles of Healing
"Sometimes God takes the disease away from the person.
Sometimes God takes the person away from the disease.
Both are miracles of healing."
~ spoken by a hospice visitor, name unknown
Sometimes God takes the person away from the disease.
Both are miracles of healing."
~ spoken by a hospice visitor, name unknown
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Life Is a Journey
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, champagne in one hand ... strawberries in the other and screaming: 'Woo Hoo! What a ride!' "
Monday, August 15, 2011
The God of the Old Testment and the New Testament
response to a friend who found it hard to relate to the "harsh" God of the Old Testament as opposed to the more loving God of the New Testament:
If you remember raising your own children, you treated them differently at each stage of life. You disciplined them differently at 2 than at 15. Now that they are grown and are parents themselves, you relate to them in a new way, on a more equal basis.
I think it is the same with God. In the Old Testament the people did a lot of immature and destructive things, and God had to bail them out over and over and over again when they ended up in destitution, slavery, and poverty. As the people matured in their faith, God was able to relate to them on a higher level.
By the time of Jesus, the Jewish people had formed strong faith traditions and had overcome their tendency to worship pagan idols. At this time God appeared to them through Jesus Christ and told them to go to all nations and teach people about God and to bring the Kingdom of God on earth to every nation in the world, one soul at a time. Those who accepted this responsibility have been working for 2,000 years to bring the Kingdom of God to all nations and all souls, and today 2.1 billion people identify as Christians, 33% of the world's population.
source: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html
Unfortunately true Christianity has not completely changed the world yet. As Einstein said,
I believe all the social ills of humanity represent unfinished work that Christians are called to do -- to help and heal. It is a big responsibility but God wants us to help people as we have been helped.
God loves you like a good father. You are God's beloved son, created in the image of God and destined to be a blessing to the world.
~ Truthful Grace
If you remember raising your own children, you treated them differently at each stage of life. You disciplined them differently at 2 than at 15. Now that they are grown and are parents themselves, you relate to them in a new way, on a more equal basis.
I think it is the same with God. In the Old Testament the people did a lot of immature and destructive things, and God had to bail them out over and over and over again when they ended up in destitution, slavery, and poverty. As the people matured in their faith, God was able to relate to them on a higher level.
By the time of Jesus, the Jewish people had formed strong faith traditions and had overcome their tendency to worship pagan idols. At this time God appeared to them through Jesus Christ and told them to go to all nations and teach people about God and to bring the Kingdom of God on earth to every nation in the world, one soul at a time. Those who accepted this responsibility have been working for 2,000 years to bring the Kingdom of God to all nations and all souls, and today 2.1 billion people identify as Christians, 33% of the world's population.
source: http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html
Unfortunately true Christianity has not completely changed the world yet. As Einstein said,
“If one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity as Jesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity. It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can.”
(Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, New York, Bonanza Books, 1954, 184-185).
source: www.adherents.com/people/100_Nobel.html as of 8/2011
I believe all the social ills of humanity represent unfinished work that Christians are called to do -- to help and heal. It is a big responsibility but God wants us to help people as we have been helped.
God loves you like a good father. You are God's beloved son, created in the image of God and destined to be a blessing to the world.
~ Truthful Grace
Decreasing Worry and Psychological Stress
A recent study also says that those who trust in a benevolent, loving God report "significant decreases in worry and psychological stress."
Interesting idea: If a person has been cruelly taught that God hates them and wants to punish them, choosing to believe that God doesn't exist might decrease their worry and psychological stress. However, it would not give them the help and comfort and peace that knowledge of a benevolent God would give.
~ Truthful Grace
Interesting idea: If a person has been cruelly taught that God hates them and wants to punish them, choosing to believe that God doesn't exist might decrease their worry and psychological stress. However, it would not give them the help and comfort and peace that knowledge of a benevolent God would give.
~ Truthful Grace
This is What Redemption Means
"Again and again the Gospels note that Jeus withdrew 'to the mountain' to spend nights in prayer 'alone' with his Father. These short passages are fundamental for our understanding of Jesus; they lift the veil of mystery just a little; they give us a glimpse into Jesus' filial existence, into the source from which his action and teaching and suffering sprang. This 'praying' of Jesus is the Son conversing with the Father; Jesus' human consciousness and will, his human soul, is taken up into that exchange, and in this way human 'praying' is able to become a participation in this filial communion with the Father." . . .
"We have said that in Jesus' filial communion with the Father, his human soul is also taken up into the act of praying. He who sees Jesus sees the Father (cf. Jn 14:9) The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God. And that is what redemption means: this stepping beyond the limits of human nature, which had been there as a possibility and an expectation in man, God's image and likeness, since the moment of creation."
Jesus of Nazareth, by Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benefict XVI, Doubleday, New York, 2007, p. 7-8
"We have said that in Jesus' filial communion with the Father, his human soul is also taken up into the act of praying. He who sees Jesus sees the Father (cf. Jn 14:9) The disciple who walks with Jesus is thus caught up with him into communion with God. And that is what redemption means: this stepping beyond the limits of human nature, which had been there as a possibility and an expectation in man, God's image and likeness, since the moment of creation."
Jesus of Nazareth, by Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Benefict XVI, Doubleday, New York, 2007, p. 7-8
Rude People
When people are rude to you and you are rude back, they never remember that they were rude to you first. They only remember that you were rude back.
~ Truthful Grace
~ Truthful Grace
Xenophobia, Paranoia, and Narcissism
definitions from various dictionaries:
Xenophobia
1 : fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign
2 : fear or wariness of people with whom a person is not familiar
Paranoia
1 : fear (and expectation) of attack and betrayal, resulting in avoidance of tenderness and intimacy
2 : a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
3 : an unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, sometimes reaching delusional proportions, and resulting in constant suspicions of the motives of those around them and belief that certain individuals, or people in general, are "out to get them"
4 : a way to uphold the narcissist's grandiosity, to prove how important and feared he is
5 : a way to fend off intimacy that exposes his weaknesses, shortcomings, and deep buried emotions - hurt, envy, anger, aggression
Narcissism
1 : egoism, egocentrism
2 : love of or sexual desire for one's own body
3 : excessive preoccupation with self and lack of empathy for others
4 : feelings of shame or humiliation, depression, and mania
5 : dependence upon external stimuli - adoration, adulation, affirmation, applause, notoriety, fame, infamy, and, in general, attention of any kind
Psychologists suspect that the cause of narcissism is severe mental or physical pain in childhood at the hands of a powerful, idealized mother-father figure.
Coping Mechanisms
* splitting (seeing things as black-white, good-bad, weak-strong)
* projection (accusing others of having the disowned aspects of your self)
* ignoring the future consequences of their actions
* ritualized behavior
All sin comes from the failure to love.
Jesus Christ:
Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount NRSV
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Luke 17:1-6 NRSV "You Must Forgive"
1 Jesus said to his disciples, "Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! 2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3 Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive."
5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
Exodus 22 NRSV
21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 23 NRSV
12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.
Leviticus 19 NRSV
10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19 NRSV
33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.
34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Numbers 15 NRSV
14 An alien who lives with you, or who takes up permanent residence among you, and wishes to offer an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD, shall do as you do.
15 As for the assembly, there shall be for both you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the LORD.
16 You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance.
Deuteronomy 1 NRSV
16 I charged your judges at that time: "Give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another, whether citizen or resident alien."
Deuteronomy 10 NRSV
19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 23 NRSV
7 You shall not abhor any of the Edomites, for they are your kin. You shall not abhor any of the Egyptians, because you were an alien residing in their land.
Deuteronomy 24 NRSV
17 You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge.
Deuteronomy 27 NRSV
19 "Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice." All the people shall say, "Amen!"
Jeremiah 7 NRSV
5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.
Jeremiah 22 NRSV
3 Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
Zechariah 7 NRSV
9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; 10 do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
Matthew 25 NRSV
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
God's Everlasting Covenant with David
2 Samuel 7:1-17 NRSV
8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. 15 But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
17 In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
Xenophobia
1 : fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign
2 : fear or wariness of people with whom a person is not familiar
Paranoia
1 : fear (and expectation) of attack and betrayal, resulting in avoidance of tenderness and intimacy
2 : a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others
3 : an unfounded or exaggerated distrust of others, sometimes reaching delusional proportions, and resulting in constant suspicions of the motives of those around them and belief that certain individuals, or people in general, are "out to get them"
4 : a way to uphold the narcissist's grandiosity, to prove how important and feared he is
5 : a way to fend off intimacy that exposes his weaknesses, shortcomings, and deep buried emotions - hurt, envy, anger, aggression
Narcissism
1 : egoism, egocentrism
2 : love of or sexual desire for one's own body
3 : excessive preoccupation with self and lack of empathy for others
4 : feelings of shame or humiliation, depression, and mania
5 : dependence upon external stimuli - adoration, adulation, affirmation, applause, notoriety, fame, infamy, and, in general, attention of any kind
Psychologists suspect that the cause of narcissism is severe mental or physical pain in childhood at the hands of a powerful, idealized mother-father figure.
"Freud used the phrase “the narcissism of small differences” to describe the work of British anthropologist Ernest Crawley. Crawley discovered that groups with greater degrees of similarity would often treat each other with greater degrees of enmity and aggression than strangers. Indeed, the people most similar to us upset us the most, because we expect them to be exactly like us, and are disappointed when they aren’t. (Which is why it shouldn’t be a surprise that in the Book of Genesis, sibling conflict is the virulent and frequent. Siblings are the ones most like ourselves, and therefore the people most capable of inspiring the narcissism of small differences)."
http://chaimsteinmetz.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-jews-fight-why-your-kindly-uncle-is.html
Coping Mechanisms
* splitting (seeing things as black-white, good-bad, weak-strong)
* projection (accusing others of having the disowned aspects of your self)
* ignoring the future consequences of their actions
* ritualized behavior
All sin comes from the failure to love.
Jesus Christ:
Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount NRSV
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?
Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Luke 17:1-6 NRSV "You Must Forgive"
1 Jesus said to his disciples, "Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! 2 It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
3 Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. 4 And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive."
5The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" 6The Lord replied, "If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
Exodus 22 NRSV
21 You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
Exodus 23 NRSV
12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.
Leviticus 19 NRSV
10 You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19 NRSV
33 When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.
34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
Numbers 15 NRSV
14 An alien who lives with you, or who takes up permanent residence among you, and wishes to offer an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD, shall do as you do.
15 As for the assembly, there shall be for both you and the resident alien a single statute, a perpetual statute throughout your generations; you and the alien shall be alike before the LORD.
16 You and the alien who resides with you shall have the same law and the same ordinance.
Deuteronomy 1 NRSV
16 I charged your judges at that time: "Give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another, whether citizen or resident alien."
Deuteronomy 10 NRSV
19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 23 NRSV
7 You shall not abhor any of the Edomites, for they are your kin. You shall not abhor any of the Egyptians, because you were an alien residing in their land.
Deuteronomy 24 NRSV
17 You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow's garment in pledge.
Deuteronomy 27 NRSV
19 "Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice." All the people shall say, "Amen!"
Jeremiah 7 NRSV
5 For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, 7 then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors forever and ever.
Jeremiah 22 NRSV
3 Thus says the LORD: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
Zechariah 7 NRSV
9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; 10 do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
Matthew 25 NRSV
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'
44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
God's Everlasting Covenant with David
2 Samuel 7:1-17 NRSV
8 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; 9 and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. 15 But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.
17 In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
A Plentitude of Top Predators?
This is weird! Wonder what it implies about humans???
"Biomass boomed over 460 percent, with carnivores increasing 4 times and top predators increasing 11 times. The plentitude of top predators is a hallmark sign of a healthy ecosystem."
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/197624/20110814/underwater-california-baja-conservation-marine-park.htm
‘No Take’ Policy Works Wonders at Mexican Marine Park
By IBTimes Staff Reporter | August 14, 2011 7:47 PM EDT
A “no take” policy, which prohibits fishing and other extractive activities, has worked wonders at a Mexican marine park.
Just 15 years ago, the Cabo Pulmo National Park area in Mexico was devastated by overfishing. The large predators were gone and there were only medium sized fishes left.
Now, marine life is thriving so much that the 71-square-kilometer area is almost like a pristine environment left untouched by mankind, according to a 10-year study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, which published its findings in the “Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE” journal.
Large fish species now found in the park include parrotfish, groupers, snappers, and even sharks.
The scientists first measured the biomass of the park in 1999, a few year after the “no take” policy took place, and did not notice a dramatic change.
However, by 2009, the park almost made a full-fledged recovery. Biomass boomed over 460 percent, with carnivores increasing 4 times and top predators increasing 11 times. The plentitude of top predators is a hallmark sign of a healthy ecosystem.
"Biomass boomed over 460 percent, with carnivores increasing 4 times and top predators increasing 11 times. The plentitude of top predators is a hallmark sign of a healthy ecosystem."
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/197624/20110814/underwater-california-baja-conservation-marine-park.htm
‘No Take’ Policy Works Wonders at Mexican Marine Park
By IBTimes Staff Reporter | August 14, 2011 7:47 PM EDT
A “no take” policy, which prohibits fishing and other extractive activities, has worked wonders at a Mexican marine park.
Just 15 years ago, the Cabo Pulmo National Park area in Mexico was devastated by overfishing. The large predators were gone and there were only medium sized fishes left.
Now, marine life is thriving so much that the 71-square-kilometer area is almost like a pristine environment left untouched by mankind, according to a 10-year study by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, which published its findings in the “Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE” journal.
Large fish species now found in the park include parrotfish, groupers, snappers, and even sharks.
The scientists first measured the biomass of the park in 1999, a few year after the “no take” policy took place, and did not notice a dramatic change.
However, by 2009, the park almost made a full-fledged recovery. Biomass boomed over 460 percent, with carnivores increasing 4 times and top predators increasing 11 times. The plentitude of top predators is a hallmark sign of a healthy ecosystem.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God
http://www.adherents.com/people/100_Nobel.html
Tihomir Dimitrov's online book of quotations 50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God (2007) is mostly about scientists, although it also features sections about non-scientist Nobel Prize winners. The book can be found at http://nobelists.net/
The author's website describes the book: "This book is an anthology of well-documented quotations. It is a free e-book."
It should be noted that 50 Nobel Laureates is written primarily for inspirational purposes and is not intended to be a source of detailed or balanced biographical data. Nevertheless, the book is a treasure trove of interesting information. Also note that the author's criteria for including Nobel Laureates who "believe in God" does not imply a specific type of belief or adherence to any specific religious group or denomination. The individuals included in the book represent a wide range of religious beliefs, religious affiliation, and religious practice.
50 Nobel Laureates includes this chapter on Albert Einstein:
1. ALBERT EINSTEIN – NOBEL LAUREATE IN PHYSICS
Nobel Prize: Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to Quantum Theory and for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. Einstein is one of the founders of modern physics; he is the author of the Theory of Relativity. According to the world media (Reuters, December 2000) Einstein is “the personality of the second millennium.”
Nationality: German; later Swiss and American citizen
Education: Ph.D. in physics, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 1905
Occupation: Patent Examiner in the Swiss Patent Office, Bern, 1902-1908; Professor of Physics at the Universities of Zurich, Prague, Bern, and Princeton, NJ.
♦♦♦ Quotes ♦♦♦
1. “I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details.” (Einstein, as cited in Ronald Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times, London, Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., 1973, 33).
2. “We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books, but doesn’t know what it is.
That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see a Universe marvellously arranged and obeying certain laws, but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations.” (Einstein, as cited in Denis Brian, Einstein: A Life, New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1996, 186).
3. “If one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity as Jesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity. It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can.” (Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, New York, Bonanza Books, 1954, 184-185).
4. “After all, haven’t the differences between Jew and Christian been overexaggerated by fanatics on both sides? We both are living under God’s approval, and nurture almost identical spiritual capacities. Jew or Gentile, bond or free, all are God’s own.” (Einstein, as cited in H.G. Garbedian, Albert Einstein: Maker of Universes, New York, Funk and Wagnalls Co., 1939, 267).
5. “Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a Spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe – a Spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive.” (Einstein 1936, as cited in Dukas and Hoffmann, Albert Einstein: The Human Side, Princeton University Press, 1979, 33).
6. “The deeper one penetrates into nature’s secrets, the greater becomes one’s respect for God.” (Einstein, as cited in Brian 1996, 119).
7. “The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior Reasoning Power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible Universe, forms my idea of God.” (Einstein, as cited in Libby Anfinsen 1995).
8. “My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior Spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality.” (Einstein 1936, as cited in Dukas and Hoffmann 1979, 66).
9. “The more I study science the more I believe in God.” (Einstein, as cited in Holt 1997).
10. Max Jammer (Professor Emeritus of Physics and author of the biographical book Einstein and Religion, 2002) claims that Einstein’s well-known dictum, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind” can serve as an epitome and quintessence of Einstein’s religious philosophy. (Jammer 2002; Einstein 1967, 30).
11. “The highest principles for our aspirations and judgments are given to us in the Jewish-Christian religious tradition. It is a very high goal which, with our weak powers, we can reach only very inadequately, but which gives a sure foundation to our aspirations and valuations.” (Albert Einstein, Out of My Later Years, New Jersey, Littlefield, Adams and Co., 1967, 27).
12. “In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views.” (Einstein, as cited in Clark 1973, 400; and Jammer 2002, 97).
13. Concerning the fanatical atheists Einstein pointed out:
“Then there are the fanatical atheists whose intolerance is of the same kind as the intolerance of the religious fanatics and comes from the same source. They are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who – in their grudge against the traditional ‘opium for the people’ – cannot bear the music of the spheres. The Wonder of nature does not become smaller because one cannot measure it by the standards of human moral and human aims.” (Einstein, as cited in Max Jammer, Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology, Princeton University Press, 2002, 97).
14. “True religion is real living – living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness” (Einstein, as cited in Garbedian 1939, 267).
15. “Certain it is that a conviction, akin to religious feeling, of the rationality or intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a higher order.
… This firm belief, a belief bound up with deep feeling, in a superior Mind that reveals itself in the world of experience, represents my conception of God.” (Einstein 1973, 255).
16. “Strenuous intellectual work and the study of God’s Nature are the angels that will lead me through all the troubles of this life with consolation, strength, and uncompromising rigor.” (Einstein, as cited in Calaprice 2000, ch. 1).
17. Einstein’s attitude towards Jesus Christ was expressed in an interview, which the great scientist gave to the American magazine The Saturday Evening Post (26 October 1929):
“- To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?
- As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.
- Have you read Emil Ludwig’s book on Jesus?
- Emil Ludwig’s Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.
- You accept the historical Jesus?
- Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” (Einstein, as cited in Viereck 1929; see also Einstein, as cited in the German magazine Geisteskampf der Gegenwart, Guetersloh, 1930, S. 235).
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
http://nobelists.net/
Tihomir Dimitrov's online book of quotations 50 Nobel Laureates and Other Great Scientists Who Believe in God (2007) is mostly about scientists, although it also features sections about non-scientist Nobel Prize winners. The book can be found at http://nobelists.net/
The author's website describes the book: "This book is an anthology of well-documented quotations. It is a free e-book."
It should be noted that 50 Nobel Laureates is written primarily for inspirational purposes and is not intended to be a source of detailed or balanced biographical data. Nevertheless, the book is a treasure trove of interesting information. Also note that the author's criteria for including Nobel Laureates who "believe in God" does not imply a specific type of belief or adherence to any specific religious group or denomination. The individuals included in the book represent a wide range of religious beliefs, religious affiliation, and religious practice.
50 Nobel Laureates includes this chapter on Albert Einstein:
1. ALBERT EINSTEIN – NOBEL LAUREATE IN PHYSICS
Nobel Prize: Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to Quantum Theory and for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. Einstein is one of the founders of modern physics; he is the author of the Theory of Relativity. According to the world media (Reuters, December 2000) Einstein is “the personality of the second millennium.”
Nationality: German; later Swiss and American citizen
Education: Ph.D. in physics, University of Zurich, Switzerland, 1905
Occupation: Patent Examiner in the Swiss Patent Office, Bern, 1902-1908; Professor of Physics at the Universities of Zurich, Prague, Bern, and Princeton, NJ.
♦♦♦ Quotes ♦♦♦
1. “I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details.” (Einstein, as cited in Ronald Clark, Einstein: The Life and Times, London, Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., 1973, 33).
2. “We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books, but doesn’t know what it is.
That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see a Universe marvellously arranged and obeying certain laws, but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations.” (Einstein, as cited in Denis Brian, Einstein: A Life, New York, John Wiley and Sons, 1996, 186).
3. “If one purges the Judaism of the Prophets and Christianity as Jesus Christ taught it of all subsequent additions, especially those of the priests, one is left with a teaching which is capable of curing all the social ills of humanity. It is the duty of every man of good will to strive steadfastly in his own little world to make this teaching of pure humanity a living force, so far as he can.” (Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, New York, Bonanza Books, 1954, 184-185).
4. “After all, haven’t the differences between Jew and Christian been overexaggerated by fanatics on both sides? We both are living under God’s approval, and nurture almost identical spiritual capacities. Jew or Gentile, bond or free, all are God’s own.” (Einstein, as cited in H.G. Garbedian, Albert Einstein: Maker of Universes, New York, Funk and Wagnalls Co., 1939, 267).
5. “Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a Spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe – a Spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive.” (Einstein 1936, as cited in Dukas and Hoffmann, Albert Einstein: The Human Side, Princeton University Press, 1979, 33).
6. “The deeper one penetrates into nature’s secrets, the greater becomes one’s respect for God.” (Einstein, as cited in Brian 1996, 119).
7. “The most beautiful and most profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the sower of all true science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior Reasoning Power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible Universe, forms my idea of God.” (Einstein, as cited in Libby Anfinsen 1995).
8. “My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior Spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality.” (Einstein 1936, as cited in Dukas and Hoffmann 1979, 66).
9. “The more I study science the more I believe in God.” (Einstein, as cited in Holt 1997).
10. Max Jammer (Professor Emeritus of Physics and author of the biographical book Einstein and Religion, 2002) claims that Einstein’s well-known dictum, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind” can serve as an epitome and quintessence of Einstein’s religious philosophy. (Jammer 2002; Einstein 1967, 30).
11. “The highest principles for our aspirations and judgments are given to us in the Jewish-Christian religious tradition. It is a very high goal which, with our weak powers, we can reach only very inadequately, but which gives a sure foundation to our aspirations and valuations.” (Albert Einstein, Out of My Later Years, New Jersey, Littlefield, Adams and Co., 1967, 27).
12. “In view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views.” (Einstein, as cited in Clark 1973, 400; and Jammer 2002, 97).
13. Concerning the fanatical atheists Einstein pointed out:
“Then there are the fanatical atheists whose intolerance is of the same kind as the intolerance of the religious fanatics and comes from the same source. They are like slaves who are still feeling the weight of their chains which they have thrown off after hard struggle. They are creatures who – in their grudge against the traditional ‘opium for the people’ – cannot bear the music of the spheres. The Wonder of nature does not become smaller because one cannot measure it by the standards of human moral and human aims.” (Einstein, as cited in Max Jammer, Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology, Princeton University Press, 2002, 97).
14. “True religion is real living – living with all one’s soul, with all one’s goodness and righteousness” (Einstein, as cited in Garbedian 1939, 267).
15. “Certain it is that a conviction, akin to religious feeling, of the rationality or intelligibility of the world lies behind all scientific work of a higher order.
… This firm belief, a belief bound up with deep feeling, in a superior Mind that reveals itself in the world of experience, represents my conception of God.” (Einstein 1973, 255).
16. “Strenuous intellectual work and the study of God’s Nature are the angels that will lead me through all the troubles of this life with consolation, strength, and uncompromising rigor.” (Einstein, as cited in Calaprice 2000, ch. 1).
17. Einstein’s attitude towards Jesus Christ was expressed in an interview, which the great scientist gave to the American magazine The Saturday Evening Post (26 October 1929):
“- To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?
- As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.
- Have you read Emil Ludwig’s book on Jesus?
- Emil Ludwig’s Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.
- You accept the historical Jesus?
- Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” (Einstein, as cited in Viereck 1929; see also Einstein, as cited in the German magazine Geisteskampf der Gegenwart, Guetersloh, 1930, S. 235).
♦♦♦♦♦♦♦
http://nobelists.net/
Healthy Affirmations
Healthy Affirmations
- it's only hard, not impossible
- today is the best place to be
- expectations are premeditated resentments
- if I don't take care of me, I can't take care of you
- learning to be comfortable when it's not all about me
- let it begin with me
- life is messy — roll up your sleeves
- progress — not perfection
- speak gently and carry a big present
- your opinion of me is none of my business
Thera-Wear© 2005 Copyright
www.thera-wear.com
- it's only hard, not impossible
- today is the best place to be
- expectations are premeditated resentments
- if I don't take care of me, I can't take care of you
- learning to be comfortable when it's not all about me
- let it begin with me
- life is messy — roll up your sleeves
- progress — not perfection
- speak gently and carry a big present
- your opinion of me is none of my business
Thera-Wear© 2005 Copyright
www.thera-wear.com
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
A Positive Attitude
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.
~ Author Unknown
~ Author Unknown
Sunday, July 31, 2011
the classic preadolescent boy’s fantasy
Sam Witwicky, the all-American kid played by Shia LaBeouf in Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies:
Arts & Leisure
Babies to Heroes: A Field Guide to Big-Screen Men
By A. O. SCOTT and MANOHLA DARGIS
Published: July 27, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/movies/male-archetypes
-in-the-movies-big-baby-to-brave-boy.html
"The fantasy he lives out is the classic preadolescent boy’s dream of defying adult wisdom, saving the princess and getting to make all the noise and mess he wants in the service of a noble cause."
Arts & Leisure
Babies to Heroes: A Field Guide to Big-Screen Men
By A. O. SCOTT and MANOHLA DARGIS
Published: July 27, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/movies/male-archetypes
-in-the-movies-big-baby-to-brave-boy.html
Friday, July 29, 2011
People Do What You Expect
"My experience with people is that they generally do what you expect them to do."
~ Mary Kay Ash
Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics
~ Mary Kay Ash
Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Prayer - Dag Hammarskjold
Prayer
Give me, O my Lord,
that purity of conscience
which alone can receive your inspirations.
My ears are dull,
so that I cannot hear your voice.
My eyes are dim,
so that I cannot see the signs of your presence.
You alone can quicken my hearing
and purge my sight,
and cleanse and renew my heart.
Teach me to sit at your feet
and to hear your word,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
~ Dag Hammarskjold (1905 – 1961)
Give me, O my Lord,
that purity of conscience
which alone can receive your inspirations.
My ears are dull,
so that I cannot hear your voice.
My eyes are dim,
so that I cannot see the signs of your presence.
You alone can quicken my hearing
and purge my sight,
and cleanse and renew my heart.
Teach me to sit at your feet
and to hear your word,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
~ Dag Hammarskjold (1905 – 1961)
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Let your speech be always with grace
BibleWorks
July 6, 2011 - Wednesday Morning
Let your speech be always with grace. (1 Col 4:6)
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. (Pro 25:11,12)
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Eph 4:29)
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
By thy words thou shalt be justified. (Mat 12:35,37)
The tongue of the wise is health. (Pro 12:18)
They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. (Mal 3:16)
If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. (Jer 15:19)
Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, ... see that ye abound in this grace also. (2 Cor 8:7 KJV)
______________
July 6, 2011 - Wednesday Morning
Let your speech be always with grace. (1 Col 4:6)
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. (Pro 25:11,12)
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Eph 4:29)
A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
By thy words thou shalt be justified. (Mat 12:35,37)
The tongue of the wise is health. (Pro 12:18)
They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. (Mal 3:16)
If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. (Jer 15:19)
Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, ... see that ye abound in this grace also. (2 Cor 8:7 KJV)
______________
there is darkness in all of us, but we can overcome it
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, review
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/8619487/
Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-Hallows-Part-2-review.html
By Philip Womack
10:00PM BST 05 Jul 2011
*Philip Womack is the author of The Liberators and The Other Book
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harry-potter/8619487/
Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-Hallows-Part-2-review.html
By Philip Womack
10:00PM BST 05 Jul 2011
Our central threesome, too, do not disappoint. Radcliffe’s erstwhile plankishness has transformed into a heroic stoicism; Watson has perfected the requisite winsome, fearful look, panting and gasping with the best of them; and even Grint can now do “emotional”, pulling off a big scene in which one of his brothers is slain.
This is monumental cinema, awash with gorgeous tones, and carrying an ultimate message that will resonate with every viewer, young or old: there is darkness in all of us, but we can overcome it.
*Philip Womack is the author of The Liberators and The Other Book
Monday, July 04, 2011
to see if they could get along ...
Mark Twain used to say that he once tried an experiment of putting a dog and cat in a cage together. After some adjustments, they got along.
So he added a bird, a pig and goat. Again after some initial adjustments, they got along.
Then he put in a Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Catholic, and within minutes there was not a living thing left.
~ Quoted in Phillip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace?,
Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1997, p. 33.
So he added a bird, a pig and goat. Again after some initial adjustments, they got along.
Then he put in a Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Catholic, and within minutes there was not a living thing left.
~ Quoted in Phillip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace?,
Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1997, p. 33.
Friday, July 01, 2011
Women's Heart Attack Symptoms
Are Men and Women Different?
By Dr. Mehmet Oz
The Oprah Winfrey Show | June 03, 2009
Dr. Oz quote:
"Most men having a heart attack have shortness of breath, break out into cold sweats and feel severe pain or discomfort in their upper body," he says. "One-third of women feel no discomfort in their chest, which can cause them to wait longer to go to the emergency room."
Dr. Oz says women who are having a heart attack may feel shortness of breath, weakness, flu-like symptoms, indigestion and nausea. If you think you might be having a heart attack, Dr. Oz recommends calling 911 immediately.
http://www.oprah.com/health/Are-Men-and-Women-Different_1/10
By Dr. Mehmet Oz
The Oprah Winfrey Show | June 03, 2009
Dr. Oz quote:
"Most men having a heart attack have shortness of breath, break out into cold sweats and feel severe pain or discomfort in their upper body," he says. "One-third of women feel no discomfort in their chest, which can cause them to wait longer to go to the emergency room."
Dr. Oz says women who are having a heart attack may feel shortness of breath, weakness, flu-like symptoms, indigestion and nausea. If you think you might be having a heart attack, Dr. Oz recommends calling 911 immediately.
http://www.oprah.com/health/Are-Men-and-Women-Different_1/10
pumpkin pie and lavender
Are Men and Women Different?
By Dr. Mehmet Oz
The Oprah Winfrey Show | June 03, 2009
quote:
The way something smells also affects the sexes differently. Dr. Oz says research has found that the smells of pumpkin pie and lavender make men feel more sexual, while ladies get excited by the scents of cucumber and licorice. "Smell is important because it signifies to us at a very deep level that we're in a home—in a safe environment," he says.
http://www.oprah.com/health/Are-Men-and-Women-Different_1/9
By Dr. Mehmet Oz
The Oprah Winfrey Show | June 03, 2009
quote:
The way something smells also affects the sexes differently. Dr. Oz says research has found that the smells of pumpkin pie and lavender make men feel more sexual, while ladies get excited by the scents of cucumber and licorice. "Smell is important because it signifies to us at a very deep level that we're in a home—in a safe environment," he says.
http://www.oprah.com/health/Are-Men-and-Women-Different_1/9
Wanting vs. Creating
commentary on Romans 7:
“What a person wants is salvation. What he creates is disaster”
~ Ernst Käsemann
(Commentary on Romans; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1980, p. 203)
“What a person wants is salvation. What he creates is disaster”
~ Ernst Käsemann
(Commentary on Romans; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1980, p. 203)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Extremely Expensive to be Poor
“Anyone who has ever struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.”
~ James Baldwin
"Poverty is brutal, consuming and unforgiving. It strikes at the soul."
~ Charles M. Blow
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/opinion/
25blow.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212
~ James Baldwin
"Poverty is brutal, consuming and unforgiving. It strikes at the soul."
~ Charles M. Blow
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/25/opinion/
25blow.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Make Him a Friend - Abraham Lincoln
"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."
~ Abraham Lincoln,
from Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount
~ Abraham Lincoln,
from Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount
Mahatma Gandhi and the Sermon on the Mount
"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."
~ Abraham Lincoln
quotes from "Break the Chain" by Sr. Phyllis Neves:
"They say that Mahatma Gandhi read from the Sermon on the Mount twice a day for the last forty years of his life. He considered these texts the greatest writings on nonviolence in the history of the world. Since he wanted to become a person of nonviolence, he treated these teachings as a basic primer, as the catechism of nonviolence. Don't you think it could make a tremendous difference in our world if more of us had the courage to do the same?
Jesus was not preaching hopeless idealism. He advocated a wise strategy for living in peace. "Love for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world," Dr. Martin Luther King wrote. Nelson Mandela put it this way: "I have never yet met an enemy whom I did not try to turn into a friend." The Christian way to get rid of enemies is to forgive them.
Lincoln, again during the Civil War, made a kind remark about a Southern general, causing a woman in shock to flare up: "Mr. President, don't you realize, that man is your enemy; your job is to destroy the enemy!"
Very graciously, Lincoln replied, "Madam, when I turn an enemy into a friend, haven't I destroyed an enemy?"
Forgiveness, then, is the process of restoring relationships. Forgiveness is the way of bringing back into relationship that which was estranged. Forgiveness is making whole again. Forgiveness is tearing down barriers to re-unite person with person. Forgiveness is a bridge to unity among all people. Forgiveness is the process of allowing kindness to replace bitterness.
So let's take on the Christian challenge, you and I, to break the chain of violence in our world by becoming links on the chain of peace and forgiveness."
Sr. Phyllis Neves
"Break the Chain"
Partners in Giving, Early Summer 2011
www.salesiansisters.org
~ Abraham Lincoln
quotes from "Break the Chain" by Sr. Phyllis Neves:
"They say that Mahatma Gandhi read from the Sermon on the Mount twice a day for the last forty years of his life. He considered these texts the greatest writings on nonviolence in the history of the world. Since he wanted to become a person of nonviolence, he treated these teachings as a basic primer, as the catechism of nonviolence. Don't you think it could make a tremendous difference in our world if more of us had the courage to do the same?
Jesus was not preaching hopeless idealism. He advocated a wise strategy for living in peace. "Love for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world," Dr. Martin Luther King wrote. Nelson Mandela put it this way: "I have never yet met an enemy whom I did not try to turn into a friend." The Christian way to get rid of enemies is to forgive them.
Lincoln, again during the Civil War, made a kind remark about a Southern general, causing a woman in shock to flare up: "Mr. President, don't you realize, that man is your enemy; your job is to destroy the enemy!"
Very graciously, Lincoln replied, "Madam, when I turn an enemy into a friend, haven't I destroyed an enemy?"
Forgiveness, then, is the process of restoring relationships. Forgiveness is the way of bringing back into relationship that which was estranged. Forgiveness is making whole again. Forgiveness is tearing down barriers to re-unite person with person. Forgiveness is a bridge to unity among all people. Forgiveness is the process of allowing kindness to replace bitterness.
So let's take on the Christian challenge, you and I, to break the chain of violence in our world by becoming links on the chain of peace and forgiveness."
Sr. Phyllis Neves
"Break the Chain"
Partners in Giving, Early Summer 2011
www.salesiansisters.org
I offer you peace - Mahatma Gandhi
“I offer you peace. I offer you love.
I offer you friendship. I see your beauty.
I hear your need. I feel your feelings.
My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.
I salute that Source in you.
Let us work together for unity and love.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
I offer you friendship. I see your beauty.
I hear your need. I feel your feelings.
My wisdom flows from the Highest Source.
I salute that Source in you.
Let us work together for unity and love.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Rankism
Robert W. Fuller "Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank" (New Society):
"We covet the rewards that come to the somebodies of the world, so we're willing to endure a lot for a shot at the life we see them leading -- even if that shot is a long one. Should we, by hook or crook or sheer luck, acquire fame and fortune, then we too could insulate ourselves from the cruelties of life."
"We covet the rewards that come to the somebodies of the world, so we're willing to endure a lot for a shot at the life we see them leading -- even if that shot is a long one. Should we, by hook or crook or sheer luck, acquire fame and fortune, then we too could insulate ourselves from the cruelties of life."
I coulda been a contender
Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront":
"I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am...."
"I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am...."
Monday, June 13, 2011
Table Grace
Blessings on the blossoms,
Blessing on the fruits,
Blessings on the leaves and stems,
Blessings on the roots,
Loving hands together as we say,
Blessings on our meal,
and our time together,
and we're grateful for our family.
~ Katia Hetter's blog
(blessing from her daughter's pre-school)
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/12/
my-faith-how-saying-a-blessing-changed-my-secular-family-meals/
?hpt=hp_bn8
Blessing on the fruits,
Blessings on the leaves and stems,
Blessings on the roots,
Loving hands together as we say,
Blessings on our meal,
and our time together,
and we're grateful for our family.
~ Katia Hetter's blog
(blessing from her daughter's pre-school)
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/12/
my-faith-how-saying-a-blessing-changed-my-secular-family-meals/
?hpt=hp_bn8
In the beginning God created - Gen. 1:1
JPS Genesis 1:1
IN THE beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
TNK Genesis 1:1
When God began to create heaven and earth --
God (Elohim): noun common masculine plural absolute
created: verb qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular homonym 1
IN THE beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
TNK Genesis 1:1
When God began to create heaven and earth --
God (Elohim): noun common masculine plural absolute
created: verb qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular homonym 1
Who will go for us? Isaiah 6:8
JPS Isaiah 6:8
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: 'Here am I; send me.'
TNK Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of my Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me."
Lord: noun common masculine plural construct suffix 1st person common singular
for us: particle preposition suffix 1st person common plural
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: 'Here am I; send me.'
TNK Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of my Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me."
Lord: noun common masculine plural construct suffix 1st person common singular
for us: particle preposition suffix 1st person common plural
Anxiety passes when we break out of ruts
"Life keeps presenting us with a choice between anxiety and depression. Choose anxiety; it passes. Depression hangs on.
"The anxiety is apprehension over breaking with routine ways of behaving and relating. When we break out of ruts, that anxiety passes. When we give in to routine out of fear, we feel helpless and that leads to feeling depressed."
~ Dr. Michael D'Antonio
a Senior Staff Therapist in Council For Relationship's Paoli, PA office
"The anxiety is apprehension over breaking with routine ways of behaving and relating. When we break out of ruts, that anxiety passes. When we give in to routine out of fear, we feel helpless and that leads to feeling depressed."
~ Dr. Michael D'Antonio
a Senior Staff Therapist in Council For Relationship's Paoli, PA office
A Test of Obedience and Loyalty
"Charismatic leaders can gain control of people’s minds in sects and pretty much create their own rules," Grumett said. Whatever food edicts a sect founder invents are likely a test of obedience and loyalty to him."
~ David Grumett, author of "Theology on the Menu"
http://blog.nj.com/njv_kathleen_obrien/2011/06/religious_fasting_and_child_ab.html
~ David Grumett, author of "Theology on the Menu"
http://blog.nj.com/njv_kathleen_obrien/2011/06/religious_fasting_and_child_ab.html
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
He Pushed Them and They Flew
Come to the edge, he said.
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them and they flew.
~ Christopher Logue
They said: We are afraid.
Come to the edge, he said.
They came.
He pushed them and they flew.
~ Christopher Logue
"recks not his own rede"
from the Free Dictionary definition of Advice:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/advice
reck one’s own rede
To follow one’s own advice; to “practice what you preach.” Reck ‘heed, regard’ appears only in negative constructions. Rede ‘advice, counsel’ is now archaic and limited to poetical or dialectal use. This expression is found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whilst, like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede. (I,iii)
Today reck one’s own rede is met only in literary contexts.
the tune the old cow died of
Advice instead of aid, words in lieu of alms.
This expression alludes to the following old ballad:
There was an old man, and he had an old cow,
But he had no fodder to give her,
So he took up his fiddle and played her the tune;
“Consider, good cow, consider,
This isn’t the time for the grass to grow,
Consider, good cow, consider.”
Needless to say, the old cow died of hunger.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/advice
reck one’s own rede
To follow one’s own advice; to “practice what you preach.” Reck ‘heed, regard’ appears only in negative constructions. Rede ‘advice, counsel’ is now archaic and limited to poetical or dialectal use. This expression is found in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whilst, like a puffed and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede. (I,iii)
Today reck one’s own rede is met only in literary contexts.
the tune the old cow died of
Advice instead of aid, words in lieu of alms.
This expression alludes to the following old ballad:
There was an old man, and he had an old cow,
But he had no fodder to give her,
So he took up his fiddle and played her the tune;
“Consider, good cow, consider,
This isn’t the time for the grass to grow,
Consider, good cow, consider.”
Needless to say, the old cow died of hunger.
"Is everything sad going to come untrue?”
quote from a Timothy Keller sermon:
http://davidkpark.wordpress.com/2006/09/26/
timothy-keller-transcript-the-problem-of-suffering/
In the last book of The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee wakes up, thinking everything is lost and discovering instead that all his friends were around him, he cries out: “Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead! Is everything sad going to come untrue?”
The answer is YES. And the answer of the Bible is YES. If the resurrection is true, then the answer is yes. Everything sad is going TO COME UNTRUE.
http://davidkpark.wordpress.com/2006/09/26/
timothy-keller-transcript-the-problem-of-suffering/
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
no worse struggle than the one that is never fought
from a New York Times story on the competition between Mexican central bank governor, AgustÃn Carstens and French finance minister, Christine Lagarde to become the new director of the I.M.F.:
Emerging Nations Warm to Lagarde to Lead I.M.F.
By LIZ ALDERMAN and KEITH BRADSHER
Published: June 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/
business/global/08fund.html
For Mr. Carstens, long-shot chances are no reason to forgo seeking the position. “It’s essential to take the risk,” he said. He cited a Mexican expression, “There is no worse struggle than the one that is never fought.”
Emerging Nations Warm to Lagarde to Lead I.M.F.
By LIZ ALDERMAN and KEITH BRADSHER
Published: June 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/
business/global/08fund.html
Monday, June 06, 2011
Bidden or not bidden God is present
"Bidden or not bidden God is present."
~ Carl Jung
(written on his door and on his tombstone)
~ Carl Jung
(written on his door and on his tombstone)
Lobsters
As lobsters grow, their hard shells become too small. in order to continue to grow, they split their shells and crawl out, naked and vulnerable. During the time it takes for their new shell to harden, they face danger without the protection of their shell.
When the new shell hardens it is too big, so it doesn't fit quite right. Eventually the lobster grows into her new shell and feels more comfortable, until she grows more and the cycle starts all over again! During its first year, a lobster molts fourteen to seventeen times, but when it grows older it molts not more than once a year.
When the new shell hardens it is too big, so it doesn't fit quite right. Eventually the lobster grows into her new shell and feels more comfortable, until she grows more and the cycle starts all over again! During its first year, a lobster molts fourteen to seventeen times, but when it grows older it molts not more than once a year.
get married, get a degree, hold on to a job
The Bloody Crossroads
By DAVID BROOKS
New York Times
Published September 7, 2009
http://www.foramericankids.org/documents/9-909.RESPONSE.pdf
By DAVID BROOKS
New York Times
Published September 7, 2009
http://www.foramericankids.org/documents/9-909.RESPONSE.pdf
Can the state do anything to effectively promote virtuous behavior? Because when you get into the core problems, whether in Washington, California or on Wall Street, you keep seeing the same moral deficiencies: self-indulgence, irresponsibility and imprudence.
Two of my favorite essays in the first issue go right at this problem. Ron Haskins delivers a careful reading of the data on inequality and social mobility and cuts through a lot of the sloppy reporting on this issue. He points out that the surest way to achieve mobility is still the same: get married, get a degree, hold on to a job. Poverty in America is a function of culture and behavior at least as much as of entrenched injustice, he writes.
Friday, June 03, 2011
A good parent self-limits
"A good parent self-limits with his children to help them grow."
~ Rev. Dr. Paul MacMurray, 5/29/11
~ Rev. Dr. Paul MacMurray, 5/29/11
Monday, May 30, 2011
Prayers, Love and Hope
"A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers,
blesses you with love
and encourages you with hope."
~ Chris
http://www.friendship.com.au/quotes/quobib.html
blesses you with love
and encourages you with hope."
~ Chris
http://www.friendship.com.au/quotes/quobib.html
Friendship
I asked Mom today what was the most important thing. She said "Friendship.". Her supreme compliment is "You are a good friend."
I bought her roses and she asked me to give one to Peggy, who was pleased. Mom showed more pleasure in giving that one rose to Peggy than in receiving a dozen roses herself.
~ Truthful Grace
I bought her roses and she asked me to give one to Peggy, who was pleased. Mom showed more pleasure in giving that one rose to Peggy than in receiving a dozen roses herself.
~ Truthful Grace
"Endless television would drive me insane"
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-Winfrey-Network-Sneak-Preview
Oprah: "Television doesn't make me feel good. There's nothing about it that makes me feel good. I literally do not have it on at any time in my personal space, be it in the office, be it in my makeup room. If I walk in and it's on, I will say, 'Turn it off,' unless it's something I need to know or need to hear. I just won't have it. I will not allow the mindless chattering of Halloween candy. I just won't allow it."
"If you wanted to drive me insane, that's what you would do. You would put me in a room where the television was never turned off."
Oprah: "Television doesn't make me feel good. There's nothing about it that makes me feel good. I literally do not have it on at any time in my personal space, be it in the office, be it in my makeup room. If I walk in and it's on, I will say, 'Turn it off,' unless it's something I need to know or need to hear. I just won't have it. I will not allow the mindless chattering of Halloween candy. I just won't allow it."
"If you wanted to drive me insane, that's what you would do. You would put me in a room where the television was never turned off."
"Please be responsible for the energy that you bring into this room."
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Oprah-Winfrey-Network-Sneak-Preview
Oprah: "I think everything has an energetic field. There's a beautiful thing Jill Bolte Taylor wrote about in her book My Stroke of Insight. After she had the stroke and was in the hospital, she could sense energy. She could sense, when a nurse came into the room, whether the nurse was thinking about getting off early; she could sense from the way she opened the shades or didn't, or if she mindlessly put her food down on the tray. She could just sense energy. So she had a sign created that basically said "Please be responsible for the energy that you bring into this room."
Which I now have outside my makeup door. "Please be responsible for the energy that you bring into this room."
Oprah: "I think everything has an energetic field. There's a beautiful thing Jill Bolte Taylor wrote about in her book My Stroke of Insight. After she had the stroke and was in the hospital, she could sense energy. She could sense, when a nurse came into the room, whether the nurse was thinking about getting off early; she could sense from the way she opened the shades or didn't, or if she mindlessly put her food down on the tray. She could just sense energy. So she had a sign created that basically said "Please be responsible for the energy that you bring into this room."
Which I now have outside my makeup door. "Please be responsible for the energy that you bring into this room."
Worry
“No one ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a person can bear. Never load yourselves so.
If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: It is your own doing, not God's. God begs you to leave the future where it belongs, and pay attention to the present.”
~ George MacDonald
If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: It is your own doing, not God's. God begs you to leave the future where it belongs, and pay attention to the present.”
~ George MacDonald
Such as we are, such are the times
"Hard times, troubled times;
these are what people are saying.
But let our lives be good
and the times will be good.
We make our times;
such as we are, such are the times."
~ St. Augustine
these are what people are saying.
But let our lives be good
and the times will be good.
We make our times;
such as we are, such are the times."
~ St. Augustine
Sunday, May 22, 2011
approving in principle only
"When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice."
~ Otto von Bismarck
~ Otto von Bismarck
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
The Queen's Apology
quote:
The Queen offered Ireland the nearest the royal family has ever come to an apology for Britain's actions in the tortured relations between the two countries, in a speech at a state banquet Dublin.
She told guests from the northern and southern Irish communities:
...
She said: "To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy."
But she spoke also of increasingly strong bonds and values:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/18/
queen-ireland-apology-britains-actions
The Queen offered Ireland the nearest the royal family has ever come to an apology for Britain's actions in the tortured relations between the two countries, in a speech at a state banquet Dublin.
She told guests from the northern and southern Irish communities:
"It is a sad and regrettable reality that through history our islands have experienced more than their fair share of heartache, turbulence and loss ... with the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we wish had been done differently, or not at all."
...
She said: "To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy."
But she spoke also of increasingly strong bonds and values:
"The lessons of the peace process are clear: whatever life throws at us, our individual responsibilities will be all the stronger for working together and sharing the load ... The ties of family, friends and affection are our most precious resource ... the lifeblood of partnership across these islands, a golden thread runs through all our joint successes so far and all we will go on to achieve."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/18/
queen-ireland-apology-britains-actions
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
very stifling
While talking about his new film Tree of Life at the Cannes Film Festival, Pitt told Extra
~ Brad Pitt
http://www.cinemablend.com/celebrity/
Brad-Pitt-Found-Religion-Stifling-Child-32098.html
"I got brought up being told things were God's way, and when things didn't work out it was called God's plan, "I've got my issues with it. Don't get me started. I found it very stifling."
~ Brad Pitt
http://www.cinemablend.com/celebrity/
Brad-Pitt-Found-Religion-Stifling-Child-32098.html
Monday, May 16, 2011
Victor Hugo Quotes
Victor Hugo Quotes
"To love another person is to see the face of God."
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."
"Life is the flower for which love is the honey."
"He who opens a school door, closes a prison."
"Be like the bird who,
pausing in her flight awhile
on boughs too slight,
feels them give way beneath her,
and yet sings,
knowing she hath wings."
"Adversity makes men,
and prosperity makes monsters."
"One believes others will do what he will do to himself."
"Intelligence is the wife,
imagination is the mistress,
memory is the servant."
~ Victor Hugo
Biography
Author Profession: Author
Nationality: French
Born: February 26, 1802
Died: May 22, 1885
Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/v/victorhugo152557.html#ixzz1MYWc0cQB
"To love another person is to see the face of God."
"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."
"Life is the flower for which love is the honey."
"He who opens a school door, closes a prison."
"Be like the bird who,
pausing in her flight awhile
on boughs too slight,
feels them give way beneath her,
and yet sings,
knowing she hath wings."
"Adversity makes men,
and prosperity makes monsters."
"One believes others will do what he will do to himself."
"Intelligence is the wife,
imagination is the mistress,
memory is the servant."
~ Victor Hugo
Biography
Author Profession: Author
Nationality: French
Born: February 26, 1802
Died: May 22, 1885
Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/v/victorhugo152557.html#ixzz1MYWc0cQB
Friday, May 13, 2011
the Bible's whole body of revealed truth and wisdom
Good Question: Text Criticism and Inerrancy
"How can I reconcile my belief in the inerrancy of Scripture with comments in Bible translations that state that a particular verse is not 'in better manuscripts'?"
J.I. Packer | posted 10/07/2002 12:00AM
"How can I reconcile my belief in the inerrancy of Scripture with comments in Bible translations that state that a particular verse is not 'in better manuscripts'?"
J.I. Packer | posted 10/07/2002 12:00AM
So how does all this bear on the Christian's very proper faith in biblical inerrancy—that is, the total truth and trustworthiness of the true text and all it teaches?http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/october7/31.102.htm
Holy Scripture is, according to the view of Jesus and his apostles, God preaching, instructing, showing, and telling us things, and testifying to himself through the human witness of prophets, poets, theological narrators of history, and philosophical observers of life.
The Bible's inerrancy is not the inerrancy of any one published text or version, nor of anyone's interpretation, nor of any scribal slips or pious inauthentic additions acquired during transmission.
Rather, scriptural inerrancy relates to the human writer's expressed meaning in each book, and to the Bible's whole body of revealed truth and wisdom. Belief in inerrancy involves an advance commitment to receive as from God all that the Bible, interpreting itself to us through the Holy Spirit in a natural and coherent way, teaches. Thus it shapes our uderstanding of biblical authority.
So inerrantists should welcome the work of textual scholars, who are forever trying to eliminate the inauthentic and give us exactly what the biblical writers wrote, neither more nor less. The way into God's mind is through his penmen's minds, precisely as expressed, under his guidance, in their own words as they wrote them.
Text criticism serves inerrancy; they are friends. Inerrancy treasures the meaning of each writer's words, while text criticism checks that we have each writer's words pure and intact. Both these wisdoms are needed if we are to benefit fully from the written Word of God.
you have not understood
For much of Christian history, the view of the inspiration and authority of the Bible outlined above held firm, and it was almost unheard of for Christians to criticize and reject the content of Scripture as erroneous.
The position of the greatest of the Western church fathers, Augustine of Hippo, is instructive here. In his "Reply to Faustus the Manichaean" (XI.5), St. Augustine wrote:
"A Layman's Historical Guide to the Inerrancy Debate"
Article by William B. Evans February 2010
http://www.reformation21.org/articles/a-laymans-historical-
guide-to-the-inerrancy-debate.php
The position of the greatest of the Western church fathers, Augustine of Hippo, is instructive here. In his "Reply to Faustus the Manichaean" (XI.5), St. Augustine wrote:
"If we are perplexed by an apparent contradiction in Scripture, it is not allowable to say, The author of this book is mistaken; but either the manuscript is faulty, or the translation is wrong, or you have not understood."
"A Layman's Historical Guide to the Inerrancy Debate"
Article by William B. Evans February 2010
http://www.reformation21.org/articles/a-laymans-historical-
guide-to-the-inerrancy-debate.php
vague and undefined terms
Wittgenstein has rightly been credited with the statement
"there are no genuine disputes, only vague and undefined terms."
In the absence of love, we begin slowly but surely to fall apart
“In the absence of love, we begin slowly but surely to fall apart."
~ Marianne Williamson
~ Marianne Williamson
to make manifest the glory of God that is within us
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~ Marianne Williamson
We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
~ Marianne Williamson
Friday, May 06, 2011
When do you get to that point of enough is enough?
Quote from The Mexican (2001 film)
http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0236493/quotes
http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0236493/quotes
Samantha: I have to ask you a question. It's a good one so think about it. If two people love each other, but they just can't seem to get it together, when do you get to that point of enough is enough?
Jerry: Never.
What we know and do not know
From a Press Conference at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, June 6, 2002:
~ Donald Rumsfeld
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld
Now what is the message there? The message is that there are known "knowns." There are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns. That is to say there are things that we now know we don't know.
But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know we don't know.
So when we do the best we can and we pull all this information together, and we then say well that's basically what we see as the situation, that is really only the known knowns and the known unknowns. And each year, we discover a few more of those unknown unknowns.
It sounds like a riddle. It isn't a riddle. It is a very serious, important matter.
There's another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something exists does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist.
And yet almost always, when we make our threat assessments, when we look at the world, we end up basing it on the first two pieces of that puzzle, rather than all three.
~ Donald Rumsfeld
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld
The truth of war is not always easy to hear
“The truth of war is not always easy to hear,” she told members of Congress, “but it is always more heroic than the hype.”
~ Jessica Lynch, the private in the wrecked Humvee in Iraq, rescued from a hospital in 2003
~ Jessica Lynch, the private in the wrecked Humvee in Iraq, rescued from a hospital in 2003
Sentence first - verdict afterwards
“This is the justice of the Red Queen: sentence first, trial later.”
~ Geoffrey Robertson, a prominent human rights lawyer in Britain
from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: Chapter 12
http://www.online-literature.com/carroll/alice/12/
~ Geoffrey Robertson, a prominent human rights lawyer in Britain
from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: Chapter 12
'It's a pun!' the King added in an offended tone, and everybody laughed, 'Let the jury consider their verdict,' the King said, for about the twentieth time that day.
'No, no!' said the Queen. 'Sentence first - verdict afterwards.'
'Stuff and nonsense!' said Alice loudly. 'The idea of having the sentence first!'
'Hold your tongue!' said the Queen, turning purple.
'I won't!' said Alice.
'Off with her head!' the Queen shouted at the top of her voice. Nobody moved.
http://www.online-literature.com/carroll/alice/12/
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Never miss a good chance to shut up
- Never miss a good chance to shut up.
- Always drink upstream from the herd.
- If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
- There are three kinds of men:
- The ones that learns by reading.
- The few who learn by observation.
- The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.
- Letting the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back.
~ Will Rogers
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
surprise them with restraint and generosity
What Nelson Mandela’s character said about South African whites in the movie “Invictus”:
“We have to surprise them with restraint and generosity.”
“We have to surprise them with restraint and generosity.”
Saturday, April 23, 2011
It Was Perfect
“A man who was completely innocent,
offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others,
including his enemies,
and became the ransom of the world.
It was a perfect act.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
(Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest influenced by Jesus Christ, 1869-1948)
offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others,
including his enemies,
and became the ransom of the world.
It was a perfect act.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
(Indian Philosopher, internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest influenced by Jesus Christ, 1869-1948)
"We want revenge, and we want blood."
"We want revenge, and we want blood."
ABU MOHAMED, a protester in Azra, Syria, a southern town that witnessed the highest death toll Friday.
New York Times, 4/23/11
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/world/middleeast/
23syria.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3
ABU MOHAMED, a protester in Azra, Syria, a southern town that witnessed the highest death toll Friday.
New York Times, 4/23/11
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/23/world/middleeast/
23syria.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha3
Friday, April 15, 2011
the truth of the thing signified is surely present there
The Lord's Supper
John Calvin "can be regarded as occupying a position roughly midway between" (McGrath) the doctrines developed by Martin Luther on the one hand and Huldrych Zwingli, on the other:
"Believers ought always to live by this rule: whenever they see symbols appointed by the Lord, to think and be convinced that the truth of the thing signified is surely present there. For why should the Lord put in your hand the symbol of his body, unless it was to assure you that you really participate in it? And if it is true that a visible sign is given to us to seal the gift of an invisible thing, when we have received the symbol of the body, let us rest assured that the body itself is also given to us." (Calvin); that is, "the thing that is signified is effected by its sign" (McGrath).[65]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation
65.^ McGrath, A. 1998. Historical Theology, An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought. Blackwell Publishers: Oxford, p.199.
John Calvin "can be regarded as occupying a position roughly midway between" (McGrath) the doctrines developed by Martin Luther on the one hand and Huldrych Zwingli, on the other:
"Believers ought always to live by this rule: whenever they see symbols appointed by the Lord, to think and be convinced that the truth of the thing signified is surely present there. For why should the Lord put in your hand the symbol of his body, unless it was to assure you that you really participate in it? And if it is true that a visible sign is given to us to seal the gift of an invisible thing, when we have received the symbol of the body, let us rest assured that the body itself is also given to us." (Calvin); that is, "the thing that is signified is effected by its sign" (McGrath).[65]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation
65.^ McGrath, A. 1998. Historical Theology, An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought. Blackwell Publishers: Oxford, p.199.
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Friday, April 08, 2011
Relax!
quotes from Martha Beck:
March 2008 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Life-Coach-Martha-Becks-5-New-Best-Pieces-of-Advice/
One day—a day that has lingered in my memory despite countless attempts to repress it—I went skiing with a group of expert athletes in blizzard conditions. My friends wanted to ski runs with names like Panic Attack and Months in Traction, while I preferred Pokey Li'l Pony and Easy Does It. At first, my friends ribbed me good-naturedly. Then they realized I was serious, and became silently ashamed for me. Of course, I tensed up. After my third face-plant, the best skier in the group told me gently, "Martha, every scary obstacle is just an invitation to relax."
One of my favorite fictional characters is a parrot from Tom Robbins's Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates. The parrot speaks words only once in a great while, and he says just one thing: "People of the world: Relax!"
"You could hit a hole in one and still lose a golf tournament, and you could win without ever hitting a hole in one. A great golfer is someone who usually gets the ball somewhat closer to the hole than most other people. Almost everything in life functions this way. No break is big enough to end all your problems, but consistently getting reasonably close to your objective, task after task, will put you far ahead of most other people. So dream of the hole in one, but know you can be a champion just by getting it on the green."
~ Martha Beck
March 2008 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Life-Coach-Martha-Becks-5-New-Best-Pieces-of-Advice/
One day—a day that has lingered in my memory despite countless attempts to repress it—I went skiing with a group of expert athletes in blizzard conditions. My friends wanted to ski runs with names like Panic Attack and Months in Traction, while I preferred Pokey Li'l Pony and Easy Does It. At first, my friends ribbed me good-naturedly. Then they realized I was serious, and became silently ashamed for me. Of course, I tensed up. After my third face-plant, the best skier in the group told me gently, "Martha, every scary obstacle is just an invitation to relax."
One of my favorite fictional characters is a parrot from Tom Robbins's Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates. The parrot speaks words only once in a great while, and he says just one thing: "People of the world: Relax!"
"You could hit a hole in one and still lose a golf tournament, and you could win without ever hitting a hole in one. A great golfer is someone who usually gets the ball somewhat closer to the hole than most other people. Almost everything in life functions this way. No break is big enough to end all your problems, but consistently getting reasonably close to your objective, task after task, will put you far ahead of most other people. So dream of the hole in one, but know you can be a champion just by getting it on the green."
~ Martha Beck
Resentment
A poison one swallows with the expectation the other person will die,
welling up from lack of forgiveness.
welling up from lack of forgiveness.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Religious Conviction and Evil
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."
Pascal
Pascal
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Will God get what he wants?
from a review of Rob Bell, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, HarperOne, 2011
Jesus: "do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28, ESV)
He points out the many New Testament passages that point in this direction, like "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Cor. 5:19), and Jesus' statement, "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32). He adds to that verses about God's omnipotence and God's desire that all should be saved.
And then he asks the arresting question, "Will God get what he wants?"
Jesus: "do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28, ESV)
John Wayne as a protective paternal figure
From: Emanuel Levy, John Wayne: Prophet of the American Way of Life, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.: Metuchen, N.J. and London (1988), page 1:
Levy, page 161:
John Wayne was born as Marion Michael Morrison on May 26, 1907, in Winterset, a small town in Iowa. His father, Clyde L. Morrison, was a druggist of Scottish descent, and his mother, Mary Margaret Brown, of pure Irish stock... When he was six, the family moved to Lancaster in Southern California, where his father settled on a ranch...
Levy, page 161:
Wayne's sexuality [in his movie roles] is also monogamous; he neither betrays his screen wives nor flirts with married women. But his domesticity tends to be more familial than marital, family and children are at the center of his pictures. "The longer Wayne kept his promise, kept providing, stayed true, kept being there despite cancer and illnesses and age itself," Michael Malone observed, "the more valued the strength of his fidelity and the integrity of his identity came to be." Women's attraction to the values he stood for was so strong that in the 1970s even the feminists came to admire him as a protective paternal figure.
three stringent rules for living
From: George Carpozi Jr., The John Wayne Story, Arlington House: New Rochelle, NY (1972), page 17:
Clyde Morrison [John Wayne's father] was of Scottish descent... [John] Wayne describes his father as the "kindest, most patient man [he] ever met," saying that the elder Morrison never had an unkind thought in his mind and rarely spoke harshly to his son or anyone else. Nor did he ever lecture young Marion [John Wayne]. But he did teach him three stringent rules for living which have the ring of orders tumbling from the lips of Davy Crockett in the nineteenth century:
1. Always keep your word.
2. A gentleman never insults anybody intentionally.
3. Don't go around looking for trouble. But if you ever get in a fight, make sure you win it.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Our limitation is God's opportunity
quotes from same kind of different as me: a modern-day slave, and international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together, by Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2006.
There's somethin I learned when I was homeless: Our limitation is God's opportunity. When you get all the way to the end of your rope and there ain't nothin you can do, that's when God takes over.
I remember one time I was hunkered down in the hobo jungle with some folks. We was talkin 'bout life, and this fella was talkin, said, "People think they're in control, but they ain't. The truth is, that which must befall thee must befall thee. And that which must pass thee by must past thee by."
You'd be surprised what you can learn talkin to homeless people. I learned to accept life for what it is. ...
Sometimes to touch us, God touches someone that's close to us. This is what opens our eyes to the fact there is a higher power than ourselves, whether we call it God or not. ...
And I can tell you something else--I don't care what no doctors say, Miss Debbie ain't goin nowhere till she finished the work here on earth that God gave her to do.
Denver Moore, p. 169-170
When we let Miss Debbie down into the ground, I knowed it wadn't nothin but her earthly body. But I still felt my heart sinkin right down into that hole. ...
And I told Him I didn't like it. That's the good think 'bout God. Since He can see right through your heart anyway, you can go on and tell Him what you really think. ...
I cried and cried out loud and told Miss Debbie that was the most important thing she taught me: "ever man should have the courage to stand up and face the enemy," I said, "cause ever person that looks like a enemy on the outside ain't necessarily one on the inside. We all has more in common that we think. You stood up with courage and faced me when I was dangerous, and it changed my life. You loved me for who I was on the inside, the person God meant for me to be, the one that had just gotten lost for a while on some ugly roads in life."
Denver Moore, p. 192-193
Why Avoiding Rejection Is a Major Mistake
"At 40 I now believe rejection is God's way of kicking you to higher ground."
~ Suzanne Finnamore
~ Suzanne Finnamore
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Promises of God Are True
Tom Long, a former preaching professor at Princeton, says that while he was at Princeton, he went to a nearby Presbyterian church that prides itself on being an academic, intellectual church. Early on, he said, he went to a family night supper and sat down next to a man, introduced himself, told him he was new, and said, “Have you been here long?”
“Oh yes,” the man said. “In fact I was here before this became such a scholarly church. Why I’m probably the only non-intellectual left. I haven’t understood a sermon in over 25 years.”
“Then why do you keep coming,” Tom asked?
“Because every Monday night a group of us get in the church van and drive over to the youth correctional center. Sometimes we play basketball, or play games. Usually we share a Bible story. But mostly we just get to know these kids and listen to them.
“I started going because Christians are supposed to do those kind of things. But now I could never stop. Sharing the love of God at that youth center has changed my life.”
And then he said this profound statement. “You cannot prove the promises of God in advance, but if you live them, they’re true, every one.”
“Oh yes,” the man said. “In fact I was here before this became such a scholarly church. Why I’m probably the only non-intellectual left. I haven’t understood a sermon in over 25 years.”
“Then why do you keep coming,” Tom asked?
“Because every Monday night a group of us get in the church van and drive over to the youth correctional center. Sometimes we play basketball, or play games. Usually we share a Bible story. But mostly we just get to know these kids and listen to them.
“I started going because Christians are supposed to do those kind of things. But now I could never stop. Sharing the love of God at that youth center has changed my life.”
And then he said this profound statement. “You cannot prove the promises of God in advance, but if you live them, they’re true, every one.”
Monday, March 14, 2011
intense anger over injured dignity
The Wall Street Journal
THE SATURDAY ESSAY
MARCH 12, 2011
Is China Next?
By FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
Will the protests that have swept the Middle East inspire a similar movement in China, or is that country's middle class more interested in the material than the political?
quote:
"Over the course of three short months, popular uprisings have toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, sparked a civil war in Libya and created unrest in other parts of the Middle East. They also have raised a question in many people's minds: Are all authoritarian regimes now threatened by this new democratic wave? In particular, is China, a rising superpower, vulnerable to these forces?"
...
"Perhaps the most relevant thinker for understanding the Middle East today and China tomorrow is the late Samuel Huntington—not the Huntington of "The Clash of Civilizations," who argued that there were fundamental incompatibilities between Islam and democracy, but the Huntington whose classic book "Political Order in Changing Societies," first published in 1968, laid out his theory of the development "gap."
Observing the high levels of political instability plaguing countries in the developing world during the 1950s and '60s, Mr. Huntington noted that increasing levels of economic and social development often led to coups, revolutions and military takeovers. This could be explained, he argued, by a gap between the newly mobilized, educated and economically empowered people and their existing political system—that is, between their hopes for political participation and institutions that gave them little or no voice. Attacks against the existing political order, he noted, are seldom driven by the poorest of the poor in such a society; they tend to be led, instead, by rising middle classes who are frustrated by the lack of political and economic opportunity."
...
"It is certainly true that the dry tinder of social discontent is just as present in China as in the Middle East. The incident that triggered the Tunisian uprising was the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, who had his vegetable cart repeatedly confiscated by the authorities and who was slapped and insulted by the police when he went to complain. This issue dogs all regimes that have neither the rule of law nor public accountability: The authorities routinely fail to respect the dignity of ordinary citizens and run roughshod over their rights. There is no culture in which this sort of behavior is not strongly resented."
...
"All social revolutions are driven by intense anger over injured dignity, an anger that is sometimes crystallized by a single incident or image that mobilizes previously disorganized individuals and binds them into a community."
—Mr. Fukuyama is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. His new book, "The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution," will be published next month.
http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB10001424052748703560404576188981829658442
.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read
THE SATURDAY ESSAY
MARCH 12, 2011
Is China Next?
By FRANCIS FUKUYAMA
Will the protests that have swept the Middle East inspire a similar movement in China, or is that country's middle class more interested in the material than the political?
quote:
"Over the course of three short months, popular uprisings have toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt, sparked a civil war in Libya and created unrest in other parts of the Middle East. They also have raised a question in many people's minds: Are all authoritarian regimes now threatened by this new democratic wave? In particular, is China, a rising superpower, vulnerable to these forces?"
...
"Perhaps the most relevant thinker for understanding the Middle East today and China tomorrow is the late Samuel Huntington—not the Huntington of "The Clash of Civilizations," who argued that there were fundamental incompatibilities between Islam and democracy, but the Huntington whose classic book "Political Order in Changing Societies," first published in 1968, laid out his theory of the development "gap."
Observing the high levels of political instability plaguing countries in the developing world during the 1950s and '60s, Mr. Huntington noted that increasing levels of economic and social development often led to coups, revolutions and military takeovers. This could be explained, he argued, by a gap between the newly mobilized, educated and economically empowered people and their existing political system—that is, between their hopes for political participation and institutions that gave them little or no voice. Attacks against the existing political order, he noted, are seldom driven by the poorest of the poor in such a society; they tend to be led, instead, by rising middle classes who are frustrated by the lack of political and economic opportunity."
...
"It is certainly true that the dry tinder of social discontent is just as present in China as in the Middle East. The incident that triggered the Tunisian uprising was the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, who had his vegetable cart repeatedly confiscated by the authorities and who was slapped and insulted by the police when he went to complain. This issue dogs all regimes that have neither the rule of law nor public accountability: The authorities routinely fail to respect the dignity of ordinary citizens and run roughshod over their rights. There is no culture in which this sort of behavior is not strongly resented."
...
"All social revolutions are driven by intense anger over injured dignity, an anger that is sometimes crystallized by a single incident or image that mobilizes previously disorganized individuals and binds them into a community."
—Mr. Fukuyama is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. His new book, "The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution," will be published next month.
http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB10001424052748703560404576188981829658442
.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Handling a Temper Tantrum
Michael Potegal, Ph.D., a pediatric neuropsychologist at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis:
"When you comfort a child in the middle of a tantrum, you reinforce the behavior. Instead, say 'I'm sorry you're upset. When you calm down, I'll give you a hug and we can talk about what happened.'"
This way, you offer support and sympathy while still showing your tot how to regulate his emotions.
"Since that meltdown, I've learned to say 'I'm not talking to you while you're behaving like this,'" [My friend Mana Heydarpour of New York City] says.
"Why toddlers throw temper tantrums"
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/21/
toddlers.temper.tantrums.parenting/
index.html?hpt=Sbin
"When you comfort a child in the middle of a tantrum, you reinforce the behavior. Instead, say 'I'm sorry you're upset. When you calm down, I'll give you a hug and we can talk about what happened.'"
This way, you offer support and sympathy while still showing your tot how to regulate his emotions.
"Since that meltdown, I've learned to say 'I'm not talking to you while you're behaving like this,'" [My friend Mana Heydarpour of New York City] says.
"Why toddlers throw temper tantrums"
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/21/
toddlers.temper.tantrums.parenting/
index.html?hpt=Sbin
Friday, February 18, 2011
a great deal of religion and no love
"Too many people have a great deal of religion and no love."
~ Billy Sunday
~ Billy Sunday
those parts of the Bible I do understand
Mark Twain once said this about the Bible:
"I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits."
"I have no problem with those parts of the Bible I don't understand. It's those parts of the Bible I do understand that gives me fits."
Sunday, February 13, 2011
I Walked a Mile with Pleasure
I Walked a Mile with Pleasure
I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me!
~ Robert Browning Hamilton
I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me!
~ Robert Browning Hamilton
we go from church to tell
"The Gospel is not something we come to church to hear; it is something we go from church to tell."
~ Vance Havner
~ Vance Havner
I am to be concerned
"As a Christian I am to be concerned for the best person, the worst person, the first person, the last person, the least person and the lost person on earth that they might be saved."
~ Robert Aubuchon
~ Robert Aubuchon
God Wants Us To Be H. U. M. B. L. E. !
God Wants Us To Be H. U. M. B. L. E. !
"H" is for the HUMILITY to acknowledge we are sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ is his name!
"U" is for UNITY. He wants us to be united as brothers and sisters in love. He wants us to "bear with one another lovingly" (Eph 4:1). We must "bear with one another" because we are sinners with the strengths and weaknesses that come with being human.
"M" is for MISSION. We must understand His mission for us as a Church community and as individuals in the Body of Christ. We must continuously seek God's will in our lives and then DO IT! ("When all is said and done, more is said than done!")
"B" is for BOLDNESS. We must be bold in sharing God's love with others. We must be willing to take the risk of being rejected. Rejection will happen to us just as it happened to Jesus. We never know how the Holy Spirit may be using us to plant seeds in another person's life even though we may initially experience rejection. Be BOLD for Jesus!
"L" is for LOVE. Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself. P.S. - Don't forget to love yourself. God made you in his image.
"E" is for EVANGELIZE! It is the mission of the Church and everyone in it. Tell the world and those around you that God loves them, that Jesus loves them so much that he died on the cross for them and that he sent the Holy Spirit to purify us, to make us holy and to empower us to carry out his mission for us with charisma!
Remember, God wants us to be H. U. M. B. L. E.
Humility, Unity, Mission, Boldness, Love, Evangelize
~ Joe Boroden
"H" is for the HUMILITY to acknowledge we are sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus Christ is his name!
"U" is for UNITY. He wants us to be united as brothers and sisters in love. He wants us to "bear with one another lovingly" (Eph 4:1). We must "bear with one another" because we are sinners with the strengths and weaknesses that come with being human.
"M" is for MISSION. We must understand His mission for us as a Church community and as individuals in the Body of Christ. We must continuously seek God's will in our lives and then DO IT! ("When all is said and done, more is said than done!")
"B" is for BOLDNESS. We must be bold in sharing God's love with others. We must be willing to take the risk of being rejected. Rejection will happen to us just as it happened to Jesus. We never know how the Holy Spirit may be using us to plant seeds in another person's life even though we may initially experience rejection. Be BOLD for Jesus!
"L" is for LOVE. Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself. P.S. - Don't forget to love yourself. God made you in his image.
"E" is for EVANGELIZE! It is the mission of the Church and everyone in it. Tell the world and those around you that God loves them, that Jesus loves them so much that he died on the cross for them and that he sent the Holy Spirit to purify us, to make us holy and to empower us to carry out his mission for us with charisma!
Remember, God wants us to be H. U. M. B. L. E.
Humility, Unity, Mission, Boldness, Love, Evangelize
~ Joe Boroden
Don't say it
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it."
~ Sam Levenson
~ Sam Levenson
Those who matter don't mind
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
~ Dr. Seuss
~ Dr. Seuss
You must begin with God
"The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born BY his purpose and FOR his purpose."
~ Rick Warren from "The Purpose Driven Life"
~ Rick Warren from "The Purpose Driven Life"
God will intervene on our behalf
"How do you react when you're snubbed or mistreated? It's best not to lash out but instead leave the matter in God's hands. Someone once wrote: 'When you are quick to fight your own battles, Jesus steps aside and gives you the job.' But if we refuse to retaliate, God will intervene on our behalf."
~ Author Unknown
~ Author Unknown
Godlike Justice & Compassion
"We evaluate others with a godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a godlike compassion."
~ Sydney J. Harris
~ Sydney J. Harris
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Gender Gap: College women more emotionally stressed
New York Times
January 26, 2011
Record Level of Stress Found in College Freshmen
By TAMAR LEWIN
quote:
"Linda Sax, a professor of education at U.C.L.A. and former director of the freshman study who uses the data in research about college gender gaps, said the gap between men and women on emotional well-being was one of the largest in the survey.
“One aspect of it is how women and men spent their leisure time,” she said. “Men tend to find more time for leisure and activities that relieve stress, like exercise and sports, while women tend to take on more responsibilities, like volunteer work and helping out with their family, that don’t relieve stress.”
In addition, Professor Sax has explored the role of the faculty in college students’ emotional health, and found that interactions with faculty members were particularly salient for women. Negative interactions had a greater impact on their mental health.
“Women’s sense of emotional well-being was more closely tied to how they felt the faculty treated them,” she said. “It wasn’t so much the level of contact as whether they felt they were being taken seriously by the professor. If not, it was more detrimental to women than to men.”
She added: “And while men who challenged their professor’s ideas in class had a decline in stress, for women it was associated with a decline in well-being.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/education/27colleges.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
January 26, 2011
Record Level of Stress Found in College Freshmen
By TAMAR LEWIN
quote:
"Linda Sax, a professor of education at U.C.L.A. and former director of the freshman study who uses the data in research about college gender gaps, said the gap between men and women on emotional well-being was one of the largest in the survey.
“One aspect of it is how women and men spent their leisure time,” she said. “Men tend to find more time for leisure and activities that relieve stress, like exercise and sports, while women tend to take on more responsibilities, like volunteer work and helping out with their family, that don’t relieve stress.”
In addition, Professor Sax has explored the role of the faculty in college students’ emotional health, and found that interactions with faculty members were particularly salient for women. Negative interactions had a greater impact on their mental health.
“Women’s sense of emotional well-being was more closely tied to how they felt the faculty treated them,” she said. “It wasn’t so much the level of contact as whether they felt they were being taken seriously by the professor. If not, it was more detrimental to women than to men.”
She added: “And while men who challenged their professor’s ideas in class had a decline in stress, for women it was associated with a decline in well-being.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/27/education/27colleges.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
Monday, January 31, 2011
Grace always trumps Karma
"Grace always trumps Karma."
"Take baby steps toward the better not the worse."
~ Rev. Dr. Paul MacMurray, 1/30/11
"Take baby steps toward the better not the worse."
~ Rev. Dr. Paul MacMurray, 1/30/11
Let me be in your healing presence
Sometimes I lie awake with negative, fearful thoughts churning me down into a whirlpool of hopelessness. The prayer that God gave me for these times is "Let me be in your healing presence." This is the simplest basic need I have, deeper than words. I need God to hold me on his lap, with his arms around me, and to let me be in his healing presence.
I pray for you that you will be in God's healing presence.
I pray for you that you will be in God's healing presence.
Friday, January 21, 2011
to stand by one’s child and watch his back
Taiwanese author Lung Ying-tai wrote in her book “Seeing Off” that the role of a parent is merely to stand by one’s child and watch his back as he gradually ventures afar.
http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/
helen-he-dont-demonize-chinese-mothers-545975
http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/
helen-he-dont-demonize-chinese-mothers-545975
don't know why you needed to insult me
Bryant says, "I reply all the time by saying, 'Thank you for writing, I appreciate your opinion though I don't know why you needed to insult me.'"
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/21/
pearlman.online.civility/index.html?hpt=C2
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/01/21/
pearlman.online.civility/index.html?hpt=C2
Thursday, January 06, 2011
a good heart shines bright and keeps his course truly
William Shakespeare
Henry V
Act 5, Scene 2, Page 6
King Henry V:
"A good leg will fall, a straight back will stoop, a black beard will turn white, a curled pate will grow bald, a fair face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow, but a good heart ... shines bright and never changes, but keeps his course truly. If thou would have such a one, take me."
Henry V
Act 5, Scene 2, Page 6
King Henry V:
"A good leg will fall, a straight back will stoop, a black beard will turn white, a curled pate will grow bald, a fair face will wither, a full eye will wax hollow, but a good heart ... shines bright and never changes, but keeps his course truly. If thou would have such a one, take me."
Saturday, January 01, 2011
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