"The glory of God is mankind fully alive."
~ Irenaeus
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Chronological Snobbery
quote from Sam O'Neal,
Managing Editor, BuildingSmallGroups.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
"Back in college, one of my favorite professors used to spend entire lessons railing against a practice that he called "Chronological Snobbery" (which I still think is a very cool phrase). This practice refers to placing a higher value on a theological or hermeneutical interpretation just because it's "new."
Thus, those who are guilty of chronological snobbery often ignore the practices and beliefs of the historical church in favor of whatever book happens to be most recently added to the shelf."
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Happiness vs. Success
human nature: Science, technology, and life.
Happiness Sucks: Why joy is bad for you
By William Saletan
Updated Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008, at 8:02 AM ET
quote:
studies:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/
2008-01/uoia-dwb012408.php
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/
idUSTON87744820080128
Happiness Sucks: Why joy is bad for you
By William Saletan
Updated Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008, at 8:02 AM ET
quote:
A study suggests extreme happiness may be bad for you.
Findings:
1) "The highest levels of income, education and political participation were reported not by the most satisfied individuals, but by moderately satisfied individuals."
2) Extremely happy people "earned significantly less money" and earned lower school grades than moderately happy people.
3) They "may not live as long," either.
Theories:
1) Happiness makes you complacent and kills your drive.
2) It makes you slow to adapt.
3) It makes you too optimistic and insufficiently vigilant about your health.
4) It may overstimulate your cardiovascular system.
Researchers' conclusions:
1) "Happiness may need to be moderated for success."
2) "Extremely high levels of happiness might not be a desirable goal."Human nature's conclusions:
1) Success may need to be moderated for happiness.
2) Extremely high levels of success might not be a desirable goal.
studies:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/
2008-01/uoia-dwb012408.php
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/
idUSTON87744820080128
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Liberating others
"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."
~ Nelson Mandela, 1994, Inaugural Speech
~ Nelson Mandela, 1994, Inaugural Speech
Failure is not fatal
Success is not final, failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to continue that counts.
~ Winston Churchill
it is the courage to continue that counts.
~ Winston Churchill
Begin again more intelligently
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.
~ Henry Ford
~ Henry Ford
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Distorted humor from a comedian
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger.
Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."
~ Mel Brooks
Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."
~ Mel Brooks
All Is Well
Julian of Norwich was one of the great mystics of the Medieval Church.
“all will be well,
and all will be well,
and every kind of thing will be well”
“all will be well,
and all will be well,
and every kind of thing will be well”
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
quotes from Bo Bennett
A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements.
If you want plenty of experience in dealing with difficult people, then have kids.
It is not our mistakes that define who we are; it is how we recover from those mistakes.
It's not people who resent successful people; it's resentful people who resent successful people.
Never expect people to treat you any better than you treat yourself.
Not managing your time and making excuses are two bad habits. Don't put them both together by claiming you "don't have the time".
People who come from dysfunctional families are not destined for a dysfunctional life.
Remember that it is not where you come from, or not even where you are; it is where you are going that matters most.
Show interest in ALL people, not just those from whom you want something. Making people feel important and good about themselves is just the right thing to do.
Success is not in what you have, but who you are.
The best way to lose a job is just not to care. When you do not care, it shows in everything you do.
The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself.
The only place opportunity cannot be found is in a closed-minded person.
The secret to having everything you want out of life is the realization that you really don't want most of the things you think you want.
Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.
True popularity comes from acts of kindness rather than acts of stupidity.
Using rhetorical questions in speeches is a great way to keep the audience involved. Don't you think those kinds of questions would keep your attention?
Value people on their potential, not on their history.
You are not, nor ever will be, better than anyone else besides the person you are now.
~ Bo Bennett
If you want plenty of experience in dealing with difficult people, then have kids.
It is not our mistakes that define who we are; it is how we recover from those mistakes.
It's not people who resent successful people; it's resentful people who resent successful people.
Never expect people to treat you any better than you treat yourself.
Not managing your time and making excuses are two bad habits. Don't put them both together by claiming you "don't have the time".
People who come from dysfunctional families are not destined for a dysfunctional life.
Remember that it is not where you come from, or not even where you are; it is where you are going that matters most.
Show interest in ALL people, not just those from whom you want something. Making people feel important and good about themselves is just the right thing to do.
Success is not in what you have, but who you are.
The best way to lose a job is just not to care. When you do not care, it shows in everything you do.
The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself.
The only place opportunity cannot be found is in a closed-minded person.
The secret to having everything you want out of life is the realization that you really don't want most of the things you think you want.
Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.
True popularity comes from acts of kindness rather than acts of stupidity.
Using rhetorical questions in speeches is a great way to keep the audience involved. Don't you think those kinds of questions would keep your attention?
Value people on their potential, not on their history.
You are not, nor ever will be, better than anyone else besides the person you are now.
~ Bo Bennett
A single influential question
"A single question can be more influential than a thousand statements."
~ Bo Bennett
~ Bo Bennett
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Top 10 Liars' Lies
Leonard Sweet, in his Soul Cafe newsletter, included this list of "Top 10 Liars' Lies":
We'll stay only five minutes.
This will be a short meeting.
I'll respect you in the morning.
The check is in the mail.
I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you.
This hurts me more than it hurts you.
Your money will be cheerfully refunded.
We service what we sell.
Your table will be ready in just a minute.
I'll start exercising (dieting, forgiving … ) tomorrow.
—Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 4.
We'll stay only five minutes.
This will be a short meeting.
I'll respect you in the morning.
The check is in the mail.
I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you.
This hurts me more than it hurts you.
Your money will be cheerfully refunded.
We service what we sell.
Your table will be ready in just a minute.
I'll start exercising (dieting, forgiving … ) tomorrow.
—Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 4.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr. quotes
following quoted from:
http://spotlight.encarta.msn.com/Features/
encnet_Features_Lists_default_article_
MLKQuotations.html?GT1=10789
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a nation to change largely through his riveting speeches. Considered one of the greatest orators in United States history, his thoughts on racial equality have been repeated by many speakers throughout the years since his assassination. His skill with words powered King's nonviolent battle for integration and equal rights. Here are 10 quotations from the eminently quotable activist.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
-- "Stride Toward Freedom," 1958.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.
The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.
Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
-- "I Have a Dream," civil rights march on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963.
(Source: The New York Times)
Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
-- "Why We Can't Wait," 1964.
The security we profess to seek in foreign adventures we will lose in our decaying cities.
-- [Referring to U.S. Vietnam policy.] Address at Riverside Church, New York.
(Source: History Today, April 1998)
http://spotlight.encarta.msn.com/Features/
encnet_Features_Lists_default_article_
MLKQuotations.html?GT1=10789
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a nation to change largely through his riveting speeches. Considered one of the greatest orators in United States history, his thoughts on racial equality have been repeated by many speakers throughout the years since his assassination. His skill with words powered King's nonviolent battle for integration and equal rights. Here are 10 quotations from the eminently quotable activist.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
-- "Stride Toward Freedom," 1958.
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.
The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
-- "Strength to Love," 1963.
Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.
-- "Letter from Birmingham Jail," April 16, 1963.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
-- "I Have a Dream," civil rights march on Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963.
(Source: The New York Times)
Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
-- "Why We Can't Wait," 1964.
The security we profess to seek in foreign adventures we will lose in our decaying cities.
-- [Referring to U.S. Vietnam policy.] Address at Riverside Church, New York.
(Source: History Today, April 1998)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Everything is a grace
"Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our Father's love —
difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs —
everything, because through them, she learns humility, realises her weakness —
Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift.
Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events —
to the heart that loves, all is well."
~ St. Therese of Lisieux
difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs —
everything, because through them, she learns humility, realises her weakness —
Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift.
Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events —
to the heart that loves, all is well."
~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Losing sight of why we are doing this
quoted from
Clinton, Obama Step Back From Flap
By DAVID ESPO
Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/
ALeqM5jld3VILFDbEY6uciu_lp_YgBnGqwD8U61CJG0
Obama was the first to suggest a cooling of the rhetoric on race, calling reporters together to say he didn't want the campaign "to degenerate into so much tit-for-tat, back-and-forth that we lose sight of why all of us are doing this."
Referring to Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, he said that while they may have disagreements, "we share the same goals. We're all Democrats, we all believe in civil rights, we all believe in equal rights."
Clinton's campaign issued a statement in the same vein about an hour after Obama spoke, saying it was time to seek common ground. "And in that spirit, let's come together, because I want more than anything else to ensure that our family stays together on the front lines of the struggle to expand rights for all Americans," she said.
Achieving Peaceful Coexistence with Neighbors
advice from Bill Adler Jr.
author - Outwitting Neighbors: A Practical and Entertaining Guide to Achieving Peaceful Coexistence with the People Next Door
quoted from a CNN article about RottenNeighbor.com
Surviving Your Nasty Neighbor
by E. Bougerol
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/
wayoflife/01/14/neighbors/index.html
No matter what category your particular complaint is in . . . Adler says nuisance neighbors fall into one of two groups: "those who are rude, brutish and just don't care, and those who are simply ignorant of your side of the story."
Adler stresses that communication is key to keeping the problem from getting downright ugly: Neighbor disputes are the No. 1 reason, in some cities and small towns, why Americans go to court, he says. . . .
"We really want to turn this into a positive thing," he says, "to help resolve issues between neighbors and make people happier where they live."
Adler agrees that getting neighbors to appreciate each other's point of view is the most effective step to resolution -- something he and his wife learned the hard way when that dog crept into their yard. "We didn't deal very well," he says. "We made mistakes we regretted."
He figured others could learn from his mistakes, and penned the book "Outwitting Neighbors: A Practical and Entertaining Guide to Achieving Peaceful Coexistence with the People Next Door." . . .
He offers these tips for coping with bad neighbors before they -- or you -- wind up before a judge (or online).
Five tips for keeping the peace
1. Know your neighbors. Upon moving in, knock on doors, introduce yourself and establish a rapport. That way, when a problem does arise, you'll both want to resolve it peacefully.
2. Bring problems up immediately. Don't delay. The longer you wait, the bigger the problem can get -- literally, in some cases (a new puppy, a tree that blocks your sunlight, an add-on to property).
3. Ask around. Most problems bother more than one neighbor. Gather support to build your case, and consider talking to the offending party as a group.
4. Be nice. Bring your neighbor cookies or a bottle of wine. It sets the stage for an amicable discussion. And if you've been confrontational, apologize. Nothing's more
powerful -- and chances are, they'll apologize back.
5. Be proactive. Try to deal with conflict on your own before taking things to the next level. Unless the offense is truly egregious, reporting a neighbor to the police or another relevant agency is the wrong first move.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Social System of Lions
Physical Characteristics
The lion is a magnificent animal that appears as a symbol of power, courage and nobility on family crests, coats of arms and national flags in many civilizations. Lions at one time were found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India, but today only a very small population remains in India. In the past lions lived in most parts of Africa, but are now confined to the sub-Saharan region. Mature male lions are unique among the cat species for the thick mane of brown or black hair encircling the head and neck. Both male and female lions roar, a sound which can be heard as far as 8 km away.
Habitat
Lions are found in savannas, grasslands, dense bush and woodlands.
Behavior
The lion is an exception to the usual solitary existence of most cat species. It has developed a social system based on teamwork, division of labor and an extended but closed family unit. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals: 5 to 10 females, their young, and 2 or 3 territorial males. These are usually brothers or pride mates who have formed a coalition to protect their females. Because a nursing lioness will come into heat a few weeks after the loss of cubs, males with newly won prides will often kill existing cubs, enabling them to sire their own. When resting, lions seem to enjoy good fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring.
Litters consist of two or three cubs that weigh about 3 pounds each. Some mothers carefully nurture the young; others may neglect or abandon them, especially when food is scarce. Usually two or more females in a pride give birth about the same time, and the cubs are raised together. A lioness will permit cubs other than her own to suckle, sometimes enabling a neglected infant to survive. Capable hunters by 2 years of age, lions become fully grown between 5 and 6 years and normally live about 13 years.
Diet
Cooperative hunting enables lions to take prey as large as buffaloes, rhinos, hippos and giraffes. However, scavenged food provides more than 50% of their diets—lions will often take over kills made by other carnivores. Females do 85-90% of the hunting, usually by setting up an ambush into which they drive the prey. The kill is not shared equally within a pride, and at times of prey scarcity, high juvenile mortality rates occur, as hungry females may not even share with their offspring.
source: African Wildlife Foundation
http://www.awf.org/content/
wildlife/detail/lion
The lion is a magnificent animal that appears as a symbol of power, courage and nobility on family crests, coats of arms and national flags in many civilizations. Lions at one time were found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India, but today only a very small population remains in India. In the past lions lived in most parts of Africa, but are now confined to the sub-Saharan region. Mature male lions are unique among the cat species for the thick mane of brown or black hair encircling the head and neck. Both male and female lions roar, a sound which can be heard as far as 8 km away.
Habitat
Lions are found in savannas, grasslands, dense bush and woodlands.
Behavior
The lion is an exception to the usual solitary existence of most cat species. It has developed a social system based on teamwork, division of labor and an extended but closed family unit. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals: 5 to 10 females, their young, and 2 or 3 territorial males. These are usually brothers or pride mates who have formed a coalition to protect their females. Because a nursing lioness will come into heat a few weeks after the loss of cubs, males with newly won prides will often kill existing cubs, enabling them to sire their own. When resting, lions seem to enjoy good fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring.
Litters consist of two or three cubs that weigh about 3 pounds each. Some mothers carefully nurture the young; others may neglect or abandon them, especially when food is scarce. Usually two or more females in a pride give birth about the same time, and the cubs are raised together. A lioness will permit cubs other than her own to suckle, sometimes enabling a neglected infant to survive. Capable hunters by 2 years of age, lions become fully grown between 5 and 6 years and normally live about 13 years.
Diet
Cooperative hunting enables lions to take prey as large as buffaloes, rhinos, hippos and giraffes. However, scavenged food provides more than 50% of their diets—lions will often take over kills made by other carnivores. Females do 85-90% of the hunting, usually by setting up an ambush into which they drive the prey. The kill is not shared equally within a pride, and at times of prey scarcity, high juvenile mortality rates occur, as hungry females may not even share with their offspring.
source: African Wildlife Foundation
http://www.awf.org/content/
wildlife/detail/lion
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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