Deception -- a complete lack of personal responsibility

a quote from Annette John-Hall about lack of personal responsibility:

"the continued refusal ... to accept --
"a don't-ask, don't-tell understanding that only leads to secretive liaisons ...
and a deception that comes with it,
a complete lack of personal responsibility,
that could lead to deadly consequences"

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/
local/20080226_Annette_John-Hall

Turning the trivial into the meaningful

Associated Press, Feb. 26, 2008

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick chided Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday for accusing his friend and political ally Barack Obama of plagiarizing lines from Patrick's speeches.
"I guess if you have little else to say, then you turn the trivial into the meaningful," Patrick said.
Clinton has criticized Obama for using some of Patrick's lines.
Patrick dismissed the accusations by Clinton as "sort of a tempest in a teapot."
- AP

Care more if there was something wrong with me

Dr. Phil show about Aimee, an anorexic and bulemic woman:

After introducing Aimee to the doctors, Dr. Phil tells her, “You said something at the end of your taped piece, which I know you were watching. You said, 'I'm so afraid that Dr. Phil is going to think I'm fat.' Why do you think I care whether you weigh an extra 20, 30, 40 pounds? Do you think I would think less of you?”
When Aimee nods, Dr. Phil asks, “Why?”
“I don't know,” she says. “I've always thought that people would care about me more if there was something wrong with me. And I thought that if I had a little bit of extra weight on, you just wouldn't think that I was sick enough to give me any kind of help.”

“Do you feel the pull to want to go be alone with your disease?” Dr. Phil asks her.
She nods. “Mm-hmm.”

Dr. Phil: "There's a point at which she's got to say, does she not, ‘I'm going have to give some control over to people who have a clearer view than I.’”

Dr. Fields: "Because the decision ultimately is up to you, and you've got to let go of the control."

Jennifer, who overcame anorexia: "I have to say, over the past eight months, I had to give up a lot of the control in order to gain my life back, but I decided that I didn't want to live like a vegetable anymore. I didn't want to be cared for and taken care of and so dependent upon my parents, and I think there's a little — just a little spark of hope within you that wants that as well. And if there is, I want to do whatever I can to inspire you to really conquer this because you can do it. It is possible.”

Dr. Phil: “You've got to be willing to give up some control here and trust that people around you love you and care about you and want to help you. Give yourself this chance. We're not going to do it to you; we're going to do it with you. OK? We're in this together. Deal?”

“Yes,” she says.

http://www.drphil.com/shows/show/1031/

Oscar Acceptance Speeches

"I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!"
~ Sally Field, (Best Actress, 1985, "Places in the Heart," after having won in 1980 for "Norma Rae")

"ideal" speech:
"This is an honor and privilege. Thank you very much."
~ Joe Pesci (Best Supporting Actor, "GoodFellas," 1991)

"Films and life are like clay, waiting for us to mold it. And when you trust your own insides and that becomes achievement, it's a kind of principle that seems to me is at work with everyone. God bless that principle. God bless that potential that we all have for making anything possible if we think we deserve it."
And then she added: "I deserve this."
~ Shirley MacLaine (Best Actress, 1983, "Terms of Endearment")

"Gandhi simply asked that we should examine the criteria by which we judge the manner of solving our problems. That surely in the 20th century, we human beings, searching for our human dignity, could find other ways of ultimately solving our problems than blowing the other man's head off. He begged us to reexamine that criteria . . ."
~ Director Richard Attenborough (Director, 1983, "Gandhi")

one-liners:

"It couldn't have happened ... to an older guy."
~ 80-year-old George Burns (Supporting Actor award, 1976, for Neil Simon's movie "The Sunshine Boys")

"I was going to thank all the little people, but then I remembered I am the little people."
~ Songwriter Paul Williams (for the lyrics to "Evergreen" in Barbra Streisand's "A Star is Born," 1977)

quote:
Don't overprepare. Your 3-x-5 card should have three items on it. For example:
1. Self-deprecating one-liner joke
2. Suck up to X (director, studio exec, casting agent, soon-to-be-ex-spouse -- choose ONE)
3. Thank Academy

~ Jim Emerson
"Your Oscar Speech: Don't Blow It!"
http://movies.msn.com/movies/oscars2008/speeches?
ptid=6e2fcdef-50eb-47bb-a2d4-a107e47d93a9&GT1=10947&mpc=2

Some Good Quotes

from the Internet:

Religion is hanging around the cross.
Christianity is hanging on the cross.

It's hard for God to walk with a man
who gets his mind made up
to do things his own way.

God loves us the way we are
but He loves us too much to leave us that way.

Faith is not belief without proof,
but trust without reservations.

God doesn't call people who are qualified.
He calls people who are willing,
and then He qualifies them.

Intercessory prayer might be defined as
loving our neighbor on our knees.

That First Longing

Carl Jung, the great psychoanalyst, tried to explain why so many people were fascinated by UFO phenomena. He wrote: "We are all born to believe. The eyes may be wrong, but the psyche is right. We are all looking for a perfect model of ourselves."

C. S. Lewis made the same point when he observed: "Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.
The longings which arise in us when we first fall in love, or first think of some foreign country, or first take up some subject that excites us, are longings which no marriage, no travel, no learning can really satisfy. I am not now speaking of what would ordinarily be called unsuccessful marriages, or holidays, or learned careers. I am speaking of the best possible ones. There was something we grasped at, in that first moment of longing, which just fades away in reality.
I think everyone knows what I mean. The wife may be a good wife, and the hotels and scenery may have been excellent, and chemistry may be a very interesting job, but something has evaded us."

(quoted in The Joyful Christian)

~ Robert Bachelder, Between Dying and Birth, CSS Publishing Company

Criticizing Evangelistic Efforts

One day a man criticized D. L. Moody for his methods of evangelism in attempting to win people to the Lord.
Moody's reply was "I agree with you. I don't like the way I do it either. Tell me, how do you do it?"
The man replied, "I don't do it."
Moody retorted, "Then I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it."

The Orthodox Feast of the Samaritan Woman.

To this day, that nameless Samaritan woman, the first unexpected evangelist, is revered in many cultures. In southern Mexico, La Samaritana is remembered on the fourth Friday in Lent, when specially-flavored water is given to commemorate her gift of water to Jesus.
The Orthodox know her as St. Photini, or Svetlana in Russian. Her name means "equal to the apostles," and she is honored as apostle and martyr on the Feast of the Samaritan Woman.

~ author unknown

A Safe Anchorage for the Spirit

"In this busy age, in these days of intense scientific activity as we approach the conquest of space, it is not surprising that we find ourselves restless, unfulfilled, unsatisfied. Amidst all this kaleidoscopic movement, the inner soul of man must find an eternal harbor, some home port that will stay put, his own internal haven of peace.

When he fails to find such an anchorage his mind refuses the challenge of change. Mental illness becomes an epidemic of the times, and youth, cast afloat on uncharted seas, lacks assurance. The cry of pain and insecurity rises from the hearts of the untrained—‘Where am I?”—‘Where am I going?’—‘Who and where is the authority?’ And the world is too busy to answer.

Yet the answer is there. The answer is in the majestic order of the Universe and its obedience to unchanging law. This timeless, changeless order is an assurance of unchallenged authority, a sign of safe anchorage for the troubled spirit of man. Like the growth of a child from infant to adult, man is ‘discovering’ worlds new to him, but old to God.

When this is fully realized man can stand straight and tall, assured in the face of apparent uncertainty, secure in the knowledge of the way home, at peace with himself because he is at peace with God.”

~ John B. Medaris
American Major General John B. Medaris planned and executed the Ordinance phase of the Invasion of Normandy.

quote from pages 53-54, Mackay, John A.. The Presbyterian Way of Life. Englewoood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1960.

note:
For me, this safe anchorage for the spirit is Jesus Christ. "All things are of the Father; all things are through the Son; all things are by the Spirit."
(Mackay, 63)

~ Truthful Grace

Evil from Religious Conviction

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."

~ Blaise Pascal

The more you're listened to

"The less you talk, the more you're listened to."

~ Abigail Van Buren

Always Available

The great baseball manager Leo Durocher was once asked who was the all-time favorite player he had coached. Lots of people were shocked when he named Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes was a little known pinch hitter, not a really big name player.
Durocher was asked, "What was so special about Dusty Rhodes?"
He replied, "In a tight game when I looked down the bench for a pinch hitter, some players would avert their gaze and refuse to look in my direction. But Dusty Rhodes would look me right in the eye, smile, and tap on his bat."
He was always available.
New birth is more likely to happen to persons who make themselves available to God.

~ Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons

The Ability to Focus on Your Survival

from Sizzle and Burn, by Jayne Ann Krentz:
(underlining added by blogger)

"I thought the appearance of multiple high-level talents in any one individual was supposed to be impossible. ... The experts claim that one talent always becomes dominant." ...
"There is a logical explanation for why one talent is almost always dominant."
"Something to do with overstimulation of the brain, right?"

"The brain is designed to process a vast amount of incoming data supplied by all the senses. It is also engineered to tune out unimportant or unnecessary information coming in from those senses. We call it the ability to focus. But if that ability is overridden, the brain can short-circuit, for want of a better term."
"Information overload."
"[Handling a high-level talent] takes a lot of willpower and self-control. Just imagine what it would be like to deal with two equally powerful talents."
p. 203

"The brain's primary job is to ensure your survival. Generally speaking, emotions like happiness or cheerfulness don't represent a threat so, with the notable exception of sex, ... your brain has evolved to ignore the good feelings and concentrate on the bad."
p. 59-60

Give yourself room to fail

from Sizzle and Burn, by Jayne Ann Krentz:

"Failure happens. It's how we learn and change and grow. If you don't give yourself room to fail, you'll live your life inside an iron cage that will gradually get smaller and smaller until you can't even breathe."
p. 307-308

The Ability to Focus

from Sizzle and Burn, by Jayne Ann Krentz:

"I thought the appearance of multiple high-level talents in any one individual was supposed to be impossible. ... The experts claim that one talent always becomes dominant." ...
"There is a logical explanation for why one talent is almost always dominant."
"Something to do with overstimulation of the brain, right?"

"The brain is designed to process a vast amount of incoming data supplied by all the senses. It is also engineered to tune out unimportant or unnecessary information coming in from those senses. We call it the ability to focus. But if that ability is overridden, the brain can short-circuit, for want of a better term."
"Information overload."
"[Handling a high-level talent] takes a lot of willpower and self-control. Just imagine what it would be like to deal with two equally powerful talents."

p. 203

Clever to be Simple

"It's easy to be clever, but the really clever thing is to be simple."

~ Jule Styne, songwriter

Sincerity

"Taking out the garbage without being asked is the sincerest form of foreplay."

~ author unknown

Masculine and Feminine God

from Henri Nouwen's Return of the Prodigal Son:

"Often I have asked friends to give me their first impression of Rembrandt's Prodigal Son. Inevitably, they point to the wise old man who forgives his son: the benevolent patriarch.

"The longer I look at 'the patriarch', the clearer it became to me that Rembrandt had done something quite different from letting God pose as the wise old head of a family. It all began with the hands. The two are quite different. The father's left hand touching the son's shoulder is strong and muscular. The fingers are spread out and cover a large part of the prodigal son's shoulder and back. I can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That hand seems not only to touch, but, with its strength, also to hold. Even though there is a gentleness in the way the father's left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip.

"How different is the father's right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son's shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother's hand.... "

As soon as I recognized the difference between the two hands of the father, a new world of meaning opened up for me. The Father is not simply a great patriarch. He is mother as well as father. He touches the son with a masculine hand and a feminine hand. He holds, and she caresses. He confirms and she consoles. He is , indeed, God, in whom both manhood and womanhood, fatherhood and motherhood, are fully present. That gentle and caressing right hand echoes for me the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Can a woman forget her baby at the breast, feel no pity for the child she has borne? Even if these were to forget, I shall not forget you. Look, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."

Henri Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. New York: Doubleday, 1992. p. 98-99.

painting:
The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/
html_En/03/hm3_3_1_4d.html
The Return of the Prodigal Son
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-1669)
Oil on canvas; 262 x 205 cm, c. 1662
"The subject comes from the Bible, The Gospel According to Luke, XV: 20-24. The artist had already turned to the theme several times in his graphic works, but in the Hermitage painting, created not long before his death, the painter endowed it with the sense of great tragedy elevated to a symbol of universal significance. Complex emotions are expressed in the figure of the bent old man and his suffering, kneeling son: repentance and charity, boundless love and regret at the belated spiritual awakening. These images represent the summit of Rembrandt's psychological mastery."

for a more detailed image see also:
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/
rembrandt/prodigal_son.jpg.html

Rembrandt was close to his death at age 63 when he painted his Prodigal Son.

Effervescence

Effervescence

"Paris' name has become synonymous with everything that is wrong with celebrity."
"And yet ...
... meet her in the flesh, and it's virtually impossible not to like — even adore — Paris." ...
"It's clear that Paris has been schooled in the art of being public. ...
She responds to questions with simple one-sentence declaratives. ..."
"One thing is certain: Paris Whitney Hilton is almost more of a mood than a person. She's the distillation of pure charisma and desire, of what French sociologist Emil Durkheim defined as 'effervescence' — the intense force that excites us and binds us together as a group during religious festivals (and football games)."
"Fizz." ...
"She is famous for being famous, charisma without content, bottled and sold by movie producers, perfumers, promoters and journalists."

~ Tirdad Derakhshani
Philadelphia Inquirer
"My 20 minutes with Paris, her peeps, her pep and pop"
Feb. 6, 2008

What to Give Up for Lent

Rev. Craig Gates, Jackson, MS, "WHAT TO GIVE UP FOR LENT"

Give Up

GIVE UP grumbling! Instead, "In everything give thanks." Constructive criticism is OK, but "moaning, groaning, and complaining" are not Christian disciplines.

GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion.

GIVE UP looking at other people's worst points. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.

GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?

GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. "Love covers a multitude of sins."

GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God's grace be sufficient.

GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit some lonely or sick person. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the "tube?" Give someone a precious gift: your time!

GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We are called to be stewards of God's riches, not consumers.

GIVE UP judging by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ.

Cyrus Brown's Prayer

"Cyrus Brown's Prayer" by Sam Walter Foss:

"The proper way for man to pray,"
Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,
"And the only proper attitude,
Is down upon his knees."

"No, I should say the way to pray,"
Said Reverend Dr. Wise,
"Is standing straight with outstretched arms,
And rapt and upturned eyes."

"Oh, no, no, no!" said Elder Slow,
"Such posture is too proud;
A man should pray with eyes fast closed,
And head contritely bowed."

"It seems to me his hands should be
Austerely clasped in front.
With both thumbs pointing toward the ground,"
Said Reverend Dr. Blunt.

"Las' year I fell in Hodgkin's well
Head first," said Cyrus Brown.
"With both my heels a-stickin' up,
My head a-pointin' down;

"An' I made a prayer right then an' there...

The Ronald Reagan Rule

The Ronald Reagan Rule:
"the person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and ally"

Dick Polman, Philadelphia Inquirer
Sun, Feb. 3, 2008
The American Debate: The rise and gall of McCain
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/
20080203_The_American_Debate_
_The_rise_and_gall_of_McCain.html

Think about what you're doing

"I thought it was pretty good, but athletes don't think about history when making history. They think about what they're doing, and that's how it gets done."

~ NADIA COMANECI, the Romanian gymnast, on the routine that won her a perfect score at the 1976 Olympics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/
sports/football/03perfect.html?th&emc=th

Learned Books vs. Learned You

"Do not be guilty of possessing a library of learned books while lacking learning yourself."

~ Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

Lead, follow, or get out of the way

"Lead, follow, or get out of the way."

~ Laurence J. Peter