Drawing

Creativity

The creative mind that doesn't feed itself will eat itself.
- Ed Young

I find worry intensely creative. It is an imagination unsanctified.

Downy Woodpecker

Promises and Warnings

"Many of God's people tend to claim the promises but doubt the warnings."
-Life in the Spirit Study Bible

My E-Mails to Sens. Levin and Stabenow

I want to make it very clear, that I do NOT want my tax dollars going to fund other people's choices to abort babies. Please do not vote for this part of the Senate's healthcare plan. It is enough to have to watch the death of innocent life without adding insult to injury by being forced to become complicit in the process by paying for it. It is wrong.

Snooze Alarm

"The problem with sleeping Christians is that many of them still talk in their sleep. A word of advice: Either wake up or try not to speak." - from Snooze Alarm

Measuring Stick

"We have got to stop bringing our doctrines down to the level of our weak experience and begin to seek God to bring our experience up to the level of the Scriptures."
- from Measuring Stick

Congrats, little guy!

Congrats, little guy on reaching 10,000+ views this week. I guess people think you're cute. We're sorry we didn't get to see you this summer. We'll stop by one of these days.

Uncertainty and Mystery

Uncertainty and mystery are energies of life. Don't let them scare you unduly, for they keep boredom at bay and spark creativity.
- Unknown

(Unknown and Anonymous are two of the most intelligent people I know.)

Great Lake Gull

Kingdom Clash

You can't read the Gospels, with the powerful words of Jesus, without seeing there is going to be a showdown, a big battle, a final war with the ultimate defeat of this world's system. Jesus drew a sharp distinction between this world and His kingdom.

"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over . . . ." John 18:36

There is a subtle (and yes, sometimes not so subtle) seduction going on in this world, trying to lure us away from God's kingdom.

I want to be on the right side of this conflict.

Short Stuff

An aphorism is a pithy (concise and forcefully expressive) observation that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

An epigram is a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way.

Flatlined Spirituality

"It is a signal mark of decadence when people are more troubled by pain than by sin, by suffering than by moral evil."
- William Temple

Oh my, a stab at the heart. I'm so concerned that many Christians are flatlining spiritually, so afraid in this impassioned time that they might appear to be extreme, that they are settling for mediocrity and lukewarmness.

Netanyahu asks the U.N., "Have you no shame?"

Ahmadinejad denies the holocaust ever happened. Netanyahu asks the U.N., "Have you no shame?" for giving him a forum to speak to the world. Watch here.

Ahmadinejad claims "Israel is a racist state."

The Holocaust denier says that Israel is a racist state, and many walk out. Click here.

Failure?

If you think you've blown it, read this.

"It is a flat failure and the people are disappointed."
- Abraham Lincoln (said following his Gettysburg Address)

Maybe you're wrong about yourself, too!

Questions

"Question with boldness."
- Thomas Jefferson

Healthcare

Is having an opinion about the healthcare debate a political opinion, a moral opinion, or both?

I wonder if they read this!

I wonder if anyone from PETA has read this one. I found it on Twitter this morning and thought it was quite witty.

People are more violently opposed to fur than leather because it's safer to harass rich women than motorcycle gangs.
- Unknown

Language Site

I found this great site for language learning. It's called busuu.com. If you've ever looked at Rosetta Stone and thought, "Yikes!" this is the site for you. Not having used Rosetta Stone, I can't say it's better, but it works for me. There is a whole free section for vocabulary, dialogue, review, tests, etc. and very interactive. The premium section has a fee, but if you work hard, you shouldn't have to pay much. Anyway, if you learn the language in a week, it's free. Yes, they give you the premium sections for one week for free.

Daytime in the Woods

I was particularly happy with this image. This was taken in the middle of the day in the woods at Tahquamenon Falls. The black background is not done with photoshop. The only editing is a crop to put the flower in the lower right third. It was just one of those great captures of a great moment.

Reverence

@jackalopekid on Twitter asked a question on his website: What does reverence mean to you? Here's what I said:

"For me reverence is to give honor through paying attention, and paying attention with the intent of giving God place in my life. It is slowing down to acknowledge Him in all my ways."

Epigram

I think, to write good tweets, you have to work at mastering the art of the epigram. The epigram is defined as "a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way." Being limited to 140 characters doesn't have to limit creativity. In fact, I think a brief statement, delivered in witty fashion, will stick with a person longer. I guess that's why I like quotes.

Global Nomads

What is a global nomad, and what are the implications of this for the church in reaching TCKs?

Dave Gibbons also has a book out called The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third-Culture Church.

Striking a Balance

In the age of extremists, a balanced person will be too much for some and not enough for the others. A balanced person is often considered to be non-committal, moderate, having no convictions. I think it takes a strong commitment to remain balanced.

I had to laugh the other day as I shook my head in disbelief. A conservative commentator was seen with a Moleskine notebook in his hand, much to the horror of some of the more liberal readers of the site. Peggy said, "The fact that he likes moleskines is shocking to me. They are associated with liberal minded, intellectuals. Not the people he appeals to. This makes me almost want to thow away all my moleskines and never use them again."

I thought, "Oh Peggy . . . . only liberals use Moleskines? . . . . oh puhleez . . . . how narrow-minded."

You hear it from all sides. Some say the church should stay out of politics. Some say the church needs to get involved. We have seen in history what has happened when the church has lost its balance and become too involved on the political scene, but there have also been tragic consequences when the church became silent and seemingly complicit with one form or other of extremism.

Knowing when to speak and when to remain silent takes a lot of wisdom and self-control.

My Will v. His Will (aargh)

We find the Christian life so difficult because we seek for God's blessing while we live in our own will.
- Andrew Murray

Christian Romance Review

My wife, Anne, just started a new blog with some brief reviews of Christian romance novels that she has read. You'll have to stop by and check it out.

Save Liam

This story caught my attention yesterday. SaveLiam.org is a group of individuals who are deeply concerned about the welfare and safe return to the USA of Michael McCarty's son Liam Gabriele McCarty who was kidnapped in March of 2007 and taken to Rome Italy where he has been languishing in an Italian orphanage. Although his father has legal custody, the Italian authorities will not turn him over to him.

Socialism

"The trouble with Socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

Here's my spinoff: "You've got it, you've earned it, I want it, I take it. Socialism? No. I thought that was called stealing."

Human selfishness gives way to some form of natural correction. The Christian spirit is a generous spirit. When people no longer operate in this spirit, the State must impose some natural alternative. When the human heart closes itself to others, then others come knocking, and someone will come up with an idea of how to pry it open.

The Measure

"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has overcome while trying to succeed."
- Booker T. Washington