On Sunday, some of our friends came over to play Halo. I was at church, and then at Robby & Heather's, until it was late enough that on coming home I needed to get to sleep.
Through some vein of conversation, my roommate started telling one friend about Coram Deo - specifically, the way we are trying to get out and serve in the community. The friend, who is normally opposed to all forms of organized religion thought it was pretty cool. In his words, "So, it's like a bunch of Daves?"
When my unhurched roommate and a friend who's actively against organized religion are having a conversation about Coram Deo in my absence, and both have a sense that there's something right and proper about a church that wants to actively serve others (and recognize a church doing that for what it is)... that rather made my day.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Lyrical Happiness
Man of No Reputation - Rich Mullins
---
It was said this man was of no reputation
Yet He could stop the rising storm
With a gesture of His hand
But He chose to use His hands to heal
Hearts of darkness, hearts of stone
Just like mine would be revealed
He was a man of no reputation
And by the wise, considered a fool
When He spoke about faith and forgiveness
In a time when the strongest arms ruled
But this man of no reputation
Loved the weak with relentless affection
And He loved all those poor in spirit just as they were
He was a man of no reputation
It was said this man brought only confusion
That He'd achieve his ends by any means
And the truth would bring revolution
And for once they were right
The truth set us free
The hearts of the captive were his only concern
And the powerful knew their days were ending
He was a man of no reputation
And by the wise, considered a fool
When He spoke about faith and forgiveness
In a time when the strongest arms ruled
But this man of no reputation
Loved the weak with relentless affection
And He loved all those poor in spirit just as they were
He was a man of no reputation
One day soon the gates of heaven will open wide
And the Prince of Peace will come back for His bride
But for now we live on these streets
Forbidding and tough
Where push always comes to shove
And it's said love's never enough
Where a prophet in rags gives hope to a fearful world
No injustice, no heart of darkness
Will keep this voice from being heard
He was a man of no reputation
And by the wise, considered a fool
When He spoke about faith and forgiveness
In a time when the strongest arms ruled
But this man of no reputation
Loves us all with relentless affection
And He loves all those poor in spirit, come as you are
To the man of no reputation
---
It was said this man was of no reputation
Yet He could stop the rising storm
With a gesture of His hand
But He chose to use His hands to heal
Hearts of darkness, hearts of stone
Just like mine would be revealed
He was a man of no reputation
And by the wise, considered a fool
When He spoke about faith and forgiveness
In a time when the strongest arms ruled
But this man of no reputation
Loved the weak with relentless affection
And He loved all those poor in spirit just as they were
He was a man of no reputation
It was said this man brought only confusion
That He'd achieve his ends by any means
And the truth would bring revolution
And for once they were right
The truth set us free
The hearts of the captive were his only concern
And the powerful knew their days were ending
He was a man of no reputation
And by the wise, considered a fool
When He spoke about faith and forgiveness
In a time when the strongest arms ruled
But this man of no reputation
Loved the weak with relentless affection
And He loved all those poor in spirit just as they were
He was a man of no reputation
One day soon the gates of heaven will open wide
And the Prince of Peace will come back for His bride
But for now we live on these streets
Forbidding and tough
Where push always comes to shove
And it's said love's never enough
Where a prophet in rags gives hope to a fearful world
No injustice, no heart of darkness
Will keep this voice from being heard
He was a man of no reputation
And by the wise, considered a fool
When He spoke about faith and forgiveness
In a time when the strongest arms ruled
But this man of no reputation
Loves us all with relentless affection
And He loves all those poor in spirit, come as you are
To the man of no reputation
It's a Well-Known Fact
That I am overcome with a desire to buy flashy electronics when I'm feeling down. Whether it serves as a distraction or just an occasion for my endorphins to get busy, it's a readily identifiable habit.
I suppose that's why I'm so tempted by this really sweet camera. What's so sweet? It's 10 Megapixels (which means it has a large sensor - better for low-light conditions). It's a digital SLR (meaning the photographer has oodles more control over the photo than traditional point-and-shoot). It has a Bulb setting, which means you can hold the shotter open indefinitely (until it runs out of power) to get good photos of the stars. It's a fair price (right now) for such a camera. And it would go oh-so-nicely with my new star-picture-taking mount and drive. And I'm heading up to the Black Rock in a couple weeks - what better time to use such a thing???
The truth is, I think I'm just down about a wedding tomorrow. Weddings in general are excellent focal points for any and all feelings of lonliness, and those involving a girl you unsuccessfully tried asking out are that much worse - even if you've accepted that things not working out with her are probably for the best. It still ain't fun, but life isn't always fun.
I think I'll make use of my recently-repaired car and go exploring somewhere tomorrow. Better to get out and find something interesting than to sit around moping. Because as Pumba said in The Lion King, "You gotta put your behind in your past."
I suppose that's why I'm so tempted by this really sweet camera. What's so sweet? It's 10 Megapixels (which means it has a large sensor - better for low-light conditions). It's a digital SLR (meaning the photographer has oodles more control over the photo than traditional point-and-shoot). It has a Bulb setting, which means you can hold the shotter open indefinitely (until it runs out of power) to get good photos of the stars. It's a fair price (right now) for such a camera. And it would go oh-so-nicely with my new star-picture-taking mount and drive. And I'm heading up to the Black Rock in a couple weeks - what better time to use such a thing???
The truth is, I think I'm just down about a wedding tomorrow. Weddings in general are excellent focal points for any and all feelings of lonliness, and those involving a girl you unsuccessfully tried asking out are that much worse - even if you've accepted that things not working out with her are probably for the best. It still ain't fun, but life isn't always fun.
I think I'll make use of my recently-repaired car and go exploring somewhere tomorrow. Better to get out and find something interesting than to sit around moping. Because as Pumba said in The Lion King, "You gotta put your behind in your past."
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
What you don't hear
There's a hostage situation in Afghanistan right now, with 23 South Koreans having been kidnapped, in hopes of freeing some Taliban militants.
The fate of one can be read here in the San Francisco Chronicle.
What it doesn't say is that the Koreans were Christians serving as missionaries, and could face death for their beliefs, as much as for their hostage value. Is there a reason the primary motive of the Koreans for being in such a dangerous country is completely omitted?
The fate of one can be read here in the San Francisco Chronicle.
What it doesn't say is that the Koreans were Christians serving as missionaries, and could face death for their beliefs, as much as for their hostage value. Is there a reason the primary motive of the Koreans for being in such a dangerous country is completely omitted?
Believing Opposites
I never cease to be amazed that people can clearly believe utterly contradictory things. This editorial was written to support new taxes on multinational corporations. It lays out the following:
1) American multinational corporations are burying profits outside the U.S. to avoid taxes
2) Given the option to pay fewer taxes on the earnings, they have "repatriated" them during occasional "tax holidays" in which they could avoid up to 85% of the taxes they'd otherwise pay on it.
3) Therefore, we need to avoid tax holidays and place new taxes on these corporations.
If the goal is to increase tax revenues, or to "make them pay wha they owe," #3 seems rather backward to me. It might sound nice on paper... but we have evidence of corporate behavior that should prove it won't achieve the intended result.
If corporations are moving profits offshore to avoid the present level of taxes, our tax revenue on those is 0%. If we have lower taxes, they choose to pay some of the tax - evidently, they get some benefit from having the profits in the US. The tax revenue we collect is now >0%.
If higher taxes cause more profit-hiding, and thus prevent us from collecting revenue we'd otherwise collect... what will happen with even-higher taxes? 50% of $0 is exactly the same as 35% of $0... except that higher taxes will likely lead them to hide away even more profit, potentially lowering tax revenue (the result is uncertain - will the higher rate or the lower profits left exposed to the tax be dominant?)
1) American multinational corporations are burying profits outside the U.S. to avoid taxes
2) Given the option to pay fewer taxes on the earnings, they have "repatriated" them during occasional "tax holidays" in which they could avoid up to 85% of the taxes they'd otherwise pay on it.
3) Therefore, we need to avoid tax holidays and place new taxes on these corporations.
If the goal is to increase tax revenues, or to "make them pay wha they owe," #3 seems rather backward to me. It might sound nice on paper... but we have evidence of corporate behavior that should prove it won't achieve the intended result.
If corporations are moving profits offshore to avoid the present level of taxes, our tax revenue on those is 0%. If we have lower taxes, they choose to pay some of the tax - evidently, they get some benefit from having the profits in the US. The tax revenue we collect is now >0%.
If higher taxes cause more profit-hiding, and thus prevent us from collecting revenue we'd otherwise collect... what will happen with even-higher taxes? 50% of $0 is exactly the same as 35% of $0... except that higher taxes will likely lead them to hide away even more profit, potentially lowering tax revenue (the result is uncertain - will the higher rate or the lower profits left exposed to the tax be dominant?)
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Underdog: The True Story
Well, sort of. Not every day a yap-dog does something productive, other than continuing its Napoleonic life.
I'm drooling over a camera...
8.1 MegaPixels
18x Optical Zoom
Up to ISO 1600
And the ability to save images as RAW (instead of a compressed format).
And only $400.
Not too shabby at all.
18x Optical Zoom
Up to ISO 1600
And the ability to save images as RAW (instead of a compressed format).
And only $400.
Not too shabby at all.
At the Car Wash
Our most recent bi-weekly service project was a free car wash at 7-11 in South Reno. I admit, I wasn't very jazzed about this idea - despite the enthusiastic sales efforts Dawson put in - because "Free" car washes are a dime a dozen. Without fail they are always fund-raisers, and I was convinced no one would stop. We weren't doing a fundraiser - we made a point of refusing to take money even if it was offered. The point was to show practical love for others with no strings attached.
Evidently, the successful way to get people's attention is to have your pastor on the median hollering at people through their closed windows. "Free Car Wash!" "No Donations Accepted!" "Totally Free!" I could hear him from 50-100 yards away. And amazingly enough, people responded.
One person asked him what the deal was, and he let him know that we were Christians who wanted to show God's love in a practical way. He let him know we were a church and, still skeptical, the man wanted to meet our pastor. Dawson promptly stuck out his hand to introduce himself. There's something useful in having a church whose dedication to service runs right to the top.
It was amazing how well it went. After a slow start, we had a steady stream of cars and there were some good conversations struck up with people while they waited (over ice-cold free bottled water, of course). One guy threw a crumpled up $20 bill out his window as he drove away, so that we couldn't possibly refuse it. The wife of one of the pastors picked it up, and gave it to a grungy-looking guy with a backpack who said he was on a Walkabout.
We even had two people visit the website and shoot us an e-mail to say thanks - the first post-service contact we've had.
I maintain a map of places we have served, lest I forget (which would not be at all unusual). It's encouraging to look at it, and see that it continues to expand. How many more marks will appear on it before this October - our 1 year mark?
Evidently, the successful way to get people's attention is to have your pastor on the median hollering at people through their closed windows. "Free Car Wash!" "No Donations Accepted!" "Totally Free!" I could hear him from 50-100 yards away. And amazingly enough, people responded.
One person asked him what the deal was, and he let him know that we were Christians who wanted to show God's love in a practical way. He let him know we were a church and, still skeptical, the man wanted to meet our pastor. Dawson promptly stuck out his hand to introduce himself. There's something useful in having a church whose dedication to service runs right to the top.
It was amazing how well it went. After a slow start, we had a steady stream of cars and there were some good conversations struck up with people while they waited (over ice-cold free bottled water, of course). One guy threw a crumpled up $20 bill out his window as he drove away, so that we couldn't possibly refuse it. The wife of one of the pastors picked it up, and gave it to a grungy-looking guy with a backpack who said he was on a Walkabout.
We even had two people visit the website and shoot us an e-mail to say thanks - the first post-service contact we've had.
I maintain a map of places we have served, lest I forget (which would not be at all unusual). It's encouraging to look at it, and see that it continues to expand. How many more marks will appear on it before this October - our 1 year mark?
Monday, July 23, 2007
Consumption
I believe that somebody else getting richer does not make me worse off, all other things being equal. That is, if prices don't change and my position remains exactly where it is, someone else having a lot of money does not affect me at all.
The author of this book has a different opinion. Im curious what others think - especially if you agree with him, that "...directing surplus consumer dollars to the wealthy harms the middle-class by forcing people to try to rise up the ladder with their own spending."
There's one word in there that turns the entire phrase. Time to play Name That Word. Go!
For extra credit, tell me what happens if this thought is carried to its natural conclusion.
The author of this book has a different opinion. Im curious what others think - especially if you agree with him, that "...directing surplus consumer dollars to the wealthy harms the middle-class by forcing people to try to rise up the ladder with their own spending."
There's one word in there that turns the entire phrase. Time to play Name That Word. Go!
For extra credit, tell me what happens if this thought is carried to its natural conclusion.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Resurgent Photography
After a long hibernation, I've broken out my camera again. The first set of pictures below is of the Hawken Fire, visible from my apartment. The first is aiming the camera through my binoculars. I got a lot of unfocused shots to get a couple focused ones. The second is the maximum zoom on my camera, for comparison.
The second photos are to show off a new setup I got - a small equatorial mount for my camera, and a drive motor to keep pace with the rotation of the Earth. Picture #1 is without the motor. Picture #2 is with the motor. The bright spot is Jupiter.
The second photos are to show off a new setup I got - a small equatorial mount for my camera, and a drive motor to keep pace with the rotation of the Earth. Picture #1 is without the motor. Picture #2 is with the motor. The bright spot is Jupiter.
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