Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, is due to be hanged, even in the next 24 hours. Presumably, the talk shows are rejoicing that an evil man is being taken from this world. Some may be rejoicing that he will go to everlasting damnation in the fires of hell.
I am sad.
I did not like the man, and was glad to see him removed from power. But Saddam is made in the image of God Almighty, and to see someone reject God and reap eternal punishment is sad.
Jesus died for that man, sacrificed himself that he could be recconciled to God. Jesus died for Saddam Hussein. The he would reject that gift is a sad day, for God is willing that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Look-Alike
I have now been compared to two celebrities that I can recall. Fred Savage, from his stint on The Wonder Years, and John Mayer. The latter, at least, according to my aunt (if I had no beard - though I was told repeatedly it looks handsome).
Monday, December 25, 2006
Thanksgiving
Some things I am thankful for, in a season when it is all too easy for me to not have that attitude:
1) The guy that put lemon juice in a squeeze-bottle. I am rediscovering how refreshing a little (well, a tablespoon or so) of lemon juice is in a glass of ice water. Is that a lot? I'm trying to wean soda, including the diet and artificially sweetened kind, from my diet. Not completely or ever, just more often than I used to. A slice of lemon is nice, but lacks staying power, and a whole lemon in a glass is a lot of effort, with seeds, and is not very cost effective. The bottled juice is wonderful.
2) The old friends who sent me Christmas cards this year. I've been feeling pretty Grinchy the past few weeks, and remembering that life does not end when one is 28, unmarried, and (in my case, a given) childless. With the swarm of babies being born to friends and family right now, +/- 5-6 weeks, that has been occasionally hard to remember. Just being remembered in a season that has come to epitomize both the swarm of rejections that have happened at this time of year and the celebration of those close to me who have exactly what I miss, helps me realize that I am who I am - not who I am not - and that defining one's life by negatives sucks.
3) The Lange kids. Feeling like a non-blood-uncle to some young kids helps when I have none of my own to play with. Holding one when praying that someone will see get the candles we gave out and be reminded of the God Who Became Man reminds me what a step that was. Though Jesus was not a blue-eyed, blond-haired girl, I wonder how often he wanted to talk when the adults were trying to be quiet, how often he wanted to just go tearing around the room, (perhaps chasing his cousin John), how Mary and Joseph must have taught him to eat, to drink, to be a creature of flesh and blood. For the record, I think hearing kids being kids when the adults try to be quiet and reverent has always enhanced my appreciation for Christmas - because Jesus was just one of those kids, too. When we make it all "Silent Night," we lose something. The Jesus crying for Mary's milk is the Jesus of the cross. The "Little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes" is the Jesus of the crucifix.
1) The guy that put lemon juice in a squeeze-bottle. I am rediscovering how refreshing a little (well, a tablespoon or so) of lemon juice is in a glass of ice water. Is that a lot? I'm trying to wean soda, including the diet and artificially sweetened kind, from my diet. Not completely or ever, just more often than I used to. A slice of lemon is nice, but lacks staying power, and a whole lemon in a glass is a lot of effort, with seeds, and is not very cost effective. The bottled juice is wonderful.
2) The old friends who sent me Christmas cards this year. I've been feeling pretty Grinchy the past few weeks, and remembering that life does not end when one is 28, unmarried, and (in my case, a given) childless. With the swarm of babies being born to friends and family right now, +/- 5-6 weeks, that has been occasionally hard to remember. Just being remembered in a season that has come to epitomize both the swarm of rejections that have happened at this time of year and the celebration of those close to me who have exactly what I miss, helps me realize that I am who I am - not who I am not - and that defining one's life by negatives sucks.
3) The Lange kids. Feeling like a non-blood-uncle to some young kids helps when I have none of my own to play with. Holding one when praying that someone will see get the candles we gave out and be reminded of the God Who Became Man reminds me what a step that was. Though Jesus was not a blue-eyed, blond-haired girl, I wonder how often he wanted to talk when the adults were trying to be quiet, how often he wanted to just go tearing around the room, (perhaps chasing his cousin John), how Mary and Joseph must have taught him to eat, to drink, to be a creature of flesh and blood. For the record, I think hearing kids being kids when the adults try to be quiet and reverent has always enhanced my appreciation for Christmas - because Jesus was just one of those kids, too. When we make it all "Silent Night," we lose something. The Jesus crying for Mary's milk is the Jesus of the cross. The "Little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes" is the Jesus of the crucifix.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Reputation
My roommate asked the other day if I'd be interested in going to the mall with him Christmas Eve just to watch the buzz of activity before Christmas. "Alas, I already have plans. My church is going around houses in the neighborhood dropping off candles with an offer to come by and recycle their Christmas Trees for them."
He was impressed. "Not only is it useful, but it's environmentally-friendly" he said. I explained to him that we try to be aware of such things, like the fact that we use an e-mail newsletter in lieu of a paper bulletin, both to save the expense of printing them, and because it doesn't waste paper.
"You know, I like your new church a lot more than your old church." Maybe it's because when I talk about it, I'm more likely to be talking about the Truckee river cleanup, or bagging food for Evelyn Mount, or recycling Christmas trees than I am to be talking about our guest speaker, or the fine Christmas program we are doing, or our other efforts to get people to the church building.
These are the things I am comfortable talking about with people on the street. I'm not selling the church - he works Sunday nights anyway. But I'm proud to share what we are involved in.
I take this as a confirmation that deep down, these are the things I knew a church should be known for.
He was impressed. "Not only is it useful, but it's environmentally-friendly" he said. I explained to him that we try to be aware of such things, like the fact that we use an e-mail newsletter in lieu of a paper bulletin, both to save the expense of printing them, and because it doesn't waste paper.
"You know, I like your new church a lot more than your old church." Maybe it's because when I talk about it, I'm more likely to be talking about the Truckee river cleanup, or bagging food for Evelyn Mount, or recycling Christmas trees than I am to be talking about our guest speaker, or the fine Christmas program we are doing, or our other efforts to get people to the church building.
These are the things I am comfortable talking about with people on the street. I'm not selling the church - he works Sunday nights anyway. But I'm proud to share what we are involved in.
I take this as a confirmation that deep down, these are the things I knew a church should be known for.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
I just spent 4 hours on it?!
I decided to get a Pro Flickr account, so that my many wonderful pictures can all be seen, instead of the last 200. They have a fine service, and since I was last on, they added a new feature. Geo-coding. You show, with as much specificity as you like, where your pictures were taken. This is a searchable feature, or you can keep it private.
I had hours of fun squinting at maps, trying to figure out just where some pictures were taken. But the really cool part about it is looking at an area - say, Truckee - and seeing interesting pictures that were taken there, or recent pictures taken there. Or you can zoom in on Dublin, or New York, or just about anywhere you fancy.
So of course, while uploading several hundred new pictures, I had to go through and do just that. I have "Lots" of pictures in San Francisco, and Washington DC, but also in Raleigh, and the Black Rock Desert. I even did my best to pinpoint the Martis Fire Outlook.
And I could waste all day here. 4 hours. Suddenly, it was dark.
Merry Christmas to me!
I had hours of fun squinting at maps, trying to figure out just where some pictures were taken. But the really cool part about it is looking at an area - say, Truckee - and seeing interesting pictures that were taken there, or recent pictures taken there. Or you can zoom in on Dublin, or New York, or just about anywhere you fancy.
So of course, while uploading several hundred new pictures, I had to go through and do just that. I have "Lots" of pictures in San Francisco, and Washington DC, but also in Raleigh, and the Black Rock Desert. I even did my best to pinpoint the Martis Fire Outlook.
And I could waste all day here. 4 hours. Suddenly, it was dark.
Merry Christmas to me!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
So this manatee walks into the Internet...
It started as an unscripted quip on the Conan O'Brien show. He was doing a bit about "unknown college mascots" and one was the "Webcam Manatee." The Webcam Manatee is nothing more than a Manatee dancing around rubbing its chest suggestively, with a person watching this on a computer.
Conan quipped that the man was watching "HornyManatee.Com." Thus the fad began. The URL was given, but at the time the show was taped, it did not exist. NBC bought it, and put up a small farce site. This small farce received over a million hits in its first week. Fans began submitting their own art. Songs, poems, drawings, CGI poured forth.
It expanded beyond that. A random look at YouTube revealed a guy who wrote and sung a song. I listed it below. If you are easily offended, don't listen. The words "genitals" "naked" and "Christina Aguilera" all occur.
Conan quipped that the man was watching "HornyManatee.Com." Thus the fad began. The URL was given, but at the time the show was taped, it did not exist. NBC bought it, and put up a small farce site. This small farce received over a million hits in its first week. Fans began submitting their own art. Songs, poems, drawings, CGI poured forth.
It expanded beyond that. A random look at YouTube revealed a guy who wrote and sung a song. I listed it below. If you are easily offended, don't listen. The words "genitals" "naked" and "Christina Aguilera" all occur.
Harry Potter and the...
I like reading Harry Potter. I will ever remember reading book 6 in two sittings. Two, because I got a copy at 12:30 at Wal-Mart, read until 3am, went to sleep, got up, went to the DMV to register my new car, finished the book, and heard my name called about 10 minutes later.
I shed a couple solitary tears in the DMV that day, as the ending was both tragic and beautiful.
The title for the final book has been announced. All that's left is the months and months until the book is released.
The new title? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.
I shed a couple solitary tears in the DMV that day, as the ending was both tragic and beautiful.
The title for the final book has been announced. All that's left is the months and months until the book is released.
The new title? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.
Monday, December 18, 2006
Who We Are
The Evangelical Free Churchs of America is revising its statement of faith. There are two significant chances. One deals with eschatology - the study of the end of this world. The other brings a new emphasis at the core for serving the poor.
I'm in favor of both. The eschatological issue is one that, while I support the existing position, I do not see as a crux on which our faith must rest, and I know good, Godly men who disagree with it.
Service for the poor is so central to the identity of the Christian that it should have been in there ages ago.
Since Coram Deo is a member of this denomination, the changes affect us.
EFCA Website, for reference.
I'm in favor of both. The eschatological issue is one that, while I support the existing position, I do not see as a crux on which our faith must rest, and I know good, Godly men who disagree with it.
Service for the poor is so central to the identity of the Christian that it should have been in there ages ago.
Since Coram Deo is a member of this denomination, the changes affect us.
EFCA Website, for reference.
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