this one's even more silly
11/07/2004
11/06/2004
i just keep hitting the "next blog" button in the top right part of the screen.
some observations....
if you use those little windows that pop up and ask me questions, i despise you!!!
if you use music--again-- you had .5 seconds and you blew it! That's how long it took me to get off your page!
if you use blogspot to sell insurance or anything else you are the lowest form of humanity (that's a blog-type exaggeration) but anyway you should be dragged in the street and shot! I like that one better.
otherwise, clicking"next blog" is more addictive than TV. I've looked into the souls of more people than I think I know in person at this point in my life. Thank you. The sea of humanity on blogspot is strange, sordid, at times interesting, and I'm grateful. If you didn't want me viewing your blog I'm sorry. I do feel a little guilty.
some observations....
if you use those little windows that pop up and ask me questions, i despise you!!!
if you use music--again-- you had .5 seconds and you blew it! That's how long it took me to get off your page!
if you use blogspot to sell insurance or anything else you are the lowest form of humanity (that's a blog-type exaggeration) but anyway you should be dragged in the street and shot! I like that one better.
otherwise, clicking
man are there ever a lot of old faces returning here to visit. is it the season? why do they all converge at once? I can still hear my neighbors upstairs cutting tile for their bathroom. that's got to be the most irritating grating sound i can think of currently. but i don't say that out loud. curses that i'm such an easy going guy. the only person i complain to is my wife. she complained last night bout my planned trip to Miami. Unfair she said. I've gotten to go to much cooler places than she in the last two years. this morning she said she was just grumpy. that spite is still too real though. guess i should be thankful im not the only one with it in my heart. father forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
11/03/2004
i have been trying to post all day and this is the first time i've been able to get through. what's up? does everybody gotta get their three cents in? cut me a break! anyway, like many others i'm depressed about the results of the election. and bush is now asking for my trust because its the only decent thing to give. bring the nation together. well if the bush administration didn't isolate itself from the rest of the world maybe it could establish trust!!! does giving our trust mean offering up our brains?
10/31/2004
guess i should say something about the cards getting swept in the world series. but i'd rather not talk about it. or think about it for that matter. they really let us all down. i keep saying i wish they had shown up at all. their playing was that bad. what's worse? losing in the playoffs or doing nothing in the series?
10/21/2004
Top of the 7th. Calero's pitch'n now. Osmos strikes out! Yes!
Last time I enjoyed a Cards game this much was in 1982 as an eight year old. And then I don't think I even saw it first hand but only heard the stories from friends at school. Brewer's fans supposedly throwing stuff on the field. Ozzie Smith doing triple backflips. Did that really happen? Everyone in the Cards hitting lineup hitting home runs. Jack Clark's grand slam. Well all that was in the World Series. . . . I'll have to look that up.
Last time I enjoyed a Cards game this much was in 1982 as an eight year old. And then I don't think I even saw it first hand but only heard the stories from friends at school. Brewer's fans supposedly throwing stuff on the field. Ozzie Smith doing triple backflips. Did that really happen? Everyone in the Cards hitting lineup hitting home runs. Jack Clark's grand slam. Well all that was in the World Series. . . . I'll have to look that up.
I'm sitting here watching game seven of the Astros vs. Cards. Its 4 to 2 Cards and its a beautiful thing. My friend Mike is with me from St. Louis. I commented this morning to a friend that this may be the year for the underdog. Look at the Red Sox last night. Who'd of thunk it? Now if we can only win the inevitable legal battles against Enron/Halliburton on November 3rd. . .
10/14/2004
My life is in a phase where I have to turn everything I do over to the Lord every moment. I really struggle with knowing that he loves me and that I have value apart from what I can accomplish. When I was young it was engrained into me that I had to be doing as much as I could all the time to make life worthwhile. Leisure was just not as important, in fact it was more often than not sinful. Those things were more often lived than spoken to me, but I adopted a lot of that into my world view and now I've got to work to really see reality for what it is. God uses whatever I give him, however I give it. He doesn't judge a man based on his eloquent speech, the ability to lead scores into conversion, deep thoughts and arguments on the divine. He just loves and gives and recieves whatever I offer in faith.
8/10/2004
6/18/2004
I am simply amazed by this statment by President Bush given to Air Force cadets in Colorado a couple weeks ago: "Some who call themselves realists question whether the spread of democracy in the Middle East should be any concern of ours. But the realists in this case have lost contact with a fundamental reality: America has always been less secure when freedom is in retreat; America is always more secure when freedom is on the march."
I am usually not disposed toward commenting on statements made by Bush. My thoughts concerning him don't reeally matter. I voted for him in 2000 because frankly I hated the alternative. Now I'm ashamed and I won't make that mistake again. I think of Bush as curmudgeon. A hapless victim of his surroundings. I don't think of him as a real leader. But when he mouths words such as these, whether he wrote them or not, he becomes a demagogue of a larger ideological evil. And statements such as these really scare me. I mean we're talking the big "F" word here. . . as in Fascist. And I don't say that lightly.
A week ago Bush was being interviewed on TV, and I'm embarrassed because I can't remember by who, oh yeh Tom Brokaw, anyway, I really liked Bush's replies. They comforted me. Questions that made him seem like he wanted to go to war were quickly answered with "War is always a last resort. I hate war." And it all sounded so good, so nice. Asked if he could see how people could worry about the end result he answered that yes, if he didn't believe the end result would be a better world then he too would be despondent.
So yes, he's got such a hopeful agenda. It seems that finally we're going to undo all the wrong in the world. We're going after the evildoers and we're going to free the Middle East for democracy and if we just trust Bush and his team the world will be fine, and yes we can be assured that God is on his side. But no, this isn't a radical Theocratic agenda its very simple 'cuz they attacked us not we them and we're just gonna finish the job now.
Trouble is I pay attention to the news in the Middle East. And while Bush has his wonderful end in mind based on a strong Military and the good intentions of newly freed governments, the same Israeli government continues confiscating Palestinian land for the good of democracy. And the US keeps slapping hands and saying "Oh behave won't you?" Wink wink nudge nudge. "Let's see what those new Apaches can do." Israel has been for years our democratic model in the Middle East. What hope does that offer for our brave new democratic order in the middle east?
6/02/2004
I watched "House of Sand and Fog" (Jennifer Conally/Ben Kingsley) last night on DVD. I've got to say its the most astounding movie I've seen since I can remember. I watch a lot of movies--one every night. But I can't ever remember seeing a movie that dealt with how our living spaces effect our lives overall. And in that way I see this movie as a parable of what's happening in Israel/Palestine right now. Basically the movie follows the lives of two very different people thrown together over ownership of a house. As it was said in the extra features on the disc, at so many points both parties have ample opportunity to end their struggle and keep things from spiraling out of control. In the midst of their desparation they keep confronting each other to give up. Kindnesses are shown repeatedly. Mainly by the Iranian family in control of the house for the young woman (Jennifer Conally) who claims rightful ownership. In my studies of Israeli--Palestinian relations there are so many parallels. There must be hundreds of organizations attempting to bring people together and humanize the struggle. If it bleeds it leads, its true. But the same issues do not go away. But this movie as parable demonstrates, what is the land truly worth? What is this sense of place worth in blood? Can cooler heads prevail? There's a wealth of nuance in this conversation. Are other's catching the power of this movie for that discussion? I hope so. I guess I'll go do a web search.
5/29/2004
Christianity's doom
I believe that Christianity's strongest opponents are not angry critics who spend all their energies working to attack it's theology or methodology, but rather agnostics who consider it no threat at all and don't even waste their breaths with a reply to it, because in their hearts they don't care whether it is true or not. For them Christianity is not worth their time. If Christianity is just a myth it will fade in time without any effort at all. Similarly, if bad Christians, believing their theology to be the most true simply take all of its facts for granted and live by none of its principles they themselves become Christianity's detractors. Its Truths are of such noneffect as to negate itself of any good.
I believe that Christianity's strongest opponents are not angry critics who spend all their energies working to attack it's theology or methodology, but rather agnostics who consider it no threat at all and don't even waste their breaths with a reply to it, because in their hearts they don't care whether it is true or not. For them Christianity is not worth their time. If Christianity is just a myth it will fade in time without any effort at all. Similarly, if bad Christians, believing their theology to be the most true simply take all of its facts for granted and live by none of its principles they themselves become Christianity's detractors. Its Truths are of such noneffect as to negate itself of any good.
5/23/2004
4/17/2004
10 Things Nobody Ever Told Me
1. Addictions are not cool. The government always said “Don’t do Drugs” but never said “Don’t do Porn”, or “don’t be a glutton” “Don’t steal from investors” “Spend less money”, etc. Lust in particular is common but destroys, easily hid but overpowering, is empowered out of needy places in your life.
2. By the time you hit thirty you’ll start feeling all those aches and pains from abuse you put yourself through as a teen and early adult. Parts of your body you never think about, like your knees and feet start hurting before during and after exercise!
3. Music is as varied and expressive as print communication. Most of the music you hear is by accident and just has good publicity. The good music often does not. You gotta hunt for it like buried treasure. Once you get on the search your life changes forever. The same is true, say many, of movies, drama, dance, paintings, and so on. God gives us these things to bring us out of depressive slumps. Creativity is a godly thing. It soon is not enough to hear or see these things, you must soon make your own music, films, books, art, whatever.
4. Nobody is ever really prepared for marriage. Of course you can’t tell that to single people or engaged couples or they’ll freak out. But no matter what you do, no matter what books you read: marriage—like faith and religion— is a leap in the dark. You think you know what you have but you don’t. You thought you knew yourself but you didn’t.
5. Nobody is ever really prepared for kids. See above.
6. Anybody who acts like they knew from the start and did everything perfect is a bald face liar!!! Just nod your head and smile and say “hmmm” like you were going to anyway and then think to yourself [assuming this is a male]“I wish I had been a fly on the wall when you were thirty with three kids under the age of nine. Where were you then? Hiding in your den while your wife watched the kids?” Some folks with positive dispositions who view all of life as a great adventure somehow laugh at trouble as it comes. But I tend to avoid these people.
7. Religion is a human thing. Its not necessarily heaven sent or hell inspired. Its just a human function like breathing or going to the bathroom. Like with little kids its important to learn the right way to go to the bathroom. But no one really teaches you to breathe. Well some religionists do, but. . . .
Its like bike riding or learning an instrument. All humans are religious in one way or another. Its become common to be Creole about it, mixing this with that. But in the end God judges all of our religions. God’s Word teaches a pure religion, but does not say that practitioners will be free from the boundaries of its sinful human practice of it this side of heaven. The Holy Spirit in us Christians brings our religious practice to life and promises a better future but does not promise perfect practice in us, but only holy struggle. Jihad if you will, in us. We can’t outlaw or kill our religious urges anymore than the State can. But we can understand that they are frail and fall under judgment. Hopefully this will humble us cause us to stop judging each other and allow for God’s judgment.
8. Theology, like science and philosophy, is fun (though addictive) but useless fun if not applied. Most people ignore theology (and science) because they can’t draw lines to personal experience. It usually takes a disaster to give you an interest in systematic theology. Sometimes systematic theology causes the disaster, either way it becomes a necessity. Like a basic knowledge of the laws of physics will save from certain death, so theology will save you from various metaphysical excursions into complete stupidity (like an addiction to television’s “the Bachelor” or “Average Joe” or “Elimidate”). Well maybe it won’t save you but at least you’ll know there’s gotta be more intelligent life somewhere.
9. Politics is not a dirty word. And people who avoid politics and religion are just doing their best to keep from growing up. I’ve embraced religion and politics all my life, and people still like me. Well a few people. But anyway, politics is, on a grand scale, the same poop we have to scoop out of our front lawns everyday. It, like religion, is just part of human life. Live with it. Learn it. Or you’ll just step in it and make a mess everywhere you go. My interest started with the horrific events in Rwanda. If you don’t know about Rwanda in 1994 by now please pull your head out of that hole you call your life and look around. If all you know of the Middle East is that Jesus once lived there put your head back in the hole, you don’t deserve to know anymore. But seriously, a lot of governments like it that you stay ignorant of the evil they do, does that tick you off? Israel, for instance, has done a good job at making its problems seem unsolvable by anybody and thus has managed to keep the world off their back and the US sending money and weapons. Don’t care for my politics? Fine. Find your own.
10. People who are always organized must never actually do much. The rest of us are constantly busy trying to undo the mistakes we made because we weren’t organized.
11. Community sustains life. Anyone truly alone is already dead. (Though then we could say they’re in communion with others in the afterlife.) I have never had a truly meaningful relation with anyone that I don’t still carry with me as a part of who I am. At times in recalling the past I may be angry and resentful or I may revel in the bliss of the thought of us together. Most often I just carry a peace about that person around with me, like I needed them at the time and they made me more of who I am.
1. Addictions are not cool. The government always said “Don’t do Drugs” but never said “Don’t do Porn”, or “don’t be a glutton” “Don’t steal from investors” “Spend less money”, etc. Lust in particular is common but destroys, easily hid but overpowering, is empowered out of needy places in your life.
2. By the time you hit thirty you’ll start feeling all those aches and pains from abuse you put yourself through as a teen and early adult. Parts of your body you never think about, like your knees and feet start hurting before during and after exercise!
3. Music is as varied and expressive as print communication. Most of the music you hear is by accident and just has good publicity. The good music often does not. You gotta hunt for it like buried treasure. Once you get on the search your life changes forever. The same is true, say many, of movies, drama, dance, paintings, and so on. God gives us these things to bring us out of depressive slumps. Creativity is a godly thing. It soon is not enough to hear or see these things, you must soon make your own music, films, books, art, whatever.
4. Nobody is ever really prepared for marriage. Of course you can’t tell that to single people or engaged couples or they’ll freak out. But no matter what you do, no matter what books you read: marriage—like faith and religion— is a leap in the dark. You think you know what you have but you don’t. You thought you knew yourself but you didn’t.
5. Nobody is ever really prepared for kids. See above.
6. Anybody who acts like they knew from the start and did everything perfect is a bald face liar!!! Just nod your head and smile and say “hmmm” like you were going to anyway and then think to yourself [assuming this is a male]“I wish I had been a fly on the wall when you were thirty with three kids under the age of nine. Where were you then? Hiding in your den while your wife watched the kids?” Some folks with positive dispositions who view all of life as a great adventure somehow laugh at trouble as it comes. But I tend to avoid these people.
7. Religion is a human thing. Its not necessarily heaven sent or hell inspired. Its just a human function like breathing or going to the bathroom. Like with little kids its important to learn the right way to go to the bathroom. But no one really teaches you to breathe. Well some religionists do, but. . . .
Its like bike riding or learning an instrument. All humans are religious in one way or another. Its become common to be Creole about it, mixing this with that. But in the end God judges all of our religions. God’s Word teaches a pure religion, but does not say that practitioners will be free from the boundaries of its sinful human practice of it this side of heaven. The Holy Spirit in us Christians brings our religious practice to life and promises a better future but does not promise perfect practice in us, but only holy struggle. Jihad if you will, in us. We can’t outlaw or kill our religious urges anymore than the State can. But we can understand that they are frail and fall under judgment. Hopefully this will humble us cause us to stop judging each other and allow for God’s judgment.
8. Theology, like science and philosophy, is fun (though addictive) but useless fun if not applied. Most people ignore theology (and science) because they can’t draw lines to personal experience. It usually takes a disaster to give you an interest in systematic theology. Sometimes systematic theology causes the disaster, either way it becomes a necessity. Like a basic knowledge of the laws of physics will save from certain death, so theology will save you from various metaphysical excursions into complete stupidity (like an addiction to television’s “the Bachelor” or “Average Joe” or “Elimidate”). Well maybe it won’t save you but at least you’ll know there’s gotta be more intelligent life somewhere.
9. Politics is not a dirty word. And people who avoid politics and religion are just doing their best to keep from growing up. I’ve embraced religion and politics all my life, and people still like me. Well a few people. But anyway, politics is, on a grand scale, the same poop we have to scoop out of our front lawns everyday. It, like religion, is just part of human life. Live with it. Learn it. Or you’ll just step in it and make a mess everywhere you go. My interest started with the horrific events in Rwanda. If you don’t know about Rwanda in 1994 by now please pull your head out of that hole you call your life and look around. If all you know of the Middle East is that Jesus once lived there put your head back in the hole, you don’t deserve to know anymore. But seriously, a lot of governments like it that you stay ignorant of the evil they do, does that tick you off? Israel, for instance, has done a good job at making its problems seem unsolvable by anybody and thus has managed to keep the world off their back and the US sending money and weapons. Don’t care for my politics? Fine. Find your own.
10. People who are always organized must never actually do much. The rest of us are constantly busy trying to undo the mistakes we made because we weren’t organized.
11. Community sustains life. Anyone truly alone is already dead. (Though then we could say they’re in communion with others in the afterlife.) I have never had a truly meaningful relation with anyone that I don’t still carry with me as a part of who I am. At times in recalling the past I may be angry and resentful or I may revel in the bliss of the thought of us together. Most often I just carry a peace about that person around with me, like I needed them at the time and they made me more of who I am.
3/03/2004
On Revolution, Haiti, the US, and Karl Barth's commentary on Rom. 12:21-13:7
I was in Haiti in '93. Saw the conditions before Aristide. Believed Aristide to be the good guy. Priest, liberation theologian. Sojourners mag's man in '94. Now Sojourners is all but silent. Were they pulling a Pat Robertson Charles Taylor thing and now their quiet? Or will they have answers in the next issue? To me Haiti serves as an illustration of why a Christian political revolution is never a real possibility. Enter KB on Rom. 12:21-13:7. Rom. 13:4 says in essence that government rulers are God’s agents working for your good, so keep your nose clean and you’ve got nothing to fear. Its historically been used to walk all over the poor and racial minorities in the name of God. Christian revolutionaries and anarchists go to great lengths to read around these passages, discredit them, or just say Paul is not speaking to the current situation. So what’s it gonna be? Ignore Paul as it regards the current political situation with Bush in office and refuse to believe he is God’s agent as the passage suggests, or come to terms with Karl Barth who really builds on Paul’s got to say? And what of Aristide for that matter? Here’s a guy we all thought could change Haiti? Clinton helped put him in power and now Bush helps him out of it! Haiti has seen more revolution to my knowledge than any other country in the Western Hemisphere. Has any other country had more US intervention? And what is our Haitian policy year round? What is our longterm strategy for helping Haiti out? What’s our history been with Haiti economically? Do we really give a damn?
I was in Haiti in '93. Saw the conditions before Aristide. Believed Aristide to be the good guy. Priest, liberation theologian. Sojourners mag's man in '94. Now Sojourners is all but silent. Were they pulling a Pat Robertson Charles Taylor thing and now their quiet? Or will they have answers in the next issue? To me Haiti serves as an illustration of why a Christian political revolution is never a real possibility. Enter KB on Rom. 12:21-13:7. Rom. 13:4 says in essence that government rulers are God’s agents working for your good, so keep your nose clean and you’ve got nothing to fear. Its historically been used to walk all over the poor and racial minorities in the name of God. Christian revolutionaries and anarchists go to great lengths to read around these passages, discredit them, or just say Paul is not speaking to the current situation. So what’s it gonna be? Ignore Paul as it regards the current political situation with Bush in office and refuse to believe he is God’s agent as the passage suggests, or come to terms with Karl Barth who really builds on Paul’s got to say? And what of Aristide for that matter? Here’s a guy we all thought could change Haiti? Clinton helped put him in power and now Bush helps him out of it! Haiti has seen more revolution to my knowledge than any other country in the Western Hemisphere. Has any other country had more US intervention? And what is our Haitian policy year round? What is our longterm strategy for helping Haiti out? What’s our history been with Haiti economically? Do we really give a damn?
12/23/2003
I can't believe its already the end of 2003. My wife just called "lets eat" so I gotta make this fast. I'm down here visiting family in MO and having a good time. First time out of the city in four months or so. Wee one wants to pound on the keyboard: ,kds lo kj dxcjmse xkl,as znhs ik,sazjm. There. Got it out of your system kid? No? k iik edrf oied perikr olr j. OK.
She's so cute. Missevbg fgbfddf missed her nap today. Moody.
Watched "the ballad of Ramblin Jack" last night on the Sundance channel. Cool movie. Great footage of a lot of great folk artists, testimony, etc. But seeing it once is enough. What a mess his life was/is. Did it have to be that way for him to be loveable "ramblin jack"? I'm skeptical. Why should we be grateful that some guy wrecks his life just for fun and to be "an original". Couldn't we have loved him as a family man?
She's so cute. Missevbg fgbfddf missed her nap today. Moody.
Watched "the ballad of Ramblin Jack" last night on the Sundance channel. Cool movie. Great footage of a lot of great folk artists, testimony, etc. But seeing it once is enough. What a mess his life was/is. Did it have to be that way for him to be loveable "ramblin jack"? I'm skeptical. Why should we be grateful that some guy wrecks his life just for fun and to be "an original". Couldn't we have loved him as a family man?
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