jeff’s blog

“A poor widow came and put in
two very small copper coins,
worth only a fraction of a penny.”

She had a choice, you know.

If she’d only had one coin,
she could either have given

or not.

But she had two.

She had the choice
to give and still keep some
for herself.

“They all gave out of their wealth;
but she,
out of her poverty,

put in everything—

all she had to live on.”

She gave it all.
No questions.
No complaints.

Oh my God!

How much you demand,
How little I give.
How little I give.

So often I am tempted to “give” out of my riches and call it giving. Very seldom do I make a serious sacrifice for Christ.

We all are so blessed, so wealthy. We can’t begin to imagine how much we’ve been given, and it humbles me that I give so little. David writes and says “I will not present as an offering to my God that which cost me nothing.” Powerful words. We give out of our abundance that which costs us nothing, and Christ’s message of sacrifice is so often drowned out by our cultural ears.

It seems fitting now to bring back three questions Kelly asked during a talk last semester:

1. if i had to eat this week on the same amount of money i put in the offering plate on sunday morning, how many meals would i get?

2. if i was trying to develop a relationship with a significant other, and i gave to that person the same amount of quality time i’ve given to God in the past week, how long would that relationship last?

3. if Jesus looked into my heart and demanded something from me in order to have eternal life, would i walk away sad?

May we be people who honor God through our stewardship of His gifts.

took some pictures yesterday at the bryan cemetery, but couldn’t upload them because my internet was not happy.

you can find them here.

cox is “upgrading” my internet connection, which somehow means that i am without usable internet from about 8:30 pm until about 5:00 am every day.

let me just say that my internet worked fine until the upgrades started.

pictures from this weekend are available here…

a few samples:

And I see losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you’re blown apart
Everybody feels the wind blow

In Graceland, in Graceland
I’m going to Graceland
For reasons I cannot explain
There’s some part of me wants to see
Graceland
And I may be obliged to defend
Every love, every ending

Or maybe there’s no obligations now
Maybe I’ve a reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland

and what’s on the other side…

usually you read articles of people who are pro-death penalty changing to anti-death penalty, not the other way around. this is an article of a woman whose husband’s cousin was killed who swapped views.

I was in court for the penalty phase, and as I listened to witnesses testify on his behalf, I was surprised at how indifferent I was to his personal plight. I didn’t much care that his family had escaped from Vietnam and that he’d had problems assimilating to American culture, or that his parents had a difficult time keeping him out of trouble.

Before this happened, I likely would have argued that this young defendant had extenuating circumstances beyond his control. But not anymore. Maybe it’s because my daughter is almost the same age as Constantine was when he was killed, or maybe it’s because the reality of experience trumps theoretical beliefs. Whatever the reason, when I looked at the young man sitting at the defense table, I didn’t see a victim. All I saw was the man who took my family member’s life.

read the full article here

to me this brings up a valuable point, made very well in a debate prep session on the west wing (yes, i do watch other things… none the less, the point is well made in the following dialogue:)

Toby
Mr. President, this next question is on capital punishment, which you oppose: If your youngest daughter Zoey was raped and murdered, would you not want to see the man responsible put to death?

Bartlet
First of all, it’s important to understand the President doesn’t make that decision, though he appoints the Supreme Court Justices who do so. What… any… um… All right, I’m not going to say that. I’ll just go right to… No, I don’t. I think you know that I’m opposed…. [sighs] Let’s not do that. I haven’t seen any evidence that it’s a deterrent, and there are more effective… In my state…

Toby
Oh, my God.

Bartlet
What?

Toby
What’s the matter with you? When I left you… I just mentioned your daughter being murdered, and you’re giving us an answer that’s not only soporific, it’s barely human! Yes, you’d want to see him put to death. You’d want it to be cruel and unusual, which is why it’s probably a good idea that fathers of murder victims don’t have legal rights in these situations.

i suppose my point is this: i completely understand where this woman is coming from, but i don’t believe it makes her position right. were someone to kill someone close to me, i would likely want them to suffer, but our justice system is not based on my feelings - rather it should be based on fairness, impartiality, and respect for human life.

so yesterday i got my new little toy: a brand new nikon d200 camera. i haven’t had a chance to really put it through the paces yet, but from what i’ve played with it, it’s an incredible little camera.

here are a few test shots in various circumstances:

may you be drawn
to the cross
across years and miles
of sorrow and joy
comforted by its harsh form,
longing for its peace.

as you journey,
may you focus
not only on your destination
but on your fellow pilgrims
displaced and searching
in desperate need of Christ.

and may you never
stop walking
though in despair and confused
whatever your burden
knowing that perfect healing awaits
at the cross of Christ.

click on the images. sweetness.

i’ll probably do blog pictures like this from now on, with the customary galleries on the side.