Month: January 2006

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we get better

this particular moment comes back to me now, on this day for some reason. i was driving home for Christmas listening to one of my favorite WW episodes when a particular scene struck me in a certain way for the first time:

Josh
So this is gonna be my reaction every time I hear music?

Stanley
(with a chuckle) No.

Josh
Why not?

Stanley
Because we get better.

Whatever the wounds of the past or the state of the present, the wonderful promise and beautiful hope for each of us is that we get better.

My prayer for you is that in your pain, whatever it may be, you will find healing, if only in small steps, and that with each step, you will draw closer to the eternal healing of God almighty.

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the american dream

an amazing dialogue off of last night’s west wing:

Chinese Ambassador
You know what I think about a lot when I’m having these kinds of discussions?
C.J. Cregg
What sir?
Chinese Ambassador
Capitalism vanquished Communism. Obliterated it. And here we are having a discussion where you are trying to restrict our markets.
C.J. Cregg
We’re trying to address a humanitarian situation in the Sudan.
Chinese Ambassador
Exactly. But you have always taught us that liberty is the same thing as capitalism – as if life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot be crushed by greed. Your “American Dream” is financial – not ethical.

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may God bless your journey

May God bless your journey.
May he bring you to new and wonderful places,
full of life and mystery.
May you learn
the power,
the provision,
the wisdom,
and the love
of a God who
made you,
cherishes you,
and desires to wrap you in His arms,
complete,
until the end of time.

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things i learned in medina

the top ten things i learned at medina:

  1. welding rods are hot after you use them. don’t burn yourself.
  2. deer like to run out in front of you. hitting them is not cool, but so long as you don’t do too much damage to your car, sam can fix it.
  3. never use a ball peen hammer in car repair when a sledge hammer will do the job.
  4. goats are cute. sheep are annoying. angora goats are ugly. pigs are loud. cows poop a lot. (note: i knew these things before, but was reminded of them).
  5. sitting on wooden bleachers for several hours is uncomfortable. sitting on wooden bleachers for 4 hours while waiting for everyone else to show up is not only uncomfortable, but boring as well.
  6. coffee is good. decaf folgers crystals are bad.
  7. my coffee cup is much better than styrofoam coffee cups. it keeps coffee warm for a long time, where as styrofoam keeps coffee warm for about 10 seconds.
  8. relationships are more important than rules (didn’t do such a good job on this one this week…)
  9. people surprise you a lot. people who you think might not be receptive of certain ideas often are.
  10. good leaders make a trip worth going on. they take care of business and take care of their people. props to matt and lance.
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post worth reading at shannon’s blog

check out shannon’s post here for a rather good reflective look at growing up in general.

By the time we become adults we realize that Disneyland is nothing more than a well marketed amusement park with mediocre rides & over priced soft drinks. But a child still knows how to expect, to long for something. A child has not been broken of the belief that just around the embankment there lies a joy worth waiting for.

…

Somehow — despite our expectations — these places do manage to change us. The difference, however, between the child and the adult is that of expectations not personal transformation. The child expects something unreasonable (lifelong happiness from an amusement park), and the adult is unwilling to expect anything for fear of disappointment.

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new category – required listening

You may note on the right a new category: required listening. If you’ve been here a while you will probably have listened to everything that is in there now, but hopefully more will be added soon (like today.)

From time to time I’ll post lectures or sermons or courses I’ve found to be particularly enlightening on a subject, or just something in general I think everyone should listen to.

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weeklong journals

weeklong journals are available here sorry there have been infrequent updates as of late. travelling and being busy have kept me … well… busy.

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unchecked email

what happens when you don’t check your email for one week on your computer at work? you have 281 messages to sort through.

joy.