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| Labyrinth of the Mind |
Good afternoon IIIt might just be the sunny weather, and I might just be paranoid, but I seem to have found a local audience for my blog. I at least suspect four people living in this town to have read my entry on those Belgians who paid people for greeting. I know none of these people, but if you look at the graph I have in my sidebar, with the cat, next to the long haired guy with the beard, which is a very good representation of what I look like, they might have recognized me. Anyways, there are these four aforementioned townspeople I don't know, but who keep saying hi to me on the street. One even waved in my direction from her car, with me being the only person there.Oh well, I'm not about to acknowledge them. They could make themselves known to me, if that's what they're hoping to achieve. I won't tell them to get lost, without giving them a chance, obviously. If they're reading this too, they now know what to do. 4:01 AM - 5/16/2008 - comments {1} - post commentKraut FMA peeve of mine. It's something to do with the radio. Last night I was trying to listen to one of my favorite radio shows. Sadly, it was a clear night on a summery day, so several radio stations from Germany (NDR 1,2 and 4, WDR 4) repeatedly came thru to block out the radio station I tried to listen to for 15 minutes at a time. They do disappear for upto 15 minutes as well, but it became very annoying. I stuck with trying to listen to what I wanted to hear, because of those intervals when the Germans weren't there, but even then the reception is marred by their static. This happens on any clear night following a hot day, and it starts at 9 PM, and doesn't stop till 7 AM.You know, if it had been a good radio station, I probably wouldn't have complained about it now, and I might in fact have listened, but NDR 1 which blocked out the radio show I was trying to listen to, is plain rubbish. They only pollute the airwaves with what are called schlagers, which is a genre that is rightfully ignored by any Dutch radio station you can receive outside a 10-mile radius. If you want to have an idea of what I'm talking about, think the music of the song Jambalaya by the Carpenters, and imagine four word lyrics about love in strange places such as Tampica, Tahiti, sung by people who are wearing those creepy permanent broadly smiling faces. They could be anybody from teenage girls to Austrian body builders you would just as soon expect participating in some timbersports event. To illustrate the intellectual capacities of the people producing this music, I say... music, here's something I saw on a German show which one fateful day preceded a movie I intended to watch. They interviewed this singer who had written and performed a song about the Californian town of Mendocino. He had never been there, just found the name of the town somewhere. The song was something of a hit in Germany at the time. 25 years later the singer went on a vacation to Mendocino, and at several bars he asked everybody who would listen to his first three words, if they knew there was a song about Mendocino in Germany. Whenever somebody had listened long enough to give the obvious answer, "no", he boasted that he had written it, performed it, and that it was a hit, 25 years earlier. And at no point during the interview he thought he was saying anything silly. The creepy permanent smile I mentioned earlier isn't even typical only for this music. Germany have produced great movies about WWII, and they have pretty decent crime shows, but anything you see on TV besides these movies and shows, is marred by this to the point where nausea forces you to run to the bathroom. Oh well, come fall the radio will be back to normal. 3:29 AM - 5/16/2008 - comments {0} - post commentFour-leafed CloverThe four-leaf clover is an age old and one of the most well known charms of good luck.Traditionally the four leaves were divided into fame, wealth, love, and glorious health. Address the fourth leaf (counting clockwise from the top) if you are hoping for healthy life and beauty. On finding a four-leaf clover, stroke the last leaf of the four, then tough your brow and your heart say: This fairy flower will cheer my heart, and give me power o'er beauty's art. Once again breathing in the green of the clover; imagine it deepening your senses and warming your heart and health. Treasure it always if you want your health and radiance to grow. 7:46 AM - 5/14/2008 - comments {0} - post commentThe difference between arrogance & humility Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1 I pray that God would protect me from the kind of spiritual arrogance that cannot receive discipline or reproof. Wise people love these things. It is humbling to be a sinner. But my only hope of growing in sanctification is to take necessary discipline and reproof. This often happens at the hands of other people. Some people have to always appear to be in control. They cannot accept that God desires humble servants, not pompous overlords. And the church has often been hurt over the ages by this pride. Since I am in leadership in a church, I know that my highest temptation will be to become that sort of untouchable leader. And that is not what God calls me to be. 5:32 AM - 5/14/2008 - comments {1} - post commentSpider's WebIf you are walking and come acorss a spider's web or if one is spun near your threshold. Do not remove it, these are very lucky symbols, but make a wish at once for anything you to wish for.7:35 AM - 5/13/2008 - comments {0} - post commentLife without the InternetFor the past week, (and a bit), my Internet at home has been disconnected. There was a small misunderstanding between the wife and I and that resulted in the account been canceled, (personally, I blame the wife). Needless to say I am like a drug addict on week-end, unable to check my emails, visit my favourite forums, nothing! I find myself looking after the garden or doing tasks I have neglected many years ago. When I get to work I do my usual sweep of Spam Blogs that were created overnight and check a few emails, but it's not the same. As you can see on the homepage, JournalHome is still supposed to move to a new server, in fact I have already purchased a brand new web server. But as I cannot do the move we just have to wait where we are for the time been. So please bear with me while I wait to be reconnected, I am still around and I still reply to emails when I can, just not as fast :) 7:09 AM - 5/13/2008 - comments {0} - post commentDisbelieving despite the experience Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go. Deuteronomy 1:32-33 The human capacity to disbelieve God is strong. The children of Israel, despite the clear Word of God and the visible presence of God among them, struggled to believe God. Now I find that hard to believe! This is an insight to the depth of human fallenness. I think that I have it harder because I do not have the kind of miraculous visible manifestation of God that Israel had as He led them out of Egypt, through the desert, and into the Promised Land. But their capacity to question God and trust themselves was just like mine is today. And despite all that God had done that they could literally see, they struggled to believe. Many times I have wished to look for a pillar of cloud or fire to guide me. And all along I have had something greater, the very Spirit of God residing within me guiding me through the clear teaching of the Word of God. Am I any better than these Israelites in the Penteteuch? No. In some ways, I am disbelieving against a greater light! So I realize that when God is chastising Israel, He is clearly calling me to repent as well. Lord God, You lead me. You are with me. Your presence comforts and convicts. And today I acknowledge that I am not better than my fathers in the faith when I disbelieve or disregard that truth. Thank You for Your clear leadership and care. Your grace extends even beyond my struggles to trust. My faith shifts and sinks, but You abide faithful. Amen 3:46 AM - 5/13/2008 - comments {0} - post commentIn the Potter's Hands "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." Jeremiah 18:6 This is an appropriate image in the light of the last week. I have graduated from Calvary Theological Seminary with a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling. I am both happy to be done and strangely waiting for it to sink in. I am not the kind of guy to throw parties in my own honor, so I have been quietly waiting for the next steps of instruction from God. I think God is telling me to simply allow Him to do with me as He would. And like the simple lump of clay that I am, I will need to let Him do the reshaping into the vessel He desires. It feels a little weird not to have an academic element in my life since it has come to dominate a lot of my planning and schedule the past two and a half years. I suppose the spinning of the wheel has stopped for a while. And now I am in His hand again, only in a different way. Those closest to me have shared in the trials, the sacrifices, and the joys of the Theological journey. And they have rejoiced with me at its completion. I feel a real need to give back to them. My wife and children have particularly done without me, had to cope with my lack of time management, and sacrificed things such as family vacations and time with me in order to allow me the space to complete my degree program. I will be giving back to them now. In terms of personal ministry, we shall all wait for God's direction. I do know that I have a lot to do with where I am right now, and am content to stay there if that is what God wants. There are people to help. There are life stories to enter. There are ministry opportunities to take part in. There is planning, implementation, and trust in God on the road ahead. But right now, in a calming way, it feels good to sit and wait for just a little while. 8:07 AM - 5/12/2008 - comments {1} - post commentFairy LoavesBeautiful fossils turned over on the seacoast or on the grounds of your home are a good omen, called fairy loaves.If you are lucky enough to find one lift the stone and instantly say thank you. Standing where you are, turn three times on the spot, clockwise. Take it home and clean it as though it was treasure. Place it on a mantleplace or on top of your stove. While it remains in your home, you should never want for bread. Caress it from time to time, when your luck could do with a boost. But do not leave it outside, that would abuse fairy hopitality. 8:18 AM - 5/9/2008 - comments {0} - post commentTo Prevent Hair LossPrepare a tonic of 50g nasturtium leaves, seeds, and flowers; 25g nettle eleaves; to table spoons marigold flowers; two tablespoons lavender flowers; four sprigs of rosemary; and a handful of oak leaves.Macertate (steep) all for a month in 600ml of alcohol. Sieve three times, and use twice a week as a pre-shampoo treatment, leaving it on for at least 20 min. 8:11 AM - 5/9/2008 - comments {0} - post commentUp on the Mountain to Pray And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. Mark 6:46 Up...toward Your throne higher I climb from people alone but closer to You Onward...in progress toward something and Someone beyond me I find a cleare view Up on the mountain to pray is where I need to be there I find my time with You and my soul is nurtured and free Clear...vision for eyes and air for the lungs I breath in truth I see You Focused...on what matters most I know that You will show me what I need to say and do Up on the mountain to pray is where I'll always be there I find my time in You and my soul is nurtured and free 5:30 AM - 5/8/2008 - comments {1} - post commentThe joy in the pain Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16 The prophet Jeremiah wrote those words in the midst of a plea for God to intervene and protect him from persecution. On one hand he was suffering for the name of God. On the other, his purest delight and sustenance came from God. There is immeasurable pleasure and joy in God that outweighs any human hardship. I remind myself of this. I am not persecuted (and don't know that I ever really have come close to the real sense of the word. I have been laughed at and shunned by those hostile to Christianity. I have never suffered for it.) I do know the hard side of things. I often have to deal with people in their worst places, sharing intimacies of confession and witnessing tragedy and sin's horrid destruction on a vivid emotional and personal scale. Jeremiah did so as he literally watched Jerusalem crash around him due to Judah's sin. And yet He could find sustenance and joy in his relationship with God. He went back to the core and the center to find strength and peace. That is where I go. That is why any neglect of this daily, serious investment of time in God's Word ultimately results in loss for me. I have to have it in order to lift the rubble of destruction for another day. I gain the insight of the prophet this morning, and with his example firmly in my mind, I will feast on the Word of the Lord and find great joy there today. Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, Lord Jesus, for I am called by Your name. 5:26 AM - 5/8/2008 - comments {0} - post commentNow I'm REALLY Mad!If you have a regular news source, it's only natural that you'll hear an interesting story or two only to have it disappear quickly. Never more has this been the case with me before now. Around APRIL 21, a stroller containing a toddler was blown into Lake Michigan while his helpless, horrified grandfather could do nothing more than jump in the frigid water and scream for help. Police divers were a short distance away at our Midway Airport and had him out within minutes, but in the confusion of the shock, the man's broken English (He's Serbian), etc. the boy was under water for 15 min. Everybody knows that death occurs after about 3 min. underwater, and significant brain damage before that. Not everybody knows that that rule doesn't always apply if the accident involves children and frigid water. I don't know all the scientific details, but the sudden shock of the cold water creates a mini-hibernation based on stimulating the dive-reflex or something like that.
You've probably guessed that the boy survived. He was taken to a top hospital that has well-documented success treating that kind of accident. A family friend two days later said that he was doing 'better'. The family didn't want any other information given out. I know that hospitals in the u.s. have much stricter privacy laws, but somebody must know something. I am tempted to e-mail the two writers of the main article in our major paper, or e-mail a newscaster that I like from the radio station I listen to all the time. I know they would say that they would cover it if they could, blah blah blah. I think everybody who heard the story is waiting for a happy ending. I wonder how many people remember? It was a major story. I google it looking for more info and see that newspapers across the u.s. had picked up the story. I think I will e-mail that newscaster. 4:53 AM - 5/8/2008 - comments {3} - post commentWhite RabbitThough rabbits or hares are not universally seen as lucky becasue of thier association with witches, these little creatures will bring you luck of you ask nicely.
When you spot a white rabbit or hare, blow the creature a kiss and say:
Messenger of the Lady Moon Grant me luck this afternoon
Wish carefully, you have but one chance, and it may be for anything, but use your wish wisely. 8:32 AM - 5/7/2008 - comments {0} - post commentRenweing the bond after a lovers quarrelSalt is a powerful ingrediant in magick and can serve many different uses, it can be potent for use for lovers who have had a recent quarrel.Take some crystal salt flakes and burn them in a candle flame or on a fire. Say out loud the name of the one you love and repeat the words: Salt, salt, I place thee in fire and may he (or she) who has bewitched me make me now his (or her) hearts desire Look into the flames for the face of your love and send a powerful message of love through the salty ether. When you next see your lover, put a flake of salt from the same source on his or her tounge very playfully: the bond will now be tired and all previous tears dried. 8:27 AM - 5/7/2008 - comments {0} - post commentI HATE CARLOS ZAMBRANO SO MUCH!!!!Carlos Zambrano is a baseball player. Last year during one of his pitching starts, a teammate, the well-liked Michael Barrett, was having a terrible game defensively. What does Zambrano do? He punched him in the face in the dugout. Later Barrett went up to him in the clubhouse to talk things over and Zambrano hit him again. If that were my team (I guess it's easy to say when I have no money/job on the line) he would have been gone. Instead, Michael Barrett was suddenly traded a short time later. Carlos gets what Carlos wants. Fortunately for me, Zambrano went on to have a horrible month that same year. I didn't hear about anyone punching him. He's doing well this year but with every inning and every pitch that I hear, I wish with all my heart that he will choke or even become injured. I guess I just can't stand to see truly horrible human beings succeed, especially Zambrano. He really burns me up. 8:16 AM - 5/7/2008 - comments {0} - post commentThoughts on Graduation Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 The reality of life is that people will disappoint and hurt me but God will never do so. It is when I think that somehow God is behind what people are doing in a negative way that I might be tempted to be disappointed with God. By that I mean that if I expect God to be sovereign by forcing people act a certain way, I have missed Who God is. He is certainly in control. But human free will action is a very real and very true experience. Sin reigns in the unredeemed majority of the world. It affects even the people of God as they relate to one another. God does not force people to hurt me. They do so of their own sinful volition. He knows about it certainly and is sovereign over and beyond the actions of mere human creatures. So the actions of people will hurt me, even though God has not hurt me by choosing to let this sort of thing go on. He is above it. He provides the perspective OVER it. It is when I think that somehow God moved an evil personal action against me as some sort of chess piece to block me that I start thinking wrongly about the sovereignty of God. Yes, He can frustrate my sin. He will not frustrate my righteous obedience (when it is there). I cling tenaciously to promises like this one. I have to admit that my big temptation and sin is to think myself somehow more important than I am. I am humbled when I am honored by people for this reason. I know this week that my professors and peers at CTS will say much about me to encourage me upon the completion of my degree. God allowed me to do so with academic excellence. I realize that it is a professional courtesy and also an expression of Christian love for them to honor and congratulate me. I won't let it become a set-up for other disappointments. I walk away from that line of thinking right now! I refuse to let it be a driving thought. When I do so, I will not be moved from the right place. Lord, Thanks for seeing me through. And I know that what You have in store for me this week will be confirming and encouraging. I expect only that You will ask me to be Your obedient slave. Amen 6:32 AM - 5/6/2008 - comments {0} - post commentGood afternoon. That'll be 25 euros, thank you very much.People just aren't social enough, are they? Whether you walk thru a crowd on the street, walk past someone in the frozen dinners aisle, or sit next to a stranger on the plane... It's hard for these strangers to even utter a 'good morning', or a 'hello'. A Dutch poll showed that 63 percent of our population feel that random strangers they meet have to greet them.A Belgian organization, Boodschap Zonder Naam (message without a name) think they have the solution. This week from Monday thru Friday, their 'agents' will be randomly walking around, and anyone who says 'good afternoon' to them will receive 25 euros. In fact, there are two 25,000 euro grand prizes for the persons who say it in the most polite way: one winner in Dutch-speaking Flanders, and one winner in French-speaking Wallonia. I don't see the point. If I had to greet everyone I passed on the street it would take me at least fifteen minutes longer to get to each place I go to every day. Also, I can't walk into a grocery store without being greeted by the manager. Sometimes in the public transport system people take liberties that just drive me mad. I think people are social enough as it is. 3:53 AM - 5/6/2008 - comments {5} - post commentThe name Katrina springs to mind"This cyclone is just the latest example that the junta fail to meet the basic needs of the people" - Laura Bush3:47 AM - 5/6/2008 - comments {0} - post commentSeabiscuit and Horse RacingDB is right, Seabiscuit ruptured a tendon, recovered, and went on to race. I'm no expert, but I've heard that horses have been bred to have finer bones for more speed. I know that some breeds of dogs have been bred to accentuate certain features and it's gone to the extreme. Some smallish breeds with large heads have to have a C-section in 100% of cases. I've heard that if you get a bulldog that can walk up the stairs, you are very fortunate.
As for the people copying and pasting celebrity news, etc. I'm an even bigger naive idiot than I thought for believing that they were actually typing those stories! I never thought of the plagarism angle either. 2:19 PM - 5/5/2008 - comments {1} - post comment
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