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Meandering the metaphysical |
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Monday, December 25, 2006
Advent 1955 by John Betjeman The Advent wind begins to stir With sea-like sounds in our Scotch fir, It's dark at breakfast, dark at tea, And in between we only see Clouds hurrying across the sky And rain-wet roads the wind blows dry And branches bending to the gale Against great skies all silver pale The world seems travelling into space, And travelling at a faster pace Than in the leisured summer weather When we and it sit out together, For now we feel the world spin round On some momentous journey bound - Journey to what? to whom? to where? The Advent bells call out 'Prepare, Your world is journeying to the birth Of God made Man for us on earth.' And how, in fact, do we prepare The great day that waits us there - For the twenty-fifth day of December, The birth of Christ? For some it means An interchange of hunting scenes On coloured cards, And I remember Last year I sent out twenty yards, Laid end to end, of Christmas cards To people that I scarcely know - They'd sent a card to me, and so I had to send one back. Oh dear! Is this a form of Christmas cheer? Or is it, which is less surprising, My pride gone in for advertising? The only cards that really count Are that extremely small amount From real friends who keep in touch And are not rich but love us much Some ways indeed are very odd By which we hail the birth of God. We raise the price of things in shops, We give plain boxes fancy tops And lines which traders cannot sell Thus parcell'd go extremely well We dole out bribes we call a present To those to whom we must be pleasant For business reasons. Our defence is These bribes are charged against expenses And bring relief in Income Tax Enough of these unworthy cracks! 'The time draws near the birth of Christ'. A present that cannot be priced Given two thousand years ago Yet if God had not given so He still would be a distant stranger And not the Baby in the manger.
Friday, December 08, 2006
'Twas the month Twas the month before Christmas When all through our land, Not a Christian was praying Nor taking a stand. See the PC Police had taken away, The reason for Christmas - no one could say. The children were told by their schools not to sing, About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things. It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say December 25th is just a "Holiday ". Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it ! CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an iPod Something was changing, something quite odd! Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda. As Targets were hanging their trees upside down At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found. At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears. Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty Are words that were used to intimidate me. Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, and Clinton! At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter. And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace. The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded The reason for the season, stopped before it started. So as you celebrate "Winter Break" under your "Dream Tree" Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me. Choose your words carefully, choose what you say Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thoughts Recently, two Christian campus ministries have been "de-recognized" by the universities at which they serve. One at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and the other at the University of Wisconsin. And, a third at Georgetown University. I know that FIRE is helping to fight these but I'm unsure of the outcomes thus far. What does this mean? What should we think of this? What do you think of this? Also, this is an interesting read at this blog. Not sure how I found this but I do like the concept of a "Third Place" for people to meet and socialize. We need more of these places in our towns and suburbs.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Buy Nothing Day "Every November, for 24 hours, we remember that no one was born to shop, we make a small choice to participate by not participating. If you've never take part in Buy Nothing Day, or if you've taken part in the past but haven't really committed to doing it again, consider this: 2006 will go down as the year in which mainstreem dialogue about global warming finally reached its critical mass. What better way to bring the Year of Global Warming to a close than to point people in the direction of real and effective alternatives to the unbridled consumption that has created this quagmire?" Watch the TV Spot This is not just about buying stuff: "The shock wave of the environmental movement was felt in the Christian church most tangibly in a renewed appreciation for the idea of stewardship. We learned that stewardship has as much to do with our natural environment as it does with our personal finances. In particular we learned (or remembered): 1) that the created order reflects the glory of God and has inherent worth independent of our use for or appreciation of it; 2) that we did not create the natural world and we therefore must receive its benefits with humility and gratitude; and 3) that the created order is fragile and that we have a mandate to preserve it and care for it." Eric O. Jacobsen Some things to think about this holiday season...
Monday, October 23, 2006
Racing Away This past weekend I assisted in organizing, promoting and operating a road race and I also ran in a race! Every October the Cross Country teams of Northern York HS host a 5k road race during the same weekend as the annual Dillsburg Farmers' Fair. This year was the 10th Annual for the race and it was a success once again. See more about the race here. On Sunday morning, I participated in a supposed 8k race in Fairfax, Va. Initially, I was unsure if I was healthy enough to race as I seemingly have contracted a nasty cough, out of the blue. However, with the persistent encouragement, my friend Dawn convinced me to race! This was the first annual for the Star Kid 8k and there was one spot (in the first mile of the race) where the course was not adequately marked. Thus, there was great confusion and everyone ultimately ran the incorrect distance. Despite this, I was still satisfied with my performance (despite spotty training and sickness) and surprised by how strong my body felt. There was a contingency of three Team Geneva XC runners participating...Dawn Sell, Scott Sweatman and me. Dawn was the star of the show! She was first in her age bracket and was the first employee finisher for Inova Hospital...both earning her some cash prizes!! Results can be found here under Star Kid 8k. The race benefited the Pediatric Heart Program at Inova. For being a first year race, they did an exceptional job (despite the one bad turn) and even had ChampionChip as the timing company! Panera Bread was one of the main sponsors who subsequently donated at least five "bread for a year" and five "bread for life" door prizes! So, if you ever see Panera as a sponsor for a race...register. Good times! Next scheduled race...Thanksgiving Day in Carlisle...come out and race!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Fastfood Coffee Just saw a new McDonald's TV commercial where the one guy hugs the other guy (his co-worker) for buying him a large coffee. McDonald's is pushing their new promotion - any size coffee for only 69 cents. Hmm, I guess their "premium roast" plan was not quite as successful as they had hoped. Get this...at the very end of the ad...the voiceover says this: "Swing by the drive-thru and we'll even throw in the creme and sugar for you" GREAT shot taken at Starbanks. Yet, I've had McDonald's "premium roast" coffee and its not even close to Starbucks' quality. It's fastfood coffee and I refuse to buy it.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Some Updates Honestly, I'm not sure who still comes around to check out this site. I do write things occasionally and as we enter the season of autumn, I'm sure more will be flowing. My mind always seems to be more inspired in the cooler weather. Hmm. For those who haven't heard...I've accepted a position with this brokerage company and will be leaving my current job with Travelers, effective this Wednesday, September 13. This is an exciting time yet tough and scary all wrapped up in one! Exciting because its a new challenge and should prove to be very interesting and dynamic. Tough because I leave some good friends and colleagues in the Travelers office. Scary as I will be completely and soley responsible for my success (scary but invigorating). This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity of spending three days in Glacier National Park - Montana. My brosif, JT and I backpacked for three days. Good times. Here are some photos. If you ever get the chance, I suggest visiting Glacier. One of the most beautiful places in the United States. I would hurry though, estimates say between the years of 2030-2050, no more glaciers will exist in the park due to global warming. This is so very sad to me. We were there during a busy time (mid-August) so we did not have the privilege of encountering much wildlife - grizzly bear or mountain lion. That's all for now!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Missions This week the church I attend has a team serving in Gulfport, MS. This town was directly hit by Hurricane Katrina. The team leader and our pastor, King Counts, has been writing updates each evening on our church's website. Please check it out! Updates
Thursday, July 13, 2006
A Few Things Softball season is winding down here soon and the playoffs will begin for both teams for which I play. It will be fun, as always, but never fun when the season ends. Recently, I've been downing Naked Juice prior to each softball game (per the recommendation by JT). Tasty and healthy energy boost! Fun fact about the album It Still Moves - by My Morning Jacket ...they recorded the entire album in a grain silo! See for yourself in this review. It is an excellent album and if you haven't checked those guys out yet, you are missing out. Has anyone else noticed how cheap hardcopy CD's are at Amazon these days?? I haven't purchased an actual CD in months since I use iTunes and eMusic mostly. This can be explained in the book I'm reading... Currently reading... The Long Tail by Chris Anderson (Editor of Wired Magazine). Excellent read so far. Somehow, I picked up a copy in Greenville, SC on July 2. Check out the author's blogsite for some realworld examples of the Long Tail theory. Sadly, my good friend and cohort - JT Morris - has succumbed to the pressure and has now opened his own "MySpace" account. What a shame. Lastly...a quote: "If you cannot see God in all, you cannot see God at all."
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Books and Such Recently, I completed the book On Earth As It Is In Advertising. It is an excellent read and speaks truth into how we should be engaging our culture and living the true gospel. Book Description: "Reveals how advertising attempts to mimic the gospel message by wrongly defining human identity and promising to fulfill essential human needs." Check it out or borrow my copy! Also, I encourage you to take a few minutes and read this article God of the Latté as Lauren Winner reviews two books about Faith in the Suburbs. If you are interested, you can follow the life of my church softball team here. This is basically my life in the summer time. Also, a group of us former teammates of Geneva XC will (hopefully) be racing together at the annual Spirit of Gettysburg 5k on July 8, 2006. See you there! Lastly, I leave you with a quote from one of the books I'm currently reading... "If you think that those who have rejected the plastic culture and are sick of hypocrisy are going to be impressed when you talk about truth and at the same time practice untruth, you are wrong. They will never listen. You have cut the ground from under yourself. We live in a generation that does not believe that such a thing as truth is possible, and if you practice untruth while talking about truth, the real thinkers will just say, "Garbage!"" --Francis Schaeffer
Friday, May 26, 2006
Gone look at all those fancy clothes but these could keep us warm just like those and what about your soul is it cold is it straight from the mold and ready to be sold and cars and phones and diamond rings those are only removable things and what about your mind does it shine or are there things that concern you more than your time gone going gone everything gone give a damn gone be the birds when they don't want to sing gone people all awkward with their things, gone look at you out to make a deal you try to be appealing but you loose your appeal what about those shoes you're in today they'll do no good on the bridges youve burnt along the way you willing to sell anything, gone with your herd leave your footprints and well shame them with our words gone people all careless and consumed, gone gone going gone everything gone give a damn gone be the birds if they don't want to sing gone people all awkward with their things, gone
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
"It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it." A.W. Tozer
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Global Warming  Click to Enlarge It's my first entry in over a month and the first of 2006. Not even sure anyone still reads this stuff but I'm going to trudge on. The title doesn't necessarily reflect what my point is tonite. However, it has been unseasonably and unfairly warm in 2006, thus far! Makes for some pleasant runs in the late afternoon but does not really help our skiing hopes here in the northeast! Just returned from a trip across Pennsylvania to visit old 401 roommates out in the South Hills of Picksburgh yesterday. Good times! We flipped some cards, Xboxed and watched some football. Next stop was a quick one...3 minutes with my good friend Chris Kissell then on to Altoona for a quick lunch and visit with my Manfred friends. There was much more to this trip then the overview I've just given above. I witnessed the interworkings of Christ's mercy and love in a real and personal manner. First, I was able to stay in the Harrisburg area on Friday nite and help with a "Rail Jam" at Ski Roundtop to help benefit the Messiah College Ski & Ride Club and follow it with some good fellowship. En route to Pittsburgh, I realized just minutes before exiting Route 70 West onto 43 North that 43 is a tollroad and I was running low on coins. Route 43, for some reason unknown to me, does NOT accept EZ Pass. Thanks to the mobile phone, I was able to quickly call Ted (he answered quickly) and ask how much the toll would be. 50 cents. I had it! Two quarters. A small blessing. So, the Lord has been good. He always is. Another note, it really was good to see the old roomies, many who are now married and all of our schedules busy. I am just thankful to have the opportunities that I have. Originally, I had planned to write more of "new year's" type entry but now that its the middle of January...who cares? Well, I still encourage you to read that clip above (just click on it to enlarge) because it will be an encouragement to you. It's not long. That is how I want to live in 2006 and beyond. Leaving you with this two small passages from a current book I'm reading... "It occurs to me it is not so much the aim of the devil to lure me with evil as it is to preoccupy me with the meaningless." "Could we, with human reason, process the finality of death, we would be very different souls, giving more than we take, forgiving easily, and listening with all that is in for answers to questions we would not have otherwise asked." Live and live well. |
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