ha256's Xanga

Heroes 2.0

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:58:33 GMT

There is a vast amount of hero-worship to-day which reminds us too much of that shout for Barabbas. We are glorifying the wrong people; at least, most of us are. It is one of the deplorable weaknesses of the times, or if you like it better, it is one of the fashions or crazes to which human nature at times gives itself up. The heroes of the crowd, of the great mass of people, are not the good men, not the men of light and leading, not the men who are morally great or even intellectually great, not the men who are the strength and salt of a nation, but the men who minister to its pleasures, and lead the way in sports. No one can have any doubt of that. No one can have any doubt about the sort of persons whom the vast majority of young people, and some older people too, delight to honour. With some it is the star of the music hall or opera. With a great many more it is the winner of a race, or the champion player in a successful football team, or the most effective bowler, or the highest scorer in cricket. The crowd goes mad about these heroes. There is no throne high enough to place them on. Money and favours are lavished at their feet, and all the newspapers are full of their glorious triumphs.

Mark I am not speaking against athletic sports. I like to see a well and honestly played game, and I would join in the clapping when a man makes a clever stroke. What I object to is the crazy and almost delirious worship which is given to these champions of the sporting world. It is the excess of the thing that proves a diseased state of mind. There is more fuss made over some youth who scores a few hundreds on the cricket-field, than there would be over a man who had saved six hundred lives. In hundreds of journals his portrait appears, and his doings are chronicled as if he had wrought some deliverance for the nation. Poor lad, it is not his fault that he has sprung up suddenly into fame, it is the fault of the people who love to have these things so. It is because men have gone pleasure-mad and sport-mad, and in their madness cannot see the difference between a clever athlete and a mental or moral giant. We prove what our own tastes are, we prove the quality of our own hearts and minds, we prove our own debasement, when we exalt physical strength above excellence of character, when we make our heroes out of muscle instead of soul, when we worship those who serve our pleasure more than those who set us examples of noble things, and lead the way in them. It is only another rendering of the old shout, "Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas." Not so wicked, of course, but equally foolish and unworthy.

Who are your heroes? That is the question. Or in other words, What sort of men do you admire most? Answer that, and I know at once what sort of men and women you are. If you are worshipers of pleasure, the champions of the pleasure-world will be your idols and kings. If you are rooted and grounded in the love of lucre, the successful millionaire is the man that you will fawn upon or worship from afar. If your main delight is in intellectual things, the great thinkers and writers will be the men to whom you look up with reverence. And if you are good men, with a passionate love for goodness, and a constant striving to be better than you are, there are none whom you will admire with all your hearts except the good, except the best, and those who are leading in the way of goodness.

- REV. J. G. GREENHOUGH, M.A. (BARABBAS)

<>< () <>< () <><

I believe this is the answer to one of my old questions... Why do I do I not see Jesus as a bonafide hero in my heart? I think I always knew, but never could express exactly what it was in my heart. But thanks to Rev. Greenhough, I think I have an answer. I do not treasure Christ as a hero because the landscape of my heart already has heroes of its own. I value thinkers and smarts over perseverance and faithfulness. I value productivity over love. (Sad, I know...) Such a sad state of affairs in my heart. Luckily, I know a heart surgeon.

Shalom,

ha256

The road home...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:11:06 GMT

¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Hebrews 11:11-16 (NIV)

Pray for me.

This verse used to hold such meaning and poignancy to me. Ever so slowly and steadily, there is a creeping desire to hang my hat up here.

But I'm not home yet.

I'm tired of the ceaseless aching. And isn't that the nature of our hope? Wanting to see the brokenness mended. War & Death forever vanquished. I don't feel like a citizen of heaven. I don't feel like an alien or stranger on earth.

What happened?

Lord, I feel lost. Come meet me.
In the name of the one who made a way home, Jesus.
Amen.

Clean Feet by Jesus

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:13:02 GMT

¹It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

²The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. ³Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"

⁷Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

⁸"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

⁹"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"

¹⁰Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." ¹¹For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹²When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. ¹³"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13:1-25 (NIV)

When I pray in the shower, very often I find myself repenting. (Yes, there is plenty to repent for.) Meandering along this line of thought brought me to the above passage. Very often, I've heard that this passage explains that we should serve one another. But this time, something different stuck out at me. Jesus' rebuke of Simon Peter is a curious matter.

"Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."

What does Jesus mean by this? Simon Peter's response is a knee-jerk. Of course, LORD, wash whatever you wish! His motivations and intentions are pretty clear. But Jesus makes this whole foot washing business a requirement.

Let's look at what foot-washing meant in Jesus' day. Consider first, that only the lowliest of slaves were given the menial task of washing feet. The average person wore sandals and walked on roads where animals walked. Consider the dirt and animal droppings and who knows what that would end up on your feet by the end of the day.

Then Jesus, the LORD of glory, the King of Kings... washing his twelve disciples' feet.

Has Jesus washed you? Has He cleansed you?

Everyday, we take a shower. We brush our teeth. That takes care of the physical. But how about the rest of us? How about the daily grime and nastiness in our souls & minds? Has Jesus come and cleansed that as well?

My take-away is not simply that we serve our fellow Christians. It is not simply to denigrate ourselves. But it is to recognize Jesus' cleansing work and then go serve others as you have been served. Simply serving others is insufficient. We will become either patronizing or needy in our service of others. Only those who have been washed by Jesus can inform true Christian service. Until our nasty parts are cleansed by Jesus, we cannot serve others in those areas.

Do not go out without having Jesus' washing.
Do not being washed forget who we serve and why we serve.
Go out and serve as we have been served by Jesus.

HGTFLFU...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:47:59 GMT

Who is God?

God is the one who loves.

How do we know this?

He sent his best. His son came to us.

What did his son receive?

Scorn, Mocking, Torture, Accusation, Misunderstanding, Betrayal, Desertion...

What did his son give?

Eternal life.

Who reigns?

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 21:03:26 GMT

This is an iron-sharpening-iron moment. Please standby...

We call ourselves followers of Christ. But I have to ask... really? You think so? Maybe because all too often, I have to ask myself. Are you following? I want to seriously consider how we make decisions... the little day-to-day decisions. Coffee? Tea? Water? or perhaps... Buy? Save? Invest? Borrow? I'm not trying to say that one of them is a better choice. I'm asking where your decision making nexus is located.

I've always been interested in learning about how people think. What makes them tick. I remember this one conversation with a gal. We were discussing a situation after the fact. So she was talking about the facts about the situation and then she told me how she had decided to proceed. So I asked her, how she arrived at that choice. And it was simply, "It felt right." I'm not trying to make her look bad, but seriously... How do you even start to discuss something when the support for the decision is purely emotional? There's no point of reference. It's just pitting one person's feelings against another person's feelings on the matter. Have you seen how arguments become circular and there is no honest move to compromise? I think it is because we want what we want and there is really, seriously, no way to discuss or compromise with someone who takes that kind of stance.

I haven't forgotten the left-brain dominated people. ^_^ Yeah, I must count myself among them. We have this idea that logic is the best way somehow. We can reason our way to the wisest decision. But this assumes we somehow know it all. But we don't... as much as have individual expertise, the range of knowledge is so specific that honestly... I think the best thing logic can come up with is pragmatism. Just go with what works. But there's a problem... How do you know it's actually working? You don't. We rationalize when it's convenient for us. We say it's logical, but really the problem is our basic assumptions. If your assumptions are off one iota, your extrapolations are going to be way off. So try to follow logic and you may end up a madman knowing neither right nor wrong, or you end up eviscerating yourself by saying there is neither right nor wrong.

To sum it up, when we just follow our emotions/logic, we fulfill those times described in the Old Testament, "everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes." So what other choice remains? I'd like to summarize it simply. Jesus is Lord. I think that this has yet to sink in fully for me as well. But I'm trusting that we will recognize His voice when he calls. And we will follow...

------------

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/13/lw.adultery.confessions.whats.next/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/08/12/studentsteachers.online/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/sports/olympics/21protest.html?_r=1&em=&pagewanted=all
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/2613399/Mosab-Hassan-Yousef-son-of-Hamas-leader-becomes-a-Christian.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/nyregion/13detain.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/26/o.divorce.dreams/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/08/25/manta.ray/index.html
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/19/smallbusiness/make_sleep_work_for_you.fsb/index.htm
http://www.slate.com/id/2198942/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1051871/Stalins-mass-murders-entirely-rational-says-new-Russian-textbook-praising-tyrant.html
http://www.nysun.com/business/unthinkable-happens-manhattan-apartment-prices/84900/
http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=august2008-10-things-banks-will-not-tell-you&split=0
http://www.newsweek.com/id/156372/page/1
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1051981/Why-men-women-choose-partners-look-like-parents.html
http://www.slate.com/id/2199258/pagenum/all/#page_start
http://slatev.com/player.html?id=1784543751
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7616346.stm

Housing Bill - Debating, Voting, and Summary

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:20:57 GMT

I guess you should know by now, the housing bill got rejected in the US House of Representatives by a slim margin (23 votes to be exact.)

And out of curiosity, I wanted to know how my "representative" voted. Yeah, he voted for it... maybe I should vote for the other guy when my rep comes up for re-election.

If you're a curious cat, feel free to browse the congressional record for September 29th.
Items of interest
12 - Debate & Vote
43 through 56 - Summary thoughts from various viewpoints. (I'm glad there are some smart cookies voting on laws. This whole bill smelled and looked like trash. Hopefully, they can clean it up and go through normal procedures this time around...)

(Normally, I would link to the actual articles, but the page does not allow me to do so...)

I've had time to discuss my stance against this "bail-out" and I must admit, my position has softened a bit. But the anger is still there. If the US Congress can't build a bill that makes sense (& cents!!) to the average American, I imagine they will have the voters to answer to come re-election time. I'm not against helping the financial sector, but I am against treating symptoms and not the actual problem. Throwing money at things does not solve everything. God have mercy.

P.S. I actually found a commentary that kinda sums up my feelings on the matter. I don't agree completely, but it comes pretty close.

Chicken Little

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:52:47 GMT

<RANT>
"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"

Idiot.

Anyone read the story of chicken little? (if you haven't... please do.)

I've been watching the story unfold about this "financial crisis" and I'm struck by how no one has really taken the time to flesh out this "crisis" people keep talking about. We need to bail out these companies or the whole financial system will grind to a halt. Please... who do you think you're talking to? This smells suspiciously like another "knee-jerk reaction" that has been orchestrated from the bowels of the White House. 9/11 to Iraq. Make people afraid and they will do anything you like. I'm going to tell my representatives to kill this stupid bill. I've had enough of inflation and moves in the public sector that majorly benefit the big movers and shakers in the private sector. A 700 Billion dollar move is NOT something to be made in a week... much less two or three. STOP and THINK! This crisis has sat for this long and I haven't seen a problem. You know what needs to happen? SOMEONE NEEDS TO FIGURE OUT THAT THEIR HOUSES AREN'T WORTH THAT MUCH!!! and you know what that takes? Time. I'm all for throwing money at big problems that need money. But this isn't a capital issue, it's the fact that people misunderstood the nature of the risk. So the taxpayer should help by taking on that risk?!? Because the investors and big guys are scared crapless about how much these "securities" are really worth? Yeah, let's put that on a national ballot and see how far it gets. McCain would look good up against those kinda of odds.
</RANT>

We now return to our regularly scheduled program

prairie dog style

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:30:45 GMT

<personal thoughts>
So it's been awhile since I've put up a post. And from that, yes, you can extrapolate that my personal devotion life has been pretty crappy. Maybe I've been reading too much news lately. Russia.Georgia.Olympics.Housing.Freddie.Fannie.Bernie.Obama.
So I finished reading Chronicles of Wasted Moments by Malcolm Muggeridge. His book reads like a reminiscent blog with jewels hidden among the piles of mundane dirt and rubbish. Blah, blah, blah... *BLING* ... blah, blah, blah. And it reminded me again of how pointless life is w/o Christ and w/o God. All new news... is old news happening to new people. Genocide. Spin. Injustice. Tyranny. Corruption. Ineptitude. I recognize again... how is it that people believe we can build a utopia, when the sins of humanity are so plain to see? The line between good and evil truly goes thru the heart of every man, woman and child. And until we can all find a way to face that...

I'm trying to read through the bible from cover to cover again. I got a new version, ESV, at the recommendation of a pastor at my church. I've read thru the bible once with NIV, but I think it would be good to see how things change with the new version. (* He knew her. *) Yeah, that was interesting. And for those KJV people, I know... it's old school. But I've never read it, alright? I'm currently trying to struggle through 1 Chronicles. So many names, so many family trees. Makes me want to skip to a more interesting book. If I was really ambitious, I would try to sketch out the family tree... or maybe try to build a 3D render /floorplan of Solomon's temple. That would be sweet.

Helping with small group. It's been challenging. I think that unless God raises up people that are truly loving. It's all a moot point. An exercise in futility. It's hard to keep that perspective. May we become smaller in our own eyes and God become ever larger and stronger.

Send up a prayer for me, would ya?
</personal thoughts>

Here's some links to my online perusals...

http://www.persecution.com/members/prayerroom/index.cfm
http://www.prisoneralert.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/business/yourmoney/07shortcuts.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/business/yourmoney/31money.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/business/06unbox.html
http://www.jasonbartholme.com/11-powerful-firefox-3-add-ons-that-can-replace-standalone-applications/
http://weblog.xanga.com/NVRSAD_DAY/667320207/index.html

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_56314.html
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/an-assault-on-decency/index.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1035315/Father-branded-pervert--photographing-children-public-park.html
http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Pandemic-2.html
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121642367125066615-4K_l2jdjmxrSAZRs5Ii1mziroY8_20080818.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/16/israelandthepalestinians.middleeast
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008/07/20/53414.html
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92520419&ft=1&f=1001
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/22/news/economy/paulson/index.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/business/05freddie.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/20debt.html?pagewanted=all
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/23/news/economy/middle_class/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/21/real_estate/mo_ban_on_lending_abuse/index.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/23/news/economy/housing_bill.ap/index.htm?postversion=2008072309
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/fashion/24work.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-skills-you-need-to-succeed-at-almost-anything.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/19-free-gtd-apps-for-windows-mac-linux.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/10-productivity-myths-that-hold-you-back.html

Square One

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:24:24 GMT

You know... sometimes, I make things much more complicated than they need to be. KISS should definitely be the rule, not the exception.

So I was lying in bed tonight and well, you can guess what happened. I got insomnia. This is actually the second night in 4 days or so. I don't really have alot to worry about. Maybe getting a good night's sleep is a fine art and I've just lost my touch. Tried praying for peace. Tried thinking about nothing. Yeah, rolled around for the better part of 2 hours or so. It struck me that this Christian perspective answers so many of the primary questions we have about life.

(God loves you.) Love God.
(God is the boss.) Listen to God
(God is in control.) Take it up with God.
(God created you.) God probably knows more about you than you do.
(God has a purpose for you.) Love others.
(God makes the rules.) Ask God how to play the game.

I'm sure I could go on, but given that it's the wee hours of the morn, I'll just stop there.

=== === ===
Food so bad, it's Unconstitutional?
Sad state of mental hospitals in the US...
What about the Iraqi's?
Serious Babytalk.
Beating Stupidity in the workplace
Who's paying for retirement now?
Take two vacations and call me in the ...
This man takes the concept of Martha to a whole other level...
Nature vs. Nurture in the world of business

3 steps forward, two steps back...

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:13:56 GMT

Who is God? (Why does it matter?)

It has become abundantly clear to me that I have lost focus. God has become fuzzy in my brain and in my heart.

Dad, forgive me. I clearly do not understand what it means to have a Daddy-God. I forget how you created all the things I see, the planets, the sun, the people around me with your awesome creative hand. I've been distracted on a day-to-day basis from remembering the one who has paid my ransom in blood. My eyes have ceased to look forward towards the day where Jesus will come back again and take us all Home. The Lord and Master of my life often seems to be myself. My inner sanctum of my heart, the temple of worship has become cluttered with all these useless idols and worthless altars. Come in and clean out the temple again. Throw out those things which are unworthy of worship. Clear my vision again. Help me to see clearly. Come in and be Lord. Mend the broken things in me, fix the twisted things, don't leave me as I am. May your will be done in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

=====
Gay rights meets freedom of religion.
Interesting drinking glasses... (courtesy of http://merginglanes.com/)
What happens when old people fall in love?
Having kids won't make a marriage, eh?
Thou shalt not Facebook friend promiscuiously!
Organ-harvesting ambulances?

And sometimes... I remember again, why I read my xanga subs...
Tizzy & Fraychel~ Thanks!