Cleveland 7, BoSox 1

A bunch of us went to the Indians game last night... here are some of the better pictures...

argh...

Today I heard what may be the single most stupid thing I have ever heard come out of a student's mouth in all of my years of teaching. A very young student who is not comprehending what has been taught all year looked at me and said, "I just play too many sports, and that's why I can not understand music." On the surface of it, it may not be that obvious how un-intellectual this statement really is. But to me, it definitely is obvious how sad and pathetic a statement that it is about his laziness.

I love my new digital camera!

This little guy showed up in the backyard the other day
and gave me the time for 40 or 50 cool shots... here are three.

Vigil at Grace Fellowship Church

Each Holy Week, the church I attend hosts a vigil that is open to the community. There are five separate rooms that each have a diiferent theme. Below are some of the pictures that I took there.

Playing Games at New Life Christian School

Here are some pictures of some of the students at New Life Christian School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I recognize many of the faces, but they are getting bigger! These are just a few pictures of the children playing some games.

Time for a new posting...

I was letting those Asia's Hope videos sit there for a while so that people could see them easily, but I think it is time for something new. There have been a few things that I have thought about posting, but I think that I'll do some new books that I have finished. So for those of you who are out there (maybe a few), enjoy...

How to Read Shakespeare by Nicholas Royle - this was a gift from my mother at Christmas, and I actually finished it a while back, but thought I'd include it here... an intriguing book in it's approach... the author took one word from each of 7 different plays and used those words to describe (in each chapter) William's approach to writing. The author was brilliant in some of his explanations, however, I think that he may be a little personally interested in the use of sex in Shakespeare...

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie - a good read. This is coming out on DVD at the end of May with David Suchet playing Poirot again. I am sure that it will be a spot on presentation as always... my only disappointment with this one was that as I began to read it, there were some things familiar about it... and within the first few chapters, I realized that this was a 'novelized' version of one of her short stories "The Plymouth Express". Exact same outcome, exact same types of characters... Annoying if you are familiar with both writings.

Dictionary of Shakespeare by Louise McConnell - this is something that I picked up on the discount rack after Christmas at Barnes and Noble. I have read it slowly, but then again, reading a dictionary is not always that interesting. Nonetheless, I really liked it. The cover says "Clear definitions of the characters, plays, poems, history and stagecraft." That is very accurate. It was really more like reading a desk encyclopedia of Shakespeare than reading a dictionary, but it was good. I don't advise reading more than about 4 pages a night, unless you are a real fan.

The Secret Society of Demolition Writers edited by Marc Parent - the title would take to long to explain here, but it is a collection of semi-anonymous short stories. 'Semi-anonymous' because even though you do not know who wrote each of the stories per se, the names of the contributing authors are on the cover. I read it mostly because I knew that Michael Connelly had submitted one. It did do something to ignite my often smoldering interest in writing.

New Videos for Asia's Hope

Please check out these new online videos for Asia's Hope. They are very well done. They focus on the new work that is being done in Thailand. There is another video that is behind the tab on the right hand side, when you are watching the first one. Click on the "More Videos" link. These are excellent!

Here are a couple of pictures of the Blue Flame Jazz Band
playing at the Renaissance Theater this month.

What a chunk!

Here is my faithful (and FAT!) companion, Patches...

The Rebel Jesus by Jackson Browne...

Here is a song that I have begun to treasure over the years... I consider it one of my top 20 favorite "Christmas" songs... I love that is tries to unwrap the pathetic commercialism of our November and December... now I need to live something like it...

All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
They'll be gathering around the hearths and tales
Giving thanks for all God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus

Well they call him by the Prince of Peace
And they call him by the Savior
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
As they fill his churches with their pride and gold
And their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why they are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But please forgive me if I seem
To take the tone of judgment
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In this life of hardship and of earthly toil
We have need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus.

Okay, time for some new books...

Here we go with some of the newest books I have completed...

Boys Will Be Boys - a book (published by The National Trust) that I was given by a friend after he came back from England. The National Trust is some type of charitable organization in England that contributes money from book sales to I don't remember what... The book was actually an alphabetical collection of 'boyish' sayings that have entered the vernacular, but that we may not always know the meanings of. (I laugh as I enter a sentence ending with a preposition!!!)

The Mark of the Christian by Francis Shaeffer - one of the dearest of Francis Shaeffer's books... the mark of the Christian is... love based in truth. I love (no overstatement here) this book. It sets a standard that I want to live out... and a standard that Jesus calls all us to. I truly respect and cherish the challenge that Shaeffer does not back down from, that the world has the right to judge the veracity of the Christian faith based upon the manifested love of Christian people... a standard that I fail regularly, but that I am glad exists...

The Big Four by Agatha Christie - a good read, but not one of my favorite Poirot novels. Here Poirot goes up against an intenational spy ring. It is definitely interesting, but I did not really like it as much because you do not get to know the characters as well as you usually do. The story and characters are shrouded in obscurity and vagueness... I like the details that come out in getting to know the specific characters.

The Closers by Michael Connelly - this is my favorite Michael Connelly since Angel's Flight. Don't get me wrong, I like all of his books... but this was one of the best in a while. Great plot, great character development... I think that I really got into this one because the case is about a victim that was murdered in high school in 1988... in other words I am the exact age as the victim... I was 16 in 1988 just like the victim... but many other aspects of the book made it good and believable... good reading. The Harry Bosch character needs to be classified as a classic in the mystery novel literature... Connelly has crafted him so well over the years... excellent.

My Friend Seda

Have a great week friend! Dr. John gave a copy of this picture.

Don't laugh too hard...

One of the fun things of the past year has been playing a bit of set... I've got a long way to go, but it is been fun to pretend like I'm Ringo...

Now that's a big cat!

Someone in China has been feeding their cat a little too much... it has a 31 inch waist and wieghs 33 pounds... there is actually a humerous video at www.foxnews.com but I found an actual article here...

Pheakdey in Thailand

Here is a picture of my friend on her recent trip to Thailand with Pastor Dave and Dr. John

Francis, Agatha and Clive

If you are looking for something to read... here are three good recommendations that I just finished...

1) The Murder of Roger Akroyd - by Agatha Christie... I actually put this on my profile as one of the best books I have ever read... it may be the most perfectly conceived novel I have ever read... from start to finish, there is nothing left out, no mistakes in the flow of the book... nothing, Poirot sifts through the facts of the case, and Agatha creates a fantastic beginning and ending... highly recommended...

2) The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis... a good book, maybe not in top 5 of Lewis readings, but it is a good collection of fairly short speeches that he gave in England during and after World War II.

3) The Church before the Watching World- Francis Schaeffer... The man never ceases to impress... he has been dead 20 years and is still the foremost Christian philosopher of our time. This book essentially deals with the need for theological purity, but keeping in mind that Jesus gave unbelievers the right to judge the veracity of the Christian faith based upon the life and testimony of believers... excellent.

More from Clive Staples Lewis

"... I return to enquire how we are to decide on a question of morals. We have seen that every moral judgment involves facts, intuition, and reasoning, and if we are wise enough to be humble, it will involve some regard for authority as well. Its strength depends on the strength of these four factors. Thus if I find that the facts on which I am working are clear and little disputed, that the basic intuition with the particular judgment is strong, and that I am in agreement or (at worst) not in disagreement with authority, then I can trust my moral judgment with reasonable confidence. And if, in addition, I find little reason to suppose that any passion has secretly swayed my mind, this confidence is confirmed. If, on the other hand, I find the facts doubtful, the supposed intuition by no means obvious to all good men, the reasoning weak, and authority against me, then I ought to conclude that I am probably wrong. And if the conclusion which I have reached turns out to flatter some strong passion of my own, then my suspicion should deepen into moral certainty."

- from 'Why I am not a Pacifist' in The Weight of Glory, (my thoughts on this passage have nothing to do with war or peace - GHG)

"I begin to suspect that the world is divided not only into the happy and the unhappy, but into those who like happiness and those who, odd as it seems, really don't." - C.S. Lewis

The Chronic of Narnia Rap

I haven't watched Saturday Night Live in years because it just got too rank, but a friend showed me a rap that was made up based on two guys who are going to see the Chronicles of Narnia... very funny.

I met Dave Brubeck!!!

I met Dave Brubeck! I can't believe it in some ways. This guy truly opened the doors of jazz music to me. I had been in jazz band in high school, but I never truly got 'jazzed' about jazz until I heard The Dave Brubeck Quartet play Blue Rondo ala Turk. I was amazed and awed. Even though he is an older man now, and his writing has gone in different directions, it was an honor to meet him, however briefly. He is among America's living legends, and has impacted more people than I can ever hope to. I honestly had that feeling like, "I never want to wash this hand again." I know that is ridiculous, but when you shake hands with someone of that stature, it really makes you excited. Cool...

Tribe makes a bone headed move

I have not read a ton on the Coco Crisp trade, but from all that I can tell, it was like giving the Red Sox an extra ace and taking in return an 8 of clubs. What a crappy deal. I am tired of hearing about potential. I want to see runs on the board, and Crisp was a guarantee for that. Now we are going to have to depend on one less guy to get the job done while these newbies get their act together. Whatever...