May 31, 2006
May 28, 2006
MCS Spring Formal
I set up a web page with pictures from our school Prom from a few weeks ago... Click here to see the pics...
Quote from Jonathan Edwards on prayer
"It is evident that we do not, in this duty (prayer), declare our wants and desires in order to inform God, or to incline his heart to show mercy; but suitably to affect our own hearts, and so to prepare ourselves for the reception of the blessings we ask." - A Treatise on Religious Affections, pg. 36.
May 26, 2006
May 25, 2006
My favorite quote from today
I had a particular song on my computer through Rhapsody, and a former student came in and asked me, "Hey isn't that Country Gas?", "uh, I said, you mean 'Classical Gas'?" Funny if you know the tune...
May 23, 2006
2 More Books
Okay, so I have been a little slow on the postings lately... things are hectic at school... but the evenings still provide some time to read... here are the two latest completions...
The Best American Mystery Stories 2003 is a book that I sought out only because the editor of the collection was Michael Connelly. However, I will tell you that even though many of the stories were violently or sexually brutal, I came away amazed at how well these stories were written. I am not a writer, but these people had an amazing ability to conceive of a plot, introduce characters, develop those characters and wrap up the story with a satisfying conclusion with relative ease. I was impressed. The best story, in my opinion, was called After You're Gone.
A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards is truly one of the most significant books that I have ever read. Edwards knowledge of the Scriptures is second to none, and his ability to apply it to the heart and mind of Christian people is amazing. I found that I was underlining huge sections on almost every page. I could not move quickly through this book, and found myself mentally (if not even physically saying), "Yes, I agree, it could not have been said better!"... tremendous theological insights into the human condition and how it relates to our relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. Excellent.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2003 is a book that I sought out only because the editor of the collection was Michael Connelly. However, I will tell you that even though many of the stories were violently or sexually brutal, I came away amazed at how well these stories were written. I am not a writer, but these people had an amazing ability to conceive of a plot, introduce characters, develop those characters and wrap up the story with a satisfying conclusion with relative ease. I was impressed. The best story, in my opinion, was called After You're Gone.
A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards is truly one of the most significant books that I have ever read. Edwards knowledge of the Scriptures is second to none, and his ability to apply it to the heart and mind of Christian people is amazing. I found that I was underlining huge sections on almost every page. I could not move quickly through this book, and found myself mentally (if not even physically saying), "Yes, I agree, it could not have been said better!"... tremendous theological insights into the human condition and how it relates to our relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God the Father. Excellent.
May 17, 2006
2 Books
I have finished up a couple of books in the last month or so that I wanted to add...
Death in the City by Francis Schaeffer is a powerful commentary on the effect of sin upon our post-Christian/relativistic/post-modern culture. He discusses several portions of Romans as well as the example of Jeremiah to show why things are that way, as well as what our response as Christians should be... a good read, I highly reccommend it.
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne was something that had sat on my shelf for a long time. I actually got it used to begin with, but it was a good read as well... it is considered one of the earliest Science Fiction novels, even though it does not include the modern use of aliens and UFO's. There were several things that entertained me about it, especially since I have also circumnavigated the globe.
Death in the City by Francis Schaeffer is a powerful commentary on the effect of sin upon our post-Christian/relativistic/post-modern culture. He discusses several portions of Romans as well as the example of Jeremiah to show why things are that way, as well as what our response as Christians should be... a good read, I highly reccommend it.
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne was something that had sat on my shelf for a long time. I actually got it used to begin with, but it was a good read as well... it is considered one of the earliest Science Fiction novels, even though it does not include the modern use of aliens and UFO's. There were several things that entertained me about it, especially since I have also circumnavigated the globe.
May 05, 2006
So is this real? I don't know...
It is hard to say, in the age of Photoshop, whether this is real or not. But apparently, this rabbit is some kind of German rabbit... more than an arm full if it is true...
(it's still a pretty funny pic no matter what).
May 03, 2006
April 28, 2006
April 27, 2006
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.
April 25, 2006
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.
and gave me the time for 40 or 50 cool shots... here are three.
April 19, 2006
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.
April 14, 2006
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.
April 12, 2006
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.
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.
March 24, 2006
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!
March 23, 2006
March 20, 2006
March 09, 2006
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.
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.
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