Bible in 15 Words

Kevin posted his submission to this challenge to summarize the bible in 15 words over at his place. Here is my shot at it:

• Eden;
• Eden lost;
  
• Jewish cultural religion;
• Jesus brings back Eden;
• Relationship with Jesus not religion.
  

The rules are to summarize the Bible in five statements, the first one word long, the second two, the third three, the fourth four and the last five words long. Or you can do it in descending order.Then tag five people.

If you read this consider yourself tagged.. you can answer in the comments or over at your place.. let me know if you post at your place.

Eschatology: Just a Religious Diversion?

I love the insight so often shared in blog comments. I think that, as shown in my previous post on Detachment, much can be learned from responses to blog posts.. perhaps comments to this post will be insightful? With that in mind I offer you this pithy response to Don's post titled Are We Doomed?

Because current Pop Eschatology (cue Late Great Planet Earth and Left Behind (Volumes 1-22)) is nothing more than Ultimate Escape Fantasy followed by Ultimate Revenge Fantasy. Delivered with lip-smacking glee.

Christians have become a death cult. An end-of-the-world death cult. Chronicles of Riddick Necromongers without the baroque nightmare-fuel sense of fashion and decor.

And they have signed over the future to Darby, Lindsay, LaHaye, and The Antichrist without a fight. Now they have no future, only waiting to get beamed up to Fluffy Cloud Heaven. And no life, only keeping their noses squeeky-clean so they can pass God's Litmus Test and get beamed up.

And when you have no future, the future tends to happen on its own. Without you. Without your input or influence. And when the future happens, you wake up one morning and find yourselves Left Behind.

Headless Unicorn Guy

Once upon a time (back in the 80s) I embraced the idea that I would not see death but be raptured by Christ sometime in my life. Many back then embraced this idea.. the book shown above was wildly discussed and popular back then.. of course it was discredited in 1989 :)

I haven't thought much about eschatology (the theology of the end of days) for a long time. So I enjoyed reading the post and the Headless Unicorn Guy's (HUG) comment. Here is how I commented (previous to HUG's comment):

I once really enjoyed studying Revelation and eschatology.. I think that it was a way to divert my attention from things needing my attention.. also a bit of religious ego involved too :)

What do you think? Why are so many folks preoccupied with future events? Why do people read all of those Left Behind books? Is the study of end time events a simple religious diversion from reality? Let me know what you think!

What is Detachment?

I recently saw the following in a comment on a good friend's blog.. it is good advice for control freaks like me.. and anyone else having trouble letting go.

---

Today I will practice detachment by letting go of things I can't control.

Detachment means standing back and looking at a situation without having a hand in it. Watching fireworks is practicing detachment. Flying a kite is not. Allowing friends the freedom to have their own opinions is practicing detachment. Feeling compelled to change their minds is not. Watching a child create her own drawing is practicing detachment. Holding her hand while she draws is not.

I can't control other people, their actions, or their beliefs by forcing them to act or believe as I do. Detachment helps me see the big picture, since I can see things more clearly from a distance.

Today, and from now on, I will practice taking care of myself by detaching from people or situations that aren't good for me. Today I will pay close attention to when I am trying to force the issue, and I'll remember that my time would be better spent leaving it alone.

WWW: Coed Dorms Equal Sex and Drinking

In this edition of Weird World Wednesday, I submit to you a few excerpts from a Reuters article titled Co-ed dorms linked to more drinking, sex:

In a survey of more than 500 students at five U.S. universities, researchers found that students living in co-ed housing were 2.5 times more likely than those in all-male or all-female dorms to admit to binge-drinking on a weekly basis. They were also more than twice as likely to say they'd had at least three sex partners in the past year.
...
In their study, Willoughby and colleague Dr. Jason S. Carroll found that more than 41 percent of students in co-ed housing said they binged on a weekly basis, versus just fewer than 18 percent of those in single-sex dorms.

And whereas 63 percent of students in single-sex housing said they'd had no sexual partners in the past year, this was true of only 44 percent of students in co-ed dorms. Of students in co-ed housing, almost 13 percent said they had had three or more sexual partners in the past year, compared with 5 percent of students in single-sex dorms.

Moreover, Willoughby said, the findings did not appear to be a matter of "selection" -- that is, kids who are more prone to drinking and sex being more likely to request co-ed housing.

Few college students specifically ask for single-sex housing, the researcher noted, and most that end up in those dorms were simply placed there by their universities.
...
Willoughby speculated that co-ed dorms may implicitly set different "social norms" than single-sex housing does. Students, he explained, may expect co-ed dorms to have higher rates of drinking and sex, which may make them more likely to live up to those expectations.

It is interesting how we need "studies" like this to tell us things that we already know. Was anyone surprised by the outcome of the survey? Anyone think it weird that we need a study to state the obvious? What do you think about the study?

Thank You for Smoking | ★★★★★★★

Sometimes a Netflix recommendation really surprises you. Such is the case of this pretty funny 2005 movie satire about the Lobbying and Tobacco Industries. To give you a flavor of what you can expect let me share this dialog that big tobacco lobbyist Nick Naylor has with Hollywood celebrity agent Jeff Megall:

Jeff: Sony has a futuristic sci-fi movie they're looking to make.
Nick: Cigarettes in space?
Jeff: It's the final frontier, Nick.
Nick: But wouldn't they blow up in an all oxygen environment?
Jeff: Probably. But it's an easy fix. One line of dialogue. 'Thank God we invented the... you know, whatever device.'

I think this interchange with Nick's son Joey says it all:

Joey: ...so what happens when you're wrong?
Nick: Whoa, Joey I'm never wrong.
Joey: But you can't always be right...
Nick: Well, if it's your job to be right, then you're never wrong.
Joey: But what if you are wrong?
Nick: OK, let's say that you're defending chocolate, and I'm defending vanilla. Now if I were to say to you: 'Vanilla is the best flavour ice-cream', you'd say...
Joey: No, chocolate is.
Nick: Exactly, but you can't win that argument... so, I'll ask you: so you think chocolate is the end all and the all of ice-cream, do you?
Joey: It's the best ice-cream, I wouldn't order any other.
Nick: Oh! So it's all chocolate for you is it?
Joey: Yes, chocolate is all I need.
Nick: Well, I need more than chocolate, and for that matter I need more than vanilla. I believe that we need freedom. And choice when it comes to our ice-cream, and that Joey Naylor, that is the defintion of liberty.
Joey: But that's not what we're talking about
Nick: Ah! But that's what I'm talking about.
Joey: ...but you didn't prove that vanilla was the best...
Nick: I didn't have to. I proved that you're wrong, and if you're wrong I'm right.
Joey: But you still didn't convince me
Nick: It's that I'm not after you. I'm after them.

If you like smart and funny you might like this movie. Aaron Eckhart was simply brilliant as the amoral lobbyist.. his character's interchanges with his son were confounding and revealing.. in a very smart and satirical way. The movie is R-rated, has a few risque scenes and a few F-bombs - so watcher beware.

On a scale of 10 I give this movie ★★★★★★★

A Day of Remembrance and Hope

To commemorate the day I thought I'd give you an excerpt from an article having the same title as this post:

In 1988 the World Health Organization designated December 1 as World AIDS Day. In the ensuing 19 years, significant progress has been made in fighting the feared disease; but at the same time, this progress has been insufficient to stop the HIV virus that causes AIDS from continuing as a global threat.

The good news is that HIV and AIDS are no longer a death sentence, at least not in the most developed nations like our own. The virus is considered treatable and preventable, while combinations of drugs have controlled its deadly spread.

International organizations estimate that global infection has stabilized in recent years at 33 million. Africa is the region where the spread is still out of control, representing 72% of all new cases around the world.

I long for the day when a cure is found for diseases such as AIDS, ALS, Cancer, MS, Diabetes and other devastating diseases.. and pray for hope and comfort to come to those afflicted with these terrible diseases along with their families and friends.

Blog Visit from the Pope?

I got an email over the weekend from NeoWorx (a blog widget maker)..
here is the message and image that they sent me:

Congratulations!
You just had your first visitor from Vatican City.




I am always amazed at the places that show up on my NeoWorx visitor widget.. visitors from 149 countries have visited since I added it to my sidebar last year. Of course many of those visitors probably just land here from a Google search.. still it is fun to see how much of the world lands here.

And you never know.. maybe the pope was interested in Compassion Fatigue?

Compassion Fatigue

The caption on this photo reads:
Ronald and Helen Shewchuk sit down to a meal Wednesday at the Loaves and Fishes soup kitchen in Ithaca, N.Y. The Shewchuks have been eating many of their meals at the soup kitchen since losing most of their retirement savings during the economic downturn.

Stories like this are heartbreaking examples of how the economy is affecting so many people in unprecedented ways. Like the Shewchuks many people are experiencing the economic downturn in ways that they have never imagined possible. Unemployment has hit double digits and families are now really hurting.

On Thanksgiving night Ann and I watched a 30 minute TV show on the different ways that Kansas Citians are helping the poor and homeless people in our city. I have to admit that I was moved to tears as I heard a story about a family of four that lost their home and are living out of their car.. and the parents have jobs. My heart broke as I watched the different ways that homeless people are being cared for.

Sunday morning Rick Warren (pastor of Saddleback Church in California) used a phrase that I had never heard before - Compassion Fatigue. The term, used to describe the reaction that many have to enormity of problems such as these, seemed an appropriate to me. We can glaze over mentally when we think about things such as world poverty and hunger issues.. donations to charitable organizations seem to be just a drop in the proverbial ocean.. it is sometimes so hard to give when it is so difficult to imagine that our small donations would make a difference.

Back to that TV show.. I saw people who were making a difference one person and one family at a time. Whether they were delivering food to homeless people living under highway overpasses or volunteering at food panties, soup kitchens and shelters many people were responding to people's needs in such a compassionate way.

I think that the only way to combat compassion fatigue is to fully engage our compassion in the ways that many people have.. regularly and generously. As much as possible we should support local agencies with our time and finances as well as those that care for the poorest peoples in the world. Perhaps in this season where we celebrate God's gift of His Son we can engage our compassion and find ways to give to those who need it the most.

Is Your Senator a Millionaire?

According to this New York Times article Your Senator Is (Probably) a Millionaire. According to them about two-thirds of United States senators were millionaires in 2008, according to a recent analysis of politicians’ fortunes conducted by the Center for Responsive Politics. The center estimated each politician’s net worth by adding together the lawmaker’s range of assets and then subtracted the range of liabilities. The midpoint of that resulting range was used to rank the politicians. Here is a list of the 25 wealthiest senators (in 2008) according to their average net worth:

An interesting list for sure.. the list seems pretty equal with regard to party.. always knew that it takes a lot of money to run for office.. this list gives a bit of specificity to that idea.

Check out the article.. it also lists the 25 wealthiest congressional representatives.. none of our Kansas senators or representatives made the lists. How did your senators and representatives fare.. top 25 millionaire of not?

Thanksgiving in Oz

We had a quiet Thanksgiving accompanied by Turkey and Pumpkin Pie!

Hope you had a great one! Did you stay home or hit the road?

WOW: 30 Years of Letters to 2,500 Students

Dan Stroup, a humble teacher at Heritage Christian School in Indiana, spends a portion of every evening in his living room, quietly writing birthday letters by hand to every student he has had in class these last 30 years. He mails handwritten birthday letters to students in 60 cities, 36 states and six countries.

The man amazes me. Catch his story in this video and pass this amazing testimony along to inspire your friends.

Dot-Com Wonders

Here is my unofficial list of .com sites (along with their year of birth) that you might be thankful for today:

• 1989 - AOL takes off into cyberspace;
  
• 1994 - Yahoo blazes an email trail;
• 1995 - Amazon began an eCommerce journey;
• 1996 - eBay is open for business
• 1997 - Google began taking requests;
• 1999 - Blogger starts blogging;
• 1999 - Napster plays sweet music that dies 2 years later;
• 2000 - Craigslist goes national;
• 2000 - Paypal swipes its first credit card transaction;
• 2001 - Wikipedia is born;
• 2003 - Typepad starts blogging; 
• 2003 - Skype begins making net calls;
• 2004 - Kansas Bob enters the Blogosphere;
• 2004 - MySpace begins socially networking bands and friends;
• 2004 - Flickr dumped it's first photo on the net;
• 2004 - TheFacebook debuted (relaunched as Facebook in 2006);
• 2005 - YouTube cranks out its first Larry King video;
• 2005 - Firefox web browser Mozillas the net;
• 2005 - Wordpress starts blogging;
• 2006 - Twitter is hatched;

I know I missed many. Please let me know what sites you are thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope Your Day is a Blessed One!

Funny Thanksgiving Travel Tips

We are staying home for the Thanksgiving holiday but many are heading over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house.. so I thought I'd give you a few funny tips for the journey from the New Yorker:

• Don’t bring a second turkey as a gift for your hosts. Instead, bring extra guests.
• F.Y.I., Yams and sweet potatoes are the same thing. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true.
• Don’t follow the GPS, follow your heart.
• Do not waste space packing your workout shorts or running shoes. The only clothes you need are eating clothes, crying clothes, and escape clothes.
• When waiting for your massively delayed flight, remember: no one likes a complainer, but everyone loves a conspiracy theorist in a trench coat yelling into a TCBY cup as if it were a megaphone.
• Long car trip? Spice it up by cutting the brake line.
• A healthy and carbon-efficient mode of transportation is riding your bike from your house to the back of your house where you can hide until the holidays blow over.
• For your safety, always keep your seatbelt buckled. The pilot only ever turns the fasten seat belt sign off to prevent a mutiny.
• Between flying or the train, pick the train: they don’t take your guns away.
• Teleportation seems like a quick and easy way to get where you’re going, but you’ll find you miss the sound of screaming babies.
• Practice saying, “This is the worst airline I’ve ever flown” before getting to the airport—it will make you stand out from the amateurs.
• A hot-air-balloon ride is a good way to tell your relatives: I am not going to make it for Thanksgiving this year.
• Yes, you guessed it: the conductors on your Amtrak train are actually lost airline pilots.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Any travel tips you'd care to share?