Chocolate Covered Resolutions

In a blog post titled Successful New Year Resolutions Mark Herringshaw proposes these five steps that goal setting experts say will "dramatically increase the likelihood that New Year resolutions will prompt genuine transformation in our lives":

1. Make our intentions measurable and specific. I need to lose weight and I'm putting that objective into a concrete goal: "I will weigh 185 pounds on March 8, 2010 and stay there until December 31, 2010."
2. Write them. Putting goals into words works a wonder. Psychologists suggest this exercise frees the left brain from asking "what?" and releases the right brain to solve "how?" I'm putting goals into words here and now... You can do the same in the comments section below if you choose!
3. Tell someone. Asking for accountability from someone we trust brings extra leverage to our commitments. I'm sharing my resolutions with a friend I'm meeting with tomorrow. On top of that, I'm going public with one of them here...
4. Formalize no more than five personal goals at a time. Five is the capacity of our focus. Trimming my "wishes" down to five priorities is difficult but necessary if I'm going to move beyond "hope" to "will."
5. Pray. Yes, pray. I realize up front that I'm doomed to fail with all my plans to change myself. Yes, disillusion too is a necessary step, and with it a cry for help. Jesus once said, "Apart from me you can do nothing." In other words, all my intentions and plans AND commitments and disciplines Will in the end fall short. I'm not strong enough or focused enough, even with all the right strategies. Yes, I can improve the odds of success, but I can never dodge Jesus' tenet: "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." My spiritual mentor, Morris Vaagenes once put this principle into a prayer: "I can't, you can, please do, thank you!" That is the key to transformation... and resolution... I can't. Jesus can, through me. I can ask for that change, and then thank him for that completed promise.

I am not a big believer in New Years resolutions but I am a fan of setting goals. I think that we sometimes drift through life because we do not have a clue about who we are or what we want to do. So I am wondering about you.. do you make resolutions this time of year or are you more like me.. planning all the time.. and constantly readjusting those plans?

Evolution, Feminism and Gender Design

In a blog article titled How to Be Happy evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa (yeah.. I did not know there were such people) advises us on accepting our evolutionary imprint to be happier. Here are a few clips from his post:

Having said that, however, from my perspective as an evolutionary psychologist, I would say that the best thing for people to do to become happier is to get in touch with their animal nature, if not necessarily their inner fish then at the very least their inner ape. Recognize and accept that we are animals. We are all designed by evolution to be certain way, and no amount of denial or fighting will change our evolutionary legacy and its implications.

One of the things that evolution has done is to make men and women very different. In some ways (though not in others), males of one species are often more similar to males of other species than to females of their own species, and vice versa. In some ways, in many ways, men are more similar to male chimpanzees or gorillas than to women. One of the ways that men and women are different is in what makes them happy.

Forget what feminists, hippies, and liberals have told you in the last half century. They are all lies based on political ideology and conviction, not on science. Contrary to what they may have told you, it is very unlikely that money, promotions, the corner office, social status, and political power will make women happy. Similarly, it is very unlikely that quitting their jobs, dropping out of the rat race, and becoming stay-at-home dads to spend all their times with their children will make men happy.
...
Teach boys and girls that they are different, not the same, and that it’s okay (nay, wonderful) to be different. One is not right and the other is not wrong. Stop telling girls that they are inferior versions of boys, as feminists have done for the last half century, or, as has more recently been the case, stop telling boys that they are inferior versions of girls.

Live as you feel like, not as you think you should live like. Your feelings are seldom wrong, because you are designed to feel certain way by millions of years of evolution. Decades of feminism can’t stop that. You are seldom wrong if you follow your feelings; you are seldom right if you follow feminism or any other political ideology.

If you bristle at the word "evolution" I suggest that you substitute "designed by God" where Kanazawa imposes the evolutionary model. The idea that he is espousing however is that men and women are designed to be different and become frustrated when they try to mimic the aspirations and designs of the opposite sex. Sixty years of living leads me to believe that what he is saying may be right.. just consider how differently you related to your father and mother.

Of course this is a generalization and as such there are exceptions to this idea that the sexes are basically different. But I do think that there is something to the idea that men and women are designed to be different and are happier when they live out of who they are designed to be. What do you think? Any feminists out there?

Man Tools: The Real Definitions

The definitions below remind me of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor.. pictured below. I think that anyone who has ever worked in their garage or basement will resonate with these funny descriptions of manly hand and power tools..

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light . Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh sh--!'

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes , trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

GM Hy-Wire Car of the Future

A 5 minute video of the futuristic General Hy-Wire car.. the first drivable vehicle that combines a hydrogen fuel cell with by-wire technology.. kind of amazing.

Good Riddance Day

Today is "Good Riddance Day".. a chance to say good-bye to all the bad things that happened this year, like annoying friends, bad financial decisions and heartbreaking sports teams.

It is a time when New Yorkers bring all their unwanted 2009 memories to Times Square and put them in a shredder.

It sounds like a pretty therapeutic idea. Maybe I need to stick something in my shredder?

Anything you want to shred?

Above Average Stupidity

Seeing this encircled definition of stupidity reminds me of a time when we used it as a definition for insanity. I think stupidity works better.. sadly I can relate to the word in an intimate way.. we can probably all relate to the word in some way or another. I think these quotes speak to the extent and impact of the word:

The only way to comprehend what mathematicians mean by infinity is to contemplate the extent of human stupidity. -Voltaire

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -Albert Einstein

The two most abundant things in the universe are Hydrogren and stupidity. -Harlan Ellison

In view of the fact that God limited the intelligence of man, it seems unfair that He did not also limit his stupidity. -Konrad Adenauer

Stupidity is an elemental force for which no earthquake is a match. -Karl Kraus

There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life. -Frank Zappa

Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider! -George Carlin

Home Office with a View

Does this seem like a great place to work or what? According to Lifehacker:

Peter Frazier has the kind of home office and accompanying views that fill the daydreams of cubicle dwellers across the land. His office is glass on three sides with a cantilevered deck that looks over the densely forested shores of Chuckanut Bay.

Check out Lifehacker's Most Popular Featured Workspaces of 2009.. you may get a few home office ideas.. albeit most of them don't have this kind of view

Saying Goodbye to CDs, Yellow Pages, Faxes..

According to this article these things have joined the ranks of cassette players and became obsolete in the past decade:

• CDs.. iPods and MP3 players are all the rage;
• Land-line phones.. I still have one.. do you?
• Yellow Pages.. never was a green solution;
• Wires.. guess they are not counting cables;
• Calling.. not sure why they included that one;
• Fax Machines.. some places still use them I guess;
• Film Cameras.. rest-in-peace Cannon EOS SLR camera;
• Dial-up Internet.. replaced by what you are using now;
• Encyclopedias.. who needs them.. just Google an answer;
• Catalogs.. I still get some of these unwanted recyclables;
• Hand-written Letters.. Christmas cards don't count;
• Newspaper Classifieds.. eclipsed by Monster, eBay and Craig's List.

I would also add newspapers.. the paper kind.. to the list.. my fair and balanced news of choice comes in via RSS to my Google Reader. Even so, looking over the list, this geeky kind of guy has to admit that I still do play CDs and daily use my land-line.. other than that I really don't miss anything on the list.. and I do think that it won't be long before DVDs and bulky TVs are added to the list.

How about you? Do you miss anything on the list? Anything you'd add to the list?

Merry Christmas

This Christmas prayer comes from beliefnet..

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman..."

God with us,

I've come to see you. I'm not as clean as I wish I was, but I'm hoping you'll receive me just as you did the rough, and sweaty shepherds who burst in on you on that holy night so long ago. They were afraid. I guess that spectacular light show in the sky got to them. I wish I felt more afraid than I do. I should, considering this is it: the Incarnation. But all of this is so simple; so ordinary. No, it's less than ordinary. This is abject poverty. Most babies aren't born where the livestock is. I keep asking myself, how can this be God? Yet, here you are. I know it's you, because here I am, on my knees, and my heart is aflame within me.

It isn't as pristine as the Christmas cards make it seem. It's cold, and drafty, and filthy, and it smells of animals and dung in here. No wise men are hovering over you with their gifts. The shepherds aren't even here. Just me, and your folks, and my hands are empty. But Lord, seeing you like this, so vulnerable, my heart is full.

Look at you in that feeding trough. I can't get over how tiny you are, but oh. You are perfect. The scriptures say when you grow up you won't be much to look at, but I don't think I've ever seen such a gorgeous child. I hope I always see you like this: beautiful, new, and surprising.

Oh my! Your mom is bringing you to me! Thank you, Mary. You really are full of grace. This is incredible! I feel so clumsy, Lord. Like I can hurt you if I'm not careful. But you feel so good in my arms. You're like a warm little ball of pure love. Can you feel me shaking? I'm undone. You're right here at my heart. I wish I could stop time right here, and hold you like this forever, loving on you, and kissing you like this.

You still smell like the blood from your mother's womb. Oh, Jesus. You'll have this same coppery scent again in about 33 years. But it'll be a much bloodier occasion than your birth. That time, you'll be dying, so that I can be born anew. Have mercy. I don't want to think about what I'm going to put you through. Not today. But I can't help it.

Oh, man. Forgive me, Jesus. I'm crying all over you. You're the baby, but I'm the one blubbering. I'm not trying to scare you on your birthday, but the shadow of the cross is on this barn, and there isn't a thing I can do to stop what's going to happen to you. So, I'll just continue to hold you tight, if you don't mind. If I can keep you close to me we may just get through the rest of your story together. Despite how small you are, I'm the one that needs you to save me. This is craziness, but this is the way you chose to do it. Who can understand such mysteries?

I'm amazed that you can fall asleep in my guilty arms. Maybe you're so quiet and peaceful because even now you know you'll make it all right. Oh, Lord. Who can understand such mysteries? It's mind blowing enough to think that you are here: God as a baby, born in the humility of a barn, resting in my arms, my ragged heartbeat sounding in your tiny ear. And you will not forget me.

Amazing grace.

Sleep in heavenly peace, Lord Jesus. And welcome. I'm glad you're here.

Amen

Does Science Have Room For Miracles?

This question of science and miracles was asked a while back at Beliefnet's Science and the Sacred blog. Here is how one commenter responded:

Because science is limited to the natural world, it cannot address the question of whether or not miracles occur. This is not a flaw of science; rather, it is one of its strengths. I don't even think it is proper to ask whether or not science has room for miracles. How could it?

I like that answer.. I think that it speaks to the purpose and limitations of science. I find science to be a useful tool in that it helps our brain understand the physical universe. It is limited though because it does not help us to understand the deeper things of the universe.

Ann and I watched the HD version of The Nativity Story last night. I have to admit.. the story moves me deeply.. seeing the responses of Mary and Joseph to angelic visitations simply inspires me and so engages my heart.. and watching God the Son come into the world takes my breath away. Maybe that is what Christmas is all about.. a miracle that science and our brains cannot comprehend.. a miracle that we can only embrace with our hearts.

Celebrating Christmas with Bacon

From the Not Martha blog I present to you her world famous and healthy Bacon Cups recipe.. yet another way to incorporate bacon into your holiday traditions. After all.. some say that bacon is the reason for the season.. well maybe no one really says that.. I just made it up. 

Straight Talking Senator Bernie Sanders

An interesting eight minutes of dialog on healthcare legislation and the influence of big business lobbyists on US government. The action picks up about midway into the interview. The straight talking Independent Senator from Vermont is quite refreshing

One Language

A brief thought for the day that I recently shared at a friend's blog:

Years ago I became aware of the fact that I spoke two languages.. one with church folks and one with everyone else. I didn’t like it and began to try to speak one language.. it is still a journey because so many religious folks like the religious lingo (i.e. “saved and sanctified”).. and I am sometimes a bit guarded with folks who do not seem “Christian”. Amazingly though.. when I let down my guard.. some of these “unbelievers” say the most spiritual things.

I think that the issue with classifying the world into two camps is that we subtly create an adversarial system where it is really difficult to bear our hearts to each other.. the very thing that I think attracts people into considering the claims of the kingdom.

The Longest Night

Yesterday was the winter solstice.. and last night was the longest night of the year. At this time of the year I think that it is a good idea to acknowledge how difficult is is for so many who have experienced loss and are sad during the holidays. The following wonderful meditation was written after the attacks of September 11, 2001 and speaks to this and to the true hope of Christmas. Please share it with anyone who might benefit from it.

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Longest Night Meditation

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Only it's not.

• Not for everyone.
• Not when there is an empty chair at the table.
• Not when your body is ravaged with illness.
• Not when the depression is too much to bear.
• Not without her voice joining yours on the Christmas carols.
• Not when you feel all alone even in a crowd.
• Not when you are not sure you can even afford the rent or mortgage, let alone the presents.
• Not when they are trying their best to the best of you.
• Not when another Christmas party means he will come home drunk again.

It's the most wonderful time of the year?

No, it's not.

And trying to smile and say Merry Christmas is more than difficult. It's pretty near impossible.

C.S. Lewis once wrote:

"No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning..."

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it's not.

• Not after he has died.
• Not after the doctor gave you the news.
• Not after they told you they would be downsizing.
• Not after... you fill in the blank.
• Not after September 11.
• Not when there is so much violence and destruction in the world.

In truth, it has never been the most wonderful time of the year. Certainly not in the days surrounding that first Christmas so long ago. The story of the birth of Jesus is not to be told with a jolly voice and a merry ho-ho-ho.

It is the story of a teenage girl, pregnant with a child that is not her husband's.

It is the story of a child born in a dirty animal stall.

It is the story of a family of refugees who had to flee their homeland so that their child would not be killed.

It is the story of one sent into the world in peace who was condemned to death.

It is the story of a light sent to shine in the darkness, which the world snuffed out.

It is the story of God's never-ending, self-giving mercy which was rejected and condemned.

In the great work the Messiah, Handel quotes the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming that Jesus was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." One great theologian reminds us that we cannot come to the manger without acknowledging that it lays in the shadow of the cross.

It is not the most wonderful time of the year.

Only it is!

It is:

• If we forget about the tinsel and the trees.
• If we forget about the holly jolly tidings.
• If we forget about the presents and the ornaments and the trappings.

And remember.

Remember the story.

• Mary was alone and afraid.
  But God was with her and exalted her among women.
• Joseph was disgraced.
  But God revealed in Joseph's cause for disgrace God's plan to save the world.
• The world was in darkness.
  But God sent the light of life to shine.
• The lowly were imprisoned.
  But Jesus set them free.
• The blind wandered aimlessly.
  But Christ gave them eyes to see.
• The lame were rejected.
  But through the Holy One they were made to leap and dance.
• The deaf were confined to the silence.
  But the song of life unstopped their ears.
• The sorrowful grieved.
  But God wipes away our tears.
• We were alone.
  But in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God is with us.
• The people rejected God.
  But God embraces us.
• The world crucified Christ.
  But God would not allow that to be the last word, and gave us the sure hope of the resurrection.

It is the most wonderful time of the year, not because you have to be cheery and happy and merry.

But because you don't.

You can have heavy spirits and shattered dreams. Broken hearts and deep wounds.

And still God comes to be with you.

• To comfort you.
• To redeem you.
• To save you.
• To restore you.
• To empower you.
• To strengthen you.
• To grant you peace.
• To be raised for you.
• To hold you in the communion of saints with those whom you have loved and lost.
• To store your tears in his bottle.
• To offer you eternal life.

It is the most wonderful time of the year.
For Christ is born.
Love has come.
God is with us!
Thanks be to the Lord our God.

Rev. Diane Hendricks
16 December 2001