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We got about a foot of snow. I had fun driving in it, I even like slipping
around when there are no cars near.
Believe it or not, this was a pine tree that completely collapsed under the
weight of the snow.
Seven being forced to get in the snow. It was taller than her!
**************************************************
December 20, 2009
I saw Jonas Gerard paint for 3 hours yesterday, and I was thrilled because
no one else was there because of the snow.
This was an abstract painting that he completely transformed into a town
like the one in Budapest he saw when he visited there. Now a tourist
attraction, the homes were built nearly on top of each other (initially as
homes for refugees) - you could go out of your living room into the kitchen of
a restaurant next door, etc. I watched it transform right before my eyes. If
you had seen what the original painting looked like, you would find this even
more incredible.
Jonas plays percussion to Arabic music ("Aziza" by Hossam Ramzy). I
downloaded that song and another song, "Den me Agapas" by Anna Vissi.
It rocks.
**************************************************
December 14, 2009
Be Thankful, Even in Tough Times
by Rick Warren
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Philippians 4:
4 (NLT)
When the Apostle Paul says, "Always be full of joy in the Lord," he
doesn't say only be joyful in good times. Even when times are tough,
The Bible teaches we can be joyful if we follow this simple strategy -
Don't worry about anything.
Worrying doesn't change anything. It's stewing without doing. There
are no such things as born-worriers. Worry is a learned response.
You learned it from your parents. You learned it from your peers. You
learned it from experience. That's good news. The fact that worry is
learned means it can also be unlearned.
How do you unlearn it? Jesus says (Matthew 6:34), "Therefore do
not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each
day has enough troubles of its own." He's saying don't open your
umbrella until it starts raining. Don't worry about tomorrow. Live one
day at a time.
Pray about everything.
Instead of worrying, use your time for praying. If you prayed as much
as you worried, you'd have a whole lot less to worry about. Is God
interested in car payments? Yes. He's interested in every detail of
your life. That means you can take any problem you face to God.
Thank God in all things.
Whenever you pray, you should always pray with thanksgiving. The
healthiest human emotion is not love but gratitude. It actually
increases your immunities. It makes you more resistant to stress and
less susceptible to illness. People who are grateful are happy. But
people who are ungrateful are miserable because nothing makes
them happy. They're never satisfied. It's never good enough. So if
you cultivate the attitude of gratitude, of being thankful in everything,
it reduces stress in your life.
Think about the right things.
If you want to reduce the level of stress in your life, you must change
the way you think because the way you think determines how you
feel. And the way you feel determines how you act, which is why the
Bible teaches that, if you want to change your life, you need to
change what you're thinking about.
This involves a deliberate conscious choice where you change the
channels. You choose to think about the right things. Because the
root cause of stress is the way we choose to think, we need to focus
on the positive and on God's word.
What is the result of not worrying, praying about everything, giving
thanks, and focusing on the right things? Paul says we will then
"experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can
understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live
in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7 NLT)
What a guarantee! He is guaranteeing peace of mind. Have you
noticed that is what everybody seems to be looking for?
**************************************************
December 12, 2009
My art web site needs a major re-vamp. Delores is going to work on
it. The artwork is so different that each piece takes away from the
next and just doesn't look right. I want small thumbnails and each
piece to be on a separate page. This will require switching to
Dreamweaver. D knows that well and I have a Dreamweaver 8 for
Dummies book that I can review. I want the site to be more
professional. As they say, you should project the level where you
want to be.
_______________________________________________________
Some Jehovah's Witnesses stopped by last week and I invited them
back. I was curious. It's the philosopher in me. I have a lot of
problems with their faith. One of the things that bothers me most is
that they do not believe in the immortal soul. They believe that once
you die, you die, and go into a sleep without dreams. I think the only
thing that separates them from the atheists is that they believe when
Armageddon happens that some will ascend into Heaven to help
God (Jehovah) rule, and others will live in an earthly paradise
forever. Keep in mind that they have erroneously predicted the
coming of Armageddon three times, once in 1914, once in 1925, and
once in 1975. I have many other problems with their faith (their
disbelief in the Holy Trinity for one, encouragement to remain silent
about sexual abuse another). I peppered them with questions and
disagreements until they "had to go". Since when does a J.W. "have
to go"? The big joke is that you can't get rid of them. There were
two of them, a married couple. The wife was defensive and
annoying. The man was kind and gentle. I rarely made eye contact
with her. Well, let's just say that my mind is always open but they
didn't convince me to switch over. I am a devout Christian and that
won't change.
_______________________________________________________
Love is a Habit
by Rick Warren
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even
'sinners' love those who love them." Luke 6:32 (NIV)
If you only love on and off like a light switch, you do not love others
like God wants you to love. Jesus said, "If you only love those who
love you what credit is that to you?" (Luke 6:32 NIV).
His point is this: anybody can love those who love them. Becoming
a master lover means you learn to love the unlovable. It's when you
love people who don't love you, when you love people who irritate
you, when you love people who stab you in the back or gossip
about you.
This may seem like an impossible task and it is - that's why we need
God's love in us, so we can then love others: "We know and rely on
the love God has for us" (1 John 4:16 NIV).
When you realize how much God loves you - with an extravagant,
irresistible, unconditional love - then his love will change your entire
focus on life. If we don't receive God's love for us, we'll have a hard
time loving other people. I'm talking about loving the unlovely, loving
the difficult, loving the irritable, loving people who are different or
demanding.
You can't do that until you have God's love coming through you. You
need to know God's love so it can overflow out of your life into
others.
Love must become your lifestyle, the habit of your life. But it starts
with a decision. Are you ready?
Your life is worth far more than you think, and by learning to love
others with the love God gives you, you will have an influence far
greater than you could ever imagine. If you will commit to this, you
will experience love as God means it to be, filled with hope, energy,
and joy.
My prayer for you is "that your love will grow more and more; that
you will have knowledge and understanding with your love ..."
(Philippians 1:9 NCV).
**************************************************
December 9, 2009
Love is a Choice
By Rick Warren
...That you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold
fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years
in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV)
The birth of Jesus reflects the truth that love is a choice and a
commitment. You choose to love or you choose not to love.
Today we've bought into this myth that love is uncontrollable, that
it's something that just happens to us; it's not something we control.
In fact, even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of
love. We say, "I fell in love," as if love is some kind of a ditch. It's like
I'm walking along one day and bam! - I fell in love. I couldn't help
myself.
But I have to tell you the truth - that's not love. Love doesn't just
happen to you. Love is a choice and it represents a commitment.
There's no doubt about it, attraction is uncontrollable and arousal is
uncontrollable. But attraction and arousal are not love. They can
lead to love, but they are not love. Love is a choice.
You must choose to love God; he won't force you to love him
(Deuteronomy 30:20). You can thumb your nose at God and go a
totally different way. You can destroy your life if you choose to do
that. God still won't force you to love him. Because he knows love
can't be forced.
And this same principle is true about your relationships: you can
choose to love others, but God won't force you to love anyone.
**************************************************
December 8, 2009
More About Love: We Love Because God Loves Us
By Rick Warren
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (NIV)
This Christmas season is a good time to remember that the reason
God wants us to love is because he is love, and he created us to be
like him - to love. The only reason we're able to love is because God
loves us: "Love comes from God ... because God is love" (1 John 4:
7-8 NIV).
We were created in God's image to do two things on earth: Learn to
love God and learn to love other people; life is all about love.
But love all started with God. He loved us first and that gives us the
ability to love others (1 John 4:19). The only reason you can love
God or love anybody else is because God first loved you. And he
showed that love by sending Jesus Christ to earth to die for you. He
showed that love by creating you. He showed that love by
everything you have in life; it's all a gift of God's love.
In order to love others and to become great lovers, we first need to
understand and feel how much God loves us. We don't want to just
talk about love, read about love, or discuss about love; our need is
to experience the love of God.
We need to reach a day when we finally, fully understand how God
loves us completely and unconditionally. We need to become secure
in the truth that we cannot make God stop loving us.
Once we're secure inside God's unconditional love, we'll start
cutting people a lot of slack. We won't be as angry as we've been.
We'll be more patient. We'll be more forgiving. We'll be more
merciful. We'll give others grace.
But you cannot give to others what you have not received yourself,
and so my hope is that, as you learn how much God loves you, you'll
also let him heal your heart so that his love can flow freely through
you. It's impossible to love others until you really feel loved yourself.
**************************************************
December 6, 2009
"Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum" (I think that I think, therefore I think
that I am.) ~Ambrose Bierce
Pretty amusing twist on Descartes.
Speaking of philosophy, I am reading a book called Seinfeld and
Philosophy. If you are a fan of both, it's a great read.
**************************************************
December 4, 2009
I am so grateful to God right now that I am beside myself. My prayers
have been answered and it looks as though we are a go for moving
to Myrtle Beach early next year. I can already envision myself
painting with my new supply of paints and canvases in a larger
garage. I can see myself sipping coffee in our screened-in porch,
going to the beach for a jog on an early summer morning. I am not
sure why I receive the gifts I do; it has been said that God looks out
for fools. :)
I have made a pact with a friend that we will both produce a creative
"product" by Sunday. We've both been in a slump for a while. In her
case, she has been letting her gifts take a back seat to life and has
been worried that she won't be as good as she once was. For me, I
have been unhappy with my art space and delaying my happiness in
general so that has taken away my urge to paint. Now I have a
mission. My oldest sister's birthday is next Wednesday and I am
going to make her a painting. I am thrilled that she wants one; she
has very discerning tastes. She went through my site and told me
which ones she likes and I was surprised. Some of the ones she
likes I did not think were my best works. You just never know. I am
looking forward to painting something just for her. You can't replace
a big sis, and I love both of mine (even when I am being given the
"little sister lecture". :)
**************************************************
November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving! I read some of the things I had written below
and realized that I contradicted myself in certain spots. I can admit
this. I have since changed it to reflect how I really feel.
I am too rough on science. Most of the time I believe in what
scientists have claimed. I believe that the teachings in the Bible and
science are not mutually exclusive. I believe that science is all a part
of God's master plan. There are things about the Bible, however,
that seem to contradict evolution and things that have been proven.
For example, fossils have been found that prove that dinosaurs did
exist. If this is the case, where do Adam and Eve fit in? Were they
after the dinosaurs? This seems to be the case, but the Bible does
not appear to address this. A friend is studying the Bible from the
beginning as we speak and may be able to shed some light on these
elementary contradictions. Stay tuned.
I've decided that I am going to make a concerted effort to take my
painting to the next level. I just read a book entitled "Starving" to
Successful: The Fine Artist's Guide to Getting Into Galleries And
Selling More Art, and it gives practical advice on how to present
yourself to find representation. I have had some success here and
there selling my art, but I have not tried to get gallery representation.
I feel that I need more practice and a greater body of work in order to
reach that point. To that end, I have some concepts that I am going
to take with the direction of my compositions. I am going to start
practicing on paper stock the ideas I have, since I can do that in the
house and not the garage where it is now cold. I haven't really
painted in months, so I am sure it will take some time to get back into
it. I just need to be patient with myself and enjoy the process. It's all
about process.
*******************************************************
November 23, 2009
Atheists Are Starting to Bug Me
I don't know why I do it, but I sometimes find myself getting wrapped
up in some atheist's blog or a post on a FB thread. I have to admit
that some of their arguments do seem based on tangible principles
and "fact". No, I cannot prove the existence of God. And no, I don't
think I can make you believe me just because I have had a spiritual
experience.
My Dad did my horoscope (yes, a "pseudo-science", astrology -
don't ask me why I place any credence on it, but I do) when I was 2
years old and wrote that I would be susceptible to propaganda. I
am. I can always see two sides of the story and am sometimes ripe
for the picking, based on a good argument. I wish this weren't the
case sometimes. It seems to imply that I don't know what I feel or
how I think, that I am a virtual mental "jellyfish". It think it's more the
case of a lack of arrogance.
I do place a lot of stock in philosophical argument. I love the fact that
the first philosopher, Thales, essentially thought (around 600 B.C.)
that the world was created from water. I like his style. What he is
really saying is that he doesn't know. Philosophers, unlike
scientists, can admit that they don't know. I am much more of a
philosopher than a scientist. In fact, I sought to avoid sciences
classes altogether in college. I did have to take one two-semester
course, so I chose Biology. I took a Philosophy of
Science course at the university level, as a philosophy major, which
had a far greater impact on me than the physics or chemistry classes
I took in high school. I did reasonably well in those classes,
especially given the fact that I rarely studied. In my science classes, I
was merely regurgitating what I was taught. The point of the
Philosophy of Science class was to question the exact foundation
upon which science is built - and NOT from a religious standpoint.
We were challenged to debate whether scientific principles were
based in fact. The average atheist would dismiss me as being
uneducated in the ways of science and that explains why I question
what they feel is indisputable empirical evidence that scientific
principles are fact. I have a problem with the arrogance of scientists
who claim that just because the world has agreed to accept certain
principles asserted by the field that they are correct in their
assumptions. And that is what they are - assumptions.
All I can hope for is that there is something beyond this realm and
that we will be able to distinguish, if even for a moment, that we are
physically dead and moving on to eternal life. This would be proof
that we all have a soul. I believe, as Abraham proposes, that we are
non-physical entities having a human experience and that we chose
to have this specific experience. Scientists have reached erroneous
conclusions before (such as the Earth being flat), only to admit to
this and then claim they now have the answers because of new
technology. I think that there is only one being who knows the
ultimate truth, and that is the Creator of the Universe - whom I call
God. Why is it that atheists will believe that the Universe always
existed but do not believe that in the same token perhaps God has
always existed? They will be quick to ask who created God, but they
don't question who created the Universe. That doesn't make sense
to me.
*******************************************************
November 13, 2009
I'm Interested in the Victims of Violent Crime
I've discovered that my interest in true crime is not in the minds of
the killers, but in the minds of the victims. I've spent a lot of time
reading about murderers, serial killers, criminal profiling, etc. I've
discovered that these disgusting creatures are all the same. I bet I
could write a basic criminal profile by now.
Do you think life is a series of random events, or are we in control of
our own destiny?
The reason I pose this question is because when I think about the
victims of violent crime, I can't help but ask, "Why them and not
me?" I have jogged at 4:30 in the morning, in the dark, with
headphones on. While it was in a "safe" neighborhood, is there
really such a thing? Women get abducted and killed in national
parks all the time. They are even abducted from the side of the road
in a well-lit community. So, what puts them in the path of violence?
Are the things that happen to us predestined? Has our fate already
been determined? I don't think so. The Bible indicates that God
knows what is going to happen with us before we do; He is
omniscient. This can easily be explained by free will, and after
talking with a friend, it can just be that God knows the if>then>so
scenarios. So, our fate can be the result of our choices and the
situations we are in, and it can also be true that some of the
if>then>so could be random. An example of this would be IF we put
ourselves on such-and-such street at such-and-such time, we will be
in the path of such-and-such killer and be abducted.
I'd be interested if you have some ideas on the subject.
**************************************************
November 11, 2009
We made our decision regarding church. We decided to go with the
smaller, less formal church. It is called Land of the Sky United
Church of Christ. As I mentioned, the pastors are great and we have
been really impressed with the sermons we have heard. The
sermons have been a great mix of intelligent, spiritual, and cultural
components that make them both interesting and informative. We
also like that the church is unique; in addition to celebrating All
Saint's Day complete with an altar, last week they had various
"stations" set up to honor God but also have fun. We had a painting
station, a scrabble station (use the letters to spell out what God
means to you), a "worry box", an activist table, a room of meditation
and prayer, and a praying wall. I am sure we will continue to enjoy
going to this church.
**************************************************
October 17, 2009
Why teachers die so young
Very amusing stuff.
**************************************************
October 16, 2009
Stephen Wright Humor
I've always appreciated his humor. Very insightful.
**************************************************
October 5, 2009
What is Love? A Discussion. I'm a Sap.
Bleed to Love Her
Fleetwood Mac
Once again she steals away
Then she reaches out to kiss me
And how she takes my breath away
Pretending that she don't miss me
I would bleed to love her
bleed to love her
I would bleed to love her
And once again she calls to me
Then she vanishes in thin air
And how she takes my breath away (breath away)
Pretending that she's not there
I would bleed to love her
bleed to love her
I would bleed to love her
Somebody's got to see this through
All the world is laughing at you
And somebody's got to sacrifice
If this whole thing's gonna turn out right
I would bleed to love her
bleed to love her
I would bleed to love her
Bleed to love her
Bleed to love her
What does that mean to me?
I have now, at this point in my life, experienced and understand the
true meaning of this song in two different - and quite unique - ways.
I. Bleed to Love Her
On its most literal level, it implies suffering - frequently the physical
aspect manifests itself in different ways. I appreciate and can
identify on many levels with the comparison of "losing blood" in the
song. To bleed to love someone is a fairly direct implication.
Literally, it means that one would be willing to sacrifice and/or give
their life just to be able to experience love with a specific person. I
have felt this way, but only once in my life. I never understood the
concept until I knew it was the case. I believe it is innate – either we
have it in us, or we don’t. It does depend on the individual we love,
yes, but the ability to feel this way must have been waiting for us to
experience it. We have to be capable.
The other part of the lyrics, “How she takes my breath away,
pretending she’s not there” has to do with challenge. Some people
need to find the object of their affection unattainable and they use
this as evidence that they love the person. I disagree. Obsession, or
more innocuously, “crushes”, are not love. They are entrapment to
the person who holds them. Love is not entrapment. It is the free
expression and feeling of an indefinable sort.
II. What does it mean to love?
For the sake of argument, and as a reference point, the Bible
describes characteristics intrinsically prevalent in what could be
widely accepted and constituted as true (i.e., "pure") love. I
unequivocally contend on a basic philosophical level that there is no
expert on the matter of "love". It is one of those things in life that
even transcends "blind faith". While it may be similar in its "it just is"
origin, love is such an allusive (to some) emotion/state of
physiological stimuli-response that few (even of the most arrogant
construct) can even attempt to define it in empirical terms. Simply
put, you know it when you truly love someone. [Putting aside
"environmental" factors that may distort a particular person's
interpretation or proclivity to experience love.] Your actions prove or
disprove whether love exists. The characteristics mentioned in the
Bible in I Corinthians 13:4 - 8a are not prima facie absolutes, they are
merely suggestions. Just as with ethical principles, we all experience
values and morality in different ways, just as we experience love in a
similar vein. I discuss the characteristics described in the Bible here.
In his popular book, The Mastery of Love, Don Miguel Ruiz writes
that there are two basic emotions that an individual experiences:
love and fear. All other emotions, he believes, fit into one of these
categories. While I can see some merit in this position, I also think it
is antiquated to a large extent. I just don’t think it’s that simple. What
about anger? That rarely has to do with fear, and sometimes has
nothing to do with love. People become angry when they feel an
injustice has occurred. What does that have to do with fear? And
perhaps it COULD be thought of as self-love or love for another, but
that's reaching a bit. As I have mentioned, love can be indefinable.
Fear is even harder to define, though I have attempted to do so here.
I am not speaking of a “fight or flight” response, which is a normal
fear, as we naturally fight hard for our survival, but fear of the
emotional kind. My therapist would be proud of me to admit that a lot
of our fear-based feelings and actions have to do with how we are
raised. As adults, it is our responsibility to release ourselves from
the binds of “old tapes” and thereby remove the emotional fear that
wreaks havoc on our relationships. Psychology 101 could tell you
that the fear you experience as a result of these “old tapes”
manifests itself in insecurity. We are so afraid of losing what we
have or what we want that we create a self-fulfilling prophecy and
drive the object of our affection away. Insecurity obfuscates love.
I could go on and on but that's it for now.
**************************************************
October 4, 2009
I haven't had a cigarette since April 5th. I didn't chronicle the event
like last time because I just wanted to get it out of my system
physically and then not think about it. D still smokes, outside, but
not very often. If I find myself having a craving, I smoke a grape-
flavored cigar. I just tell myself that I am a non-smoker and let it go. I
don't miss the smell in my hair and in my clothes.
I was reading in a magazine called Western North Carolina Woman
about a person who goes only by the name "Rockingbear" and his
philosophy of life. The article discusses "beliefs" versus "truths". In
the article he states, "I never found a belief of my own that wasn't a
lie...people are starving in the world because of beliefs. A belief is
not a truth. Everybody knows the truth...we can look out the window
and we know what the truth is - there are mountains; there is
sunlight...when the truth is spoken, everybody knows it to be the
truth." Rockingbear also says that he has to be willing to stand by
his beliefs and that he has to convince others of his beliefs (not as a
necessity, but as a sake of argument, implying that he would - and
should - be willing to die for his beliefs). I could write a paper or two
arguing about certain truths or certain things accepted as truths
which are in fact not proven, but are merely widely agreed upon
concepts. I do believe there are ethical principles that most would
agree upon. That does not mean they are the truth - just widely
accepted. I argued my case based on my beliefs. [The link leads to a
paper that I wrote for an Ethics of Administration class in which I
propose ethical absolutes and make the case that National ID cards
should be issued.] The issue I have with Rockingbear's philosophy
is that there are few cases, if any, that can truly be accepted as fact,
or as truth. [Though I tend to be of the Descartes school of thought
on "Cogito, Ergo Sum".] Just because science has "proven" the Big
Bang Theory doesn't mean it happened. A lot of people agree that
this is how the universe began, but they really don't know. Science
seems to have proven its cause for being, but it could all fall under
the umbrella of propaganda.
Plato's Allegory of the Cave discussed the concept of perception
versus reality. If you are not familiar with the story, it uses as an
example a group of individuals who were situated in a cave facing a
wall and held immobile all of their lives. Their only perception of
things consisted of shadows of animals and objects that passed by
a fire behind them. These shadows, then, constituted their reality
because it is all that they had ever known. What if an entire society
were kept under the same conditions and then released from the
cave? Their reality would contradict what they see and they would
not believe what they saw outside of the shadowy representation of
these beings and objects. This, then, would be their truth. In a way,
we are all in a cave and science claims to release us out into the
world of reality. People thought the truth was that the earth was flat.
I challenge Rockingbear to understand the real meaning of "truth",
in that there really isn't any. Truths and beliefs are one and the same.
**************************************************
