Give me courage to be fully alive today
To embrace this moment with destiny
To choose life, make beauty and risk love
with every thought
in every touch
with every word
in every act
with every breath…
in grateful submission
to the mystery
of being and belonging
to this people
and place
and to
you.-Mark Scandrette
Archive for August, 2009
In Every…
Published 08/31/2009 Thoughts to Ponder , Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: mark scandrette, prayer
what would you do….
Published 08/28/2009 In the News , Thoughts to Ponder Leave a CommentTags: abc, action, john the baptist, what would you do?
from last night, below is that segment of ABC’s “what would you do?” Click on the link to see other episodes. As I said, some are funny, others a bit more heavy. Remember John the Baptists demand to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance!” Next Thursday, we’ll get specific as we share ways individually and as a group that we are taking action in the Way of Jesus…
Stray Cat
Published 08/26/2009 Weekly Soul Leave a CommentTags: peter rollins, prayer, spiritual discipline
A great illustration from Peter Rollins on how spiritual practice can become empty ritual. made me laugh and then think deep about how I practice faith too!
There was once a wise teacher who would go to the temple every evening to pray with his disciples. By the temple there was a stray cat who would wander in every evening and disturb these prayers and disturb the peace. So, each evening before prayers the teacher would tie the cat to a tree outside before entering. The teacher was old and passed away a few years later. His disciples continued to tie the cat to the tree each evening before prayers.
Eventually the cat died and so some of the disciples purchased a new cat so that they could continue the ritual. After a hundred years the tree died and a new one was quickly planted so that the cat (by now the 18th generation cat!) could be tied to it. Over the centuries learned scholars began to write books on the symbolic meaning of the act.
Jet Li's Hero
Published 08/25/2009 Reviews 1 CommentTags: china, Craig Nason, hero, jet li, martial arts, warrior
Last week, I watched for the second time the phenomenal movie Hero. No, I’m not talking about that sappy movie in ’92 with Dustin Hoffman in it. I mean the Hero starring Jet Li. At it’s release in 2002 in China, it was the country’s largest box office hit ever. When it came to the U.S. in 2004, it was the second highest ever grossing foreign film. Now, i know box office stats are Ryan Long’s measure of a good movie, not mine. But I didn’t want to scare off any of you who thought I was promoting another obscure, odd foreign film! This is a sweet piece of art on many levels– it even got a 95% at rotten tomatoes. If you get a chance to rent it, you should. Here’s the trailer, and then I’ll explain just what was so special about this film…
Previews always attempt to reduce movies to a few words or sequences. Similarly in Hero, the words “love, vengance, betrayl, and above all else honor” don’t really shed much light on the movies scope. You do get a sense about the epic nature of this film, though. Adapted from Continue reading ‘Jet Li's Hero’
Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.” -Mother Teresa
back to school
Published 08/19/2009 Entertain Me! Leave a CommentTags: cheating, college, tests, the onion
For those headed back to school. Good luck, your going to need it. In an attempt to help you manage those pesky tests, the onion offered the following brief article. Hope it helps! 
Back-To-School Cheating Tips
As another school year begins, students are getting ready to face a whole new round of tests and quizzes. Here are a few simple tips on how to ace your exams without studying
- For all essay tests on poetry, write the title of the poem followed by the words “is about man’s relationship with nature.”
- If you’re going to permanently tattoo answers onto your forearm, make sure it’s for an exam in a subject you really love.
- Have everyone take out their textbooks and cheat all at once. They can’t fail the whole class.
- When passing notes that have the answers to the test, be sure not to label the note “Test Answers.”
- If you are taking any classes on 1960s American culture, spend all your free time visiting your professor in office hours and asking him about the time he met Timothy Leary.
- Some schools equip classrooms with hidden cameras to catch cheaters. A simple low-inductance capacitor bank discharged into a single-loop antenna can send out an electromagnetic pulse capable of disabling all cameras within a three-block radius.
- It is notoriously difficult to cheat on most applied mathematics tests, so it is best to avoid taking these classes altogether.
- No matter how small, crib notes can be conspicuous. Commit them to memory for an innovative, unencumbered cheating method.
health care perspective
Published 08/18/2009 In the News Leave a CommentTags: health care reform, jesus creed, obama, scot mcknight
If you’ve heard the rumblings in the news on the health care reform debate, but feel you have no faith resources to understand the issue, you may want to look at the blog discussion going on at scot mcknight’s site, Jesus Creed. It’s balanced, and asks hard questions that seem worthy to consider as followers of Jesus. McKnight outlines some main points and lets his blog readers respond and react. Real faith based dialogue and debate, (mostly) not obnoxious yelling and party-line talking points….
still a classic.
more about "NOOMA Rain | 001 Rob Bell", posted with vodpod
Thursday we remembered. In an ancient ritual, we participated in the meal of remembrance that Jesus taught us- communion. We also discussed what it means to remember each other in the faith in the spirit of Paul (“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” -Ephesians 1) It was a rich night– keep Kylie, Sammy, Tasha, Ali, and Brian in your prayers along with others who are leaving town soon. Remember Jesus, remember each other!
Henri Nouwen – Being the Beloved
Published 08/12/2009 Weekly Soul Leave a CommentTags: henri nouwen, life of the beloved
Many of us have grown deeply through the writings of Henri Nouwen, the Dutch-born priest– particularly his discussion of being the beloved of God. Few of you have heard him speak when he was alive. This is a rare video of a time he taught in the U.S. It shares his simple yet profound message in about 15 minutes…
more about “Henri Nouwen – Being the Beloved“, posted with vodpod
