The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,900 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 32 trips to carry that many people.
I could have taken a picture of you and posted it here to publicly shame you, but I didn’t. That’s because I am not trying to be vindictive, ma’am. I’d merely like to answer that question you posed. This can be what the politicians call a “teachable moment” for you and everyone like you.
See, I was in line at that particular fast food establishment yesterday. You probably didn’t notice me, I assume you didn’t notice any of us from the way you blatantly barged to the front. I was about to tap you on the shoulder and politely explain how lines are supposed to work in a civilized society, but I could tell you were in the throes of an ungodly rage. I figured this must be an emergency. My God, you were practically foaming at the mouth. I thought maybe someone at the counter had killed your dog…
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Sometime I cringe when I listen to Christians talk (myself included). Here are a couple phrases it wouldn’t hurt to hear less.
When someone’s going through a rough time, it’s a struggle to say the right thing. But it is always appropriate to say nothing. In fact, Scripture encourages people to “mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) You cannot rub the salve of magic words on someone’s hurts to make their pain go away.
If you absolutely have to say something, make sure it isn’t philosophically empty, spiritual nonsense. Telling someone that “God never gives you more than you can handle” is wrong on many levels.
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From Christians to atheists and beyond, my Facebook friends run the ideological gamut. I’m blessed to have thoughtful and deep friends from all walks of life.
But after spending years on Facebook, I’ve seen a trend that’s both interesting and troubling: If I find a hoax in my news feed, chances are it will have been shared by an evangelical Christian.
I know that sounds like a terrible thing to say, but it’s true. In fact, it’s so typical and intriguing, that I’ve been keeping track of the phenomenon for quite a while. I’ve often wondered why mainstream Christians (not my high-church friends, not my Catholic friends, etc.) are so quick to pass on news stories and testimonials that are untrue. But that’s a discussion for another time.
Today I want to talk through some reasons they need to stop:
The Christian message is one that…
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I honestly cannot remember who wrote this. It went into my files in 2000 so I am pretty sure I put there when I was a “fan” of Usenet. – Ninure da Hippie
Jesus said some things that we forget, some things some of us don’t know, and some things that wesometimes wish we didn’t know. ; ) For the next couple of weeks, we are going to explore some of the least-well-known and least-popular sayings of Christ.
(Mat 6:14-15 NNAS) “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will
not forgive your transgressions.”
Sometimes I believe the national pastime of the U.S. is lawsuits. People sue over hot coffee spilled at McDonald’s. Even robbers sue the people they have robbed, for negligence! Televisionalk show advertisements promise titillating shows where people “get even” with those who scorned them. Forgiveness is not exactly in vogue. But Christ’s words are as valid for us in 1998 America as they were in the Middle East two centuries ago. We are not to hold grudges. We are not to seek revenge. We are not to nurture grievances. No, we are not to be doormats. But bitterness is not the answer. If someone hurts us, we need to try to work things out.
What is the alternative? To not be forgiven ourselves. The word is clear. If we don’t forgive others,
God won’t forgive us. When you think about it, that is kind-of startling, isn’t it. And Christ doesn’t say “forgive them IF they apologize.” He doesn’t say “forgive them” if they deserve it. (Who of usdo
deserve it?) He doesn’t say “forgive those who don’t do heinous things.” Nope, he says simply to
forgive. No conditions. Sometimes we think we don’t have to forgive someone unless they are sorry, but that is not the case. And remember, Christ died for us before we were sorry. He suffered on the cross for us before we repented. He forgave those who did not ask for it, he forgave those who didn’t think they had done anything to need forgiveness for. And so should we. It doesn’t mean condoning what people do wrong. It doesn’t mean not pretending not to be hurt, pretending that all is well when it’s not. That would be dishonest anyway. It simply means forgiving in our hearts, deciding to not hold something against someone. Not being forgiven by God — an awful thought, and a great incentive to work on forgiveness. Of course we should aim to do it for the purest motive, that of glorifying God and having a heart like His.
Forgiveness isn’t easy. We can’t do it on our own. We need God’s help. We can will it. We can do
our part, seek reconciliation and pray for the person(s). We can act forgivingly. If we do this, and pray for His help, God will honor that and help us. And the side-effect is peace. There is a little poem I am going to try to quote. If anyone has the exact wording please send it to me, thanks!
Someone told me to forgive,
To set the prisoner free.
I forgave those who had hurt me,
Only to find the freed prisoner……was me.
Is this world truly fallen? They say no.
For there’s the new moon, there’s the Milky Way,
There’s the rattler with a wren’s egg in its mouth,
And there’s the panting rabbit they will eat.
They sing their wild hymn on the dark slope,
Reading the stars like notes of hilarious music.
Is this a fallen world? How could it be?
And yet we’re crying over the stars again,
And over the uncertainty of death,
Which we suspect will divide us all forever.
I’m tired of those who broadcast their certainties,
Constantly on their cell phones to their redeemer.
Is this a fallen world? For them it is.
But there’s that starlit burst of animal laughter.
The day has sent its fires scattering.
The night has risen from its burning bed.
Our tears are proof that love is meant for life
And for the living. And this chorus of praise,
Which the pet dogs of the neighborhood are answering
Nostalgically, invites our answer, too.
Is this a fallen world? How could it be?
~ Mark Jarman ~
(The Atlantic, May 2003)
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This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
This material is distributed without profit
IMPORTANT NOTICE
You may have noticed the increased amount of notices for you to notice. Some of our notices have not been noticed. This is very noticeable. It has been noticed that the responses to the notices have been noticeably unnoticed. This notice is to remind you to notice the notices and respond to the notices, because we do not want the notices to go unnoticed.
“I trace the rainbow through the rain and see the promise is not in vain.”</i
Every 3.6 seconds a real person dies from hunger somewhere in the world!!!
Feed a hungry person today:
http://www.hungersite.com
My YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/Ninure
God is still speaking
http://www.stillspeaking.com
John Mark Ministries
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/
(I think I posted this in December, but it spoke to me today.)
They Might Be Giants
Numbers 13:3
“We saw the Nephilim giants there‚ we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
Reflection by Lillian Daniel
One year during the holidays, I was buying a magazine at a tiny concession stand in the airport when suddenly, in walked these six enormous people. They were bigger than anyone I had ever seen in real life. In fact, the women were bigger than most men I know. Suddenly there really wasn’t room for anyone else.
But I stuck around for three distinct reasons. One, I couldn’t move. Two, I didn’t want to irritate them in any way. And three, I was having the strong feeling that I was with people who were famous, but I didn’t quite know why.
The women wore high-heeled boots and their hair was bleached and teased. The men were as wide as refrigerators. But they all wore similar tee shirts that I wriggled around to read: “World Wrestling Federation.” I was surrounded by professional wrestlers.
And there was one of them, his face on the cover of the celebrity magazine in front of me. I realized I buying a magazine right behind the most famous wrestler of the day: The Rock.
I remember three things about my encounter with the Rock. He was very polite. He used exact change. And he was reading the latest issue of The Economist.
So now I confess. I did not expect the professional wrestler to be reading The Economist, the British magazine of international news, politics, business, and technology.
But why didn’t I? Shame on me, for stereotyping.
Prayer
I thank you God that I never know who I will meet, or what he will be reading or what you have in store for the complex creatures you have created. Thank you, God, for giants, grasshoppers and Economist-reading wrestlers. Amen.
Every 3.6 seconds a real person dies from hunger somewhere in the world!!!
Feed a hungry person today:
http://www.hungersite.com
My YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/Ninure
God is still speaking
http://www.stillspeaking.com
John Mark Ministries
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/
IF FAMOUS HISTORICAL FIGURES WERE LOOKING FOR A JOB TODAY…
~ Julius Caesar: My last job involved a lot of office politics and back stabbing. I’d like to get away from all that.
~ Jesse James: I can list among my experience and skills: leadership, extensive travel, logistical organization, intimate understanding of firearms, and a knowledge of security measures at numerous banks.
~ Marie Antoinette: My management style has been criticized, but I’d like to think of myself as a people person.
~ Joseph Guillotin: I can give your company a head start on the competition.
~ Hamlet: My position was eliminated in a hostile takeover.
~ Pandora: I can bring a lot to your company. I like discovering new things.
~ Genghis Khan: My primary talent is downsizing. On my last job I downsized my staff, my organization, and the populations of several countries.
~ Macbeth: Would I go after my boss’s job? Do I look like the kind of guy who would knock off his boss for a promotion?
~ Lady Godiva: What do mean, this isn’t “business casual”?
~ Elvis: My last boss and I…say, are you going to eat those fries?
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If you do nothing, nothing will happen. If you do something, something will happen, but not necessarily what you intended.
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“If you want to make peace, you don’t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.”—Mother Teresa
The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls. –— Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)
FAIR USE NOTICE:
This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc.
This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
This material is distributed without profit
IMPORTANT NOTICE
You may have noticed the increased amount of notices for you to notice. Some of our notices have not been noticed. This is very noticeable. It has been noticed that the responses to the notices have been noticeably unnoticed. This notice is to remind you to notice the notices and respond to the notices, because we do not want the notices to go unnoticed.
Every 3.6 seconds a real person dies from hunger somewhere in the world!!!
Feed a hungry person today:
http://www.hungersite.com
My YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/Ninure
God is still speaking
http://www.stillspeaking.com
John Mark Ministries
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/
Beneath heaven’s vault
remember always walking
through halls of cloud
down aisles of sunlight
or through high hedges
of the green rain
walk in the world
highheeled with swirl of cape
hand at the swordhilt
of your pride
Keep a tall throat
Remain aghast at life
Enter each day
as upon a stage
lighted and waiting
for your step
Crave upward as flame
have keenness in the nostril
Give your eyes
to agony or rapture
Train your hands
as birds to be
brooding or nimble
Move your body
as the horses
sweeping on slender hooves
over crag and prairie
with fleeing manes
and aloofness of their limbs
Take earth for your own large room
and the floor of earth
carpeted with sunlight
and hung round with silver wind
for your dancing place
~ May Swenson ~
(Nature: Poems Old and New)
Disclaimer: Pursuant to the UCC (Uniform Comedy Code), all depictions of events and persons on this site are more real than reality itself, and therefore any resemblance to reality is not really real.
===================
FAIR USE NOTICE:
This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc.
This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law.
This material is distributed without profit
IMPORTANT NOTICE
You may have noticed the increased amount of notices for you to notice. Some of our notices have not been noticed. This is very noticeable. It has been noticed that the responses to the notices have been noticeably unnoticed. This notice is to remind you to notice the notices and respond to the notices, because we do not want the notices to go unnoticed.
“I trace the rainbow through the rain and see the promise is not in vain.”</i
Every 3.6 seconds a real person dies from hunger somewhere in the world!!!
Feed a hungry person today:
http://www.hungersite.com
My YouTube Channel
http://www.youtube.com/Ninure
God is still speaking
http://www.stillspeaking.com
John Mark Ministries
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/
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