8/24/2007
Bible on iPod
Browsing around the blog at BibleGateway, I came across this website offering the Bible on iPod for free. It's only the New Testament, but it is in ESV, which has become my favourite version to read for it's poetic style while maintaining good scholarship and translation accuracy. I haven't fully tested it yet, but take a look for yourself. They've successfully tested functionality on the Nano, Video and Mini. Version 1.3 is supposedly coming out soon to include Psalms and Proverbs.
8/23/2007
Blueberry Pancakes
Here's my first story. The topic of the challenge was "confused". Hopefully that's been captured a little in this short story.
The challenge specifies 150-750 words, and I think mine comes in just over 350, so somewhere in the middle.
The challenge specifies 150-750 words, and I think mine comes in just over 350, so somewhere in the middle.
8/22/2007
Story
I posted my first story on faithwriters.com for their weekly challenge. This week's challenge was on 'confusion'. I'll post the story on the companion site soon.
8/21/2007
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a tricky thing. The more you need it, the more you want it, but the less you want to give it.
Being a victim can bring power if the one who hurt you has a conscience. That's one reason why many people allow themselves to be victimized. They take the moral high ground over their tormentor. If he ever reflects properly on his actions, he will be guilt stricken, and a the victim will hold power over his self esteem. (Not to mention the attention and vindication we receive as victims!)
But power is not all that is involved when we are hurt. If power is what drives us as victims, then we are no better then our aggressors. What we really need is peace. Forgiveness brings peace because it equals out the power. The person with the moral power elects to relinquish that power and restore the balance in the relationship. It removes the anger of the victim, the guilt of the aggressor, the separation between two people. Forgiveness restores the relationship, and reconciles two people. But it requires the victim to lay down what little power they feel they have over the person who hurt them. No wonder we don't want to give it even when it is the things that will heal us the most. No wonder we want it so bad when we have hurt others.
I am convinced that forgiveness is only possible through Jesus Christ. There are two reasons. First is that I don't think that any human is fully capable of giving up our power voluntarily. We will always hurt people, and we will never fully heal over our wounds. At this rate we will always be worse off over time in our relationships with people. The second reason is that every time we offend somebody we also offend God, and we rarely say 'sorry' to him and seek his forgiveness. Jesus provided forgiveness to us through his death and resurrection. He removed God's anger, paid for our deficit, wiped the slate clean, restored our relationship. He condescended to forgive us. Now we should forgive others likewise, even if it is a tricky thing to do.
Being a victim can bring power if the one who hurt you has a conscience. That's one reason why many people allow themselves to be victimized. They take the moral high ground over their tormentor. If he ever reflects properly on his actions, he will be guilt stricken, and a the victim will hold power over his self esteem. (Not to mention the attention and vindication we receive as victims!)
But power is not all that is involved when we are hurt. If power is what drives us as victims, then we are no better then our aggressors. What we really need is peace. Forgiveness brings peace because it equals out the power. The person with the moral power elects to relinquish that power and restore the balance in the relationship. It removes the anger of the victim, the guilt of the aggressor, the separation between two people. Forgiveness restores the relationship, and reconciles two people. But it requires the victim to lay down what little power they feel they have over the person who hurt them. No wonder we don't want to give it even when it is the things that will heal us the most. No wonder we want it so bad when we have hurt others.
I am convinced that forgiveness is only possible through Jesus Christ. There are two reasons. First is that I don't think that any human is fully capable of giving up our power voluntarily. We will always hurt people, and we will never fully heal over our wounds. At this rate we will always be worse off over time in our relationships with people. The second reason is that every time we offend somebody we also offend God, and we rarely say 'sorry' to him and seek his forgiveness. Jesus provided forgiveness to us through his death and resurrection. He removed God's anger, paid for our deficit, wiped the slate clean, restored our relationship. He condescended to forgive us. Now we should forgive others likewise, even if it is a tricky thing to do.
8/18/2007
Walk
I went for a walk this morning (if you're looking at the post time, you're probably wondering how early this walk was...6-7am, not that early) to clear my head and spend some time in prayer after reading my bible. A half hour in, I found myself in a neighbourhood not to far from here that is mostly made up of small apartment complexes with the odd house here and there. (It seemed to me that the "here" houses were all really well maintained, and the "there" houses were scrap piles, half of which were for rent.) And again, I found myself oddly attracted to the neighbourhood. I have this incredible desire to buy one of the apartment buildings, live in one apartment and rent out the rest. This is plainly ridiculous as we just bought a house a few months ago, and I have no intention of moving. Still, the desire was there after having conversed with God about how to impact the city and neighbourhood more.
I will say that I am a little adrift as to career path and purpose. Not in the sense that there is a lack of passion or pleasure. However, I am much more used to having and pursuing a goal. I am starting my Master's in education part time in a couple of weeks, but even with that I want to pick up some courses towards an MTS or MA in Theology. With my job description changing and our role at church shifting to apprenticing a small group, I suppose this year will hold enough challenges of its own! (Not to mention marriage and homeownership - yikes!) Keep trusting in Christ Jesus.
I will say that I am a little adrift as to career path and purpose. Not in the sense that there is a lack of passion or pleasure. However, I am much more used to having and pursuing a goal. I am starting my Master's in education part time in a couple of weeks, but even with that I want to pick up some courses towards an MTS or MA in Theology. With my job description changing and our role at church shifting to apprenticing a small group, I suppose this year will hold enough challenges of its own! (Not to mention marriage and homeownership - yikes!) Keep trusting in Christ Jesus.
8/16/2007
An Ominous Silence
Visiting a friend of mine who is involved in law enforcement, the conversation drifted toward the recent attack in London of two beat cops who were swarmed when they responded to a call on the east side. At this point there was an ominous silence.... Apparently, beating on cops trying to help out a situation doesn't go over well with the other cops.
The locals are complaining of police brutality, and it may be a fair assessment that the officers involved overreacted a bit, however swarming the officers and beating him over the head with his own baton obviously does not constitute a reasonable level of response. This isn't a ghetto, it's not the 'hood. These people wouldn't last a minute if they were dumped into Compton/Watts (LA), Queensbridge (NYC), or Detroit south of 8 mile. (BTW, 8 mile is where the crime STARTS in detroit. If Marshall Mathers had been from 7 mile, there would be no Eminem, Slim Shady, or 8 mile film -- well 7 mile film, I suppose....)
I find it a little disturbing that people are trying to bring ghetto culture here, or to any fairly safe city. The culture is usually a natural (but unfortunate and sad) outgrowth of the demographics. The situation is not that bad there, don't go bringing trouble to our town.
I do recognize a few of the names involved in the situation here. It only goes to show the failure of this culture to take care of all the the various people and ethnicities that make up our city and country. I hope we can start learning to treat each other with respect. Some day....
The locals are complaining of police brutality, and it may be a fair assessment that the officers involved overreacted a bit, however swarming the officers and beating him over the head with his own baton obviously does not constitute a reasonable level of response. This isn't a ghetto, it's not the 'hood. These people wouldn't last a minute if they were dumped into Compton/Watts (LA), Queensbridge (NYC), or Detroit south of 8 mile. (BTW, 8 mile is where the crime STARTS in detroit. If Marshall Mathers had been from 7 mile, there would be no Eminem, Slim Shady, or 8 mile film -- well 7 mile film, I suppose....)
I find it a little disturbing that people are trying to bring ghetto culture here, or to any fairly safe city. The culture is usually a natural (but unfortunate and sad) outgrowth of the demographics. The situation is not that bad there, don't go bringing trouble to our town.
I do recognize a few of the names involved in the situation here. It only goes to show the failure of this culture to take care of all the the various people and ethnicities that make up our city and country. I hope we can start learning to treat each other with respect. Some day....
8/15/2007
Bat in the Belfry
Wow! So as I'm writing the last post and configuring the site a little, this dark mass swoops across the far side of the room. I glanced over to the wall where the shadow had passed, and as I turn my head a bat glides toward me! The bat and I played the old game: I want you out of the house, and you want to get out of the house...if only I could speak 'bat'. Well, with the door open, it was still flying around, so I attempted to make the area inhospitable with a meter stick, and then a walking stick. Fortunately for the bat, it flew out of the house before I could find my tennis rackets...
All in all and exciting night!
All in all and exciting night!
Think about it...think, think about it.
I've always liked to root for the underdog. I'm sure that this is due to the story-teller in me. As such, I'm loving the new HBO series for the Flight of the Conchords, a New Zealand musical comedy duo who parody everything from hip-hop to love ballads to folk music. I've decided to include a video clip from the first episode as the Clip of the Week.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
8/14/2007
Bottled H2O, the CBC, and Starbucks
Kudos to CBC.ca for their Going Green blog. I was impressed with the tactics of the (obviously) pro-green author by asking for public opinion on bottled vs. tap water. Brilliant! The whole page is full of people bashing the use of bottled water and the privatization of our natural resources -- great!
On a similar vein: The last few times that I've visited Starbucks, I've noticed their Ethos brand water, which donates a nickel from each purchase to promote the creation and development of water resources in developing countries. I applaud the desire to help those in foreign countries. But $0.05?? The bottle costs $2.30 Cdn! I could buy the same sized bottle for 99 cents at the corner store. Better yet, I could turn the tables on Starbucks and drink 5 cents worth of tap water and donate $2.25 to promote safe drinking water for those in need.
Tap water is safe for the majority of the population in the developed world. Give your money to people who really need it, Dasani (CocaCola), Aquafina (Pepsi), and Ethos (Starbucks) will survive without your misplaced charity.
(Author's Note: I don't hate Starbucks in the least. However, they have two strikes against them from me. First, I don't like hot drinks. I have NO idea what to order when I am there. A significant portion of the time I don't get anything, and look like the lame cheapskate among my friends who doesn't want to overspend for coffee. Second, Ethos is at best a poor way to raise money from the population to put a minuscule dent into a problem that needs to be addressed significantly by governments and stakeholders.)
On a similar vein: The last few times that I've visited Starbucks, I've noticed their Ethos brand water, which donates a nickel from each purchase to promote the creation and development of water resources in developing countries. I applaud the desire to help those in foreign countries. But $0.05?? The bottle costs $2.30 Cdn! I could buy the same sized bottle for 99 cents at the corner store. Better yet, I could turn the tables on Starbucks and drink 5 cents worth of tap water and donate $2.25 to promote safe drinking water for those in need.
Tap water is safe for the majority of the population in the developed world. Give your money to people who really need it, Dasani (CocaCola), Aquafina (Pepsi), and Ethos (Starbucks) will survive without your misplaced charity.
(Author's Note: I don't hate Starbucks in the least. However, they have two strikes against them from me. First, I don't like hot drinks. I have NO idea what to order when I am there. A significant portion of the time I don't get anything, and look like the lame cheapskate among my friends who doesn't want to overspend for coffee. Second, Ethos is at best a poor way to raise money from the population to put a minuscule dent into a problem that needs to be addressed significantly by governments and stakeholders.)
8/13/2007
Why The Resounding?
Obviously, the last name is a give-away. Is it possible to have the last name Bell, and not have it turned into a pun? I once had a standing bet with a friend that he could not come up with a new (to me) insult or pun involving my last name...I suppose that bet still stands.
John Donne was an Anglican priest who lived in the early days of the Anglican church around the turn of the century in 1600. Most of his poetic work was published posthumously, but he is famous for his sermons and meditations as well. His 17th meditation is the famous "No man is an island" text.
Donne represents an era to me -- the reformation (both protestant and catholic) where the church (and the western world, really) refocused it's vision on the truth and on taking that truth to others. The Resounding encapsulates the ideas of truth ringing out as a bell, a loud one that everyone can hear. It is also a re-sounding of my beliefs, the echo of my heart and mind, translated onto paper (or screen). I hope that echo reaches your ears(eyes).
As Donne wrote: "...never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
John Donne was an Anglican priest who lived in the early days of the Anglican church around the turn of the century in 1600. Most of his poetic work was published posthumously, but he is famous for his sermons and meditations as well. His 17th meditation is the famous "No man is an island" text.
Donne represents an era to me -- the reformation (both protestant and catholic) where the church (and the western world, really) refocused it's vision on the truth and on taking that truth to others. The Resounding encapsulates the ideas of truth ringing out as a bell, a loud one that everyone can hear. It is also a re-sounding of my beliefs, the echo of my heart and mind, translated onto paper (or screen). I hope that echo reaches your ears(eyes).
As Donne wrote: "...never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
8/12/2007
Thank you, Jason Bourne.
I watched The Bourne Ultimatum yesterday. A good action movie with some interesting themes, and raising some interesting questions. Do we have free will? Who determines our destiny? What is our real identity?
There's something very compelling (and Matrix-like) about Bourne's ability to analyze situations and solve problems - while physically destroying his enemies - that appeals to my innate desire to do the same. But c'mon, a little bit of blood, burn marks and fatigue would have made Matt Damon a little more believable and able to relate to!
I was also impressed at the strong female characters in the movie - Julia Stiles' character, Nicky, was resolute and strong willed (even if a tad boring). I haven't read the books, so I will have to look into whether there is more to the relationship between her and Bourne, as alluded to in the film. (Director's cut, here we come!)
The titles in the series have also given me an idea for a new series of articles. The 3-part series will be coming out in the next few weeks.
There's something very compelling (and Matrix-like) about Bourne's ability to analyze situations and solve problems - while physically destroying his enemies - that appeals to my innate desire to do the same. But c'mon, a little bit of blood, burn marks and fatigue would have made Matt Damon a little more believable and able to relate to!
I was also impressed at the strong female characters in the movie - Julia Stiles' character, Nicky, was resolute and strong willed (even if a tad boring). I haven't read the books, so I will have to look into whether there is more to the relationship between her and Bourne, as alluded to in the film. (Director's cut, here we come!)
The titles in the series have also given me an idea for a new series of articles. The 3-part series will be coming out in the next few weeks.
The First Knell
"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." - John Donne "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Sadly, I've looked on for 3 or 4 years at the blogosphere thinking "I can't even commit to journaling regularly, why try to blog for everyone to see my inconsistencies!" I am resolved, at least, that the my next failure in writing regularly will at least be public, and invite comments and criticisms. This page will hopefully cover all of my interests (see my profile) and more.
If you thought that this page contained info on the Christian altRock band, The Resounding, check out their MySpace page or their web site.
At least we share one thing in common - our love for and faith in Jesus Christ. It's my first and foremost interest. I trust that this faith will be evident in my blog.
Sadly, I've looked on for 3 or 4 years at the blogosphere thinking "I can't even commit to journaling regularly, why try to blog for everyone to see my inconsistencies!" I am resolved, at least, that the my next failure in writing regularly will at least be public, and invite comments and criticisms. This page will hopefully cover all of my interests (see my profile) and more.
If you thought that this page contained info on the Christian altRock band, The Resounding, check out their MySpace page or their web site.
At least we share one thing in common - our love for and faith in Jesus Christ. It's my first and foremost interest. I trust that this faith will be evident in my blog.
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