Squirrel Heaven

PTL

After two nights in the African Jungle Byron and Graydon have managed to find their way back to civilization. They stumbled upon a highway which they were able to fallow to a hotel. Currently they are resting and relaxing at the hotel, waiting for their fellow missionaries to come and pick them up. As we breathing a collective sigh of relief let us not forget to praise and thank the everlasting God who lead them through this life threatening ordeal.

Psalm 7:10
My shield is with God,who saves the upright in heart.

A Very Serious Post: Please Read

I received a very unsettling email from Campus for Christ tonight. It seems that Graydon Baker and Byron Bright, who have been serving as long-term missionaries in Tanzania, have become lost in the African jungle. They went for a hike Sunday afternoon, accompanied by a guide. When the guide headed-back early Graydon and Byron decided to press on without him. They have a cell phone with them and have been able to call for help but, as they do not know their exact location, rescue attempts have been difficult. Already they have been out in the wild for two days; their food and water have run out.

If you see this posting, please pray for Graydon and Byron and that the Lord would be with them as a pillar for strength. Let us be optimistic and pray that through this ordeal Graydon and Byron’s faith would be strengthened. Let us even pray for all those lives in Tanzania who still need to hear the Gospel and need witnesses such as Graydon and Byron to bring the Lord’s word to them. Let us pray and remember above all that none of this, no nothing at all, is ever above the might and power of our God who can work all for good and for His glory.

Daniel 6:25-28
Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: "Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,
enduring forever;
his kingdom shall never be destroyed,
and his dominion shall be to the end.
He delivers and rescues;
he works signs and wonders
in heaven and on earth,
he who has saved Daniel
from the power of the lions."

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Old School Gangsta'

Most people know Anton Chekhov only for his tremendous contributions to to the theatre and the short story. His technique of literary impressions was a total and spontaneous innovation, setting him entirely apart from his contemporaries, such as Tolstoy and Gorky. While others moralized, preached and judged, Chekhov simply sought to represent the complex inner lives of his characters, exploring humanity through the most subtle and delicate of outward expressions. Few, however, realize just how much Chekhov contributed to the world of fashion. As can be seen by this picture, taken over a hundred years ago, Chekhov may very well have been the first man in history to have popped his collar. While much scholarly debate still surrounds the subject, one can still clearly deduce from the picture that Chekhov was one of the earliest innovators of “gangsta” style. His well established introduction of the ghetto walking stick is in itself a significant break-thought and a good indication of why communist Russia excelled the west in krunk for so long.

“Man is what he believes” - Anton Chekhov

Nice Day

today was a nice day. i went downtown and hung out with andrew mckenzie and my little sister lydia low. we walked around and had lunch on the back patio of a swanky little restaurant. i had a tuna salad sandwich on rye and vegetable soup which is about as good as lunch gets in my world. after that we stopped into a cute little bakery; andrew and lydia bought some cookies. lydia got shortbread cookies decorated to look like little birds and andrew got chocolate chip granola. then we stopped by my favorite coffee shop in the world, though for the life of me i can’t remember its name. we drank our java on some benches along the street and people watched. andrew had to head back to york, but lydia and i visited my favorite book store, “Elliot's.” There I found a beautiful gem of a book. a rare, limited publication which hasn’t been printed in 20 years. at first i wanted it for myself, but then i decided i would rather give it to a dear and lovely friend. so i cannot say what it is, since i have to keep it a secret for awhile. even my subway ride home was a joy; i read checkhov all the way. my mom made ribs for dinner. i had a terrific jog. the weather was so chilly i finally got to wear my new jogging jacket. then i lifted some weights with my dad. i even played with my puppy. now, to cap it all off i’m going to read the Good Book and then, Lord willing, have a good night.

The Days of My Life

The days seem busy these days.

Saturday past was my church’s college and careers Bible study which i hosted in my basement. The study itself was good, though crowded. My dog was the center of attention all night long. Even when he finally fell asleep he snored louder than most people talk. I ended up spending a lot of time cooking that day. But it was worth it and my mini pizzas were a whopping hit. the secret is to use english-muffins for the crust: quick and tasty!
Sunday was, well, sunday, which means lots of time at church. Fortunately it wasn’t my turn to teach sunday school; I only had to monitor and supervise which is good seeing as I didn’t get much sleep after cleaning up from the Bible study. In between church services I watched the Packers loose - yet again - with Danny and Tim. By the time evening service finished and the day was over I felt near catatonic, which probably explains my dangerous driving coming come. Some guy tried to cut me off and I virtually drag-raced him. It was dumb, but I can’t stand rude drivers and, like I said, I was zonked.
Today I had to go into campus early and line up for a ridiculously long time to get a ridiculously rare book for my Checkhov course. I then spent a good chunk for the morning reading said book before going to class. But hey, reading Checkhov is a joy so I’m not complaining about that. My class, however, is a different matter. I won’t go into tedious details about it when the fact is the class is just plain tedious. But I did get to finish off my day on campus by hanging with the amazingly cool Andrea Morel for a bit. Poor Drea, she has a 7.5 hour gap in between her monday classes. Unreal!
Tomorrow I have Philosophy class in the morning and then the bulk of my day will go into getting ready for the youth group thing I’m supposed to lead at church in the evening. It’s off the hook man! I have no idea what I’m supposed to do. The leader’s manual they promised me hasn’t come in yet, so I’m gonna have to make everything up from scratch. Then, in the evening, I have to go and actually make this joint happen. Shouldn’t be a problem. I have faith. Still, who wants to look like a dunce in front of a group on teenagers?
Wednesday upcoming, a day of rest perhaps. More likely an opportunity to prepare for sunday school, do some course readings and research, and meditate on a talk I am preparing for the not too distant future. But the evening will be bliss. Coffee downtown with my adopted little sister lydia low! Who knows, we may even crash into some used book stores. Oh life is so very good!
Thursday upcoming, philosophy in the morning, a world of possibilities in the evening.
Friday upcoming, anyone want to go see a movie? Give me a call!

My Aunt Nina is soo nice. I got a hand made post card from her today. The card is not made of paper, its actually sown together out of fabric. All the pictures on the front are actually stitched on! How cool as that? Thanks a bunch Aunt Nina for making my day with such a thoughtful gift.

With Age Comes Wisdome

A week has past since my birthday and i would like to think that with the passing of time I have gown in wisdome and experience. So here are the Top 10 things I have learned in my 24th year of existence thus far:

10. I have really great friends.
9. Determinism and Indeterminism are equally incompatible with most people’s concept of freewill.
8. Just because your Mac is PC compatible doesn’t mean people’s PCs are Mac compatible.
7. I don’t like it when OTHER people talk during movies.
6. Its easy to choose between church and football when your team sucks as bad as the Packers.
5. When you jog in the rain your sweat gets washed into your eyes and it hurts.
4. The word poo is always funny.
3. If you are going to be teaching Sunday School don’t throw a party saturday night.
2. If it seems like your puppy is being really quiet... too quiet... its probably because he’s eating your ipod headphones.
1. When someone is golfing, give them their space.

So It Goes

I feel old

An Evening with GM Hopkins

How do I introduce GM Hopkins? The man deserves so much acclaim, more than I can give, so I will be brief. Hopkins was a poet and a Christian. He wrote about God and did so beautifully. To miss out on his work is a true shame for the believer, for never outside of the Bible have I heard God more beautifully exalted. It is also if note that Hopkins is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential poets of the modernist era. Here, then, is a short sampling of his work. Enjoy

As Kingfishers Catch Fire

As king fishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves -- goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.

I say more: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is --
Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Something Fishy Goin' On

I cooked catfish today! Doesn’t that sound impressive? I think it does, especially when you consider who did the cooking. Sure, it tasted like feet, but that’s not the point. The point is I cooked it and it was sanitary. Isn’t that worth something? Aren't you semi-impressed? Remember, the lower you keep your expectations the higher you’ll soar!