The Life

If I could go back in time, I know where I would go. I would go back into the 70's to see The Runaways perform Saturday Nigh Special live. That is where I want to be.

Stop Lying...

Check this out, funny and true. Just the way I like it.

The link should work if the embed is not.

Owen Benjamin Presents on C-Spot Ep. 1 - LOL

When I Can't Say It

Well, this happens quite often. But, lucky enough for me, there exists youtube and some ingenious folks. This guy says it all about the rockband and guitar hero genre of video game. No, I am not an ass or jerk or some other moniker that gets thrown my way often. I refuse to take part in these games for good and wholesome reason. And the guy in this video states what I have trouble wording.



And speaking of electronic matters that hold the fate of our country. We have the so-called format wars. It seems that it is over; the HD has dropped out of the running. Well, this means a change coming. The dueling of so-called high definition systems was keeping busy the higher class of people. they consistently want something better than the rest of us have. This is why we have the DVD and the CD; tape was not good enough for them. Now that we all have DVD and the next format is here, they will want something better. Which means that something new will come and we will be again forced to get rid of our ancient media; only for the cycle to start again.

But what of it, people just call this progress and push aside voices of reason.

Gogol is the Man

Even from a young age Gogol was direct. In a letter to a chum he lists those around him in a vegetative state. He dreaded being one of these normal folks stuck in some small town. It sounds a lot like most people. From what I have seen in life, a lot of people are constantly struggling to be free the curse that Gogol feared. This might might be more true in America where everyone dreams of grandeur. And even more people come here and stand in line to get their share of the rich inheritance, unaware that they are drawing it from the account of someone else who then has no choice but to live the obscure curse, sometimes in a destitute state.

"I dread the thought that fate may cast me into some Godforsaken hole and make me play the part of a nobody in the world."

I know for me that this has been true. I may not seek the lead role in the stage of life. But all the same I do not seek to live a life of drudgery. All of that of course seems to be judged and determined by me, for me. So, being ever bound by the curse, no matter what transpires in my script of life, I may bind myself to believing that I have inherited the curse.

But that may or may be the case for other people who fall into the same lot in life. So, maybe not themself, but then who or what binds them to the curse. On the other hand, there are those that Gogol spoke, who vegetate. They are happy to live in that small hole of a place and do only the minuscule and little of that. How one can live that way, I do not know. How one can live with trying to defy the curse the other would also not know if they pondered such things. But it seems to me that the two types of people can scarcely live together. Also, they most likely cannot be in close contact for to long a time without possibly a fabric in this universe tearing apart. Furthermore, I believe the same to be true between those that are caught in defying the curse but in varying degrees and stages of the task.

Caught in one's own web....

again some stuff

Well, it does seem that soon I will leave the Shelter again. I again am not sure that I want to leave. A few weeks ago, I was definitely ready to leave. I either rested a bit or just got over the hardest part of Shelter busy time. But the unknown that I walk into does play a part into my trepidations against departing. I did read in James 4 today that we should not make our own plans for the upcoming days, but seek to the will and glory of God. Well, that is downright hard. I logic things and feel that I have to have a plan. I mean, how are things going to happen? But, the God that we serve is powerful over all of that, and everyhting else. Psalm 93 constantly aprises me of that fact.

What will happen in the last few weeks? I am not sure, but I will seek Him and not look to plans and hows. Not easy, but what else have I to do but trust in the one who made me and looks after me.

Gather the Flood

The world is tough, what shall we do? Let us not look at the hardships but look to the river of blessings.

The Lord lead his people out of bondage Egypt. He guided Moses to rally the people and stand up to Pharaoh. Even Moses faltered, but the Lord was with him. So great and amazing things happened. We have the promise of Jesus and the Holy Spirit; the Lord is with us.

What the... Wait a Minute

Well, more fun (or something) ensues in Amsterdam for myself. Having a free afternoon, I decided to go down to the new main library. I have heard some good things about this place. Of course, nary a word about books have I heard. Even as I have been sitting here and walking about, I have not yet seen the books that you would think that would be in a library. But, most certainly they must be around here somewhere. They do have hundreds (literaly) of magazines and a few scores of newspapers; some in other languages (and formats unfortunately). There are also countless cd's and dvd's. They have a bunch of computers and even some mac's.

But I am not here to review this 7-story plex of information. One can check this article about the library. This caused me to think and then say a "What the f#@!" It speaks of this library and some of the offereings being somewhat geared towards the folks of Amsterdam. But I am looking out and see the red light district. Come on people, this is your city. How can they just ignore that and present themselves as not having that big, ugly mole on their forehead? Just what do the people of this city care about all of this mind enhancing stuff in this library.

I could go on about that complexing stuff but I will not. But there is something more important. That something is not about this skin we find ourselves in nor the power of the mind. Truly, it involves the spirit deep within that extends beyond this short life we find ourselves immersed into and focused on. Will they see it and grasp life?

Tall Men, Short Men, and Us

I have been reading The Old Curiousity Shop. It is a pretty good book. It has gotten me to thinking. Which is one reason why I like reading such books. I was reading in chapter 19 about giants and dwarves. This chapter is in an overnight house where mostly performing type men have gathered. They were discussing aging giants and what is done with them along the lines of the business. Many folks turned out back in the day to see giants and other oddities at the travelling shows and the like. These days, maybe the bearded lady and the fat guy at the fair but even those are somewhat cliche nowadays. As a people we probably feel that we have moved on past the stage of paying to see these freaks do mundane or extraordinary things. But the story conjures up an interesting thought.

Have we really changed as a people? Maybe, it is just that giants and dwarves have been let out in the common. We all have seen them around doing the same things that we do. They are no longer oddities that we pay to see. This is just something to think on as we still may have these tendencies within ourselves. So, as we approach people that do not fit into the normal molds of our society, let us too think of this.

Ain't That the Truth

Butterflies = God is Cool

Well this may seem like an odd topic to peruse. Especially since I should be studying for the midterm that I have in the morning. Fortunately, I am not worshiping watching Idol like a lot of other folks. I am deciding to blog about the greatness of our Lord. Of course, I would rather study or watch paint dry than that Idol thing anyway.

Butterflies, most people like them. In fact, the environment is full of them right now. All kinds of butterflies are all over the place around this neck of the woods. However, some big storm rolled through town a bit earlier. The wind gusted up to about 70 mph or so, higher in some places. As such, trees were blown over and apart. Mailboxes gained temporary flight status and some trailers were blown off of the highway. Also, some houses lost their roofs. But, as we all know, the caterpillar cocoons himself in the beginning of spring. They bond the tip of themselves rather tightly to whatever surface they happen upon. I was amazed after some of the storms last week at how the cocooned caterpillar was still attached and undamaged. But even more so I am amazed after this storm. The wind blew quite hard. Water was blown into the house through any small crevice. But the butterfly in waiting is still firmly attached. The Lord is wonderful. Butterflies are quite beautiful. And God has made them such that even the high winds do not keep the cocooned caterpillar from not fulfilling its task. God put some amazingly strong bonding action into the cocooning process of the caterpillar. It is only attached in a very small area and the rest of the cocoon hangs down.

So, God provides richly for the butterflies. How much then do you think that He will provide for us, whom God also created? The caterpillar trusts its instinct and cocoons itself and then becomes a butterfly even through the bitterest of storms. We, sometimes leave off of this simple thinking to trust in ourselves. We know exactly where this has gotten us. On the other hand, trusting in God gets us riches that we cannot even measure. Like the butterfly. We still trust God to provide us with beautiful butterflies, and He does.

More Things

Might as well talk about Gullible Warning. Cause that is what it is. But that not being the point. Normally I would just point out such things and then move on. But I feel like sidestepping my problems so I will then concentrate on a made-up problem. Someone else has conveniently made-up a problem for me that most folks are versed with. That saves me from creating one that nobody would understand anyway. Enjoy another Fuzzy episode. Just remember, Fuzzy harped on telemarketers back in the day as well. And just look, they call less and stuff cause we have more technology or whatever. So maybe one day we will have more technology to block out the annoying wolf cries about Global Uncooling.





Name the Quote:
"My problems. Well let's just not worry about my problems."

Another Day to Bee Happy

It would appear that something unfortunate is happening to the North American bee population. They seem to not be returning to their hives. Some are even dying off. Currently undecided is where to place the blame. Some blame cell phones. I guess just because it is in the news as killing people off too. Scientists call this one quite a bogus guess. Another guess is adverse affects from feeding the bees corn syrup. Which is exactly the stuff that is in half of the foods that are consumed in North America. Coincidently enough, this stuff may be killing off people as well. Scientists are also unsure as to this being the cause due to the fact that bees fed a normal diet exhibit affects as well.

Since nobody can find an avenue to place the blame, I will assign it. Global Warming! Yes, it is that simple. Global Warming is to blame for what has been happening to the poor, slaved-out bees in North America. It is not a strike due to outsourcing some honey operations to 3rd World Countries. It is Global Warming which is to blame for every weather pattern. Since we are placing blame, the Stars lost last night due to Global Warming.

It is that simple folks...


Check this out. Another funny funny.

More Funny and Truth

I just could not pass these two up today. The first is another language mishap. It is quite funny though. The pragmatics.....




Here is a great one for the ages. Scientists and theorists of past have acknowledged the truth presented here.

Tis That Time of Year

Well it is that time of year once again. Seems like just last year that springtime was marked on the calendar. So the Earth comes to life once again from a beautiful, lively winter. Then there is another holiday on the calendar, Easter. Yeah for the candy and the bunny and stuff. Oh wait, is there something else? How could I forget! It is another chance to celebrate Americanism or Capitalism depending upon your own personal beliefs. Yes not since Valentines day have we been so determined to buy useless candy and gifts and throw around useful phrases pomp. Patrick's day (this weekend or something) has tried to close the gap but just has not been able to generate the sales of useless green stuff. Now, I think that there may be something else that links these holidays...Holy-days; of course not these days are not holy. Oh wait, Saint Patrick, Saint Patrick, and the Resurrection of Christ. Almost forgot.

Here is a good video. It is a bit loud and conservative at the beginning but do not let that scare you. It seems almost pluralistic at the ending.

Enjoy!!!

We are Sooooo Blessed

We are so very blessed. Not only in this world but moreso in this country. Look around and see the many things that abound. We have so much and then some. Most of us can atest to it that we have what we need and then more.

We not only should be thankful but sharing. However, we are not doing quite as much as that. Unfortunately, along with all of our richness we do have abject poverty in our own country. Do we stamp that out? No. So then it follows suit that we do not try to end such things in other countries. But the Lord does not allow our unwillingness to stop His work. In the countries that do not have what we have, people make sacrifices for His sake. Addie, a lady in Mexico, sold her furniture for money to use in bringing God's Word to people. Other folks (many of them) in poorer countries are sacrficing and sending missionaries to other countries. But we,.....?

Don't Get me Wrong

As stated, do not get me wrong. In many ways I am a lot like the loveable Ruthie. Of course everyone loves Ruthie. Well, on this side of the comic strip they do. On her side, which Ruthie considers the real world, that is not the case. As here, many folks do not like me for being like Ruthie. If only I could jump into a comic strip my work would be all but complete. In this episode, Ruthie is in no way trying to be a jerk, negative, critical, sarcastic, or any host of other things she may have been termed as. She just does not understand this world that is being built up in front of her eyes. So of course we all find that loveable as long as it is over there, right? So Ruthie does not understand the world! She is not wrong though. She did not get tossed into the oven did she? Despite it all Ruthie just keeps plugging along being only what she can be: Ruthie

defeat

Do not set yourself up for defeat. The innovator, Henry Ford, said "Whether you think you can or can’t, you are right." Of course we do not set ourselves up for defeat; or do we? Sometimes we may think along these lines, "Well, I will try it and see what happens." We are not really sure of ourselves here. Being setup for defeat goes a little deeper. We are not only unsure but lack faith. Also, we should not set ourselves up for defeat in spiritual or religious matters. This often times comes as disappointment. Disappointment comes when our expectations or hopes were not met. If we attempt something thinking that we cannot win but still expect to win then we certainly will be disappointed. Also, if we really think about it, we might be a little puzzled. Why would we expect to win while setting ourselves up for defeat.

Here is a physical example:
You are out on the soccer field kicking the ball. You are hoping to get the ball into the net. You are by yourself so there is not a goalie to block the attempt. At this point, you are probably not only hoping but expecting to get the ball into the net. So you get ready and then launch the ball with your foot. The ball goes towards the goal but not quite enough for it to go in the net. So you are a bit disappointed. Now, take a look at yourself. It is often said that where your shoulders are pointing, there the ball will go. So, look at your shoulders. You see that they were not pointing toward the goal. You set yourself up for defeat while expecting to win.

There is of course a way to work within this. You can of course launch the ball and then look at yourself and then correct appropriately. Or you could examine before acting. Before kicking the ball, stop and think. "Okay, there is the goal, align my shoulders with it.." Then launch the ball. Think about the goal, what you have to do to make it, and then do it.

They Did What??

I had some time on my hands this weekend so I went out in search of a shopping establishment of my choice. I am not advertising for them so I will not insert a name or plug for said company. I have been looking for such a store for a week or two . I tried Google maps and they listed one in town. So I drove over there. To my dismay it was long closed. So I tried an online yellow pages. I got multiple listings that just did not exist. In one instance, there is no such street number on that road. In another, it is just a field and has been for a very long time. It just boggles my mind why they have such incorrect and misleading information.

Whilst driving around, I saw a church; coincidently I saw countless churches. This church had an interesting name, Overcoming Faith. It is a nondenominational church. Hence it makes one to wonder whether the first word is a verb or adjective. They could be focused on faith and the building up of such as the faith overcomes one. Or, they could be focused on dismantling basic faith in Jesus Christ such as get over (or past) faith. It could go both ways and may possibly go the second way. This may be even more reinforced after reading the next paragraph.

I saw this humongous church aside the highway. It had a semi-trailer for an advertisement in the parking lot and the trailer looked small in comparison to the rest. The advertisement was for some gospel music singing to go on that night. I enjoy such so I decided to go. Coincidently, the radio was promoting for the show. After the morning service, the radio station was on location broadcasting and whatnot. In the naming of the church and giving its location the value of the property was given. Like it all went together. Now, I should have been a bit skeptical at this point. But I was interested in the coming praising of the Lord and looked past some of the foibles of human-types. I was taken aback when I went to the church that evening. They were charging admission to get into church that evening. I felt that this was terrible! Charging folks to get into church?

In Acts 19:23-41, Paul is prevented from speaking and taken by the local leaders to give an account. His open preaching of the Gospel prevented certain craftsmen from producing wealth from common people's religion.

Acts 8:18-24 tells of where Simon was rebuked for wanting to buy spiritual gifts from God.

Note: The church mentioned in paragraph two clarifies the grammatical usage of the first word in their title. They neither choose adjective or verb but something more confusing. They describe like it is a verb but label it differently so they can be straightforward without being overtly misleading.

Happy?

Without strong affection and humanity of heart, and gratitude to that Being whose code is Mercy, and whose great attribute is Benevolence to all things that breathe, happiness can never be attained.

Oliver Twist
by: Charles Dickens

Great quote from long ago. Also great truth is contained in that sentence. How can we be happy apart from our Creator and life giver?