John's Junk Drawer - Learning to Live

Merry Christmas

nospam@example.com (John) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:13:46 -0800

Our souls have value for one reason, and one reason only, because our creator values them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zh-yR0pbmU

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
- John 3:16

Merry Christmas everybody.

-djr

He Is Risen !

nospam@example.com (John) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 01:00:00 -0700

The greatest man in history, named Jesus,
   had no servants, yet they called Him Master.
   Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
   Had no medicines, yet they called him Healer.
   He had no army, yet kings feared Him.
   He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world.

   He committed no crime, yet they... crucified Him.
   He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Happy Easter everybody!

Alfred Russel Wallace

nospam@example.com (John) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:33:23 -0700

"There is, I conceive, no contradiction in believing that mind is at once the cause of matter and of the development of individualised human minds through the agency of matter. "

— Alfred Russel Wallace

The Book That Reads You Back

nospam@example.com (John) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:09:45 -0700

Began at 50: my first time reading the Bible straight through

I have always "read around" in the Bible, reading individual books, or a sub-set of books. I've read many books many times, but could not tell you with any confidence that I have read every book.

A while ago I started reading it from front to back, starting at Genesis 1. It is interesting how you get an entirely different perspective when you read it this way. The way the stories unfold, first flying over, then getting closer in and revealing more detail. It is incredibly beautiful how all the books fit together into a bigger whole. That aspect of it was a complete surprise to me.

It has been slow going, just a few chapters a week. I am now at Isaiah. I've always loved this book, but wow! what an amazing book when read as part of the sequence of the entire Jewish Testament narrative. I'm closing in on the NT books, and though I have read them many times over, I'm wondering if their message will have the same newness of perspective that Isaiah now has.

If you're like me, and you have never read the books of the bible straight through from the beginning, I HIGHLY recommend it. It can be difficult at times (the genealogy records, and the engineering descriptions of the temple, for example), but it is worth the effort. It is very different from reading a book, or a sub-set of books from within the whole. For me, the best way to deal with those many times my attention starts to wonder, is to simply put it down, and come back to it later when I'm ready to be fully engaged (hence, the slow going).

For those who, like me, have not yet done this; when you're ready to do it you will, and you will not be disappointed.

-John

It's OK

nospam@example.com (John) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 09:59:00 -0800

. . .

Chris Rice - Everything's Okay Music video

Restaurants and Ravioli

nospam@example.com (John) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:21:48 -0800

Most restaurants fail to properly strain ravioli. This ruins the tomato gravy by bathing the ravioli in what can best be described as a puddle of red dishwater in the bottom of the plate.

Consequently, people who love ravioli the most are the least likely to order it when they go out to a restaurant.

Today Is Martin Luther King Day

nospam@example.com (John) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 12:05:57 -0800

"We've learned to fly the air as birds,
we've learned to swim the seas as fish,
yet we haven't learned to walk the Earth
as brothers and sisters."

- Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy Thanksgiving

nospam@example.com (John) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 10:14:02 -0800

Bring all of your troubles. Come lay them down.

nospam@example.com (John) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:56:43 -0700

Wherever you are now. Whatever evil you've found. . .

That's Life

nospam@example.com (John) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:15:00 -0700

As funny as it may seem...
Some people get their kicks
stomping on a dream...

Amy Grant - Better Than a Hallelujah

nospam@example.com (John) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:57:15 -0700

Better than a church bell ringing. Better than a choir singing out.

Limitations vs. Blessings

nospam@example.com (John) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:40:34 -0800

"All things work together for good to them that love God..." -Romans 8:28

All of creation is limitations. It would have been great if we had mental telepathy, for example. But mental telepathy wasn't in the design, so we learned other, more interesting ways to communicate.

In doing so, we discovered that those other ways we learned --to overcome the limitation and express ourselves-- have their own beautiful characteristics. Those beautiful characteristics would have been unimaginable, and completely hidden, if we had been "blessed" with telepathy, and were not limited in this way.

Consider... music, poetry, dance, paintings, and sculpture, as examples of things that would never have been.

Within every limitation there is some new, previously unseen and unknown thing to learn, and learn about. And with the learning, comes the purpose.

-djr

Amazing Grace

nospam@example.com (John) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:35:20 -0800

One of the best renditions I've heard.

As sinners go, the guy who wrote this song was right up there with the worst of them. Amazing! Salvation... offered, and accepted, and the angels celebrate by giving us one of the best songs ever written. Sometimes it's not hard at all to know what's important to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V84STSWVp3g

Not Multiple Personalities, Multiple Wills

nospam@example.com (John) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:23:36 -0800

Or more like multiple will fragments.

It is not a will to do anything, except smoke cigarettes.

Or snort cocaine.

Or have sex with strangers.

Or any one of a hundred possible other: narrow, focused, behaviors.

These are little, shallow, fragmentary, wills.

The will we think of when we think of OUR will is much bigger, much more complex. It includes many intertwined desires, aspirations, goals, and actions.

It is, you could say, a more complete will.

. . . . . . .
The small, fragmentary wills are separate and distinct from OUR will.

When they are in control, they deny the big will and control our actions. In other words, when acting according to these fragmentary wills, we often do things that are contrary to OUR will. For example, our will says: "I don't want to smoke", the will-fragment says: "I want to smoke".

When the English translation of the Bible refers to a perfect will, could the word "perfect" be referring to a Greek or Hebrew word that, at least partially, means: "complete"?

I need to research this in the scriptures.

-djr

Simply Amazing

nospam@example.com (John) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:15:56 -0800

Why...

...do you have to be like others?