Country Music

I don't really get into Country music much.  It's not that the music is bad or anything, but it seems so often that the music sounds sad - and I don't like listening to sad music all of the time.  However I was flipping through the channels yesterday and I found a song that caught my eye, I mean ear.  At first I thought it was an interview with an old man.  I generally find that by listening to old folks I'll learn something important.  (Wise and old don't go together because they rhyme or roll off the tongue easily, but because it takes a long time to get wisdom.  As an aside, how often have you heard a phrase containing "wise young" - it exists, but not nearly as much as "foolish young" or "wise old.")

So anyway, CMT started this interview thing and it turned into a song:  Kenny Chesney's Don't Blink.  The family photo/video montage looks cool, the music sounds alright, but the words have great meaning.  I'm sure it will get lots of play because of it being the end of 2007. 

2008 is nearly here? Wow -- time flies.  Don't blink and don't waste it. 

Bhutto's Death Significant?

Many people have been talking about Benazir Bhutto's death, including some who don't normally talk global politics.  Like the aforementioned Boundless Line article says, it does look like an end-of-the-word type of headline.  I won't tout her as a savior in the war on terrorism, but she surely was a threat to someone - which is why they killed her. 

I don't know how significant her death is, however.  I am not nearly as affected by her death as much as the Jerusalem Post headlines saying that explosives were caught being shipped into the Gaza Strip.  Especially when combined with Bin Laden's latest message saying that he wants to expand his war to include Israel.

Our response should not be one of fear.  What we are to do is simple - pray for peace, mourn with those who mourn, and let our lights shine.

Multi-Touch Whiteboard

I remember a few years ago when the smartboard was completely new.   The idea of having a board that one could write on like a whiteboard but interact with like a computer stylus was innovative.  The prohibitive cost kept many from adopting it, but the prices were steadily falling.  Microsoft even predicts a day when it will be standard in a house or restaurant to have an interactive table top.

That day appears to be nearing much more rapidly. Thanks to an inventive and imaginative student. Here is a video showing the multi-touch whiteboard that he developed. Using an infra-red LED and a Nintendo Wii remote.

Pretty cool, huh?

Benevolent Leader

At least that's what my personality is according to PersonalDNA.com.

The most curious thing to me is that I am in the 98% percentile for masculine traits and the 54% percentile for feminine traits. How can I be both more masculine AND more feminine than most people?

Masculinity

Low                                                                                         98    High    

Femininity

Low                                              54                                              High    

Oh yeah... you can also rate how you see me using psych you / psych me. Give it a shot... I'd love to see if how I see myself is how others see me.

Singing in Support of Terrorism and Charges Against Christianity

First the Video

 

Transcript

"TV Host on Hamas TV, Child Saraa Barhoum, Sings: 'We Liberated Gaza by Force,'" from MEMRITV (thanks to Robert Novak at Jihad Watch):

Following are excerpts from a song performed by child TV host Saraa Barhoum, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on December 20, 2007:

Saraa Barhoum: We liberated Gaza by force, not by Oslo or by Taba -

but with my steadfast people, and with its blazing fire.

We liberated Gaza by force, not by Oslo or by Taba -

but with my steadfast people, and with its blazing fire.

Rafah sings, and the Kalashnikov replies.

Rafah sings, and the Kalashnikov replies.

We, who know no fear, are the lions of the jungle.

Look how beautiful our Gaza is. We crowned it with a laurel wreath.

---

This video just makes me cry. That there are people who would be teaching this to a little girl... it is unthinkable. This just shows how lost people get without Jesus. Being lost in darkness.

Am I against their culture? No. Their people? No. Their religion? No. That's right! I am not against their religion - I am against who their religion glorifies. I am against Satan who has deceived them. I do not want to kill any Muslims; I want to love them. I want them to see God's love.

Where I'm Going With This

A friend requested several of us to comment on something he found in the current book he is reading. I'll be posting a full response soon. Here is what he posted:

I found these listed in a latest book I am reading: Chameleon Christianity: Moving Beyond Safety and Conformity, by Dick Keyes.

I thought it would be interesting to ask each of you to rate your level of agreement with the charges below. 1 – strongly agree, 2 – agree, 3 – no opinion, 4 – disagree, 5 – strongly disagree. Reply with your responses.

1. The Christian faith is the enemy of pleasure, enjoyment, and fulfillment. It stands for inhibition, insecurity, and self-righteousness.

2. The Christian faith is the enemy of democracy and civility. Conservative Christians want political power to create a theocracy with places in leadership only for those who agree with them.

3. The Christian faith is the enemy of women. From the early history of the church, leaders established the inferior status of women in church and society and have resisted attempts to reform ever since.

4. The Christian faith is the enemy of gay people, as can be seen in the bumper sticker of a few years ago, “Kill a gay for Jesus.”

5. The Christian faith is the enemy of cultural diversity; it is an ethnocentric moral police force.

6. The Christian faith is the enemy of non-white races. This has been evident from a theological defense of race-based slavery to the starting of Christian schools as a way to avoid the integration of the public school system.

7. The Christian faith is the enemy of the environment. The biblical notion of dominion over the earth is at the root of our abuse of the natural world.

8. The Christian faith is the enemy of the arts. Christians have scorned the world of the arts as either Satanic or trivial and have produced nothing of artistic value for over a hundred fifty years.

9. The Christian faith is the enemy of science, education, and the advance of knowledge.

10. The Christian faith is the enemy of economic justice. It is a good religion for the fat cats who can interpret the Bible to legitimize their wealth and privilege.

One other thought. Choose one of the charges and reply with a short response.

Merry Christmas

Christmas 2007

I know Christmas 2007 is at an end.  Most people are getting ready to go back to work and school.  New Year's plans being made, lights coming down, trees put away (or mulched for you old fashioned real tree folks)...

I had a good time.  I had a nice couple of dives recently:

This year I put up lights:

A tree:

And baked apple pies:

More

But there is more to Christmas than lights, presents, trees, and dinners.  This is a dedicated time to celebrate when God invaded this planet with His plan of redeeming humans.  Angels made the announcement and told shepherds the good news.  By most accounts that was 2011 years ago.  (Using 4 B.C. as the date).  Since AD 29 or so, Christians have had the task of telling humans around them the good news.  Who did you tell today? Yesterday?  Last Week? 

If you told someone, great, if not, what was the reason?  Was it fear of persecution? War? Both of those are on the rise.  In fact, the number of Christians in the Middle East is on a very sharp decline.

It is still possible to find shops decorated for Christmas like this one in Iraq:

But do you see anything related to the true reason for the season? Perhaps this is the reason:

Several churches were bombed in Baghdad, and a priest in the northern city of Mosul was kidnapped and later found beheaded. This year, Sunni Arab militants began knocking on doors of Christians living in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood, demanding that they pay a "tax," convert to Islam or leave. In April and May alone, an estimated 500 families fled Dora. - Los Angeles Times

And it is no excuse to say that the end of the world is just about to happen.  The asteroid rocketing through space is headed to Mars, not Earth.  There is still time.  For those in the US, you have it easy:  an estimated 91% of households have a copy of the Bible.  All you have to do is live in such a way that they will read it (or hear it) and believe.  If nothing else, it now comes in pink:

Conclusion

This was not a chew-out session.  Rejoice with family and friends.  Enjoy the music of the season (I know I did).  Just don't forget what it is really about.

Merry Christmas!!