The title reflects where I've been these past few days. I have no (or very little) motivation towards finishing these last few days of the quarter. I really would love nothing better than to curl up with the above and read and snuggle in my big bed. However, I am not completely irresponsible. I have been going to work, I have been tutoring, I have been working on revisions and such for the final portfolio due Thursday. Tonight, I'm skipping my tutoring session in favor of a study session in Sumas, (boonies!) for my math class. If I can pull off this quarter, I can pull off anything. I'm feeling rather ragged, but the end is in sight: Thursday at 5pm, I am done with this edition.
I'm reading Exodus right now, well, P and I are, each on our own and then talking about what we've read the following evening. Having Matthew Henry's Commentary is beneficial, and enlightening. I've been taking notes, and as always, marking in my books. I can't seem to stop myself, and I find that I absolutely love it, making God's Word a more real experience, a growing and evolving relationship. I used to believe that the Bible was to be kept sparkling clean. But one day, sitting in service, I looked to my left, and this young man had his Bible marked up, sticky-noted, and the overwhelming feeling I got from seeing that was: "Oh wow. He really reads his Bible."
Think about that for a minute. He really reads his Bible.
Wendell Berry, in an interview in July of 2008 (The Sun), states that "[r]eal reading, of course, is a kind of work. But it's lovely work. To read well, you have to respond actively to what the writer's saying. You can't just lie there on the couch and let it pour over you. You may have to read with a pencil in hand and underline passages and write notes in the margins. The poet John Milton understood that the best readers are rare. He prayed that he might 'a fit audience find, though few'".
I feel very strongly now, that I am finally READING my Bible. Establishing a deeper connection with God's Word, and listening to His Voice with more open ears. I honestly suggest it to anyone who does not currently mark up their Bible.
And, I have one last announcement, and prayer request. Several of my friends are pregnant, or have just had their babies, and I would ask that each of you please say a prayer of thanksgiving and for protection for these new lives. They are each and every one a blessing, and deserve the very best that God has for them. Also, two good friends of mine are having a spot of marital discord. I would ask that you pray for them, as well. I am of course not mentioning names, but I fully believe that God's on top of it all, and obviously knows who you're talking about. And finally, a wonderful person who comes to my coffee shop with his wonderful little dog is having open heart surgery on the 16th. Please pray that he has a safe and uneventful experience, and that he heals as God sees fit.
Thank you all! And have a wonderful God-Inspired Day!!!!!
Showing posts with label Thomas Jefferson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thomas Jefferson. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
A Mighty Comeuppance...
Today I had my head handed to me. Not in so many words, or actions, so to speak. But it was certainly an eye-opening experience. I am, apparently, a coward at heart. And, I make assumptions and then work myself up into a dither because of them... because of the FEAR I've created, in my own dang head.
Here's a little background info.
For this English class I'm taking, we had an assignment that required us to write a campaign ad. So, me being me, I did. I put out everything that I felt was the most important to me, and hit on everything from the bunk federal taxation situation to the fact that we're spending so much overseas in wars we have no business being in. I also threw a bunch of other stuff in there regarding fiat money, etc etc...
When it came time for class, however, I grew mightily alarmed when told that we were going to be "producing" and delivering these campaign ads. I mean, serious stage fright, and a big dose of I don't know what else. Anyways, I'm sitting there in this classroom full of people that I will reasonably never in my life talk to again, and I'm trembling, my palms are sweating, and I'm blushing and feeling incredibly sick to my stomach.
Why? Good darn question. I finally realized that I was honestly concerned about the opinion of the class! In particular, one person whom I assumed would be the first to snigger and denigrate what I'd written. I didn't want that to happen, and I was honestly AFRAID of someone's opinion regarding my political views. I take a very strong stance regarding some things, and I could not bear to have those views taken lightly, not right now, not when our country is poised on the eve of a huge embarkment into what I view as a morally wrong course.
Imagine my utter surprise and wonderment when, after having been granted relief by the professor (my ad didn't get 'produced'), I hear the wonderous words of Thomas Jefferson being spoken by one of the 'candidates,' directly referencing the unconstitutional Federal Reserve.
And after class, I just had to know who'd written that specific campaign ad.
Turns out, it was the guy I thought for sure would be the first to mock my own ideals and issues.
So here's a quick lesson for everyone: Be dang careful about what you assume, because apparently, assumptions are for everyone, and they're always WRONG.
p.s. Lew Rockwell, posting in The American Conservative writes that, ". . . we do have the freedom not to vote. No one has yet drafted us into the voting booth. I suggest that we exercise this right not to participate. It is one of the few rights we have left. Nonparticipation sends a message that we no longer believe in the racket they have cooked up for us, and we want no part of it."
It's an interesting argument, but one which I'm skeptical about. Not that I doubt that he has the right of it. Far from it, actually. Perhaps I'm just arrogant and egotistical enough to be able to say to anyone who asks, no, I did NOT vote for either one. I voted my conscience, and it was the morally responsible thing to do. I chose NOT to vote for evil.
Here's a little background info.
For this English class I'm taking, we had an assignment that required us to write a campaign ad. So, me being me, I did. I put out everything that I felt was the most important to me, and hit on everything from the bunk federal taxation situation to the fact that we're spending so much overseas in wars we have no business being in. I also threw a bunch of other stuff in there regarding fiat money, etc etc...
When it came time for class, however, I grew mightily alarmed when told that we were going to be "producing" and delivering these campaign ads. I mean, serious stage fright, and a big dose of I don't know what else. Anyways, I'm sitting there in this classroom full of people that I will reasonably never in my life talk to again, and I'm trembling, my palms are sweating, and I'm blushing and feeling incredibly sick to my stomach.
Why? Good darn question. I finally realized that I was honestly concerned about the opinion of the class! In particular, one person whom I assumed would be the first to snigger and denigrate what I'd written. I didn't want that to happen, and I was honestly AFRAID of someone's opinion regarding my political views. I take a very strong stance regarding some things, and I could not bear to have those views taken lightly, not right now, not when our country is poised on the eve of a huge embarkment into what I view as a morally wrong course.
Imagine my utter surprise and wonderment when, after having been granted relief by the professor (my ad didn't get 'produced'), I hear the wonderous words of Thomas Jefferson being spoken by one of the 'candidates,' directly referencing the unconstitutional Federal Reserve.
And after class, I just had to know who'd written that specific campaign ad.
Turns out, it was the guy I thought for sure would be the first to mock my own ideals and issues.
So here's a quick lesson for everyone: Be dang careful about what you assume, because apparently, assumptions are for everyone, and they're always WRONG.
p.s. Lew Rockwell, posting in The American Conservative writes that, ". . . we do have the freedom not to vote. No one has yet drafted us into the voting booth. I suggest that we exercise this right not to participate. It is one of the few rights we have left. Nonparticipation sends a message that we no longer believe in the racket they have cooked up for us, and we want no part of it."
It's an interesting argument, but one which I'm skeptical about. Not that I doubt that he has the right of it. Far from it, actually. Perhaps I'm just arrogant and egotistical enough to be able to say to anyone who asks, no, I did NOT vote for either one. I voted my conscience, and it was the morally responsible thing to do. I chose NOT to vote for evil.
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