God's avant-garde…

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.” (Php 4:8)

This was intended to be an "Early Morning Thought" on things to think on in Php 4:8, stemming from a superb read over summer vacation. In spite of the painful process of redaction, it is still too long for that. Often, when reading Jonathan Edwards, I have to re-read paragraphs a few times to sort of get a handle on them, but it has always been worth the effort. Such is the case with the second, longer quote below.

Tales from the abyss...

It is a short walk to psychopathy. The potential for it might be there in all of us.

Did I just have a conversation with someone? I think not. I felt it in what was left unsaid, by the chasm between the facade and the inner reality... thoughts that assume a given or beg a conclusion left hanging, unexplained... surface noise that is not connecting with the person inside... chatter from across the abyss... a monologue from a deserted soul... covering fire laid down to mask real behavior.

By the same rule...

This entry is about finishing a thought begun in a devotion from last week: THE FUTURE... 

“Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.” (Php 3:16)

We are blessed with a variety of trees in our yard: alamos, gum trees, avocado, lemon, orange, palms; and things like guano (what they thatch roofs with), bananas, habanero peppers, coconuts, aloe vera, guanabana and more. It is just a smattering of what the surrounding jungle holds. (We can talk about poisonous snakes another time.)

With a little help from my friends...

My limited Alexandr Solzhenitsyn collection. The Gulag Trilogy on the left, followed by "The Oak and the Calf" and "Invisible Allies". These two books could be labelled as "The Rest of the Story". They deal with the unsung heroes, the unnamed allies who sacrificed as much or more than Solzhenitsyn himself so that his works could be published.

A Clarification...

Why we ask for prayer...

11:40 pm, Thursday, Feb. 06, 2014, the second of Linda's three-night hospital stay.

About 48 hours ago, Linda was in a dangerous place with a severe bronchitis event, never good for someone who suffers from pulmonary hypertension and a weak heart. The deep, unstoppable coughing left her exhausted, her heart rate was rapid and unstable.

I ain't dead yet...

(a thought for the new year...)

"Well it's all right, even if you're old and gray

Well it's all right, you still got something to say"

 "End of the Line" by the The Traveling Wilburys

Ok, possibly not the strongest of references for making a philosophical point, but it works for me.

After watching a recent interview of the reknowned Canadian author, MARGARET ATWOOD, I decided that PERSPICACITY might be a worthy goal for 2014.

Around the same time, I was studying the life of Samuel: such an inspiring example!

The Denouement...

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” (1Co 13:12)

denouement: the final part of a play, film, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.

My least favorite moment while watching an interesting program is when these words pop up at the end: "To Be Continued...". I like things resolved, loose ends connected, mysteries unraveled. And I don't want to wait a week either. Similarly, it may be more realistic to read a book where the ending is anti-climatic and you are left wondering... but it is not as fun.