I went up north with one of my best friends and his family today. It was a lot of fun! They live on the other side of the planet from me (okay, extreme East Valley but it seems like New Mexico), so I don't get to spend much time with Brian... and I hardly ever get to talk to Victoria. So I was really glad I got the chance to go.
But it was cold. DANG cold. I forget how much I hate cold. I've been in Phoenix for almost 22 years... I commence grousing if it drops below 70 F. and whimper pitiably when it hits 60. The high temperature in Flagstaff yesterday was 32.
“Play in the snow.” Bah! I am an unrepentant scrooge when it comes to the white stuff.
My kid brother is always trying different angles to get me to move back up to Winslow. I admit, the idea does have merit. Be closer to family and all that. Get away from the traffic and crime and chaos and all that. But Winslow is really close in geography, altitude, and temperature to Flagstaff. I think I might wait until this Global Warming thing becomes a little more tangible!
Nevertheless, I'm really glad I went. Frozen fingers, but warmed-up heart. I really needed that today. Thanks, Brian! I love you guys.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Hats off to Robert Frost
Am I ever feeling this little Robert Frost doodle right about now!
Never ask of money spent
Where the spender thinks it went.
Nobody was ever meant
To remember or invent
What he did with every cent.
Never ask of money spent
Where the spender thinks it went.
Nobody was ever meant
To remember or invent
What he did with every cent.
Money is Power
Okay, the whole "Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays" thing. America was founded on Christian principles. That includes Jesus. That includes Christmas. I wouldn't freak out if I was in Israel and someone wished me a Happy Hanukkah, or if I was in China and somebody wished me "Happy Buddha's Birthday" or something, but whatever.
Having said that, I don't quite understand the hysterics some people go into about the whole issue. Indignant e-mail messages... nasty calls to overworked store managers... "Jesus loves you, but I think you're a scum for calling them holiday trees! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Yeah, great witness. Since Christmas is the only holiday I know of that has a tree, that blatant intolerance (I know, ironic, huh?) bugs me, too. But as best I can tell, about all that approach does is make Christians look like a bunch of shrill, hysterical ideologues ready to bring back the Salem Witch Trials if given half a chance.
Here's another idea: use your power. No, young padawan, not The Force. Your wallet. Don't like that a store sells "holiday trees"? Shop somewhere else. Found a store that has Christmas signs up and actually plays something besides Frosty the Snowman? Shop there, and thank someone. Support businesses that support you, and let the ones that don't fend for themselves. I'm sure the ranks of the Exquisitely Sensitive that are "offended" by just about anything will go there.
I think we as believers squander one immense resource at our disposal to shape the culture around us all the time... money. Think what would happen if, without writing a single letter or making one nasty phone call, Christians simply took their money elsewhere? And that goes far beyond shopping.
Stores selling "holiday trees" might think twice about their nomenclature when their revenues slide by 20%. As much as we complain about the commercialism, most Christians I know do a lot of Christmas shopping.
Movies based on books about children killing God, movies whose whole plots turn on the notion that premarital sex is humorous and devoid of any consequence, movies suggesting Jesus' very identity was a well-hidden hoax—probably all would completely flop... just by sheer force of the math. Christians are a HUGE component of the entertainment industry's coffers.
Of course, you can't turn a culture around by simply not spending money one place vs. another. That more entails reaching out to those around you, thanking God for His patience and begging Him for more. But I can't help but wonder what our country would be like if Christians of all stripes started putting their money where their mouth is. I'm gonna try.
Having said that, I don't quite understand the hysterics some people go into about the whole issue. Indignant e-mail messages... nasty calls to overworked store managers... "Jesus loves you, but I think you're a scum for calling them holiday trees! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Yeah, great witness. Since Christmas is the only holiday I know of that has a tree, that blatant intolerance (I know, ironic, huh?) bugs me, too. But as best I can tell, about all that approach does is make Christians look like a bunch of shrill, hysterical ideologues ready to bring back the Salem Witch Trials if given half a chance.
Here's another idea: use your power. No, young padawan, not The Force. Your wallet. Don't like that a store sells "holiday trees"? Shop somewhere else. Found a store that has Christmas signs up and actually plays something besides Frosty the Snowman? Shop there, and thank someone. Support businesses that support you, and let the ones that don't fend for themselves. I'm sure the ranks of the Exquisitely Sensitive that are "offended" by just about anything will go there.
I think we as believers squander one immense resource at our disposal to shape the culture around us all the time... money. Think what would happen if, without writing a single letter or making one nasty phone call, Christians simply took their money elsewhere? And that goes far beyond shopping.
Stores selling "holiday trees" might think twice about their nomenclature when their revenues slide by 20%. As much as we complain about the commercialism, most Christians I know do a lot of Christmas shopping.
Movies based on books about children killing God, movies whose whole plots turn on the notion that premarital sex is humorous and devoid of any consequence, movies suggesting Jesus' very identity was a well-hidden hoax—probably all would completely flop... just by sheer force of the math. Christians are a HUGE component of the entertainment industry's coffers.
Of course, you can't turn a culture around by simply not spending money one place vs. another. That more entails reaching out to those around you, thanking God for His patience and begging Him for more. But I can't help but wonder what our country would be like if Christians of all stripes started putting their money where their mouth is. I'm gonna try.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The obligatory "About Me" Post
I don't know what brought you to my blog or what you hope to find, but I guess I can tell you a little about who I am, where I am on various sundry things, and perhaps some of what I've learned... and from whom, where attribution is possible and practical.
I am a Christian.
I am a Christian who screws up, resolves never to do so again, screws up again, and throws up my hands in increasing realization of just how amazing God's grace is. Anything rotten in me is me. Anything good in me is Him. And somehow, that makes things a lot easier.
I have learned, and apparently need constant reminding, that God is God, and I am not.
I am privileged to work with teens. Astounded at how much I love them. Fearful that I might do or say the wrong thing, but hopeful that God can use me (in spite of me, if necessary) in their lives. Honored that when I tell them they can call me any time they need to, even if it's the middle of the night, some of them take me up on it. Overjoyed to watch them grow and thrive and start seeking to know Jesus better on their own.
I have learned and been encouraged more by some of those kids who are now college age than they will ever know. This would take more time than I have to expound much. But Ryan has reminded me what it is to try to be real, and Josh and Andrew encourage me in their respective dogged pursuits to know Jesus better. I forget sometimes that it's a journey, not a destination. And if you are other friends of mine and you know you've had a huge impact on me, don't feel snubbed. I just don't have time or space to go further at the moment.
I love the Word of God. I don't understand it all, and some passages puzzle me sometimes. But I know that God is just, and God is good, and at the end of the day, just trusting in that is enough. I love Isaiah's descriptions of just who Jesus is, and what He did for us.
I have an awesome family, including some cousins who are missionaries in Poland that I'm crazy proud of, and some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I seriously don't know how people make it without Jesus, nor without being surrounded by those who are His.
I wish I had more courage when it comes to sharing my faith with those around me who don't know Him and don't know how much difference it can make to know that the Creator of the Universe waits to receive them with open arms. One of my favorite writers once said, "continue seeking Him with seriousness... unless He wanted you, you would not be wanting Him."
Psalm 139 remains one of the most encouraging things ever written.
That ought to do it for now.
Some people have asked me "what on earth does 'Pax Domini' mean?" when I sign off with it sometimes. It simply means "The peace of God." And that is my prayer for you!
Thanks for reading.
Pax Domini,
Tedd
P.S. No, not everything I write will be this long. :)
I am a Christian.
I am a Christian who screws up, resolves never to do so again, screws up again, and throws up my hands in increasing realization of just how amazing God's grace is. Anything rotten in me is me. Anything good in me is Him. And somehow, that makes things a lot easier.
I have learned, and apparently need constant reminding, that God is God, and I am not.
I am privileged to work with teens. Astounded at how much I love them. Fearful that I might do or say the wrong thing, but hopeful that God can use me (in spite of me, if necessary) in their lives. Honored that when I tell them they can call me any time they need to, even if it's the middle of the night, some of them take me up on it. Overjoyed to watch them grow and thrive and start seeking to know Jesus better on their own.
I have learned and been encouraged more by some of those kids who are now college age than they will ever know. This would take more time than I have to expound much. But Ryan has reminded me what it is to try to be real, and Josh and Andrew encourage me in their respective dogged pursuits to know Jesus better. I forget sometimes that it's a journey, not a destination. And if you are other friends of mine and you know you've had a huge impact on me, don't feel snubbed. I just don't have time or space to go further at the moment.
I love the Word of God. I don't understand it all, and some passages puzzle me sometimes. But I know that God is just, and God is good, and at the end of the day, just trusting in that is enough. I love Isaiah's descriptions of just who Jesus is, and what He did for us.
I have an awesome family, including some cousins who are missionaries in Poland that I'm crazy proud of, and some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I seriously don't know how people make it without Jesus, nor without being surrounded by those who are His.
I wish I had more courage when it comes to sharing my faith with those around me who don't know Him and don't know how much difference it can make to know that the Creator of the Universe waits to receive them with open arms. One of my favorite writers once said, "continue seeking Him with seriousness... unless He wanted you, you would not be wanting Him."
Psalm 139 remains one of the most encouraging things ever written.
That ought to do it for now.
Some people have asked me "what on earth does 'Pax Domini' mean?" when I sign off with it sometimes. It simply means "The peace of God." And that is my prayer for you!
Thanks for reading.
Pax Domini,
Tedd
P.S. No, not everything I write will be this long. :)
Ahh, blogging.
My friend Andrew apparently will not add me to his list of People Who Exist unless I start some entries, so I suppose that's as good a reason as any to start.
But I have asked myself something, and it may be part of the reason I've had this account for over two years without actually writing anything: why blog? I mean, it's not a bad thing. People do it all the time. Great writers. Stinky writers. People that I wish the world could listen to, and people I think have no business with access to sharp pointy objects. But why do it?
I suppose one must operate on the assumption that others are a) interested in the minutiae that comprise one's day; b) waiting to hear one's insight on a topic, philosophy, or event, or c) utterly lacking for anything else to read.
As for one's own reasons, I suppose blogs can provide a cathartic outlet of sorts, or a way to be heard when feeling particularly unheard. I think these are all worthy reasons. However, I personally don't get any particular satisfaction out of blogging for my own sake—I prefer to be the one listening—or if I'm speaking, I prefer it being in response to someone else. So this whole concept is taking me a bit to wrap my head around—the notion, I guess, that someone else is interested in what I have to say even if they didn't ask me a question. That being said, I welcome any ideas on what I'm supposed to put here for others!
But I have asked myself something, and it may be part of the reason I've had this account for over two years without actually writing anything: why blog? I mean, it's not a bad thing. People do it all the time. Great writers. Stinky writers. People that I wish the world could listen to, and people I think have no business with access to sharp pointy objects. But why do it?
I suppose one must operate on the assumption that others are a) interested in the minutiae that comprise one's day; b) waiting to hear one's insight on a topic, philosophy, or event, or c) utterly lacking for anything else to read.
As for one's own reasons, I suppose blogs can provide a cathartic outlet of sorts, or a way to be heard when feeling particularly unheard. I think these are all worthy reasons. However, I personally don't get any particular satisfaction out of blogging for my own sake—I prefer to be the one listening—or if I'm speaking, I prefer it being in response to someone else. So this whole concept is taking me a bit to wrap my head around—the notion, I guess, that someone else is interested in what I have to say even if they didn't ask me a question. That being said, I welcome any ideas on what I'm supposed to put here for others!
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