A Mollusc who dwelt in primordial slime
Was always himself to the innermost core;
As being himself took up most of his time,
He never did anything more.
Still just as he was, though long ages have flown,
He stands on the specimen-cabinet shelf
A fossil, immortal in durable stone,
A monument raised to himself.

–Guiterman ~1930

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A Father’s Love Letter to His Child

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
(Psalm 139:1)

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
(Psalm 139:2)

I am familiar with all your ways.
(Psalm 139:3)

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
(Matthew 10:29-31)

For you were made in my image.
(Genesis 1:27)

In me you live and move and have your being.
(Acts 17:28)

For you are my offspring.
(Acts 17:28)

I knew you even before you were conceived.
(Jeremiah 1:4-5)

I chose you when I planned creation.
(Ephesians 1:11-12)

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
(Psalm 139:15-16)

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
(Acts 17:26)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
(Psalm 139:14)

I knit you together in your mother’s womb.
(Psalm 139:13)

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
(Psalm 71:6)

I have been misrepresented
by those who don’t know me.
(John 8:41-44)

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
(1 John 4:16)

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
(1 John 3:1)

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
(1 John 3:1)

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
(Matthew 7:11)

For I am the perfect father.
(Matthew 5:48)

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
(James 1:17)

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
(Matthew 6:31-33)

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
(Jeremiah 31:3)

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
(Psalms 139:17-18)

And I rejoice over you with singing.
(Zephaniah 3:17)

I will never stop doing good to you.
(Jeremiah 32:40)

For you are my treasured possession.
(Exodus 19:5)

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
(Jeremiah 32:41)

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
(Jeremiah 33:3)

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
(Deuteronomy 4:29)

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
(Psalm 37:4)

For it is I who gave you those desires.
(Philippians 2:13)

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
(Ephesians 3:20)

For I am your greatest encourager.
(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
(Psalm 34:18)

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
(Isaiah 40:11)

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
(Revelation 21:3-4)

And I’ll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
(Revelation 21:3-4)

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
(John 17:23)

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
(John 17:26)

He is the exact representation of my being.
(Hebrews 1:3)

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
(Romans 8:31)

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
(2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
(2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
(1 John 4:10)

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
(Romans 8:31-32)

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
(1 John 2:23)

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
(Romans 8:38-39)

Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
(Luke 15:7)

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
(Ephesians 3:14-15)

My question is…
Will you be my child?
(John 1:12-13)

I am waiting for you.
(Luke 15:11-32)

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

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The Prayer

“I asked God for strength that I might achieve. “I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. “I asked for health that I might do greater things. “I was given infirmity that I might do better things. “I asked for riches that I might be happy. “I was given poverty that I might be wise. “I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. “I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. “I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. “I was given life that I might enjoy all things. “I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for. “Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. “I am, among all men, most richly blessed.”

I am, among men, most richly blessed… if only because of You, Lord. Amen.

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What was even more funny about the cake was the party was Maggiano’s restaurant in Bridgewater, NJ, one of my hometowns for more than some 4 years growing up.  I would love to see some photos from the birthday party if any were uploaded to flickr.  In the mean time, check out these awesome photos of the Nikon DSLR and NIkon D700 DSLR birthday cakes.  I didn’t see how much these cakes cost, but I am fairly certain they won’t put you back the $3,000 that the Nikon D700 costs and it looks far more tasty.

Thanks to Pink Cake Box for the cake images. I love seeing businesses go out of their way to help their customers and the likeness of the D700 is just incredible.  I am still finishing up Tribes by Seth Godin and he talks a lot about building a following like Pink Cake Box seems to have done with their masterpieces of sugar and flour.  I spend a lot of time with my D700 and the likeness is great.  Check them out if you are in the market for a wild looking cake.

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Today I came across one called In the Beginning and it actually had a note at the bottom for its source and I was able to located it.   This was something she printed off her computer in 2005, and of course it is still active on the Internet today, so I am not going to post but a blurb of it here, but it is well work a read if you want to head over Bag-o-Laughs’ post called In the Beginning.

I love humor websites about our faith, Christians, God, and mix computer related stuff in there and it’s super (another good one is John over at Stuff Christians Like).  So here is the first part of In the Beginning:

In the beginning there was the computer. And God said

%Let there be light!

#Enter user id.

%God

#Enter password.

%Omniscient

#Password incorrect. Try again.

%Omnipotent

#Password incorrect. Try again.

%Technocrat

#And God logged on at 12:01:00 AM, Sunday, March 1.

%Let there be light!

#Unrecognizable command. Try again.

%Create light

#Done

%Run heaven and earth

#And God created Day and Night. And God saw there were 0 errors.

#And God logged off at 12:02:00 AM, Sunday, March 1.

Continue Reading Here…

If you are any bit of the computer person, jump over and read the rest of it from the source, and if the above makes no sense to you at all then you are too young to remember when IBM ran the world and everything was written out in commands (I am on the fringe of that time period I think).  So what are some of your favorite God humor sites?  Post a few below so we can check them out.

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Once again I am shown what a right handed world we live in.  Everything from increased cancer risk to playing in sports, we are more likely to be doomed from birth.  Yes, even scripture talks about us left handed people, but the Bible calls us out more as the privileged ones (haha).

1. Judges 3:15
   Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.
   Judges 3:14-16 (in Context) Judges 3 (Whole Chapter)
2. Judges 20:16
   Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss. Judges 20:15-17 (in Context) Judges 20 (Whole Chapter)

Although I can’t imagine 700 left handed people chosen at one place to do anything, but must have been a heck of a party.

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Realistically, with technology today, anyone can pick up a camera and push a button, but to do it differently, you have to create.  As is the moto of WordPress themselves, Code is Poetry, a computer can become the essence of creativeness in today’s culture.  Years ago only a small percentage of people could understand what code was and you needed a degree in graphics design to edit images.  Today, teenagers are becoming expert videographers and editors so they can post their creations on Youtube before their bus drops them off at home.

I walked into a friends office today and he was doing a relatively mindless and repetitive task (although important) for a series we have coming up and to pass the time he was watching Dead Poets Society on his computer.  I ended up staying just long enough to remember what a cool movie it was and tried to find it when I got home so I could finished watching it.  Of course neither hulu, nextflix, or even blockbuster’s new download had it and I was stuck trying to watch a movie that apparently only he has (I would like to borrow it now, thanks).  Since I can’t sit here and watch the movie, I figured I would post a poem in context with the movie.

He got me thinking, especially from his last blog post, why we don’t challenge each other more.  Challenge each other in learning (or listening to) new music, new books, scripture, our faith, or even a poem.  Of course they are all the normal reasons, like time.  I don’t read physical books much at all, but I love to read.  If it doesn’t show up on my computer I have a hard time flipping through endless pages one at a time, but I can read for hours on a computer screen, so I really have to force myself to read.

One of the last longer physical books I read was one called Galen Rowell’s Inner Game of Outdoor Photography, which was written by an author, photographer, climber, adventurer, environmentalist, call Galen Rowell, who had been to all parts of the world looking for his spiritual peace through photography, mostly in Tibet, helping many along the way.  The book was called a cross between Sir Edmund Hillary and Ansel Adams.  He was a photographer I followed closely over the years and while on an assignment for National Geographic his plane crashed on landing at his home in California and he and his wife and the pilot died.  I finished the book about a week before he died and I remember right where I was and what I was doing when I read the news about his plane crash.  I remember at that time the book had challenged me and my normal ways of thinking.  He respected “religion” of all kinds, but was not a Believer, and he challenged me to think deeper about my own faith.

So here is a popular poem discussed in the movie by Walk Whitman called O Captain! My Captain! Written by Whitman in 1865 after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, about the return of a ship whose Captain has died at sea.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up – for you the flag is flung – for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths – for you the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and Dead

—– from memories of President Lincoln

Typing instead of writing may not be art (as I have been told), but perhaps reading it, is. Who do you challenge to grow, and who challenges you?  We each have both, but may not recognize either.

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If we look at the calendar there is another holiday coming up, the first Auburn football game this Saturday… I can almost feel the lighter, cooler air that’s on its way (in maybe three more months). As I was flipping through some of my collected quotes and poems from my mother-in-law I came across this one and it sounded appropriate for the week.  You may have heard it before, but it is still cute.

A Little Mixed Up

Just a line to say I’m living
That I’m not among the dead,
Tho’ I’m getting more forgetful
And more mixed up in the head.

For sometimes I can’t remember,
Where I stand at the foot of the stair
If I must go up for something
Or – if I’ve just come down from there

And, before the frig’ – so often
My poor mind is filled with doubt.
Have I just put the food away, or
Have I come to take some out?

And, then there’s times when it is dark out,
With my night cap on my head
I don’t know if I’m retiring —
Or – just getting out of bed.

So, if it’s my turn to write you
There’s no need in getting sore,
I may think that I have already written
And don’t want to be a bore.

So – remember that I do love you,
And – I wish that you were here.
And – now it’s nearly mail-time
So – I must say, “Good-bye m’dear”.

There I stood beside the mail-box
With a face so very red.
Instead of mailing you my letter
I had opened it – instead!!

—author unknown

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Part of the message this Sunday was about God’s grace. The grace He has given us to make mistakes, learn from them, and move on. A quote that really caught my attention was:

Grace without change is just an escape from responsibility

I think that is a great way to put it. It doesn’t mean we can just keep living these same mistakes continuously without true repentance and change, sometimes we do need to make lifestyle or lifelong changes first. There are some of us who have made these changes long ago, but still struggle with the reasons. This is a great reminder of the freedom in God’s love, and the grace He has given to us all.

This series was a very refreshing look at one of the most talked about subjects in the Bible, money. I would encourage anyone who is interested to listen to the podcasts and see for themselves. Thanks Cornerstone.

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Top 15 Answers Kids Gave in Sunday School

1. Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark
2. The fifth commandment is “Humor thy father and mother.”
3. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day, and a ball of fire at night.
4. When Mary heard she was to be the mother of Jesus, she went off and sang Magna Carta
5. Salome was a woman who danced naked in front of Harrods.
6. Holy acrimony is another name for marriage.
7. The Pope lives in a vacuum.
8. Paraffin is next in order after seraphim.
9. The patron saint of travelers is St. Francis of the sea sick.
10. Iran is the Bible of Moslem’s
11. A republican is a sinner mentioned in the Bible
12. The natives of Macedonia did not believe, so Paul got stoned.
13. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.
14. It is sometimes difficult to hear what is being said in church because the agnostics are so terrible.
15. God told Joseph to take Mary, and Jesus, and flea, to Egypt.

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