“Over the years, I’ve just accepted that if I do not quickly open the back door when God is trying to run people out of our church, I am working a
I was checking out a web site called Web Pages That Suck and found a web site that literally made me dizzy and almost made me sick. It’s an experience. I can’t believe that human beings do this to one another. “Psychedelic” comes to mind.
Unfortunately the theme of this web site is Accept Jesus, Forever Forgiven. Fortunately this is not the only site on the internet where you can read the Bible. Try reading this site. I double dog dare you!
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I have nothing against water, but sometimes it’s nice to drink something with a little . . . flavor. I mean other than the taste of hard water.
I’ve tried Vitamin Water, Propel, and all manner of juice, but all of these options have lots of sugar and some even sneak in corn syrup, which is just about one of the grossest things you can inject into your body. Well, probably not, but it’s up there on the list.
Today I tried out O Water, made by O Beverages. It’s a simple drink that is primarily water with 85 mg of natural caffeine, 25 mg of ginseng, 25 mg of guarana, and 4 mg of yerba mate. I selected the strawberry flavor, and I think it rocks.
Shameless product endorsement over.
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Last Sunday I was meditating on Jesus’ words in Luke 6:37:
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.”
The truth is that everyone fancies themselves as excellent judges. From the way we dress, to the way we react to other drivers on our way into work, to the way we treat our co-workers, friends, and family, we make judgments every day.
The vast majority of our judgments aim to justify ourselves at the expense of others or to at least set ourselves apart from others who fall below a perceived standard. Nevertheless, there are times when people make very sound judgments that should be heeded. What is the difference between a good judgment and a bad judgment?
Perhaps one way to work this out is discussing the difference between a prophet and a legal judge. A judge is tasked with sentencing someone for his/her actions. The sentence is a punishment: that is the goal of a judge. In a Christian sense, a judge tells people where the fall short of God and what the consequences are.
A prophet on the other hand is concerned with communicating God’s will, where people fall short, and how to get back on track. The goal of a prophet goes a step beyond the sentence to repentance. Prophets begin with judging righteously, and then move on to restoration.
There are many who claim to be prophets today. Off the top of my head I can think of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson as two Christian leaders who have been lableled as such. The problem is such prophets presume to interpret today’s events from God’s perspective, such as 9-11 or the tsunami in south east Asia, with dubious credentials and with little offered by way of repentance. The messages I’ve heard focus on the judgment.
Before we start pointing fingers though, it’s important to remember the prophetic function the entire church should be playing in our world. In our call to know God, we also bear the responsibility of bringing the world to repentance and restoration with God.
This is a heavy burden that requires humility in order to judge properly and then listening to God in order to share his message of restoration.
Technorati Tags: judge - Christians - Jesus - prophet
I’ve been wondering if anyone has ever designed a blog template for wordpress where the content of the blog generally fits all on one page without the need for scrolling. Alas, it has been done.
Small Studio 1.1 is a clean theme with an excellent design. It provides a great first look of the site.
UPDATE: I also found Recycled Canvas 0.9, another nice theme that fits on the screen without scrolling.
Technorati Tags: blog, wordpress, theme
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Firefox used to have a little blue notebook at the bottom on my browser window. It was something called “Performancing” I think.
The concept was pretty neat: a blog editor built into your browsing screen. Alas I couldn’t figure out how to set it up. “xmlrpc” what? I’m a hack who is slowly catching on to things many bloggers simply take for granted as common knowledge. And so I gave up on the little blue notebook and have been using Windows Live Writer instead.
This past week Firefox updated Performancing and changed it to something called “ScribeFire.” I’m giving it a shot and so far so good. It set up my blogs really easily and has been very easy to use.
Has anyone else had good or bad experiences with ScribeFire so far? I’ll give it one thumb up this time around.
Technorati Tags: scribefire, firefox
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Life has been picking up over the past few days, and so the notebook has not made it to the computer, hence the posts have not made it to the blog. There’s a bit of a traffic jam in my moleskine notebook right now.
The main reason why we’ve been so swamped is our home situation. Back in late February we placed a home under contract. Due to some issues with the house we had to cancel the contract. Now we have another home under contract.
It’s a small ranch along River Road in Arlington, VT. The house is plain, but we think we can spruce it up with our own touches, and the two acres of land give us plenty of room to add on.
The location is pretty nice from a nature standpoint. I often walk on this road, in fact all of my “March Mapleness” pictures came from River Road. The river is nearby, not so close as to flood though, and we’re two miles away from Norman Rockwell’s former home near the West Arlington covered bridge.
We’ll be ten minutes from the center of Arlington, which I wish was closer, but the West Arlington general store will have to compensate for that. All in all we’re trading one valley for another, but not picking up and moving completely out of town. Though we’re right on the edge of it.
Now we’re praying for the loan to go through in record time.
If conversations with friends–especially recent home buyers–have not yielded a leading candidate for a realtor, I recommend calling around to all of the different offices about the homes they have listed. Evaluate them based on how they respond to your calls or e-mails. Are they relentless? Are they courteous? Did you receive prompt service.
A realtor who follows up is ideal.
It may be enough to choose whoever responds the most and provides the most service. That is the key to finding a house. A realtor who is always e-mailing new homes and offering to help is the best asset a home buyer can have.
Remember, this is no time to worry about hurting someone’s feelings. If you do not trust a realtor or find his/her mannerisms difficult to deal with, move on.
I personally prefer a realtor who is capable of using e-mail. I don’t know how houses were sold before e-mail. It must have taken years to sell a house! E-mail provides a simple way to share documents and to keep others in the loop.
Another helpful way to evaluate a realtor is to view a home with him/her. Does the realtor have anything to hide or is there a steady stream of information about the house? A series of “I don’t knows” or indifference toward your concerns is the sign of a bad realtor. If a realtor doesn’t know the answers to your questions, he/she should have them answered in a few days. If not, then the buyers concerns are clearly not important.
Though a realtor is essentially working for the seller, the mark of a good realtor is the ability to learn about the buyer’s concerns and preferences and to then act accordingly. There should be no pressure, no brushing off, and no evasiveness. Once again, if you are not comfortable, find another realtor.
One final note: check the papers to see who is closing the most homes. This does not make a good realtor, but it can be a good sign.
Technorati Tags: real+estate - realtor - home
The 6th Annual Maple Open House is this weekend. It’s my bad fortune to miss it this year, but it’s the one weekend that worked to go away.
This is that wonderful time of year when all of the sugar shacks open their doors to the public and let them sample the sweet aroma and taste of fresh maple syrup. The sap of a maple tree is clear and must be boiled down to produce the syrup. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.
One sugarer commented, “Making maple syrup is a disease that you can’t shake. You don’t do it get rich.”
One of the best events this season will be the breakfast served at Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert, VT. They serve a killer breakfast with organic sausage and pancakes along with unlimited syrup at the tables. Merck is a fully operational farm with trails and some great views of the Adirondacks.
Here are some of my own maple tree pictures along with a video of sap dripping into a bucket.
Technorati Tags: maple - maple+syrup - sap - Vermont - Rupert
Before viewing any home, it is always best to view all available information online, look it up in the town records, and drive by it at least twice, ensuring that you view it at different times of day.
During your first viewing you should examine the appliances, water pressure, heating system, foundation, pipes, electric box, the state of the walls and ceilings, and the condition of the outside. Check the beams in the basement for mold and don’t be afraid to pick at the wood to ensure the beams are dry and stable. Open every drawer, try every door, and be wary of water damage and large cracks in the walls or floors.
Take your time. A realtor in a rush is in the wrong business.
If you think it merits another look, try going back at a different time of day and if possible, bring along a friend or relative who has either purchased several homes in the past or has a knowledge of construction.
Ask questions. No question is too silly or inconsequential. Remember that your realtor should be willing to look everything up and should be able to report back in a few days.
Technorati Tags: real+estate - realtor - home
Al Gore continues to work toward a solution to the climate change problem facing our planet. Unfortunately some Republicans (as in Representative Joe Barton R-TX) are too short-sighted to catch on:
Barton also criticized Gore’s recommendations on freezing carbon dioxide emissions. “If we took that literally, we can add no new industry, no new cars on the street, and apparently no new people. Every person emits 0.2 tons of carbon dioxide a year.” Others in Congress expressed concern that the United States’ fight on global warming would be moot if some of the other large contributors, such as China and India, don’t reduce pollution. Some suggested more investment in nuclear power as a “clean” energy source.
Gore saved for the end his hardest request; he urged Congress to see beyond politics. “This is not ultimately about any scientific discussion or political dialogue,” he said. “It is about who we are as human beings and our capacity to transcend our limitations to meet the challenge. We can’t afford to play political football.” Science
On the ride home yesterday I heard a similar statement by Representative Dennis Hastert, another Republican, that went something like this, “If we follow your advice we’re going to ruin many businesses and cripple our economy.”
Oh, boo hoo, the US economy might suffer if we try to save out planet. Ridiculous. Stupid. Ridiculously stupid.
Technorati Tags: Gore - congress - climate+change
::IN A MIRROR DIMLY::
Welcome to the blogging home of Ed Cyzewski: freelance writer, theologian, nonprofit employee, resident of Vermont.
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Supporting: The Not For Sale Campaign, Shevet Achim
