Monthly Archives: June 2011

stolen words

When you’ve had enough
in a frenzy of garden visiting
a long way from home
treat yourself to a visit to Edinburgh
to this place
i’ll tell you about it later
when we’re back home
If you’re in Paris this summer
please give yourself a treat
photos and memories
lurking in the background
beautifully luminous
a big yummy stash
of roadside flowers
These are strange times
there are many
who will not wish to leave
this summer
but, too late
it will be useless in this event
i’ll report back soon

yes
i stole some words
but, you know they’re better off here

book

calder at home: the joyous environment of alexander calder
by pedro e. guerrero
i ordered this book from amazon a few days ago.  when i first saw it the price was really high so i just left the thought alone for awhile.  i was looking at some other books and decided to check back on it and there was a used one for the very reasonable price of $16.51 ($20.50 with shipping).  so i went for it.  i’m really looking forward to turning those pages.  still at amazon are seven new ones that range in price from $130.00 to $526.12, twenty used ones starting at 39.99 to $288.06, and one collectible at $84.95 (first edition first print hard cover in jacket).

driving force

.

The world insists on a person becoming something that fits on one label, looks good on a book cover,
and has a catch.

If you want to be seen by the world, you must become approved and desired by an intended market.

I don’t want this as my driving force, my focus, or my God.

The world can think what they like of me, give me a label, have no idea about me, approve or disapprove.

My God must be my driving force and my focus.
God knows me and has a special name for me.
It is His approval that is important.

.

colour change

Yep, i finally got tired of staring at white on my blog.  Though i liked the white
for posting photographs, and i liked the clean look (it reminds me of  the walls of
an art gallery).  But, i wanted something that does not project so much light. 
It has to be a background that is a little easier on the eyes for reading.  Plus, i
think that these colours give it a more personal feeling, like a front porch swing,
or a living room couch.

And i still like having all the extra stuff at the bottom of the page. easy to find yet
not calling-out from the side of the page like a hot dog vendor at a baseball game.

~

mere christianity . by csLewis

.

I still wonder about the differences between writing something that is meant to be spoken, and writing that is meant just to be read.  In this piece of work, Lewis certainly knew his audience, as he was one of them.  He used reference to war, as he and his audience was in the midst of war, so they very much related to that in his writing, as well as the war references relate well with Christianity.  The thing is, we still have war, and so most people can still relate to those references in some way, just as in the days that the bible was written.  It would be nice to hear someone talk of these things on the radio these days.

1916

In February, Lewis first read George MacDonald’s, Phantastes, which powerfully “baptized his imagination” and impressed him with a deep sense of the holy. He made his first trip to Oxford in December to take a scholarship examination.

1917

From April 26 until September, Lewis was a student at University College, Oxford. Upon the outbreak of WWI, he enlisted in the British army and was billeted in Keble College, Oxford, for officer’s training. His roommate was Edward Courtnay Francis “Paddy” Moore (1898-1918). Jack was commissioned an officer in the 3rd Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry, on September 25 and reached the front line in the Somme Valley in France on his 19th birthday.

1918

On April 15 Lewis was wounded on Mount Berenchon during the Battle of Arras. He recuperated and was returned to duty in October, being assigned to Ludgerhall, Andover, England. He was discharged in December 1919. His former roommate and friend, Paddy Moore, was killed in battle and buried in the field just south of Peronne, France.

the above info. is from this site.

~

The chapter that i read this week goes into the four cardinal (chief, pivotal)
virtues (power, character, imprint on the soul, defining quality).

Prudence – common sense, thinking things through.
Temperance – going to the right length and no further.
Justice – fairness, honesty, give and take, truthfulness, keeping promises, etc.
Fortitude – facing danger, and sticking it under pain.

Not simply obedience to rules.

Where does this power begin within us, this imprint on the soul?
Can we recognize what the source is?

Who came up with the four cardinal virtues?
Have they anything to do with following the Spirit?
Do these things have anything to do with Christianity?
Can one do these things remain humble?
Can any person do these things on their own?
Can a person do these things for the right reasons?
~

Jason Stasyszen is our book club host for this week.

funday

.

My daughters and i went to a sandwich place for lunch.
Then it was off to a local resale shop called “New to You.”
It’s not your run-of-the-mill consignment shop either.
This is a world famous place, man!  Very classy.
One of my favorite places to shop.

mere christianity . by csLewis

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the three parts of morality

me
me
and me…

There have many times that i have believed that it was just about me.
A person’s thinking can be easily twisted around to make just about anything
seem okay, and even to seem right and good.

But, how do people know what is right and good?

Most people agree on some things as being moral rules.
They can co-operate on the ones that have to do with relating between people.
Though i am starting to question just how many even pay attention to this
unless they think people are paying attention.  But, i think they would agree on
the idea that they should be treated twith the sense of these moral rules.
Those being kindness, fair play, honesty, and harmony.

It is easy to see the results of not following these rules in our everyday life.

Things such as war, poverty, lies, inferior work, and corruption.

Yet, when a step is taken in the direction of speaking about what is going on
inside each man, or talking about the relationship between man and the power
that made him, people do not co-operate with these ideas very well.

~

this week you can see more post links at Sara Salter’s blog.