Chicago Goes Dark

Chicago is one of several cities around the globe participating in earth hour, one hour to raise awareness about our enormous energy consumption. So 8:30 rolled around and we lit the candles and spent a full hour with no noise, no lights and no electric.

This is the second year we have done it and it's kind of nice... and quiet. Last year we read a bit and talked. This year the little girls were in bed with candles for night lights, Stacey was exercising, Raegan talked on her cell phone with friends and I chilled by candle light.

They say that Chicago energy use during the hour dipped about 5% which amounts to 850,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. It's a drop in bucket, but still a good reminder of how much energy we use and how everyone's efforts could help us do some good for the God-given gift of our planet.

Does Getting Angry Make You Angrier?

There was a time when the trend to deal with anger was to LET IT OUT! But like so many counseling fads, studies have shown that the opposite is true. It seems that anger begets anger. And when we act out on that anger, it actually feeds our anger which produces more... well, you get the idea. Here is an excerpt from the story.

Anger seems to be the emotion of the moment. The president says he's angry.
Members of Congress say they're angry. The public, we're told, is angry. But
should angry people act out how they feel? The popular idea is that venting your
anger helps get rid of it. There's even a woman in San Diego who makes money
helping people do that. But now, psychologists are saying that venting does more
harm than good.

So next time you get angry, don't punch the wall or go into the forest for a primal scream...try taking a deep breath and chillax.

peace.

Oodles of Doodles

It was Psychology of Learning (or maybe Psyc of Memory, can't remember) circa 1989 and for the first time a professional (my prof) told our class that doodling is a good thing. Whew! After all of those years of chicken scratch art, I finally felt free to do what came natural during boring classes, lectures, sermons etc. ... DOODLE!

But now it is official. I heard on NPR last week that in a recent study in England, they have shown that doodling actually keeps the brain from daydreaming which is much more distracting than doodling. And the doodlers recalled 30% more information that was given than non-doodlers.

And I believe it. When I was living in Cleveland we eliminated lines on the back of the bulletin and actually put "notes and doodles" on the back. It encouraged "doodle listening" and a little creative expression as well.

So next time you find your mind wondering as you are listening to someone drone on and on... grab a pencil and paper and doodle away.

March Madness + John 3:16 = Security Guard

It's not the 70's anymore. Remember the rainbow-haired guy with the John 3:16 signs at all of the major sporting events? Watch this video of a guy trying to do the same thing at a March Madness game. Maybe he should have put "sponsored by AT&T" at the bottom.


**if you can't see the video click HERE.

The Mother of all Newtube Mixes

Here we have technology + creativity + a LOT of time on your hands...




**if you can't see it, click HERE.

Remembering Patrick

I grew up knowing very little about St. Patrick except that I had better wear green on March 17th or risk being pinched. Then in the late 90's I read an excellent book by Thomas Cahill called How the Irish Saved Civilization and all of that changed.

Patrick grew up in Britain and as a teenager was kidnapped by the barbaric Irish and forced into slavery. Living in isolation as a slave for 6 years, he one day was guided by God's hand to trek 200 miles to his freedom.

The story could have ended there and we would consider it a miraculous tale. But Patrick decides that his time with the lowly Irish was not finished. God gave him a dream that the Irish people were begging for him to return. And with no schooling and the label of a slave on the run, he returned to Ireland to eventually become the most celebrated Irish legend.

And Cahill's book talks of how Patrick "saved" the Irish and it was the Irish who worked at keeping mankind's greatest writings and treasures in tact during the dark ages. And when the time came, they reintroduced them to a world that was was ripe for understanding, thus saving civilization as we know it today.

There is a prayer called St. Patrick's breastplate that is attributed to him, though probably written after he died. Either way it is a fitting tribute nonetheless to a man who overcame so many obstacles to bring the light of salvation to the people of Ireland and affect the rest of the world. We read it on Sunday and it is a good reminder of deep spiritual reality. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same the Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this today to me forever by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
His baptism in Jordan river, His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb, His riding up the heavenly way,
His coming at the day of doom I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power of the great love of cherubim;
The sweet ‘Well done’ in judgment hour, the service of the seraphim,
Confessors’ faith, Apostles’ word, the Patriarchs’ prayers, the prophets’ scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord and purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today the virtues of the star lit heaven,
The glorious sun’s life giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free, the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch,
His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin, the vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within, the hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh, in every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles, against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles, against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft, against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft, protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name, the strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same, the Three in One and One in Three.
By Whom all nature hath creation, Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation, Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

U2360

Theeeeere baaaaaaack...


Leave it to U2 to change the world of concerts as we know it. You want some creative steroids? Click the pic.

Some Good News Please!

Bryan Williams of NBC was getting as tired as everyone of the negative pall cast over every newscast. So he asked if people could send him some good news. Was there any good news? They were overwhelmed with the response! It is good to know that despite what we hear, there is still a LOT of good going on out there.

Being optimistic can sometimes be difficult, but the alternative to hope isn't pretty. Thank you Bryan for finding some light in dark times.

Know Thy Limits...Boost Creativity

Wired in my opinion is one of the intelligent creative mags out there. The current issue has an article about how design limits can actually enhance the creative process. A designers worst words to hear are "do whatever you want" because it gives no parameters, no limits. Here is a quote...

...designers understand the power of limits. Constraint offers an unparalleled opportunity for growth and innovation.

In these times when all of us need to look at doing more with less, this is a great reminder.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

The good doctor would have been 105 today. And even this evening my children picked out a Dr. Seuss book for bedtime. We love Seuss and to honor him (wish I had the time to make a weird rhyme here), here are a few of my Seussian favs (and a few not-so)...


Funniest Seuss line-
About Mr. Grinch- "The three words that best describe you are, and I quote: 'Stink. Stank. Stunk.'"

Saddest Seuss story-
The Lorax

Most Inspirational story-
Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Hardest to read to the kids-
Fox in Socks (please NO!)

Statement book-
Tie between The Lorax and The Sneetches

Fav to read to kids-
Green Eggs and Ham (it never gets old)

Fav rhyming book-
There's a Wocket in my Pocket

Most creative-
Oh the Thinks you can Think!

Most Un-Seuss-like-
The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

One that Seuss shouldn't have written-
The Cat in the Hat comes back

Book that I wish HE could have finished himself-
Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!


So there it is. Happy birthday Dr. Seuss. The world is a better place because of your creative brilliance.

This is My Kind of Train Ride

Did they have to pay extra for this ride?

Facebook Made Me Do It

Facebook has become to social networking what Google has become to search. It has also created a whole lot of questions about social networking behavior, ethics and even myths and assumptions that we believe about it. So while we are still in the early stages of this phenomenon, here is link to an article in Newsweek that any facebook user should read. It's called "Seven Lies We Tell Ourselves About Facebook". I gave you the link to the full article, here are the lies. Can you relate?

1. I Only Friend People I Really Know

2. Facebook Made Me Do It

3. Wall-to-Wall Flirting Isn't Cheating

4. I Use Facebook to Keep in Touch With People

5. I'm Soooo Over Facebook

6. And I am Soooo Not Competitive

7. Facebook is My Friend

grace

I love the word and concept of grace. It's, well, amazing. We wound up giving our youngest the middle name of Grace because the season of our life that she was born in was a time of serious grace. I was reminded of the depth of grace today while listening to U2's song of the same name. Love the lines "She travels outside of karma" and "She carries a world on her hips, No champagne flute for her lips".

Grace is a hardworker with little reward. Almost everything today is about "put something in, get something out." Or "nothing's free." This isn't to say that these ideas are wrong, it's just that sometimes you just need a little grace that comes at you with no strings attached.

Here's the full lyric from U2. It's worth looking at again...

Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that
Changed the world

And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness
In everything

Grace
She's got the walk
Not on a wrapper on chalk
She's got the time to talk

She travels outside
Of karma, karma
She travels outside
Of karma

When she goes to work
You can hear the strings
Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace
She carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips
Between her fingertips

She carries a pearl
In perfect condition
What once was hers
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stains

Because grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty
In everything

Grace finds goodness
In everything

Have some grace on me today!

Happy Birthday

Happy 200th Abe. You've never looked better.

Blogging for Dollars

I read in this week's Newsweek about the guy who blogged as Steve Jobs. His article titled "Time to Hang up the Pajamas" is a confession about his inability to make a business career out of blogging. Using Google's adsense, posting 10-20 items a day and with hundreds of thousands of hits Each day, he made a "whopping total of $1,039.81." His conclusion is that blogging will not lead to financial prosperity. So why blog if you are not able to make a living with it?

While I can appreciate people's reasons for blogging for dollars, or selling a book, or becoming popular etc. etc., my purpose for blogging is a bit simpler, I like it. Here's why...

1. I like a good creative outlet.
I enjoy the creative process of writing and blogging allows me to communicate some things that might otherwise just continue to rattle around in my brain.

2. I like staying connected with people.
I have had the good fortune of meeting some amazing people over my lifetime and although I enjoy the new found connectedness of facebooking with people, I find that blogging allows for a bit of a deeper connect than a simple status update.

3. I enjoy passing on things that I find interesting, funny, challenging, educational etc.
This is my networking side that I cannot shut off.

I do NOT blog for money or to be known or to see how many hits or comments I can get in a day. If a blogger is not careful, he can begin to take himself too seriously. I have vowed to try my best to not make that mistake. If you have tried to look for a place to comment here, sorry, I shut that off a while ago to protect from myself from that (unless of course you are my facebook friend- can't shut that one off I don't think).

So, hope you have enjoyed some of my blogging. If any of them have made you smile, laugh, think, act or change in even a small way...then I've gotten all the compensation I need.

Louis C.K. waxes on about the GOOD in today's BAD Realities

A friend of mine posted this on facebook (thank you Corrie) and it has to be one of the funniest and saddest commentaries on today's society that I have seen in a while. The clip is of Louis C.K. on Conan O'brien talking about how a little dose of reality can help this generation figure out just how good we have it. This is MUST SEE TV. I will be making sure that my teenager sees it and hope that it goes wildly viral.


**facebook users click HERE.

The Feel-Good Remake of... The Shining

What happens when you combine You-tube, humor and one of the great scary movies of all time? You get the remake of The Shining trailer.


**facebook users, this is a feed from my blog that has video- click HERE.

Is It Time to Make the Mac Switch?

For many of us, Mac is an unknown world. We have tasted the Kool-aid on the whole ipod thing and the itunes thing. But the Mac computer still feels a bit out there. We see the Mac users swear by their machines. We see their mouths water as once a year they watch Steve Jobs pull out another lighter, sleeker version of their favorite toys. So finally, Mac may have created something that causes me and the other 94% of computer users in the US (96% worldwide) to make the change...the macwheel!


*facebook users click here- the mac wheel!

He Saw It From The Mountaintop

Today marks one of the most significant Martin Luther King holidays ever. It falls on the eve of the inauguration of the nation's first African-American president. Troy Jackson, a friend of mine who pastors a church in Cincinnati, came out with an excellent book on Dr. King called Becoming King. The book is about King's life before he was a national figure. It chronicles his life while he was a 25 year old preacher and pastor of a church in Montgomery, Alabama. Not too long after he was there, a seamstress at a downtown apartment store boarded a bus and refused to give up her seat to a white woman. Mrs. Park's case sparked a boycott that lasted close to a year and was one of the pivotal events that thrust this young preacher onto the national stage. Troy's done the world a great service with this book that provides us a look at a very human young man who would become "King".

This past week, I have watched several of Dr. King's speeches. One of the most inspiring is his "Mountaintop Speech" where it seems he knew that his time had come to an end. The clip that I embedded into the blog only gives the closing. There are several significant passages in the speech that move me including this one about the Good Samaritan's and the Priest's response to the man in distress:

"And you know, it's possible that the priest and the Levite looked over that man on the ground and wondered if the robbers were still around. Or it's possible that they felt that the man on the ground was merely faking. And he was acting like he had been robbed and hurt, in order to seize them over there, lure them there for quick and easy seizure. And so the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"

Good words for all of us to take to heart as we honor Dr. King today. He concludes his speech about not being afraid of anyone because he has been to the mountaintop and has seen the promised land. Of course we know that he was shot and killed the very next day. Part of me wonders if in his mind's eye what he saw from that mountaintop looked a lot like inauguration day tomorrow.

pro life versus PRO LIFE

On the weekend of Sanctity of Life Sunday, it's interesting to note the shift taking place in the way that young Christians are defining pro-life. I have seen it happening for a few years now and it seems to be gaining momentum with the recent election. These young people are expanding the definition beyond abortion. Two articles that I read this week speak to this shift.

The first is called 'Life' Movement Evolves by Tom Krattenmaker of USA Today. He writes-

Christians have taken up a fight for global good, targeting human trafficking
and the sex trade industry that tortures souls around the world. Consider this a
new face of the "pro-life" movement.

And the other one is Redefining ProLife from Skye Jethani, managing editor of Leadership. He writes,

Christians have always been pro-life. During the Roman Empire when
infanticide was rampant, it was Christians who retrieved abandoned babies from
outside the city walls to raise them as their own. But it was also the church
that gave unprecedented dignity to slaves, women, and social outcasts. Some have
even hypothesized that it was Christianity's appeal to the disenfranchised
masses that fueled its rapid expansion.

But since Roe vs. Wade, the way "pro-life" has been defined by many
evangelicals has been very narrow. It has simply meant anti-abortion. But now
that seems to be changing. Growing numbers of Christians are embracing a wider
ethic of life. Jim Wallis has called for a Christian agenda that is pro-life
"from the womb to the tomb." That means valuing people after they are born, and
not just before. It means pursuing social justice, equality, education, health
care, and human rights. It means fighting poverty and advocating for those
without a voice.

Will this redefinition take root? If so, what will this do for the "Pro-Life" movement? Will it bring more people in and strenghten the message or water it down so that it loses its focus and passion?

Whatever happens, it does seem that this conversation is a healthy one to have. Poverty and injustice are issues that all people of faith must address whether or not they are included on the pro-life agenda. By drawing added attention to these needs, the conversation might be as good as the end result.