~Living a life of sophisticated domestication deep in the heart of Texas~

Friday, February 29, 2008

Not a blessed thing to say, but ....


...hey, it's Friday, and I find myself with most of the day off.

No, wait, actually it's more of a day on, what with errand-running to the bank, gas in the car (prices up again), antique store (selling, not buying), grocery store (FUZE 10/$10!), USPS, and one latte' later, I'm where? Back at the computer.

Isn't it fun, cramming the weekend into about 3 hours the day before, in order to not have to think about it when the work starts pouring in again? Such is life, when it's doing business at home. Wouldn't have it any other way, though, as far as working at home, I mean. All sorts of perks come with having a home office, but don't let anybody kidya, it's not as easy as you'd think, keeping on top of stuff around the house. I keep suggesting we find ourselves a housekeeper-type grandma, but so far, no go on that... And I would like to keep the work more contained within "normal" working hours and a "normal" 8-hour-day-kinda schedule, but right now that's not very doable. Maybe someday we'll take our weekends and actually end the week, or even add a bank holiday here and there...

But for now, we're makin' hay while the sun shines, so to speak, and when we're not makin' hay, we're makin' ______.
Pick one:
a. trouble
b. whoopie
c. coffee
d. all of the above

Go ahead, fill in the blank ;+)

All of the above was just an excuse to post this picture of an elegant blue heron who lives on Vashon Island, WA.
Shawn
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Friday, February 15, 2008

What was the question? 'way back in 1998, that is...



"Evolutionists, tell me what the theory of evolution is."

"...Thanks for asking. The theory of evolution began as an elegant and plausible scientific account of the mechanism whereby new species have developed through natural selection. Its general tenets have stood up well to an onslaught of emotional and religious objections and are presently so well-substantiated as to be something of a given in the field of biology, to the great chagrin of fundamentalists.
During this century other advances in rationalist-materialist understanding have meshed with the biological evolution theory to supply a most thorough description of the development of all things, so that it is quite accurate and proper to refer to the evolution of the chemical elements and the evolution of complex chemical systems early in the history of Earth.
This debate board exists because the theory of evolution is so much more than that. Christian philosophy is so heavily invested in prescientific dogma of the supernatural that it rightly regards evolution theory as an anathema. Christians don't usually argue against other standard science---gravity, atomic theory, the germ theory of disease---but when it comes to evolution, there is an urgent and frantic denial, emotions run high and objectivity goes right out the window. Why?
Because evolution theory (and all the knowledge that is seamlessly continuous with it) has fully defined and explained what life is and how it got here. "Evolution," i.e., rationalist/humanist/materialist naturalism, has supplied answers about the meaning and value of our existence, thus outdoing and showing up the pulpit. The monumental resentment will take another century to die down. Evolution theory manifests the two vehicles to Buddhahood, Learning and Realization. It is wonder and glory and purpose and moral imperative. It is emancipation."

Posted by SGTex on September 11, 1998 at 22:59:34 on CARM

Shawn, for SGTex
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Photograph: Salvia faranicea "Evolution"

Sunday, February 3, 2008

The greatest of these...


"Love is not love that alters when it alteration finds."
W.S.


Or, in the words of St. Paul:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowlege, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long and is kind. Love envieth not. Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love never faileth, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowlege, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then shall I know, even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three...

...but the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13, King James Version

Shawn
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