books

I am not a multi-tasker but I do tend to be a multi-reader. Juggling several books at one time is not unusual for me.  Although I’ve just started them, the two newest editions to my collection promise to be good reads!

Donald Miller begins A Million Miles In A Thousand Years proposing how “the saddest thing about life is you don’t remember half of it.” I for one agree with him. Yet every life is a story worth telling because every life has meaning and purpose.  Miller is given a unique opportunity to literally edit his own story.

Markus Zusak opens his NY times bestseller, The Book Thief, by asserting “a small fact – you are going to die.” At this point, all I know is – Death is his story’s narrator.

a new reason to be clean

So today [Oct 21] The Wall Street Journal posted an article reporting some interesting research findings regarding marital intimacy. Apparently, couples that share housework have happier marriages and more active sex lives. Yes…according to the study, for husbands and wives alike, the more housework you do, the more often you are likely to have sex with your spouse. You can read the entire article yourself at The Juggle [WSJ.com on choices and tradeoffs people make as they juggle work and family]. I got to wonder, is this legit or is this just some industrial marketing ploy to sell more vacuums? Whatever the case, I’m guessing there are going to be a lot more cleaner homes in America for a while.

$50,000 text

Kate Moore, a 15-year-old Iowa HS student recently won $50,000 in the LG U.S. National Texting Championship. How did she get so good at texting? Apparently she owns a 14,000 texts-per-month habit. Get this — 250,000 people participated in the competition.

Moore’s winning phrase was “Zippity Dooo Dahh Zippity Ayy … My oh MY, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine Comin’ my way … ZippittyDooDahZippityAay! WondeRful feeling, Wonderful day!” which she completed flawlessly in less than 60 seconds.

Another 15-year-old girl from Staten Island, NY wasn’t so lucky. She recently fell down an open man hole cover while texting.

Wow — and I thought my kids text alot.  But so far, I haven’t seen any money and no serious injuries! afaik…bbs

popular Jesus

While organized religion may be losing popularity among the masses, Jesus apparently is not.  In a recently released public survey, 33% of polled Britons say Jesus Christ is the person they would most like to communicate with from beyond the grave. [FYI, Princess Diana came in second, Shakespeare third]

Intended to promote the third season release of ITV [Independent Television Authority] British sci-fi show Primeval on DVD, the survey surprised pollsters – how exactly the question relates to the show I’ve yet to figure out but I think it has to do with time travel.  One survey spokesman conceded, “These results show that Jesus Christ will always be the British public’s ‘Superstar.’”  I wonder how Americans would answer the same question – humm?

Jesus also showed up today in a Washington Times post by Julia Duin about a new Jesus book out called, “Journeys with the Messiah” by Michael Belk.  It’s a collection of photos of a Jesus with modern day Italians from all walks of life.  Belk told Duin, “I want people to see these images and say, ‘This isn’t about religion, it’s about life.’  The non-churched are frightened by anything that has ‘Jesus’ or ‘church’ connected with it.”

I’m not sure Belk is right about Jesus frightening anyone – but when it comes to ‘church’ that may be a different story.   You can see Belk’s project at thejourneysproject.com.

eternity

In case you were wondering…apparently there are a number of new and alternative ways you can spend eternity.

As high quality diamond: for a price, companies will extract carbon from your ashes and convert them into colored diamonds up to 2 carats.

In outerspace:  a rocket shop will launch your ashes into space or to the moon.

As a fireworks display: companies will mix your ashes with fireworks to create a 200-shell firework display set to music..spreading you all over the area.

As a coral reef: have your ashes mixed into a custom-made concrete reef which is lowered into the ocean or other body of water.

In a sporting venue: most Chicago ballparks will arrange for your ashes to be scattered on the playing field when the stadium is empty.  The big question here is – CUBS or SOX?

at a theater near you

Well it has finally happened. Tucker Max’s best selling book, I hope They Serve Beer In Hell, has been made into a movie and hits theaters in just a few days. Now, I read a lot of books — many listed on the NY Times best-seller list. And I’m the first to support an individual’s right to express themselves in whatever medium they choose. And normally, I refuse to critique books I haven’t actually read or movies I haven’t seen….but in this case I make an exception. This is just my opinion – but I cannot see anything positive or redeeming in the kind of reckless and remorseless debauchery that is apparently represented and promoted in Max’s literature or film. Clearly, Tucker Max disagrees. In the introduction to his book he writes,

“My name is Tucker Max, and I am an a******. I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging d*******. But, I do contribute to humanity in one very important way: I share my adventures with the world.”

Giving credit where credit is due, Tucker is at least honest about himself and his behavior. Alot of people will no doubt laugh at his degenerate antics but the notion that Tucker Max is somehow contributing to humanity is in itself a joke.

“The way of a fool seems right to him.” -Proverbs 12:15

Another good band

A friend recently told me about the band Neadtobreathe.
To be honest, I’m always getting recomendations from people about new music and bands I “should listen to.” Usually, I check out the leads, but don’t always get excited about what I find. These guys are different – their sound is clean and unique. I like them alot. They’re really good…of course that’s just my opinion. The song Stones Under Rushing Water [video] has struck a particular chord [excuse the pun] with me. What’s really nice is you can check out their Needtobreath website and listen to full length songs for free.

just some marriage stuff

Recently I came across some quotes on marriage. I thought they were worth sharing.

For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked. -Bill Cosby

It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages. -Friedrich Nietzsche

My advice to you is to get married. If you find a good wife, you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher. -Socrates

Do not marry a man to reform him. That is what reform schools are for. -Mae West

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility. – Leo Tolstoy

Getting married for sex is like buying a 747 for the free peanuts. -Jeff Foxworthy

I think a man and a woman should choose each other for life, for the simple reason that a long life with all its accidents is barely enough time for a man and a woman to understand each other and to understand… is to love. -William Butler Yeats

As for his secret to staying married: “My wife tells me that if I ever decide to leave, she is coming with me.”-Jon Bon Jovi

The first bond of society is marriage. -Cicero

It is sometimes essential for a husband and a wife to quarrel – they get to know each other better. -Goethe

Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century. -Mark Twain

let’s not forget

How easy it is to go on with our daily routine and activities and forget the horrible events of September 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked and killed so many innocent people. Take a moment today and thank God for the freedom we have and pray for peace to come to our world.

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent — the Lord detests them both.    [Proverbs 17:15]

Keep it simple

The notion of simplicity keeps showing up in my life, work, reading, discussions, etc. By and large, it remains just that…an idea – because few things are simple these days. In an age where advancing technology and global communication is supposed to streamline and uncomplicate all the confusion and make things easier and faster to accomplish – in many ways it just makes matters worse.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. It seems people today are hungry for simplicity in life because the world around us has become so incredibly complex. Simple is not easy, but it sure sounds appealing to me.

Quotes on simplicity…

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. [Leonardo da Vinci]

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak. [Hans Hoffman]

To be simple is to be great. [Ralph Waldo Emerson]

Out of complexity, find simplicity. When the solution is simple, God is answering. [Albert Einstein]

Got to get back to something simple just to save yourselves…keep it simple nowadays and that’s just that. [Van Morrison]