Farenheit

Coming to Hersheypark next year...

Dan Brown got me thinkin'

Over the past few weeks, I've been reading Angels & Demons by Mr. Dan Brown.  You may remember Mr. Brown for his book on some code.  There was a movie made a few years back.  Made a lot of noise in the Church.  While I can't say that I agreed with the book, it was certainly entertaining.  And that's what made me pick up the afore-mentioned prequel.

 

I'm about 80% of the way through the book and I have just recently read a speech that the chamberlain character makes to the world.  His comments are directed to an organization known as the "Illuminati," an organization that puts science before faith.  Anywho, this character made an impassioned speech about all the good that science has brought the world.  And the evils that rode in the coattails of the good.

 

And that got me to thinkin' about the way we communicate and how communication has progressed over the years (stop me if I've discussed this before).  Adam and Eve spoke to each other and to God face-to-face.  This method worked pretty well for a long period of time.  And then we started to communicate with letters.  And then the telegraph.  Then the phone.  Then email.  Then text messaging.  And with the growth of these new technologies, I think our communication has suffered more and more.

 

I'll be the first to admit that I like email. It's biggest benefit is that it is convenient. But it's also the easy way out.  For those of us who are non-confrontational, it's a lot easier to express our feelings via email then it is by voice.   And I'm one of those non-confronters.  Email's safe.  I don't have to worry about my voice shaking or awkward pauses or mis-spoken words.  But I think it allows me to create a "virtual me."  The me that is smooth and polished.  The me that is not really me.  And while I've excelled in written communications, I believe that my verbal skills have regressed.

 

So what am I going to do about it?  Well, email is still helpful for people who live a great distance away or for people who I don't have phone numbers for.  So I'm not dropping email all together.  But I'm going to start calling local people more often and emailing them less.  I'm having dinner with some friends tomorrow.  Instead of emailing them to confirm, I'm going to call them.  It's going to be rough.  I know that.  There will be the "I can't believe I just said that" moments and the pauses, complete with "ummm's" and "huh's."  But that's who I am.  And I'm prepared to deal with that.

 

Question to ponder:  How has technology affected you for the worse?  Or has it?

Classic Film Series in Hershey

Some of you may not know that the Hershey Theatre hosts a classic film series every season.  The series starts this Saturday and continues for five more dates through the Spring.  If you've never been, it's a great venue to see older movies.  Check out the schedule here.

Soaking in Wisdom

Last night, I had the opportunity to have dinner with my only surviving grandparent.  As I have gotten older, I have found more and more value in the conversations we had.  My grandmother is 80 years young and she has seen a lot in those 80 years.  She will often share stories of her and my grandfather or of her and her mother.  We talked a little cooking last night as I relayed my adventure with crepes from the previous evening.  I've enjoyed hearing her thoughts on life and love.  And I've have come to appreciate her reassuring words.

 

But even more importantly, she is part of my prayer support.  She prays for me daily.  I am blessed to have many people praying for me.  But I believe that her and my grandfather laid the foundation for the prayer life that my family has today.  I have seen that in the prayer life of my parents, as well as my sister and I.  And I am so thankful for that.  I have a Godly heritage that I am proud of and which means a great deal to me.  I know that I am blessed beyond measure.

Crepe Scott!

Last night was my great crepe experiment. I got home from work and made the batter. It's supposed to set for at least 30 minutes, so that gave time to run over to the gym and work out while it set. I got home and fired up the stove and set to work.

I heated up the pan and dropped in some batter. I swirled it around and after a few minutes, it looked like this.
Notice anything out of place? Couple of things. One, if it appears that one side is thicker than the other, it's true. The burner was sloped, which made things a little more fun. When I managed to flip the crepe (and burn the fingers), I was disappointed to see my crepe looked more like a pancake. boo.
A second try yielded about the same, but the third looked much more crepe-like in appearance (but not consistency).
The fourth looked like the second and the consistency hadn't improved. And so I turned the burner off.

I was disappointed with the pancake-consistency of my crepes. The problem may have been self-rising flour. The flour was not labeled, so I knew not of the type of flour that I was using (bad call on my part). So I'm not sure if I can get around that, but I have a lot of batter left, so I made try some different stuff to see if I can thin it out and make it more crepe-like.

A Good Show of Sportsmanship

Article here.

 

Video here (in spanish).

More from the Work sermon

Here's another question from Sunday's sermon:

How do you reflect Jesus?

Interesting question, no?  

 

It may be easier if we start by thinking of the ways we don't reflect Jesus.  Do you reflect Jesus when you're driving?  How about when your waiting in line at the grocery store or at Walmart?  Or when you're waiting anywhere?  How about when people disappoint you?  Or when the wait staff messes up your order?  Or when your car breaks down and it costs you your first born to fix it?  How do you reflect Jesus when you're joking with your friends?

 

In Ephesians, Paul talks about living as Children of Light and the things involved in doing that.  It's a great guideline to how we're to live our lives as a reflection of Christ.  It starts about halfway through chapter four and runs through verse 21 of chapter five.  It's definitely worth a read if you're not familiar with it.

 

So how do you reflect Jesus?
 

Food

If you like Chick-fil-A, click here to sign up for a coupon for a free chicken sandwich and a beverage (like sweet tea).  If you're local, you can save it for when the Mechanicsburg store opens this winter.  Or you can drive down to York.

 

Also, Sonic Drive-in continues to inch closer to the greater Harrisburg area.

 

In other food news, I'm going to learn how to make crepes.  I'm going to set aside some time this week to get the technique down and then work on the savory and sweet options.  2007 is the Year of the Crepe!!  Then you can hire me for your next party!

Work

I have to say that the past three sermons that Phil has given at church have been applicable to me.  The last sermon has given me fodder for a couple of posts this week.
Sunday's sermon was titled "Your Work Matters to God."  I'd like to give you four facts about work that he discussed on Sunday that are relevant to your life.
1.  Work is a gift from God.  In Genesis 2:15, God places Adam in the garden to work it.
2.  By working, we reflect the likeness of God.
3.  Work, properly executed, is good work  OR work, properly executed, is doing good.  That kinda blends 2 & 3 together and leads to..
4.  Your work is one of the primary ways you glorify God.
I can't speak for all of you, but I have often considered my work to be insignificant.  I'm not exactly changing the world in my office.  And for the longest time, that's how I treated my work.  And then I realized the impact that I could have with the people in my office.  Some readers may recall some "issues" I had with some office personnel.  And how I had to purposely make a point to try and show love, despite the difficulty in that task.  It's out of that that I began to see how my work could glorify God and that has changed my outlook on work.

Here's a thinker..

What is the only word in the English language that is pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed?

Givin' it up

Like many people on planet Earth, I get frustrated.  And I get anxious.  For a long time, I really didn't know how to deal with it.  I knew what I should do, but I didn't really do much on the application side of things.

 

But that has changed.  I have a new process that I'd like to talk about.  When I have a situation that I don't know what to do with, I pray.  But I do something specific when I pray.  While I am praying, I will take both of my hands and close them into fists.  Then I raise my hands above my head and while praying, I will open both hands and literally release my burdens and concerns.  It's a physical sign that I cannot handle these issues myself. 

 

But just because I've released these burdens and concerns, it doesn't mean that they're completely gone.  They should be and I'm growing towards that end, but every once in a while, the devil will plant a wayward thought or idea in my mind.  But I am becoming much better about recognizing and addressing that quickly.

 

The things that concern you; how easy is it for you to give it up?  Do you like to hang on to stuff for a while, or do you get rid of it ASAP?

Free Night of Theater

October 18, 2007.  Unfortunately, there aren't any local companies participating.  But if you're willing to travel, it's a good deal.

Recommended

Hi!

 

I just wanted to offer a devotional recommendation.  I'm currently reading a devotional titled Unto the Hills:  Thoughts for every day by Billy Graham (thanks to the "free" shelf at the church library).  It has 365 short devotionals and while they are short on words, I have found them to be long on substance.  So if you're looking for a devo book, perhaps you might consider this one.