its official, i suck at blogging.

me and papaw

rambling


i wonder if the do-it-yourself carwash places have hidden cameras in the little booths that are hooked up to a computer that feeds the timer on the sprayer? no matter how many quarters are fed into the machine you will always be one quarter short. maybe 20/20 or dateline will do an investigation on this. hmmmm

"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

John 13:1 The Holy Bible

St. Patrick was actually not Irish, but was born in Scotland. At the age of 16, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. During his six-year captivity he worked as a shepherd, laying the groundwork for profound imagery as his relationship with God flourished. St Patrick wrote of his captivity in his Confessions:


"But after I came to Ireland -- every day I had to tend sheep, and many times a day I prayed -- the love of God and His fear came to me more and more, and my faith was strengthened. And my spirit was moved so that in a single day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night, and I felt no harm, and there was no sloth in me---as I now see, because the spirit within me was then fervent."
Upon his escape to France, he became a priest, and later a bishop who, at the age of 60, left for Ireland to teach the word of God in a country where idol worship abounded. He describes his motivation in his Confession,


"We ought to fish well and diligently, as the Lord exhorts in advance Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men It was most necessary to spread our nets so that a great multitude and throng might be caught for God, and that there be clerics everywhere to baptize and exhort a people in need and want"
The Fish Over the Snakes

During his 29 years as a missionary, St. Patrick baptized over 120,000 Irishmen, and established over 300 churches. His glorification of God even gave rise to the legend that he drove the snakes out of Ireland. Many versions of the tale exist, including his standing atop a cliff using a wooden staff to drive the snakes into the sea. But St. Patrick's ministry was nonetheless effective as he transformed a nation of idol worshippers by baptizing the masses and their leaders in the name of God.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of St. Patrick's ministry was that his introduction of God to Ireland set the stage for the country's rich history by introducing it to the one entity that would mold its civilization for centuries to come: faith.

The Shamrock

Popular culture confuses the shamrock with the four-leafed clover and the "luck o' the Irish" it accompanies. In fact it was the three-leafed shamrock that gained celebrity as one of St. Patrick's most persuasive props.

When some of his Irish followers expressed confusion over the Trinity, he bent down to pick a shamrock and bid the crowd to behold this living example of the "three in one."

Holidays Unplugged

St. Patrick's Day is just one occasion for Christians to remind our culture of its roots. The poster child of over-commercialization is probably Christmas, but closely following are the celebrations surrounding other important days of faith. Ash Wednesday has given rise to Mardi Gras and Carnival. All Saints Day has been reconfigured into a Halloween celebration that, when taken to its extreme, commemorates the dark opposite of its original intent.

By delving into the lesser-known facts about traditional holiday celebrations, we may find that these are occasions that grow, rather than diminish, our faiths. Today we may even hear Irish drinking songs that, upon second notice, will assure us of our roots as believers:


"When Irish eyes are smiling
Sure it's like a morning spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter,
You can hear the angels sing."

from crosswalk.com

happy st. patricks day!

You're Dune!

by Frank Herbert

You have control over a great wealth of resources, but no one wants to
let you have them. You've decided to try to defend yourself, but it may take eons before
you really get back what you feel you deserve. Meanwhile you have a cult-like following
of minions waiting for your life to progress. This would all be even more exciting if you
could just get the sand out of your eyes.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

It's a long way from Miami to LA
It's a longer way from yesterday
To where I am today

It's a long way from my thoughts
To what I'll say
It's a long, long way from paradise
To where I am today

All that's in my head
Is in Your hands

It's a long way from
The moon up to the sun
It's a longer ahead of me
The road that I've begun

Stop to think of all the
Time I've lost
Start to think of all the
Bridges that I've burned
That must be crossed

Over, over, over
Take me over

I've been poison
I've been rain
I've been fooled again

I've seen ashes
Shine like chrome
Someday I'll see home

Home, home

I can see the stars
From way down here
But I can't fall asleep
Behind the wheel

It's a long way from the
Shadows in my cave
Up to Your reality to
Watch the sunlight taking over

-home by switchfoot

You are a Spaniard.


What's your Inner European?
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