Gardens of Grace

It is our call to cultivate
The hardened soils within our gate.
Our gardens overrun by weeds
Are choking out redemptive seeds.

We turn from darkness as we shed
Our light abroad to wake the dead
To eradicate the hatred in this place
As we cultivate this garden of grace.

We won’t look further than our hearts
To find the perfect place to start
Change begins here where our garden grows
The seeds we plant
The light we grant
The water of life we allow to flow.
And grace will grow, will surely grow.

Here in the garden of grace
The seed we sow
The weeds we hoe
And love will surely start to grow freely in this place
In this garden, beautiful garden of grace…

We feed the soil of the ground
With lives sacrificially laid down
The evidence will surely show
There in the Christ-like crop that grows
By what we harvest we will know.
And so the seeds can sink their roots
To become the fledgling tender shoots

Through seasons of mercy-Seasons of change
Seasons of shadows The vine life remains
Seasons of blessing Working out what Christ works in
Through times of testing A new season can begin.

Here in the garden of grace
The seed we sow
The weeds we hoe
And love will surely start to grow freely in this place
In this garden, beautiful garden of grace…


Anthony Foster
October 26, 2009

Give us a place near your altar

Give us a place near your altar
A blood bought place of our own
Where we can boldly enter in
And stand before your throne.
Draw us unto your bleeding side
Neath the shadow of your cross we hide
Hid with Christ in God we now abide.

How lovely is your dwelling place
The courts of the Lord of Grace
Where hearts cry out
And spirits shout
As we run the race
The glory of our sun and shield
Emblazoned on our eye
The mystery’s revealed
Answers to every why.

Give us a place near your altar
A place where our souls can rest
A mansion in glory built by your hands
By the nail scarred hands we are blessed.
A place for us to finally dwell
We enter in and it is well
The glories there no human tongue can tell

How lovely is your dwelling place
The courts of the Lord of Grace
Where hearts cry out
And spirits shout
As we run the race
The glory of our sun and shield
Emblazoned on our eye
The mystery’s revealed
Answers to every why.

October 26, 2009
Anthony Foster

Pilgrim Heart

Set our hearts on pilgrimage
Give us a pilgrim's heart
Take us on a journey far
Far from comfort, raise the bar
Step by step we make our way
A pilgrim heart will never stray.

Train our hearts in righteousness
Give us a prosperous heart
Let it break forth in joy
Every stronghold destroy
As your name and word we confess
Give us a heart of righteousness.

Set our hearts on pilgrimage
Take us over glory's edge.
Set our hearts on pilgrimage
Take us over glory's edge.

Make our hearts an open door
Give us a fearless heart
No fear of death's dark penalty
No fear of life and eternity
Fear of the unknown falls away
For with God in control we watch and pray.

Set our hearts on pilgrimage
Take us over glory's edge.
Set our hearts on pilgrimage
Take us over glory's edge.

Anthony Foster
October 26, 2009

In Your Arms

In this quiet special place
In this respite from the race
Jesus I will seek your face
Resting quietly in your arms.

In this sanctuary sweet
Just to sit here at your feet
I will find my heart complete
Resting quietly in your arms

In the midst of trial and test
In the turmoil I am blessed
In toil and trouble I find rest
Falling safely in your arms.

Here I sense you are so near
Close to you I draw
Keep me ever present here
In this place of grace and awe.
Sovereign over circumstance
Make my heart to daily dance
Coming away or still in the fray
With your arms wrapped ‘round me
Your blessed peace surrounds me.

In this simple place of rest
I will be your welcome guest
As I bless you I am blessed
Resting quietly in your arms.

I am weak but you are strong
I cast myself on you headlong
Here we sing redemption’s song
Resting quietly in your arms

God my Father give me Grace
Spirit help me keep your pace
Christ my restless heart replace
Sheltered from the world’s alarms
Jesus keep my soul from harm.
As I rest here in your arms

Anthony Foster
October 22, 2009

Magnificent Journey

The star-wheel turns
As the human heart yearns
Here in the foundry of faith we burn
Here in the extreme
Beyond the dross we will dream
Where nothing is as it may seem

From when we exit the womb
Till we enter the tomb
We start to the grave from the delivery room
On the journey of faith
We run the holy race
And we live and move by Grace.

Magnificent journey
From the cradle to the gurney
Don’t want to go it on my own
The journey with Jesus
We’re bound as he frees us
Never alone, we’re never alone
So there’s joy in this magnificent journey
Awed at the sights we will see
So join me on this magnificent journey
For here on the road we are free.

Past every milestone
In Christ we’re never alone
Joined unto Jesus as we make our way home
Here on our course
Fueled by faith’s fiery force
The Spirit now guides us back to our One source

A heavenly stairway
Where we work and we play
As we learn to love others along the way.
Caretakers of grace
Here in this time and space
Rooted in heaven while we toil in this place

Magnificent journey
From the cradle to the gurney
Don’t want to go it on my own
The journey with Jesus
We’re bound as he frees us
Never alone, we’re never alone
So there’s joy in this magnificent journey
Awed at the sights we will see
So join me on this magnificent journey
For here on the road we are free.

Anthony Foster
October 18, 2009

Alien Wisdom

I need a wisdom that is far beyond my thought
I need to know how to choose what I ought..
I seek a better way, a better choice
I seek to harmonize with my creator’s voice.

I need an alien wisdom- from far beyond my soul
I need an alien wisdom if I hope to become whole
The power to think and the power to choose
The power to walk away and lose
The power that comes when I become weak
Alien wisdom is what I seek.

There is one place to which any fool can turn
A place to grow and a place to learn
Here at His feet is wisdom’s source
Where the supernatural takes its course.

I will fear the Lord and draw near to the Lord
Then I will be a wizened man.
To consume his word, and obey what I have heard
To act on it and stand.
Then I will understand his plan.

I need an alien wisdom- from far beyond my soul
I need an alien wisdom if I hope to become whole
The power to think and the power to choose
The power to walk away and lose
The power that comes when I become weak
Alien wisdom is what I seek.

There is a forgiveness Full and free
It comes to those who repent and see
That God is still God
And sin is still sin
This is the place where
we see new life begin.
This is the place of wisdom’s source
This is the place where we find our course.

I need an alien wisdom- from far beyond my soul
I need an alien wisdom if I hope to become whole
The power to think and the power to choose
The power to walk away and lose
The power that comes when I become weak
Alien wisdom is what I seek.

Celebrating Adoption

We attended a SNAP mix and match event yesterday at Salato and it was a diametric departure from what we experienced earlier in the year, where there was little mixing and no matching, and the caseworkers and volunteers seemed all too shy. We taught a couple of great kids how to fish (their first time!) and got to know a couple of others as well, one of whom impressed me with her active mind and interaction with the other kids and workers. And one of the kids caught a fish about ten seconds after drowning her first worm. That was too cool.

We went through a wildlife exhibit and talked about beasts and bees and bugs. This was incredibly encouraging for us as we also got to spend some time with some of the workers involved in the program from another part of the state. We also had some incredibly responsive kids to get to know better. We're praying the Lord will see fit to bless us with further interaction, if it be His will.

We need encouragement big time as we have been a part of the system for nearly a year now and have had one roadblock after another. We wish we could take ALL of the kids in and raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I watched as one young lady (whose name I cannot mention for sake of anonymity) praying over her meal and was reminded that in the crisis times we all go through God is faithful and reveals himself in kindness and tenderness to us all, if we will receive Him. It was a view of the good, the true and the beautiful that uplifted my spirit in praise.

We were blessed to visit a local church this morning and the make good on an invitation we had some time ago. One of the members who was one of my favorite people when I was a child is a member there and had called my Mom recently to invite her to their church. We briefly reminisced about the shoe shine kits he helped us kids make in VBS circa 1965 or so- which is still in service, I may add- and that he also used HIS this morning.It was the kind of feeling only afforded by a spiritual heritage and there's nothing on earth that can replace that. We also heard a VERY sound message from Isaiah 53 this morning on SIN. It is a paradox that such a message could be so encouraging- but that is life this side of the cross. Knowing that there is an ABSENCE of condemnation in Christ is something we often take for granted, and regular, sound theological expositions of Sin and its CURE from the pulpits of America could go a long way in righting our course...

'Whatever' so totally tops most annoying word poll

I think the outcome of this poll has an underlying issue- that Americans tend to become easily exasperated. I know, not everyone these days calls 911 when Mickey -D gets their order wrong. But don't you notice, everywhere you look- that people are operating on the edge of losing it?

While it may be true that as Throeau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them", many are much more overt in living lives of not so quiet exasperation.

Trying something new doesn't always work out...

THe post below was sent remotely, after which I was supposed to go in and edit it. Trouble is, it completely slipped my mind. Therefore I resolve that there will be no more remote posting on this site from yours truly!

Higher Education News

How Higher Ed is beginning to be disrupted- from Techdirt-

Interesting article and fun discussion - An online university falls short of the ideal-

I think this calls for some thought on the value of physical space for a LEARNING ENVIRONMENT...

Political Class Ignoring at Their Peril

Political Class Ignoring at Their Peril

Shared via AddThis

Dust and Ashes

I’ll be mindful of my origins
Formed from the dust of the earth
Satan eats it all the days of his life
For the dust still bears the curse


I am mindful of my own end
For it’s to dust I shall return
And it will come to me so soon
As surely as the starwheel turns
Only my Lord can raise me above
I am only lifted by his perfect love

I declare my outrage against Satan self and Sin
For I am called to know my enemies.
I refuse to let them hold the upper hand again
Complicit in this dread conspiracy
I shake off the dust from my feet
Declaring my protest is complete
I will live like I believe I’m free.

I abhor with my whole being
The sin that has defeated me
Sitting in the dust I’m seeing
My need for real humility.

In ashes I see my own worth
And the end of the arrogant
I remember I will return to dirt
As in sorrow and ashes I repent
And only my Lord can raise me above
I am only lifted by his perfect love

I declare my outrage against Satan self and Sin
For I am called to know my enemies.
I refuse to let them hold the upper hand again
Complicit in this dread conspiracy
I shake off the dust from my feet
Declaring my protest is complete
I will live like I believe I’m free.

Prostrate Poem

We would tremble in the presence of the Lord our mighty King
And be deafened by the roaring of his wondrous sheltering wings
To be blinded by the glory of the radiance of His face
And our hearts will race to countenance His righteousness and grace
We have known of His embrace.

Devastated by His kindness and consumed by holiness
Purified by righteous searing fire as His Name we confess
We have swallowed dust and ashes as our selves we have abhorred
Quaking in the courtyard of our Holy, Holy, Holy Lord!
His name is to be adored!

We have rested by still waters after burning in our bones
We have understood the fullness of having Him alone
We have known the mystery of those who're wholly satisfied
While yet craving more and more of a life that’s crucified.
As to ourselves we’ve died…

This is no place of easy comfort and familiarity
No place to look to others, and no place for apathy
For if we remain untouched and not grieved by our gross sin
We’ve not tarried in his presence for we have not entered in.
This is not where we’ve been

We have apprehended mercy in its full unvarnished form
We have learned to drink from fountains overflowing from His storm
We have wept with tears of gratitude while trembling in fear
And we're longing for the day when we won’t depart from here
We would ever be drawn near.

In the mountain and deep valley he Has drawn us to his side
While we awe at dread perfections where we're called now to abide
We have lived beneath our privilege for far, far, far, too long
We desire to stay enraptured as we sing life’s simple song.
And to sing our whole life long

Anthony Foster
September 5, 2009
2AM

Quote of the Day...

Those who flee temptation generally leave a forwarding address.
- Lane Olinghouse

Sometimes I Wonder

Sometimes when a song comes to me it seems so familiar and complete that I can’t distinguish whether I have already written it or not. This is one of those moments. It has been written one way in early August and now another expression is due. The first took a corporate direction and this version is more intimate and personal, I think.

Make My Heart Completely Yours

Make my heart completely Yours
Give me grace and make me pure
Give me mercy to endure
And make my heart,
Make my heart,
Make my heart completely Yours.

Give your strong support
As I dwell within your courts
As I dedicate myself to one desire
As my soul repents
Grant me confidence
To obey and do what you require
I would do justly,
I would love mercy,
Walking humbly with the Lord my God
As to this I’m set apart
Distractions all depart
I seek the comfort of your staff and rod.

Make my heart completely Yours
Give me grace and make me pure
Give me mercy to endure
And make my heart,
Make my heart,
Make my heart completely Yours.

Cleanse my willful mind,
All temptations bind
Consecrate me Lord unto your will
Purify my soul,
Make the broken whole
With your Spirit I would now be filled.
Lord I seek your face
Lord I need your grace
All I need indeed in You is found
Your sufficiency
Is more than enough for me
At your feet I cast my every crown.

Make my heart completely Yours
Give me grace and make me pure
Give me mercy to endure
And make my heart,
Make my heart,
Make my heart completely Yours.

Micah 6:8
II Chronicles 16:9

Anthony Foster
August 28, 2009

QOHOLETH

Called to the wandering
He sees their haunted faces
Laughing, crying, lingering
And he knows their hearts are heavy
And he know they are confused
Buying wholesale in the marketplace
Any new deal that they choose
He knows they have everything to lose.

Here in the aereopagus
Of shattered dreams and ploys
Their sorrow terminates their trust
And renders songs to noise.
He’s a prophet to the pagan
And a harbinger of love
For those who dare not hope to plan
To raise their eyes above
One word may be enough.

For once he was a prisoner
Now he is set free
And he dare not cheat the listeners
Now he cannot keep his peace.
A tiller of unfertile fields
A keeper of lost sheep
A survivor who’s been truly healed
And rescued from the deep.
Now he weeps with those who weep

In the desert of the classroom
In the offices and bars
From the blight of the boardrooms
To the cults and culture wars
To the one who violates the womb
To the ones who bear the scars
In these holy halcyon days of doom
There’s a stairway to the stars
If you want see that far.

He’s a warrior and a watchman
Who dares to stand and speak
The truth in love’s his only plan
And peace is what he seeks
Now this is where his calling
Has led him now to stand
In a place where night is falling
In a dry and weary land
God’s wish is his command.

Anthony Foster
August 28, 2009

Green Pastures of Grace

I have danced to mercy's music
And I've flown on eagle's wings
And I 've marched to love's strong drumbeat
As I've burnt my offerings

Until nothing's left but shalom
There's no despair left to face
And I find I am a rich man
Resting in this blessed place.
Here in the green pastures of grace.

For I wandered as a seeker
Searching for that greener grass
long bewildered, I grew weaker
As I starved for that which lasts
Never knowing there's a banquet
Set and waiting for the child
Who wills but to receive it
Who is willing to believe it
Those who enter from the wild.
Those redeemed and reconciled.

There we find the stiller waters
We have chosen to lie down
And I want to see my daughters
And my sons and brothers now
Lying peaceful here beside me
In this most peculiar place
Here where the shadows falter
Where the heart becomes the altar
Here in the green pastures of grace.
Here in the green pastures of grace.
Here in the green pastures of grace.

August 27, 2009
Anthony Foster

I discovered I am a netgeezer.

I was on a bulletin board for Parkinson's caregivers by 1989, published my first webpage in 1993, was into Shockwave in 95, taught "internet literacy" from '98-03 and started blogging in 2003.

So's I went out to the World Wide Web and did a little web surfing on the infobahn this morning. Then a long distance call came in on my personal digital assistant about something someone read on my weblog.

Now that is REALLY dating yourself. Here are the Business Week 12 words that are so passe as to embarrass you...

Who wants to do that?

Just in the Nick

Ancestry.com has a new datasource this week- I suddenly have a hankering for a piece of cake...

PC versus TV

I'm up for this- first thing I'll do when I get a life. Ready to ditch cable if it weren't for Turner Classic Movies.

Copycats...

First I saw my friend Amanda, then Rippy and said- now I wonder what we would look like Simpsonized? For my friends who don't Facebook, now we know. 2D flatters me...

Unless the pleasure is in the ultimate source of pleasure...

A life of pleasure makes even the strongest mind frivolous at last.
- Edward Bulwer-Lytton

The Edge of Eternity

Dancing at the darkened door Forgetting what Has gone before
When all is said, we muddle through Forget the why of what we do.
At the edge of eternity. At the edge of eternity.

I look on every face and name And see that we are all the same
No little lives, no little dreams And nothing’s truly as it seems
At the edge of eternity At the edge of eternity.

Avoid the eyes Avoid the truth And choose your idols In your youth
That way is sure To devastate When you find you finally Meet your fate
On the edge of eternity At the edge of eternity

Each indiscretion Each mistake We know the sin we give and take
Doing all For our own sake Hoping for no more than an even break
On the edge of eternity At the edge of eternity.

So get your eyes On things above Where vision’s cleared By the fire of love
For darkness flees The searing light Here on our knees We set our sight
O’er the edge of eternity O’er the edge of eternity.

How close we are... To the edge of eternity
How close we are... To the edge of eternity.

Anthony Foster
August 14, 2009

Great Acting, Marginal Movie? Julie & Julia

You ask, how is this possible?

This is not really a review of the movie we just saw tonight. It is more a commentary on the state of the art form that has shaped the American consciousness like none other.

So there are no spoilers here. I am not sure what would even constitute a spoiler in the present case, and that says it all. I think Merle Streep is one of the great actresses of all time and certainly the best of this day. Merle Streep is fascinatingly entertaining and touching as Julia Child, and contrary to what I have read in some reviews, the double adaptation of two books in one movie works for the most part. It was good entertainment and a nice distraction.

The problem as I see it is that with Streep, the material rarely rises to the level of the actress. She saves every movie she is in and gives it value it would not otherwise have. What I was struck with was the same feeling I had recently when watching a month of 1930's movies on TCM. I remember John Barrymore for his superb acting, but his movies are, for the most part, forgettable, I think. We have many good movies today but very few great ones that will stand the test of time.

I'm not so sure that any of the movies in Streep's long career will ever rise to the greatness she commands as an actress. Nora Ephron is no slouch, but the power of the narrative of this adaptation left me considering the storyline as negligible. In some ways a biopic would have been more engaging as the movie stops short of her foray into TV history except for Julie's rerun watching. It would have been nice to see more of how Julia Child transitioned into one of the most unusual television personalities of the day, as well as her husband's role in this.

And now a word on the state of the art of cinema.

Earnie and I were conversing about the gulf between the great storytellers of 1939 versus the scene seventy years later. I do not think the art form has advanced in any way from that day so long ago. Special effects and the postmodern realism so evident in today's fare has yielded a degradation of the promise of cinema by wringing the humanity out of it by devaluing symbolism and archetypal characters for blatant realism. Meatgrinders replace metaphor and the f-word replaces prose.

What was so noteworthy, time and again in watching so many classic four star movies on TCM in July 2009 was the fact that this great age of entertainment was exacted during a time of great suffering in our country.

Negating the negative

And then there's the seven Deadly sins: "Lust", "Gluttony", "Greed", "Sloth", "Wrath", "Envy", and "Pride", which would seem to be a negation of the "Seven Holy Virtues"...

In the Book of Proverbs, it is stated that there are specifically "six things the Lord hateth, and the seventh His soul detesteth," namely:

Haughty eyes
A lying tongue
Hands that shed innocent blood
A heart that devises wicked plots
Feet that are swift to run into mischief
A deceitful witness that uttereth lies
Him that soweth discord among brethren

The Virtuous Life

There are several different approaches to the concept of virtue. To start the thought processes going, I'll post them here.

The Seven Holy Virtues:

Valour: Pursuit of Courage and Knowledge
Generosity: Pursuit of Giving
Liberality: Pursuit of Will
Diligence: Pursuit of Ethics
Patience: Pursuit of Peace
Kindness: Pursuit of Charity
Humility: Pursuit of Modesty

The Church Fathers List: 4 Cardinal virtues of Prudence, Justice, Restraint (or Temperance), and Courage (or Fortitude), and the 3 Theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love (or Charity)

The seven Heavenly Virtues-Purity, Temperance, Love, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility.

You can see lots of overlap here; I'm not really sure why anyone thought they could improve on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit's
Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self Control

First thought: I think diligence, faithfulness, and goodness imply truthfulness.

The Requirements of Leadership

One thing I strongly believe is that leadership is a trust and a test and leaders should be held to a higher level of accountability than others. This is a biblical principle that the apostle Paul applied when referring to teachers.

In the Pitino case, I am disappointed in the vernacular being used, but then again, it was exactly what I expected. So far, Pitino's actions are being characterized as an "indiscretion" and a "mistake"- both of which remove any moral overtones to the conversation. We've had weeks of denials of wrongdoing, and it echoes the vernacular that has been evident in the coverage of many of the instances of major moral failures of our leaders this year.

I expect this will drag out in the press here locally. I probably won't be commenting further on it, but my view of the man has changed dramatically, whatever the nature of the allegations and confessions are. I note that the media spin was previously totally against the woman involved in the "indiscretion." I wonder.

Quote of the day

What I look forward to is continued immaturity followed by death.

Dave Barry

Non-virtuous living

Earnie and I have been discussing the importance of the virtuous life versus success as key to living the COMPELLING LIFE. More on that to come here or on her blog, EyefOfE.

Case in point: the current Rick Pitino scandal is hitting Louisville fans hard.

With the narrative of this mess thus far, one has to consider the possibility that there never was a baby and extortion was in view. That's the first thing that should be proven or disproven.

It would seem from the reports that some of the following is true;

a. Rick Pitino is a liar.
b. Rick Pitino paid to have his baby aborted.
c. Rick Pitino is a rapist.
d. Rick Pitino can't hold his liquor.
e. Rick Pitino has disgraced and damaged his wife and children.
f. Rick Pitino has damaged his reputation irreparably.
g. Rick Pitino has damaged his integrity irreparably.

So how much of this attains?

It remains to be seen how his public, his fans, the press, and the communities-sports, religious, etc. will react to this news. Some will say- "he who is sinless among you should cast the first stone". It's high time we held our leaders accountable as a society and this attitude smells like smoke. Simple judgment of right and wrong is in order, and this is the basis of lex rex in society. I am losing count of how many high profile leaders have had moral failures this year alone.

This all makes me sick to my stomach. As usual, some will defend his actions, some will decry them, but whether there will be an righteous response is far more dubious. So that leads to the question: what should the reaction of U of L be?

Rare find on ebay

I was always under the impression that the canooter valve, muffler bearing, blinker fluid, halogen headlight fluid, left handed monkey wrenches, metric screwdrivers, and metric crescent wrenches all have this is common: they don't exist.

Au contraire- I just spotted what I believe to be an antique canooter on ebay! Only 5.99 and 8.95 shipping at this writing!
(Wonder what the odds are that someone will actually buy it?)

Switching Channels

I was just posting info about the Perseid meteor shower tonite on Facebook, and I was reminded of another fairly rare conjuncture. What do Sam and Sue (the animated clown robots that terrorized me on trips to Fontaine Ferry Park as a child) Galileo and Copernicus have in common?

Answer: they are all in exhibits at the Frazier Museum in Louisville. I'll be there- you go too!

Fontaine Ferry Park was a staple of Louisville amusement for most of the twentieth century. Waaaaay back on September 8, 1905, my great-great Grandfather C. W. Ridgway wrote of a trip to the park for a family reunion "to enjoy all the beauties art can lavish upon any one spot. The Park is beautiful beyond description."

Of course, Sam and Sue were johnny come latelies compared to that. From what I see on the "memories" website, I was not the only youngster that was scarred for life by their crazed, cackling gyrations. I guess they seemed like a good idea to somebody.

Just wondering...

...what I would look like as a Muppet.

Here's the answer.

I took the Monty Python quiz...

Another one of life's little mysteries...

We went to this barbecue joint yesterday and it was filled with Coca Cola advertisements everywhere you looked. Old time posters, metal signs, and the like.I counted over thirty signs that could be seen from where I was sitting and I didn't look at the whole place. Sounded pretty good. But when we ordered a Coke we were told they only had Pepsi products. Hmmmm.... Then when I ordered barbecue it turned out to be mystery meat...Live and learn...

July News of Interest for Educators...

United Kingdom Distance Learning Funding announced-http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2009/6/prweb2581744.htm

The Obama Plan-Obama Administration pushing to fund Community College creation of online courses. Community colleges and high schools would receive federal funds to create free, online courses in a program that is in the final stages of being drafted by the Obama administration. A formal announcement could come in the next few weeks. In addition to the free online courses, the plan would provide $9 billion over 10 years to help community colleges develop and improve programs related to preparing students for good jobs, and a $10 billion loan fund (at low or no interest) for community college facilities.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/29/ccplan

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/15/obama

U.S. Department of Education Study Finds that Good Teaching can be Enhanced with New Technology. The findings revealed that on average, online students out performed those receiving face-to-face instruction. Also presents evidence that blended learning is most effective.

http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

Arizona State University (ASU), Tempe, is being sued by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and the American Council of the Blind (ACB) over the use of Amazon’s Kindle DX electronic reading device as a means of distributing electronic textbooks to its students, because the new ereader's menu isn't accessible to the blind. mLibrary Journal-

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6668651.html

The Garden Kingdom

Your reign is coming and has come
You are sovereign of this garden Kingdom
The whole earth with your glory is filled
And here in this garden we till and are tilled.

We are the new Eden and hearts are the soil
The hearts of humans are the place where we toil
And you send living water to make the seed grow
Until with the harvest you reap what you sow.

Make me a ploughman
Make me one now
Looking not left nor right
Set my hand to your plow
My furrows will lay straight
My lines will run true
The harvest will come
With my eye set on You

You planted the seed in this ground
The blessed hope has taken root.
Raising heavenward the earthbound
And from this garden springs forth fruit.

Make me a ploughman
Make me one now
Looking not left nor right
Set my hand to your plow
My furrows will lay straight
My lines will run true
The harvest will come
With my eye set on You

Anthony Foster
August 4, 2009

Holy Place

Heaven is your throne
And the earth is your footstool
You abide within your own
The basilica in whom you rule

There is no holy house in which you dwell
There is no separation and no veil
There are no other wings under which to hide.
Other than this tabernacle of your bride.

In You alone we hide
In you alone we abide
Hid with Christ in God we rest
We enter in and we are blessed.

Transform our striving into rest
Let us enter in to that place where we are blessed
Not some earthbound sanctuary
Not some sacred place to tarry
But we find the holy hidden in our hearts
You are the sacred ground of which we are a part

In you alone we trust
In you alone we are declared just
We come our sins to confess
And we are made into your righteousness.

Anthony Foster
August 4, 2009

I've been enjoying my garden's produce...

So it has its effect on my quiet time. Most of the songs I receive are in that context, and here are a few more lyrics...

Make Our Hearts Completely Yours

So many distractions, plans and reactions
So many vocations compete with the call
We would hear a music
That transcends the sounds of earth
We would listen to a voice
That gives the wilderness its worth.

Make our hearts completely Yours
And give us courage that endures
Search and destroy this world’s lures
And make our hearts completely Yours.

Give us a bent, a way, a view
That consecrates our lives to You
A willing walk and humble minds
Till no distractions You will find.

Make our hearts completely Yours
And give us courage that endures
Search and destroy this world’s lures
And make our hearts completely Yours.

For the eye of the Lord searches out the earth
To find a heart that knows His worth
His strong support will be supplied
To the heart that to all but Christ has died
For these are the hearts that in Him confide.

We dedicate
We consecrate
Our lives to do Your will
We come to bless
True righteousness
And these grateful hearts are filled.

Make our hearts completely Yours
And give us courage that endures
Search and destroy this world’s lures
And make our hearts completely Yours.

Anthony Foster
August 4, 2009
2 Chronicles 16:9

Facebook Follies

It's been a real HOOT linking up with some of my compadres from the past, and Earnie has joined in the fun. Most people can't imagine one of us without the other, and so it seems appropriate- just wish FB would let you have double names on the headers. Like bacon and eggs. Or peas and carrots, or tweedle dee and tweedle dum- oh you get the idea....

This little distraction has helped make the long hours of analyzing texts a lot more bearable- as it doesn't require much and the ROI is substantial...

TechNews

The iPod is Dead?
If what this writer projects actually comes to pass, I suspect it will be incrementally. I like the mic idea as I rely on my trusty digital recorder a lot. Camera, video, GPS, all sound good.

How about wireless earbuds as a standard feature as well?

Factoid

My Great grand uncle was the headmaster of the Baltimore orphanage/school where George Herman Ruth grew up. That is where he learned to play ball. Brother Pius was in charge there for many years, and was later affiliated with St. Joseph's Academy in Bardstown. My grandfather was named for him.

Bumped into this inadvertantly...

Wood, Hay, and Stubble 23:01:03

I am a pilgrim and a stranger A sojourner walking a pathway of danger
A citizen of a city above Nothing on earth can compete with this love
Nothing of earth can compete with this love.

What need have I of temporary crowns When the most precious one is the one I'll cast down
At the feet of my Lord when I bow at His throne. There in the place where I'll know as I'm known
There in the place where I'll know as I'm known.

Here where the greatest blessing is wanting Here where desire is a place for my haunting
I will hold loosely and I will go free Sure my possessions do not possess me
Sure my possessions do not possess me.

Wood hay and stubble do not withstand fire To build with them is not what I would desire
For fires are promised to all those God holds To clean, purify and refine us as gold.
To clean, purify and refine us as gold

Anthony Foster January 23, 2003

Part Deux

I like sunsets better than sunrises, bananas better than citrus, and have eclectic music tastes: bluegrass, classical, hymns, and folk music are faves. I don’t listen to music as much these days and have no idea why. I prefer live to Memorex and used to frequent the bluegrass concert circuit, tent camping along the way in a tent I designed and built as part of a design class. Just me, Earnie and a dog named Shep.

My favorite place to enjoy with my family is Bernheim Forest. I like to practice identifying trees by their leaves and bark.

Spiders and snakes don’t bother me a bit but rodents creep me out.

I am unable to watch gorey movies. Want to keep my mind as pure as possible, but that probably makes me ineffective in a real life scene. Even though slaughterhouses didn’t bother me as a kid.

Schmaltzy, sentimental songs make me want to puke.

I started wearing glasses in the third grade when my parents noticed I was creating pinholes to look through to read the attendance tallies on the wall at church.

I read Marvel comics exclusively as a kid. No DC or Archie for me, no way.

I read Greek but had many years of French, which I never use. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe it'll come in handy if I ever move to Canada.

I have decided...

Despite the fact that autobiographical info smacks of narcissism, I have decided to post some info to Facebook. Hopefully it will be a bit light and breezy and not too self-concious. How else will people get to know you if you don't share?

So here we go with true confessions entry 1... (without getting TOO personal).

You’ll see trivia and significa interrelated here, or get the whole package at once on Facebook. Esoterica about Earnie will follow at some point in the near future.

A few weird --and not so weird things about me you need to know if you REALLY want to know me…

I once tried “Just For Men” and it turned my hair red, leading me to buzz my hair and shave my beard till it grew back. That was about the time I tried Rogaine and it made my hair smell like a pickle. It seemed like a good idea at the time. So take me as I am, au naturale.

I grew my first beard for the role of Lancelot in a production of Camelot in 1974, and have had a beard for all but a few weeks ever since. So I don’t own any stock in Gillette or Schick, needless to say. And yes, Earnie prefers the beard, which says something about my appearance without one.

I am a family history junkie. My most unusual ancestors are the guy president Andy Jackson’s wife ran away from to marry him (after Andy chased him into that cane brake with a butcher knife) and a grandma buried at Shaker Village where she lived out most of her days. And yes, the Shakers practiced celibacy.

News from the Dark Side

North Korea continues its aggressive opposition to Christianity by executing one woman and torturing another. Their families are now imprisoned. Please pray for Christians in North Korea. The AP wire reports that 33 year old mother of three, Ri Hyon Ok was executed last month for distributing Bibles. North Korea, of course claims she was a spy and and accused her of “organizing dissidents.”

Another Christian, Seo Kum Ok was arrested and tortured and it is not known if she survived. The Bible has been banned in North Korea, which has “judged that Christian forces could pose a threat to its regime.”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5htjkn2uYbcOJC8azoyb2TkOh6B4AD99KNBDO0

You can keep up with what's happening in the Lion's Den at The Voice of the Martyrs.Never forget the darkness that is the daily reality for these Christians. As I prepare for worshipping in freedom this morning they are on my heart.

Rube Goldberg

Have you ever felt like you are trapped in the middle of a Rube Goldberg machine? Sometimes I do...wating for the next action that will elicit a reaction. The third law of thermodynamics seems to explain a lot in practical terms about the life we encounter on a daily basis. It is not to be confused with Fudd's law, which states,

One of the first projects _ ever had as an undergraduate fine art student was to design and build a Rube Goldberg machine for a design class. I threw myself into it and built a mighty contraption that covered about six square feet of space with about twenty interactions. It had to be dismantled due to the daunting size, and I wish I still had the plans I came up with. The intriguing thing, and the life lesson, is that it is still possible to design and set up some things in life and achieve a prescribed result. If you jump off a building you will go splat. So the natural forces of the world, though fallen, can be a helper to us along the way. Even entropy can work to our advantage. Sometimes things come off without a hitch in spite of the outside forces that want to prevail against us. It is up to us to make sure our designs are in accordance with God's best. It is good to remember that Proverbs 19:21 says "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

Lately I have been collecting Goldberg related stuff on ebay. Since most of my hobbies end up turning into vocations, I had to choose something off the wall, and this is it. Much more fun than collecting vintage meat grinders or whoopee cushions.Check out the Rube here... and here.

A Day Well Spent

I had a chance to take a day off today and took it. I could have stayed at home and made progress on my research. I finished collecting the data yesterday and now it is time to start the content analysis. This phase of the work was a prolonged and daunting, even tedious endeavor. Instead I made a trip to the seminary campus to enjoy all the recent changes- the flowers were in full bloom and the trees are back to their former beauty after the ice storm cleanup of a few months ago.I must say that the additions and changes to campus are inspiring and aesthetically gratifying. Now we have lots of beautiful benches and places to gather. The new bookstore is beautiful and the cafe expansion was a pleasure to view as well. Since I entered the research phase of my degree I had not spent much time on campus. With the campus between sessions on a Saturday I had time to absorb the changes and renew my vision for why I am pursuing this degree. It was a great help to feel a part of the ongoing legacy of something much larger than myself. The time was well spent- I believe I’ll be able to start the next leg of the journey with a clearer vision than working all sequestered away in my home office can afford.

I was able to get a great deal (about 60 percent off) on a series of DVD's on our American Heritage by historian David Barton of Wallbuilders.

Then after lunch at Smokey Bones, we were off to explore The Summit. We discovered a Mitchell's Fish Market there- just like the one we enjoyed at Newport last year- you never know what will turn up when you start looking- we'll return there sometime when we get a fish craving. We had a tremendous rainstorm while there but enjoyed the beautiful flowers and music in their environment. It was a great day for window shopping...and getting in a good walk...

We ended the evening laughing ourselves silly watching my favorite Marx Brothers film- A Night
At The Opera and were reminded again...There ain't no sanity clause...

Encouragement Appreciated!

We are seeing movement with both our home studies - state and private agency-toward adoption. We are excited about the potentials, but a little anxious as we have had so many dead ends on our search thus far. After going through the state training and becoming resource parents for the state, we have been approved for adoption of up to three children and are looking for a sibling group that we can help preserve instead of seeing them broken up. I just read an article in Southern's Towers publication about the resolution Dr. Moore made at the convention that was so well received. This is a point of deep conviction with us, and we are encouraged that so much is breaking at large with a spirit of adoption growing in our midst.

That brings to mind another point- the state systems involved in the adoption process...resolutions are one thing, but the need for streamlining and reforming the systems that govern adoption in our fair state must be addressed as well. I hope the Baptist community can be involved with this process. For every child we pursue there are scores of other families submitting home studies as well. We are hopeful that perseverance will prevail, but if anyone tells you it is an easy thing to adopt in this culture, please be wary.

Clunker Conundrum

Now I ask you…

When I first heard of the cash for clunkers news, I looked into it, all the while knowing that my two clunkers would not qualify, for like many Americans, I have historically attempted to drive vehicles that got good gas mileage. This was considered both a practical matter as well as duty and good stewardship. Neither have I ever owned a new car, always opting for used vehicles.

So the way I see it is that the bad stewards and the people who have driven gas guzzling autos without concern for stewardship are being rewarded with a program to give them cash and rebates to buy new cars, while the government subsidizes the car companies that were the worst stewards and produced the worst products. Now Ford, the company that didn’t take bailout money, has to compete against this double whammy of government subsidized sales of inferior products to people who never considered saving and conserving and thrift to be of value. What’s wrong with this picture?

Thoughts in the Presence of Fear

…the substitution of rhetoric for thought, always a temptation in a national crisis, must be resisted by officials and citizens alike.

Wendell Berry
Thoughts in the Presence of Fear

An important essay - that is even timelier today than when it was written...you can read here…

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/214/

Harry Potter Spoilers- if that is possible...

It's been two years since the last Harry Potter movie, and in the meantime, my interest has waned. Nonetheless, I was curious to see how the sixth book in the series would be portrayed on the big screen, and I was not really surprised. The book it is based on is a sort of plodding, transitional piece that, in my estimation, could have been removed from the series and not missed.

The darkness of the story line is reflected cinematically in the shadowy, dreary imagery throughout. Time and again, wands provide the only source of light to dispel the encroaching darkness. This is especially true in the scene that replaces Dumbledore's funeral. Rumor has it that this will open the next movie.

There are several themes that were hinted at in the movie but were not fully explored- that of Draco's suffering for fear of his life and that of light overcoming darkness, the nature of trust, the trustworthiness of memory, and the pitfalls of celebrity both for those who attach themselves to it and those who are afforded it. Some images were left unresolved- such as the reason for Dumbledore's withered and burnt hand.The battle at the end of the book is no where to be found.

One of the problems with the movie is its dependence upon what went before and what will come. Obviously, if one has read the series, there was little to be surprised about. For instance, the shock of the non-resistance and "murder" of Dumbledore will lose its impact if one knows "the rest of the story." The movie starts with the supposition that one remembers how the fifth movie ended, inserting the viewer into the aftermath of the public revelation that Lord Voldemort is back. The detail that made the book tolerable is missing in many places in the movie.

Many of the reviews I have read lament the daunting task of depicting the books in another medium, but surely -isn't this is the very basic thing we expect from the multimillion dollar effort? Is it asking too much? In my opinion, the makers of the movie could have by means of memory devices or flashbacks filled in some of the blanks. Instead the movie cannot stand on its own merit, rambling through some considerably less important chapters and covering other parts of the narrative in seconds, such as the explanation and point of horcruxes. Altogether missing are symbolically important passages, such as the lament of the phoenix and, as already mentioned, Dumbledore's funeral.

Fans will fill in their own blanks with details from the memory afforded by the reading of the book. I'm not so sure it will make any sense whatsoever to a non-reader.

Bursts of Color

We have wild strawberries on the vine. And here is another web gallery of the flora adorning our homeplace...

Oldie but Goodie

I ran across this image sent by friends some years ago- it's still funny today..
Click Here for larger image.

Work then Rest

I worked hard yesterday to create an exercise space in my garage/ library area- I was pleased with the results. We picked some of the firstfruits of our garden last evening; and today visited Bardstown for a return trip to retake photos at the
Heaven Hill Distillery Bourbon Heritage Center display. Yep- that's right - this teetotaler has an interest in the history of distilling in Kentucky as half my ancestors were involved in this trade. My great grandfather was the first distillery supervisor at Heaven Hill and I shot pix of their historical display today.It is a top notch exhibition site and spared no expense in the display and graphic design.

Then we retired to Kurtz' Restaurant to tear up a chicken and have a little dessert- which served as supper as well...

Anthony's Musings on Face to Face and Facebook

In the past couple of years I have had the delight to make contact with many new friends who are distantly and not so distantly related to us. Just the other day we ran into a cousin I had not seen in at least a dozen years, and we connected via email. We now have contact with a first cousin Earnie had never met till now. Email and the net, again, made this possible. The Facebook friends connections are growing and I have had several occasions where an update on their site registered with me and I find the issues arising at prayer time. One of my best friends just started a substantial blog of his own and I am excited about reading his thoughts there.

All in all the social networking phenomenon has begun to touch our lives in a bigger way, and there is no turning back, I think. Not to say that the face-to-face contact it can lead to is replaceable. Some of the greatest memories IN recent memory have come from cousins who drop by to visit or renewed acquaintances when we drop in to see my grandmother. It's become a both/and world as we get most of our news from the net these days and I am looking into how I can replace cable with Netflix and streaming video.

Wonder what things will be like in my lifetime? I sometimes wonder if the ratio of continuity to change we experience will surpass that which my mother in law saw in her 97 years on earth?

I also hope to have some time to write a bit on the sacredness of place and how that translates to a virtual world...

Anthony muses: Society on and offline...

Anthony sez: Musings on Online and Offline Society

In the past couple of years I have had the delight to make contact with many new friends who are distantly and not so distantly related to us. Just the other day we ran into a cousin I had not seen in at least a dozen years, and we connected via email. We now have contact with a first cousin Earnie had never met till now. Email and the net , again made this possible. the Facebook friends connections are growing and I have had several occasions where an update on their site registered with me and I find the issues arising at prayer time. One of my best friends just started a substantial blog of his own and I am excited about reading his thoughts there.

All in all the social networking phenomenon has begun to touch our lives and there is no turning back, I think. Not to say that the face to face contact it can lead to is replaceable. Some of the greatest memories IN recent memory have come from cousins who drop by to visit or renewed acquaintances when we drop in to see my grandmother. It's become a both/and world as we get most of our news from the net these days and I am looking into how I can replace cable with Netflix and streaming video.

Wonder what things will be like in my lifetime? I sometimes wonder if the ratio of continuity to change we experience will surpass that which my mother in law saw in her 97 years on earth?

Check out the world's ugliest dog contest...

HERE

The Effects

I went back and quantified a feeling...I sense that my creative energies these days are consumed with filling out matrices for curriculum design and inputting data for research and solving cognitive problems to the point I fear my brain is getting rewired in the process. I note as evidence of this that my output of music has dried up to a trickle and I have to ask myself if this is die to living in a broken cistern, as it were.

Three lyrics this year, and no music to accompany the words.

In the past I have been able to track my spiritual well- being by the journalling effect of the songs i write. They are evidence of what is going on internally-

Set Me To Singing

Lord set my heart to singing
In this barren wilderness
I have so much Lord to praise you for
I have so much to confess

When I bare my soul to the one who sees
With my unpure offering you’re pleased
And I’m lifted as I fall on my knees
And I sing my song to you

Lord set my soul to singing
Change the rhythm of my heart’s beat
Purify my store of wickedness
And remove all the deceit

For my weeping eyes I turn to you
Give me back my sight and my joy renew
When I’m drowning show me what to do
Let me sing a song to you.

Lord set my mind to singing
Bring new order to the strife
Let me set my mind on things above
Renew my fragmented life

In the stillness of the deepening night
In the clamor of the morning light
In the fever of the daily fight
I would sing a song to you

Anthony Foster
June 27, 2009

A Poem from the Past: 1990

It's about the vanity of presuming to be creative of your own accord...

Pastor Fred Winters Honored at Convention

Our former pastor, Fred Winters was honored posthumously at the SBC Convention in Louisville. Cindy and the girls were there to accept the award from Thom Rainer.

Our sources tell us that nothing is coming out about the killer- I won't use the silly word "alleged" here- but I am hopeful FBCM will have an interim to lead them through that difficult time when any resolution concerning the killer breaks forth.

Tis the Season...

Here we are on the third day of Summer and I have seen the light. Or at least the lightening bugs, as we knew them. Some people prefer fireflies, so I will grant you that... I was listening to the evening song of the mockingbirds at the time....quite a reverie...

Us-Now

Here we are in Red and White together...

Fragrances and Flowers

See the Slideshow here...
We love our flowers and the advent of blooms is an annual celebration- we have a long way to go to get to the stage we had reached at our Illinois home, but we are on the way....

May He Keep You Close

May He keep you close in times of trouble
In green pastures may you feed
May He be your shepherd when you lose your way
And your provision in time of need

And may He keep you close to His holy heart
For he promised to n’ere forsake
So enter in to his perfect rest
As in His presence now you wake.

May God keep you close as day by day
You fight the holy fight
May He keep you close to righteousness
And give you songs in the deepest night
For the closeness that we seek to know
Is ours as in Him we hide
Till he returns to take us home
And he draws us to His side
He dwells in us and we in Him
So in obedient faith abide

May he keep you close in time of blessing
In times that draw our hearts away
May He do all that a loving Father
Would do to keep you from going astray

And may he keep you close to one another
Bound in the fellowship of peace
That comes from living in His light
Where the lonely find release

Anthony Foster
June 21, 2009

And looking backwards...Old Timers Religion

It's good enough for me, to a point. As long as it makes me love everybody anyways.

I am hoping to further explore my religious heritage on the other side to the degree I am doing now, which takes up way too much time to be healthy right now. Living back in the place where I grew up has been instructive in many ways and as I move into the future and dwell in the present i would seek to know those times as well.

Looking to the future, as well as the past will help us better live in the present. May we become better "men of Issachar" (1 Chr 12:32) in the process. They possessed three exceptional and essential qualities. They "understood the times" - they were men of accurate perception and penetrating analysis. We need that today. As a result "They knew what Israel should do" and they had a passion that was driven by this accurate perception... I look forward to what unfolds!

Regrets and Looking Forward to the Future!

I've been neglecting this blog. After blogging for nigh on seven years, the posts have dwindled here, and for that I am sorry. I hope to make up for it in the future by adding interesting stuff that doesn't take so long and pointing to other resources I enjoy. Case in point, go check out The Future History and see it as this knowledgeable and astute brother delimits some of the mystery about events that are on the horizon.