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.

We Already had a Year of the Bible- 1983

With all the brewhaha on Capital Hill and in the blogosphere over the so called Bible Bill, I thought I'd reminisce- Ronald Reagan declared 1983 the Year of the Bible with full Congressional support. So in my estimation, that may be another indicator of the decline of Christianity in the USA.

News Headlines from 1983

Record $189 Billion Deficit Is Projected

House Votes 228 TO 195 To Bar Covert "Contra" Aid

Korean Air Lines 007 Is Shot Down by Soviet Missile, 279 killed

US and Caribbean Troops Invade Grenada

Legendary Coach Bear Bryant Is Gone

Borg Quits At Apex Of His Career

Polygamy: Arizona Man had 105 Wives

Reagan Proposes Star Wars Plan

All OPEC Members Agree To Cut Oil Prices

Terrorists Bomb US Embassy In Beirut, Over 239 Marines and Sailors Die

Dow exceeds 1200 for the first time

Died, Buster Crab, Jack Dempsey, Arthur Godfrey

Dustin Hoffman stars in "Tootsie"

Supreme Court reaffirms it's 1973 (Roe Vs Wade) Right to abortion

Barny Clark the first artificial heart transplant dies after 112 days

People Express "no frills" airline starts

California Condor hatched in captivity

Hitler diaries are exposed as fraudulent

Israel's Begin resigns, replaced by Shamir

I'm not sure what my point is. I think I'd be satisfied if Christians would just read theirs.

Nascent thoughts on John Galt...

Nascent as in just starting to be formed.

It’s a bit ironic, I think that Ayn Rand’s first job in Hollywood was as an extra on the set of deMille’s King of Kings. From a start in a movie about the ultimate sacrifice, Rand became the ultimate individualist, pursuing a philosophy of the ego called objectivism. In it she posits that sacrifice is evil(oops- that's a misnomer here- she probably didn't use that category) as it constitutes the substitution of a lesser value for a greater one. This goes to a point that what one places value in is the basis of life. Her’s is a view that sees all altruism as wrong. From a Christian worldview, she has all the pricetags wrong.

Sin is ultimately related to an individual’s degradation of the ultimate worth of the Ultimate Being. So that (along with most of the world) is her basic flaw.

This is a sterling example of upside down thinking- what happens when the correct absolute is denied- suddenly everything you know is wrong- a logical conclusion of what Dostoevsky is supposed to have said: "If God is dead, everything is permissible”. Actually he doesn't seem to have said that- more accurately, "If God does not exist, everything is lawful."

Rand's loathing of collectivism in ALL forms found expression in Atlas Shrugged. A leftist leaning Hollywood did not welcome her early novels, which were criticized for their anti-Communist stance. Then an idea came into a favorable time- Atlas Shrugged was published at the height of the Cold War, and its message was welcomed by an America that feared and despised Communism. As a collectivist system that forces individuals to sacrifice their own interests for the good of the state, Communism threatened the personal and intellectual freedoms Rand considered essential.

Christians would agree that "forced sacrifice" is a negation of grace in both positive and negative terms. Just as grace demanded abrogates the concept it embodies, forced sacrifice removes the freedom of response demanded by love. For Rand, and John Galt, the work of a person's consciousness is to perceive reality in its objective sense, to identify and recognize it as what it is, not to invent an alternate reality. The Scriptural view of reality is objective- and it posits that fallen man can not perceive reality in its whole, as he is mired in finite subjectivity. He cannot truly know reality, or his own motivations without a supernatural superintending of that reckoning of reality.

Atlas Shrugged attempts to extrapolate a potential logicus terminus for the world if economic freedom were lost, if emerging collectivist trends were to continue to their logical conclusions. The novel shows the results of a society where the consumers who produce nothing outstrip the producers and the results of the demise of efficient production. The producers in effect bail out in the end, refusing to participate in the chaos. At the end of the day, one might agree with the current application of her ideas in the present milieu, but we must finally come to the realization that Rand portrays the world in a contrast of consumer/producer that denies the paradoxical reality that self-sacrifice results in blessing in God’s economy. The pursuit of excellence involves short term sacrifice for long term gain, and the greatest excellence is revealed Truth of the nature of God and His relationship to the nature of man.

Hebrews alludes to this paradox in Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Again in Philippians 2:8-11 we are told that “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

By way of contrast- think on the ramifications of this quote: "I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." Part Three, Chapter IX.

Christ despised the shame for the sake of the glory set before Him. It was purposeful self-sacrifice dedicated to the ultimate glorification of God, the greatest value in reality. This is realized in the foolishness of the cross that confounds the wisdom of man (1 Cor 1:18-25). It is for Gods sake that he lives. Man benefits from this love but it is the love of the Glory of the God who IS Love that sources the light of the world. In leaving the God who created man in the imago Dei out of the equation, Rand’s Objectivism is doomed, as it can never find the proper perspective or basis in an ultimate against which to define rational thought.

And this quote:

“John Galt is Prometheus who changed his mind. After centuries of being torn by vultures in payment for having brought to men the fire of the gods, he broke his chains—and he withdrew his fire—until the day when men withdraw their vultures.” Part Two, Chapter V.

Galt represents man’s mastery over nature and the principle of capitalistic economic advancement for the sake of man’s advancement. Thus it perverts two principles: First that all authority and stewardshjip of creation is delegated by the Creator, not man, and second, the principle that sacrifice is like a crop of seed that gives supernatural yield to those who labor diligently in this world. The principles of evil and injustice are out to abrogate this arrangement and the result is hubris, economic plight, and material and spiritual suffering. It is not only political collectivism that is the danger- it is the basic human fallenness that pervades power and dominion in society.

Under Rand's way of thought, people have no obligations to each other beyond the obligation to respect the freedom and rights of other self-interested people. This eiminates any concern for righting the ravages of a fallen world and denied the interconnectedness of the human species, and denied the propensity and clear witness of the nature of man to trample human rights and subjugate the weak. Prometheus unrestrained will become a vulture himself.

Jesus is still being persecuted today but by the power of the resurrection he has become the resurrection and the life who will never leave or forsake his own. He alone has the power to turn that which men mean for evil into that which avails for our good. He comes in judgment after a long patient wait for many to come to know him, to vindicate the faithful and to punish the wicked. It is only by the power of the cross that the vulture becomes the sparrow who rides the eagle’s wings.

Me So Holy-Not

Apple is paying a bit more attention to what apps it OK's these days...but I think they missed the boat that has departed....

Remembering Our St. Francis

Twenty-five years after the philosopher-evangelist's death, Os Guinness recalls a great man's influence.

Take a look at the comments on the site as well, they are instructive. FYI, I agree with Os.

Sparrow

Sparrow

Once I was a wanderer on the wistful, wailing wind.
The wind still blows but I know the song it sings
Now I go with knowledge of the places it can send
I am but a sparrow but I ride on eagles’ wings.

This sparrow it has found its house, a nest that never falters
In a tree that knows no bending, here I sing
Where this sparrow surely lays its young, here upon your altars,
O LORD of hosts, my God and righteous King

I watch alone as upon the house top I now stand.
I cannot buy nor spend, I do not sow or reap the land,
Nor gather into barns from which to make my offerings
Fed by the Fathers all sufficient hand
I am but a sparrow but I ride on eagles’ wings.

A grateful soul set flying- as out of the fowlers snare:
The trap is broken, and we are set free
We are escaped to fly our flight above where eagles dare
To take our rest in heaven’s most blessed tree.

And in the living and the moving
My true Being God is proving.
In the feeding on the surety of the feast trusting brings
I am safe, secure, and resting on this rock that I am loving
This sparrow waiting on the Lord mounts up on eagles’ wings.

Anthony
May 14, 2009
Matthew 6
Psalm 84:3
Psalm 124:7
Isaiah 40

Mark Eckel Writes like I Think

And somehow His intentionality in making Jesus the center of all things/thinks quenches the thirsty soul in the process. You can belly up to the bar at Warp and Woof...

Your assignment for the week: Listen to Good Music

Check out Andrew Case on Jango. I love his clear melodious voice and his soundly theocentric words...

Eat this...

I must say I am thoroughly enjoying my acquisition of TWO of Zinczenko and Goulding's Eat This Not That books.They are entertaining as well as eye opening, just the thing I needed to jumpstart my serious move on losing some serious weight- most of which has piled on in the last five years...I have the Supermarket Survival Guide and the Food Swaps volumes, as well as the Jillian Michaels book I saw last week on Huckabee's show.

A good old song...

From a very underrated album, in my humble opinion...

Property of Jesus

Bob Dylan 1981

Go ahead and talk about him because he makes you doubt
Because he has denied himself the things that you can't live without
Laugh at him behind his back just like the others do
Remind him of what he used to be when he comes walking through. He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

Stop your conversation when he passes on the street
Hope he falls upon himself, oh, won't that be sweet
Because he can't be exploited by superstition anymore
Because he can't be bribed or bought by the things that you adore.

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

When the whip that's keeping you in line doesn't make him jump
Say he's hard-of-hearing, say that he's a chump
Say he's out of step with reality as you try to test his nerve
Because he doesn't pay tribute to the king that you serve.

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

Say that he's a looser 'cause he got no common sense
Because he don't increase his worth at someone else's expense
Because he's not afraid of trying, say he's got no style
'Cause he doesn't tell you jokes or fairy tales, say things that make you smile.

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.
You can laugh at salvation, you can play Olympic games
You think that when you rest at last you'll go back from where you came
But you're picked up quite a story and you've changed since the womb
What happened to the real you, you've been captured but by whom ?

He's the property of Jesus
Resent him to the bone
You got something better
You've got a heart of stone.

News Links: Educational Technology and Distance Learning

New Resources Available-

• Rare written works go online-

• MIT makes research available on the web-

• YouTube EDU- YouTube EDU is the new Educational version of YouTube which features videos from various College and University partners on YouTube-

• Common Cartridge news

• Virtual Operating Room in Second Life- Educause-

• Twitter (Micro Blogging) As a Learning Tool. Really. From ASTD-

• Pico Projectors- will these change education- I expect so.-

• The Semantic Web and E-learning

• How to Teach Yourself About Social Media When J-Schools Fail- from Mediashift (PBS)

• ID’s-Instructional Designers- as IA’s- Information Architects-

• Universities “irrelevant” by 2010?

This week with wherewithal

Monday-Wednesday: Completed a curriculum design for a Physician Assistant program which was one of the more complex programs I have encountered.Had a tree removed that we tried to save after the ice storm.
Thursday completed a Pre- PA curriculum and sent if off to have books mapped.
Friday- almost completed a Clinical Lab Tech curriculum for an AS degree sans competencies mapped-will get to that asap.
Tomorrow- attending a seminar on alternatives for disciplining special needs kids.
Sunday- Teaching in Hebrews 2:1-4 in the Expositors class.

Reality and reality

My wife asked me to take a listen to the Susan Boyle videos on YouTube this weekend. My initial gut reaction was joy at a bit of reality breaking through inside the context of some of the most pretentious cultural fare television has to offer. The blogs variously take for granted she has never been kissed, that she is Shrek-like (Rosie O’Donnell quote), and that this is her fifteen minutes of fame.

Susan Boyle has a God given gift to go through life with. I hope she is able to share it in a way that does not take away from it. The very appearance on the show and the desire to please such a crass, jeering, sarcastic audience makes me wonder. There is already talk of makeovers and contracts. I can only hope the marketing machinations will not mitigate the beauty of the gift.

It is my belief, and my experience, that most of the most beautiful displays of God given talent emanate from hidden sources, away from the limelight, in place such as country churches and family gatherings, in impromptu jam sessions and coffee houses for a limited and intimate audience to savor. Turning the spotlights on tends to distort the effect of beauty and simplicity.

Most of the blogs I've read are focusing on her outward appearance- they cannot seem to help themselves- to me she looked like a normal human being, like many (most) of the people I know. The very idea that such a person has anything to offer seemed to blow away the crowd and judges, which says far more about them than it does about Ms. Boyle. I hope she is able to have the peace to be able to continue to visit her church’s shut-ins, something far more important in the eyes of the Lord than all the media blitz. Perhaps she will be able to become a role model based on the beauty of her voice and the compelling soul she bared. I also liked her response to Simon Cowell's contention that she was a "tiger," dismissing the idea out of hand.

Talent is a curious thing. Most of what passes for talent in today’s world is a corruption. I look at the talent present in the early vaudevillians, and early movie performers - they seemed to have true talent based on the hard, hard work they put into perfecting their acts. Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell in Broadway Melody of 1940 springs to mind. Or an early Pavarotti concert captured for the ages. No fancy editing, no cutting room editor’s enhancement, no special effects. Just pure, raw talent perfected by hard work into a diamond.

Wotta Lotta week

*Monday- Finished the information Technology program Core then worked on Prospectus after work.

*Tuesday- Began BA/BS Business with a Healthcare focus curriculum design and after work worked on Prospectus continued until 5:30 AM

*Wednesday- Got up at 8AM Drove the Prospectus, Research Profile, and Ethics Committee forms to Southern. Done! Came home and finished the Business Curriculum and sent it off. Went to Highview and filled out cards for ABF event.

*Thursday- Curriculum Design- Medical Assisting with a Certified Nursing Assistant Certification Designed and sent off. Met with Missy for home study. Watched a really bad Fred Astaire movie we had never seen- Second Chorus...

*Friday- GED curriculum designed and sent off. Checked MERLOT again and their server is down YET AGAIN. They say "sorry for the inconvenience"- I have a collection of those now I should try to sell on ebay. But who would buy that?

My mind...where di di ditit go? Ready for a weekend as I have already written-a week ahead- the Expositors class lesson for this week at Highview.

Last week-

*Defended prospectus Thursday successfully- but I don't get an extension on time must finish the revisions over Easter weekend.

*Good Friday- Was supposed to be off, but worked on a Information Technology core curriculum Design instead.

*Saturday- Prepared ABF lesson and then worked on Prospectus rest of day into the night.

*Resurrection Sunday- He is Risen! He is risen indeed- but I barely am.

I taught on the exaltation of the stone that was rejected and the link between 1 Cor 15:24 ff and Hebrews 1:13-----Psalm 110:1. We had dinner at Moms with the family but I wasn't much company. Came home and napped.

New Tools for EdTech

• The Chronicle- How to create MicroLectures- and a bit of controversy- HERE

• Campus Technology- Abilene Christian University and Embanet have developed a new ePortfolio system for use with ACU's Moodle learning management system. HERE

• StudyBlue.com- takes social networking to create a space to trade and compare class notes, form study groups and utilize fellow students as resources for academic success. HERE

• Blackboard has released a new LMS tool for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch- THE Journal- HERE

Innovation

From FutureThinking:

It's been an exciting few weeks for some of the world's most famous innovators. Apple unveiled the latest iPhone/iPod Touch operating system (who knew software could be so exciting?) and unveiled its third-generation iPod shuffle. Amazon released the Kindle2, a welcomed follow-up to its popular eReader. Facebook updated its homescreen layout. Google released a new 'Undo Send' feature to GMail. The list goes on—you get the idea.

The point is that things are still happening—despite all the negativity out there, smart companies are still plugging forward and improving their offerings.

The Strangest Week in Memory

We watched the stream of Pastor Fred's memorial service yesterday as it was happening. I have watched video of similar broadcasts, but this one was different in that we were able to identify with what our friends were experiencing as it was happening.

I was really proud of the way Cindy glorified God in her eulogy. She did much good in her affirmation of the body there and in here modeling of self control and grace. Joy in the death of a loved one is such a bittersweet paradox, yet she displayed it to a watching world powerfully and peacefully.

We continue to pray for our friends at FBCM- for as the pastor who is speaking this weekend alluded, hard times are still ahead. the memory of what happened last sunday will linger on and it will be a challenge to some more than others to focus on the priority of worship. God's grace is sufficient in even this.

Link to FBCM Slideshow

Here's one from KMOV
VIDEO
KSDK

God Stories

I wrote this for the Spring Production at First Baptist Maryville back in 2001. I was reminded of the theme by the stories on the FBCM site. May we all be as faithful and bold a witness to our communities and places we are called to serve as Fred was to his calling!

God Stories

Our Life is a story God writes day by day-(Phil 1:6)
A journal of joy and a drama display'd (Jer. 27-28, Luke 22:17-19)
He creates a canvas and on it He paints (Prov 7:3)
A perplexing picture of sinners made saints (1 Cor. 1:28, Romans 5-6)

We are living letters that tell of God's grace (2 Cor 3:2-3)
He speaks in and out and through all of our days (Col 3:16, Acts 17:28)
He molds us and makes us a true masterpiece (Job10:9, Phil 2:12))
A masterwork made for His glory's increase. (Eph 2:10)

The story's no fable, just let it unfold (1 Tim 4:7)
For a story's no story unless it is told (Psalm 26:7)
For ears long to hear, eyes are longing to see (Romans 10:14)
The mystery revealed in you and in me (Col. 1:26-27)

A song made of melodies born in the night (Job 35:10, Zephaniah 3:17)
A poem made of rhymes only Jesus can write (Eph 2:10 -poiema)
Words engraved on hearts purified and made new (Jer. 31:33, 2 Cor 3:3b)
The story ne'er ends and the story is true. (Ro 5:21)

Transformed by His anvil (Jer. 23:29, Ro. 9:20) and shaped on His wheel(Is. 64:8)
A tapestry woven His tale to reveal (Mark 15:38 et. al.)
Expressions constructed for Christ to indwell (Col 3:16, 2 Cor 6:16)
A story that only a Savior can tell. (Jeremiah 29:11)

So now let the storytelling never cease (Psalm 145:2)
We must not be silent- must not keep our peace (2 Kings 7:9 KJV)
For ears long to hear, eyes are longing to see (Ro 10:14)
The mystery revealed in you and in me (Col 4:3, Col 1:27)

Anthony Foster January 18, 2001

Also see 1 Peter 4:10, Proverbs 25:11, Acts 18:9)