New Year's Day Sermon at The Family Church

For the New Year's Day sermon at The Family Church here in Gainesville, Pastor Aaron Read spoke about the "Hope of Glory", based on the following passage from Colossians 1:27 in the New Testament (presented in the New International Version, courtesy of Bible Gateway):

²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

As Pastor Aaron explained, the glory here is that of God, as experienced by Moses of the Old Testament, and in the New Testament by three of Jesus's disciples during the Transfiguration as well as with Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  He also stressed that Jesus came to reveal God's glory to his creation...Jesus is God's glory in human form.  Well, that's the glory part...how about hope?

Pastor Aaron talked about a young man who recently committed suicide due to a "loss of hope"...and here he made a distinction between what the world commonly means by "hope" and how it is presented Biblically.  In the world, as Aaron continued, hope is often expressed as a feeling, wishful thinking, or blind faith...and is based on people, career, politics, sports, appearance...you name it.  But according to the Bible, the true hope that will provide a firm foundation in one's life is that based on Jesus...this hope is living, strengthening, not disappointing, is an anchor in times of difficulty, and purifying...

I always enjoy hearing Pastor Aaron giving Sunday morning messages...he brings to them a down-to-earth approach that I can identify with.  As for the word "hope", I don't see anything wrong with using it, either in the worldly or Biblical sense.  For we all hope things turn out well in each of our own lives and for those we love, and on many different fronts.  It is instead the use of the expressions "hopeless", "no hope", "loss of hope", or "without hope" that really needs correction...with the living hope as an anchor, they will never need to be used...

You can view this message by clicking on the following link that leads to The Family Church Videos YouTube website: [link]...

A Belated Congratulations to Gators 2016 Football Team

A belated congratulations are in order to the University of Florida football team as they won their Outback Bowl game this past Monday against Iowa, 30-3.  The Gators' defense was crushing, in spite of the fact that they were missing six starters for the game...isn't it interesting how defense has been the hallmark of Florida the past few years, no matter how hard they try to open up the offense?  Well, as second-year head coach Jim McElwain has stated, with a good defense you're usually either ahead at the end of the game or in a position to pull out a victory.  They finished 9-4 this 2016 season and won their Southeastern Conference East Division for the second straight year.  Unfortunately, this is the third straight season that their established starting quarterback has gone down...either through abject incompetence, testing positive for banned substances, or injury...and the backup as been forced to come in and try to salvage what's left of the season.  Florida's offensive line seemed greatly improved this year...that's a good sign, for if you want to create long-term success with a team, it's important to build it up from the inside out.  Just look at Alabama with its imposing lines, both on offense and defense, over the past several years...and McElwain was a protégé of the Tide's head coach Nick Saban...

The Gators showed a lot of character and finished the season strong at the Outback Bowl.  This should help with their recruiting...McElwain's recruits since he came on board will start to fill out the starting rosters beginning next year.  Then we'll begin to truly see how his coaching and recruiting philosophy translates onto the field...

Follow-Up on Yesterday's Senate Article

Yesterday I wrote that the swearing-in ceremony for those elected to the United States Senate would take place starting at noon today and that it would be televised on C-Span2...that was all correct.  However, the installment of these 34 senators on the Senate floor, presided by Vice-President Joe Biden in his Constitutionally-mandated role as Senate President, went in groups of four, each senator accompanied by his or her "other" own state's senator and/or others in the Senate, presently serving or retired.  I had recalled seeing sworn-in senators in the past, accompanied by family and close friends, being photographed in a different ceremony...maybe this will also be shown later on one of the C-Span channels, but today immediately following the swearing-in, the Senate began in earnest, starting with speeches by returning Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY) and incoming Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D, NY).  After they finished, it was "morning business" with the two parties alternating between speakers like John Cornyn (R, TX), Dick Durbin (D, IL), and Jerry Moran (R, KS).  Eventually I had to turn off the TV and get ready for work...

Speaking of television and politics, last night I watched some of MSNBC's Rachel Maddow show.  Her main feature story was about the many conflicts of interest that President-Elect Donald Trump has, exemplified by his close business relationship with Indonesia's Speaker of Parliament...who in 2015 was tried on charges that he demanded four billion dollars from a U.S.-based copper mining company in order to secure their mining projects in that nation.  The chief stockholder in the company is now Trump's close advisor on many of his appointments.  And that Indonesian politician, acquitted on a technicality, is now back as their parliament's speaker...and oh, by the way, has assured Trump that the construction in Indonesia of his new golf course and resort is going ahead full steam...

That's what Rachel Maddow was headlining yesterday, from the viewpoint of the political left.  On the political right, I haven't heard from radio talk show host Mark Levin lately as he has been on vacation.  He should be back on the air tonight, though, and it will be interesting to hear his take on things...

US Senate Swearing-In Ceremony Tomorrow

Ever since 2001, I have enjoyed watching the floor proceedings of the United States Senate on C-Span2 (Gainesville Cox Cable channel 81).  It has always been illuminating to observe how the senators from each party present their views, either as proponents or opponents of scheduled bills or nominations, or during the "morning business" of the Senate session that allows speakers to talk about topics of interest to them.  One of the earliest senators whom I've enjoyed watching, from back then until now, has been Alabama's Jeff Sessions, a staunch conservative with a flair for soft-spoken, persuasive argumentation.  He is now President-Elect Trump's pick for attorney general, and his Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing is scheduled on January 10-11.  This is the same committee that Senator Sessions himself has been a part of for many years, having participated in Supreme Court confirmation hearings for the nominees of both Presidents Bush and Obama.  I'm looking forward to watching at least some of Sessions' hearing, for the Democratic leaders in the Senate have already indicated that they are determined to slow down Trump's cabinet from being quickly confirmed...but at the same time they have a good deal of respect for Senator Sessions as a colleague and friend with whom they've worked extensively in the past.  I don't always agree with his conservative views, but I think he will perform his job well and with integrity.  And I'm looking forward to seeing how he stands up to the grilling...

But while I'm waiting for the confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions and other Trump cabinet choices, tomorrow I can watch, on that C-Span2 channel, the swearing-in ceremony for the one-third of the Senate body that just got elected last November, either for the first time or reelected as incumbents.  Each senator is sworn in one-by-one, and they usually have their families with them as well as often having a more senior politician from their state to accompany them.  I love the atmosphere of politeness and good feeling that permeates this ceremony...quite the opposite of the unusually acrimonious kind of politics we've had to undergo of late.  The ceremony, according to my TV schedule, is set to last from noon to 4 pm...so I'll just watch a little of it, having to report to work in mid-afternoon. The Senate will then convene its first session for the new 115th Congress after all have been sworn in.  The new Senate alignment will be 52-48 in favor of the Republicans, who lost only two seats in the last election.  As for the U.S. House of Representatives, also scheduled for swearing-in tomorrow, the Democrats are still clearly in the minority, having gained only six seats to now trail the Republicans 241-194...

Just Finished Reading The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham was a noted English author famous in the early part of the twentieth century.  I already read one of his works, the 1908 short novel The Magician (here is a link to my April 2016 review of it [link]).  In 1944 he came out with The Razor's Edge, which turned out to be perhaps his most remembered work.  I just finished reading it and naturally have a few reactions to share with you...

The Razor's Edge spans the historical period from the end of World War I to the start of World War II, as well as the Atlantic Ocean between its American and British characters.  It is told in the first-person narrative by a nameless English writer who keeps in contact with the others and describes their progress with their respective lives over the years.  His main focus is on a young American named Larry Darrell who as an aviator fighter during World War I leaves the conflict changed and challenged as to what is truly important in life...and afterwards decides to walk the seldom-trodden path of a seeker.  He resists all of the social pressures around him to conform to his own society's norms, which involve seeking employment and acceptance into society, instead opting for a life of "loafing" off his stable and generous government pension and reading and traveling abroad in search of life's meaning.  In stark contrast, his fiancé Isabel, his best friend Gray (who happens to be in love with Isabel), and her uncle are all bent in each of their own ways on achieving worldly wealth and status...and naturally stand in opposition to Larry's outlook and plans.  As for himself, the narrator accepts Larry on his own terms and, by so doing, is accepted into the latter's confidence, providing a window into both his travels and his developing philosophical and religious beliefs, many of which ultimately derive from his sojourns through India.  Because of this, some have come to believe that The Razor's Edge went a long way toward the popularization of Eastern religious thought in the United States and the West in general, especially during the 1960s and later.  I will say that many of Larry's notions that he picked up while studying under Indian gurus today sound relatively commonplace, but I imagine that they would have been considered revolutionary and iconoclastic back in the 1940s when this novel first hit the bookstands...

The Razor's Edge is not a mystery or thriller, but rather a study of characters and the way people either compliantly accept what the society they live in tells them is important or instead challenge the status quo and seek their own answers...and perhaps more importantly, their own questions.  It is a very thoughtful novel that anyone interested in philosophy or feeling out of place in their own community and society would benefit by reading.  Am I a seeker?  Not to the extent that Larry is in this story, but compared to the vast majority of people I see around me who either are disinterested in life's meaning or simply allow themselves to be spoon-fed the questions and answers by others, I also share his general outlook if not all of his specific conclusions.  Only, unlike Larry, I don't believe that achieving enlightenment entails shedding my past and the social context I now live in, but rather through them come to a higher level of awareness and understanding.  Why don't you read The Razor's Edge and see what you think?

My December 2016 Running Report

Well, another year has come and gone and I'm still out there hittin' the roads and piling up the mileage...I ran for a total of 113 miles in December.  My longest single run was for 6.7 miles and I ran on 29 of the 31 days.  I didn't take part in any races this month...none were in Gainesville, anyway, and the closest ones would have had me driving a bit just to get to them.  I'm seeing, though, that I may be doing just this on January 15 when Ocala holds its annual marathon/half-marathon...I've run in both events there over the years (marathon in 2011 and half-marathon in 2013).  If I do enter it, of course I'll be going for the shorter distance.  And on January 28, Gainesville has its 15K (9.3 miles) Newnan's Lake race that I've run a couple of times, including earlier this year.

With my current lifestyle and schedule, I wonder whether I shouldn't just concentrate on running in 10K and 15K races instead of half-marathons, of which I managed to go through all of 2016 without running any.  Even if I do downsize my distances, though, I'd still like to get in one more half-marathon in the coming two months...

Quote of the Week...from Vincent van Gogh

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
                                                                          ----Vincent van Gogh.

Not that anyone was paying any attention to the now-celebrated Post-Impressionist painter from the Netherlands in the late nineteenth century when he made this statement...van Gogh received no recognition during his lifetime for his artistic accomplishments and committed suicide certain of his own personal failure...not necessarily someone you'd want to take a quote from and live by.  But the above declaration is so obviously true and significant that I couldn't help but include it on my weekly tour through Quotationland...

In 1978, public television showed a series titled Connections in which James Burke explored how technology and innovation worked over history.  Besides delving into people's sometimes quirky motivations for invention, he stressed the concept that new machines and processes depended intimately on earlier-developed, component machines and processes...the automobile, a complex composite machine, is a prime example.  So the small things, brought together, in turn bring about a great thing...

Our educational system, when done right (and I have little personal memory of that having happened for me), will teach in small portions the rudiments of a field to the student, who as he or she develops competency in the area can employ those elementary steps and apply them in more complex and effective ways.  When someone starts out at a new job...even with an advanced degree in the area of concern...the new employer will almost always gradually introduce them to their new situation, emphasizing immediate effectiveness with small things while training them to combine what they have learned into what is hoped will eventually be an advancement of the organization's mission and profits...

Do you want to become a great writer, runner, chess player, widget maker...or even painter?  First you start by doing...you write, run, play chess, make a widget (or part of one), paint, etc.  Then you introduce new improvements to your regimen that advance your skills and progress...imitating others who have enjoyed success is a good idea. If you're not being taught by someone else, than you may need to do your own research into the area you want to become great in.  Adding a decent dose of humility to your personality is a good idea as well, for if you believe you already know everything, you're not likely to be open to learning to bring together those small things to achieve greatness...

My Top Ten Favorite Songs of 2016

For me, music in 2016 was marked by the sad passing of David Bowie in January immediately following the release of his final album Blackstar, and my subsequent exploration into his catalog of works spanning nearly half a century.  Later on in the year Radiohead and Regina Spektor, two of my traditionally favorite acts, released their own new albums as well: A Moon Shaped Pool and Remember Us to Life, respectively...both very worthwhile experiences, containing a treasure of good listening.  Just a few weeks ago I discovered another artist, PJ Harvey, who also released an album this year, The Hope Six Demolition Project, to add to her previous eight...I'm starting to look into those other albums as well. If you ask me what my favorite song of the bunch is this very minute on December 29th, it's that #2 song of hers listed below, a real rocker.  Regina contributes two beautiful ballads to the list, Bowie's Looking for Satellites is the only techno/hard-rock/spaced-out waltz in existence to my knowledge, and his Blackstar is...well, it is what it is, I can say no more.  So this list is dominated by these four excellent acts, with only one entry (#9) being a song I picked up off the radio.  Knowing myself as I do, I'll likely hear some more 2016 songs on the radio in 2017 and assign them to that year...I've done this in the past.  Well, without further ado, here's my top ten list of personal favorite songs of 2016:

1 BLACKSTAR            David Bowie [Blackstar]
2 THE WHEEL             PJ Harvey [The Hope Six Demolition Project]
3 THE LIGHT               Regina Spektor [Remember Us to Life]
4 LOOKING FOR SATELLITES   David Bowie [Earthling, from 1997]
5 THE VISIT                 Regina Spektor [Remember Us to Life]
6 BURN THE WITCH  Radiohead [A Moon Shaped Pool]
7 TIS' A PITY...            David Bowie [Blackstar]
8 THE ORANGE MONKEY   PJ Harvey [The Hope Six Demolition Project]
9 TAKE IT ALL BACK    Judah and the Lion [singles release, album unknown]
10 DAYS                      David Bowie [Reality, from 2003]

Honorable Mention:
From David Bowie: Aladdin Sane, Queen Bitch, Oh You Pretty Things, The Last Thing You Should Do, 5:15 Angels Have Gone
From PJ Harvey: Good Fortune, At the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln
From Radiohead: Decks Dark, Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief
From Regina Spektor: Small Bill$, Tornadoland, Obsolete

2016 was a good year for music...maybe I'll listen more to the radio in 2017...

Just Finished Reading The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Wilkie Collins was a middle-to-late nineteenth century English novelist and a contemporary of Charles Dickens, often collaborating with him.  I discovered him through the historical novel Drood by Dan Simmons, which speculated about the friendly rivalry between the two, among other darker matters.  Intrigued by this story, I decided to read something of Collins for myself and chose The Woman in White, described as one of the first in the mystery genre of novels...

The Woman in White has multiple prefaces to it, and in them the author introduces two important features of the story: one, there is a great attention to the law and how it applies to transfer of property and money between individuals according to marriage and inheritance.  Two, this story is told by multiple narrators who are a part of the story and relate the pertinent events as they experienced them.  This device was new in literature when Collins employed it back in 1859, but I've since read a few novels featuring several first-person narrators.  The setting is primarily England where Walter, a young drawing instructor, is offered a job to teach his craft to an orphaned young woman in Cumberland living at her uncle's estate.  But one night before he leaves for his new position there, he encounters on the street a mysterious woman, all dressed in white, who is desperately fleeing her pursuers.  As a good Samaritan, he helps her to escape and files it all away in his mind as a curious incident, but one without any further relevance to his life.  But we readers already know the story's title, and Walter's encounter with this ghostly, enigmatic figure will come back to haunt him time and time again...

Beyond what I've just described, I had better refrain from going further with the plot in order to avoid spoiling it all in case you might want to read it for yourself.  I will say this: The Woman in White is rooted in its own time...there is deception involved here that we in our own 21st century could have easily cleared up with scientifically more advanced tools.  The heroes are virtuous and the villains either diabolically sly or crude and blustering.  I enjoyed the characters in this story...especially those of the comically obnoxious "uncle" Frederick Farlie, the courageous and compassionate Marian Halcombe, and the voluminous Italian Count Fosco, whose manner and described appearance reminded me of Sydney Greenstreet's sinister Mr. Gutman "Fat Man" character in the 1941 Humphrey Bogart movie The Maltese Falcon.  I enjoyed this book and plan to look into other works of Wilkie Collins...

Our One-Day Visit to Epcot Center Yesterday

Yesterday my wife Melissa, my son Will, and I drove down to Epcot Center at Walt Disney World to spend the day...and close out the park for the night.  When we arrived around noon, the already overcast sky darkened even more and it began to rain.  The park was packed with visitors, and the lines for the attractions we planned on riding were very long...they do have a system to "avoid" lines by making advance appointments for rides, but most rides were already booked that way before we arrived.  We did manage to go on the three we wanted the most: Spaceship Earth, Test Track, and Soarin'...and had lunch at The Electric Umbrella near the "giant golf ball" and dinner in the "countries" section, at the Tutto Italia Ristorante.  There I ordered Involtini Di Melanzane Alla Parmigiana, composed of eggplant, ricotta, mushroom, parmesan, and tomato sauce...ever since I cooked at a Gainesville Chinese restaurant in the 1980s, I've had a thing for eggplant.  This dish was really g-o-o-d!  

As is the case with a lot of visitors, our stay at Epcot was divided into two parts: Future World in the front, northern part by the parking lots, dominated by Spaceship Earth (the "golf ball") and World Showcase, a semicircular trail of national pavilions, restaurants, and gift shops.  It was a bit stressful going through the human congestion in Future World with the long lines for our rides and the difficulty just going down the sidewalk trying to avoid head-on collisions, but once we crossed over into World Showcase, I felt more at ease in spite of the still-maddening crowds.  After dinner, we visited the various nations and enjoyed a spectacular fireworks show at the very end, all-in-all a good visit, and with Melissa and Will the company couldn't have been better...

Melissa noticed that the Spaceship Earth ride, which provides a visual history of humankind's advancement in technology, seemed to taper off after the 1960s and 70s and then jumped ahead into speculation about the future, appearing to essentially ignore the digital revolution that has drastically transformed our lives during the last few decades.  I agree with her assessment and wonder whether the good folks at Disney aren't slipping a little.  But we all agreed that Test Track and Soarin', once we finally got through the excruciating lines and fastened our seat belts, were great experiences.  Overall, though, my preference for the park was in the World Showcase section, where we could browse around and buy food and drink without the suffocating lines.  By the way, the international composition of the visitors was staggering in its degree, with Chinese appearing to be the dominant nationality...

Miami Dolphins Clinch Elusive Playoff Spot

I have mixed feelings about Kansas City's 33-10 win over Denver, completed just a few minutes ago Sunday night as I write this.  After all, the defending National Football League Super Bowl Champion Broncos ended the undefeated run last year of my Miami Dolphins' nemesis New England, as well as knocking them out of the playoffs...meriting my gratitude and support.  I've never forgotten what the New York Giants did to the Patriots in the Super Bowls after the 2007 and 2011 seasons, and am very glad they made the playoffs this year.  But Denver's loss to the Chiefs has guaranteed the Dolphins a playoff spot this year, for the first time since 2008, and I have to defer to my old hometown team.  Yippee!!! Better luck next time, Denver...I wonder if you're gonna pick up Tony Romo for next year...

Miami will close out the regular season at home next Sunday against New England, which has already clinched the East Division in the American Conference.  Oakland, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Houston have also qualified, although the seeding for the playoffs has yet to be finalized...the Raiders could potentially be the number one seed with a bye in the playoffs or just be a wild card team like Miami and have to play an extra week with only road games to look forward to.  But who cares...the Dolphins are IN!!!

12/24 Sermon: Christmas at Family, Part 4

Because Christmas Day is falling this year on a Sunday, The Family Church here in Gainesville decided to move its usual services to Saturday afternoon. Yesterday's message, given by our pastor Philip Griffin, is the fourth installment of a series about the nature of Jesus as we approach the celebration of his birth.  The Biblical passage of focus was Matthew 2:1-12, 16 and appears below in the New International Version, made available online via Bible Gateway:

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

As Pastor Philip pointed out, although this passage refers to whom we traditionally call the "three kings of the Orient", and admittedly they were from the East...most likely Persia...they were neither necessarily three in number nor were they identified as kings, but rather as sages concerned with the interpretation of the stars and planets (astrology).  So they would definitely be intimately concerned with a strange star in the sky and endeavor to follow it.  And in setting out on their voyage, they sought out the newly born king to worship him and to bestow upon him their treasures.  In this they served as a model for believers: to seek out Jesus in our lives, worship him, and honor him with the treasures of our lives.  And as I see it, those treasures are the expression of the spiritual gifts he has endowed us with...

Yesterday's service had a sweet spirit to it throughout, and I enjoyed the beautiful Christmas carols.  If you want to see Pastor Philip's message, it is available through the following link to YouTube: [link].  Usually I tend to wait until Thursday to write about the weekly sermon at my church, but I made an exception this time because of Christmas.  I'm looking forward to the new message series beginning in January 2017...

Rachel Maddow and Mark Levin Good Opinion Sources from Left and Right

As the Obama administration winds down and Donald Trump prepares to take over as our president, I find myself wondering how best to filter what's happening in Washington...and what will happen...through our complex media.  We have our cable news channels like the supposedly neutral CNN and the obviously partisan Fox News and MSNBC.  But I've noticed that CNN often will present less of substance than its two more biased competitors...mainly because of its habit of putting on various spin doctors on different issues and setting them off against each other, with the result often being constant interruptions and inane statements from the participants.  I think I would rather hear a biased presentation that gives out more analysis and detail on issues than this "evenhanded", shallow programming.  And let's not even start to go down the road of social media, with just about any conceivable lie or false innuendo considered as fair game for expression, unchecked, on Facebook or Twitter.  Instead I will focus my regular attention, besides watching the U.S. House and Senate proceedings on C-Span and C-Span2, respectively, on two admittedly slanted programs: the very conservative Mark Levin radio show and the very liberal Rachel Maddow hour on MSNBC.  I picked these two because I believe Levin and Maddow each have a strong personal belief system on which they base their political views...and are honest and straightforward about expressing them.  I feel that with these two, neither of whom probably has a very high opinion of the other, I am much more likely to see deeply into the issues of the day without the demagoguery I have come to expect from other shows.  So don't be surprised to read me paraphrasing these two ideologically very different...but very intelligent, talented, and effective at communicating...individuals in the future on this blog.  I usually watch Rachel Maddow's program weeknights during its repeat showing from midnight to one.  Mark Levin does his radio show weeknights from six to nine and can be heard in Gainesville on 97.3/WSKY...

Quote of the Week...from Benjamin Franklin

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.  ----Benjamin Franklin

When I read the above quote from one of our country's great founding figures, who also happened to be an important scientist, inventor, and diplomat, I get stuck on the second sentence, "Teach me and I remember".  For to me, teaching and learning pair up precisely together...I think I might have chosen a different set of words to describe what I believe ol' Ben was trying to express here...

Just telling someone something, as is much the case inside a traditional classroom with a teacher up front delivering the lesson to the assembled students, does not ensure that those students will even remember anything, much less learn the lesson.  So that takes care of sentence #1 in the quote.  In order to get the students to remember, the teacher imposes feedback on them, either in the form of homework or by asking questions in class.  So instead of how Mr. Franklin worded it, I would say, "Demand feedback and I remember."  And that goes well beyond formal education...if you want to assure yourself that someone has understood what you have just told them, get them to repeat it back to you.  And now we come to the last part of the quote.  Steven Covey, in the early pages of his blockbuster book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, stated that a surefire way to learn and retain something is to quickly turn around and teach it to someone else.  This comes under the meaning of the term "involve me", which might also be better expressed by saying "get me to apply it".  I would also stress that the more intricately and deeply one can weave the lessons learned into the tapestry of his or her ongoing life, the stronger they will endure.  And finally, to all of this I'd like to add that the goal of learning and education is not, as self-help guru Anthony Robbins once put it, simply cognitive understanding, but rather unconscious competence.  Get to know something so well to the point where it comes so naturally that it seems to have always been a part of you...

12/18 Sermon: Christmas at Family, Part 3

Last Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville, our pastor, Philip Griffin, continued the December series about the nature of Jesus.  The message he gave was "The Mindset of Christ" and is based on Philippians 2:1-13, shown here in the New International Version, thanks to the Bible Gateway website:

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Sometimes within a message many different items are expressed, and it's always a smart idea to bring them all together under a basic statement: Pastor Philip accomplished this by discussing the concept of "stepping down".  He brought up the television series Undercover Boss as an example of an authority figure, in this case a company's CEO or owner, who disguises him or herself as a newly hired worker and discovers how the business in question is run on the ground level...including who's doing a good job and who isn't.  This brought to my mind the 1980 Robert Redford movie Brubaker in which the new warden of a southern prison infiltrates it as an ordinary prisoner in order to see how it's run before he officially steps into his position of authority.  These examples provide analogies to Jesus Christ and his descent, his "stepping down", into a life of submission, service, and sacrifice...as the pastor pointed out.  The opposite of stepping down as Jesus did is what many of us have problems with: pride, selfish ambition, narcissism, and the wish to be exalted by others.  Pastor Philip also gave what he believes are the two reasons for Jesus stepping down to his lowly position in his walk through the world: one, this was the only way to reach us...and two, there is nothing or no one too far gone for him and his love.  Finally, our pastor closed the message out by admonishing us not to see this as a check-list of things to do, but rather recognize that we have to "be" before we can "do"...and that involves the acceptance of Christ as savior...

You can watch Pastor Philip's sermon for yourself by clicking on the following YouTube link: [link].

Just Finished Reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons

My son Will is an avid reader and introduced me to the four-book Hyperion Cantos science fiction series, published from 1989 to 1997 and written by Dan Simmons, whose book Drood I recently read and wrote about.  The first volume is simply titled Hyperion.  Hyperion, also the title of a John Keats poem, is a remote planet and the setting is about a thousand years in the future when many star systems have been settled by humanity after the "Big Mistake" that destroyed Earth in the early twenty-first century (believe me, I'm not giving away the story).  In the midst of an epic conflict between the two dominant human groups, the Hegemony and the Ousters, the leader of the former has sent a delegation of seven "pilgrims" with highly diverse backgrounds to an extraordinary place on Hyperion called The Tombs, where the direction of entropy seems to fluctuate and time reverses itself.  There is a sinister being here called The Shrike that plays significantly into the story as well.   Each of the pilgrims...and it is known early on that one of them (but who?) is an agent supporting the Ousters...has an important reason for being part of the group.  The body of the book concerns itself with each of these relating their own personal tales that led them to this point...

The characterizations and descriptions of the exotic planets in Hyperion are compelling, and Simmons has also introduced some important issues that weigh heavily on us on our still-existing Earth in these times of ours.  It is always a temptation to say too much in these reviews, and I'm afraid I might have already stepped over the line: just read the book...it is wonderful, thought provoking science fiction...

There are two types of book series that I have involved myself with: series that have been finished, and series that are ongoing.  With the former, I already have a feeling of closure even though I may just be starting it.  With the latter, it can be problematic once I've caught up with the author's writing...when will the next book come out...if ever?  For example this A Song of Ice and Fire (aka Game of Thrones) series has at least two more books in it and author George R.R. Martin seems to be in no hurry to even work on the next volume, much less complete it.  But even when installments of an ongoing series are published in a reasonable time span, I find myself having to undergo a significant review of what I've already read before proceeding to the new book when it comes out.  With series already completed, I can just go immediately from one book to the next, all the way to the end.  Since the last book in Hyperion Cantos came out in 1997, I feel I have good reason to be confident that this will be one of the preferred "already finished" series...

Not Too Keen on Christmas Rush

With five days until Christmas, I can really see the traffic around me pick up to a frantic level, with folks rushing about to get in their shopping and mailing before the "deadline".  Ever since late childhood I have never been a big fan of this boisterous, intense, loud, and materialistic holiday season.  I can see how it all can put a lot of pressure on people...it seems to be the antithesis of how the end of a calendar year should be spent.  After all, wouldn't it be better for each of us to instead reflect on what has happened this past year and what we have accomplished, and to consider how to better handle the upcoming one?  Sometimes in order to sort things out in my mind, I like to go to a solitary place that is quiet and not congested with civilization...just the opposite of the emphasis during this time of year on families and friends all coming together, making elaborate plans, and focusing their attention on "stuff".  Well, socializing, planning, and consuming are all good in moderation, but I think that this season over the years has gotten way out of hand.  Instead, for many it is typified by anxiety, worry, and depression.  The idea that we're all supposed to be in the holiday "spirit" and go around hopping and swaying to all the happy Christmas music just ain't my bag...and it never was.  I do think I'm getting a little more adjusted, though...I have yet to blurt out "bah humbug" this time around... 

My Favorite Songs for Each Year Since 1964 As I Lived Through Them

It was in 1964, when I was seven years old going on eight, that I began to consciously follow popular music on the radio...no doubt this is due in great part to the British Invasion spearheaded by the Beatles.  Ever since then, I kept track of my favorite songs from each year, with one of them "winning" the title of my "song of the year".   Now since then my musical tastes have changed, and there are usually several songs from different years that I prefer now to the "number ones".  But keep in mind that these are my favorites from each year as I lived through them.  I wonder if you know them all or if some are favorites of yours as well...

1964 Twist and Shout…..The Beatles
1965 I Can’t Explain…..The Who
1966 Time Won’t Let me…..The Outsiders
1967 All You Need Is Love…..The Beatles
1968 America…..Keith Emerson & The Nice
1969 Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In…..The Fifth Dimension
1970 Little Green Bag…..George Baker Selection
1971 I’ve Seen All Good People…..Yes
1972 Layla…..Derek and the Dominoes
1973 Hummingbird…..Seals and Crofts
1974 Number Nine Dream…..John Lennon
1975 Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding…..Elton John
1976 Livin’ Thing…..Electric Light Orchestra
1977 Song for America…..Kansas
1978 Love is Like Oxygen…..The Sweet
1979 What a Fool Believes…..The Doobie Brothers
1980 Another One Bites the Dust…..Queen
1981 Bette Davis Eyes…..Kim Carnes
1982 Abacab….Genesis
1983 In a Big Country…..Big Country
1984 Leave It…..Yes
1985 Everybody Wants to Rule the World…..Tears For Fears
1986 Live to Tell…..Madonna
1987 Luka…..Suzanne Vega
1988 What Have I Done to Deserve This…..Pet Shop Boys/Dusty Springfield
1989 Handle With Care…..Traveling Wilburys
1990 Blue Sky Mine…..Midnight Oil
1991 When the Levee Breaks (from 1971).….Led Zeppelin
1992 Dazed and Confused (from 1968).….Led Zeppelin
1993 Close to the Edge (from 1973).….Yes
1994 Let Me In…..REM
1995 My Wave…..Soundgarden
1996 Again…..Alice In Chains
1997 Naked Eye…..Luscious Jackson
1998 Fly Away…..Lenny Kravitz
1999 Scar Tissue…..Red Hot Chili Peppers
2000 Lord of the Boards…..Guano Apes
2001 Only Time…..Enya
2002 Here to Stay…..Korn
2003 There There…..Radiohead
2004 Look What You’ve Done…..Jet
2005 Soul Meets Body…..Death Cab For Cutie
2006 Vicarious…..Tool
2007 Starlight…..Muse
2008 Time to Pretend…..MGMT
2009 Casimir Pulaski Day.....Sufjan Stevens
2010 Us....Regina Spektor
2011 To Binge.....Gorillaz
2012 Firewood.....Regina Spektor
2013 Switchblade Smiles.....Kasabian
2014 Something From Nothing.....Foo Fighters
2015 Treat.....Kasabian
2016 Blackstar.....David Bowie

Miami Dolphins Guaranteed First Winning Season in Eight Years

The National Football League's Miami Dolphins have finally broken through and guaranteed their first winning season in eight years as they played at New York last night and dominated the Jets, 34-13.  My old hometown team is now at 9-5 and is in the driver's seat to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 as well.  But first they will need to win at least one of their last two games, which are at Buffalo next Saturday and at home against New England eight days later.  Miami is aiming for one of the American Conference's two wild card slots and is trying to fight off Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Tennessee, and Houston to get there.  It gets a little complicated if Miami and two or more other teams are tied at the end of the regular season, but if it's just "one-on-one", the Dolphins would win tiebreakers against the Broncos and Steelers while they would lose out to the Ravens and Titans...I'm not sure where they stand regarding the Texans.  And it might get a little strange at the end, because Miami fans might find themselves rooting for Baltimore, right now a game behind Pittsburgh, to win its close division race just to keep it out of competition with the Dolphins for that final playoff position...

When starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffered his season-ending knee injury last week, a lot of folks began to write off Miami's prospects...but some like Boomer Esiason derisively predicted they would go nowhere even before Tannehill's unfortunate departure.  Well, the last time Miami made the playoffs, in 2008, no one was giving them any chance either and they won their division that year after going 1-15 the previous one.  2016, playoffs or not, has already been a successful year for the Miami Dolphins as far as I'm concerned, and their first-year head coach Adam Gase should be given much of the credit for getting his players to give their all and not give up...

At Starbucks Writing About Presidential Elector System

While most of the rest of the country is wracked by heavy winter storms and frigid conditions, I am placidly sitting here outside my favorite Gainesville Starbucks on an unseasonably warm (80 degrees) and clear Saturday afternoon.  I never quite know how crowded this coffee shop will be when I arrive...today there is plenty of available seating, as you can see from the picture.  I would have preferred a cooler day, but the air is relatively dry and there is a pleasant light breeze as well. A good environment for me to sit here and ruminate on something about the recent presidential election...

I've lately been hearing some stories about a campaign to get Donald Trump's committed electors to switch their votes from him to a different person before they convene in their respective states to cast their ballots in a couple of days.  Old has-been celebrities like Martin Sheen and Loretta Swit have made calls for electors to vote for anyone but Trump, with the aim in mind to somehow prevent him from garnering the necessary 270 votes to win the presidency.  But as my conservative radio pal Mark Levin...whom I have come to respect over the past couple of years in spite of his often inflammatory rhetoric...has repeatedly pointed out, all this would only send the vote to the House of Representatives.  Then each state's delegation would cast a single vote for president and whoever received a majority of the states would win the election.  But if this does happen, the representatives, as the 12th Amendment to the United States Constitution most explicitly makes clear, have as choices only the top three finishers (in terms of electoral college votes) in the general election.  And we only have two in the 2016 election who received any electoral votes: Trump and Hillary Clinton.  Maybe a handful of votes by rogue electors for another Republican like Romney or Ryan would provide that third "finisher", but don't count on the representatives to turn their backs on the general election results.  So Trump would still be elected, since his party controls most of the U.S. House's state delegations.  Therefore, this campaign to overturn the election results is pointless and reveals an embarrassing ignorance of the Constitution.  Look it up yourself if you don't believe me...

Don't get me wrong, I would have liked to see Hillary Clinton win the election...but she lost.  And winning the overall popular vote has NEVER constituted "winning" the election...the electoral college system is also solidly in our Constitution as established law, and anyone who isn't completely ignorant already knew that going into the campaign.  As Trump said in one of his unusually rational moments, had the election been a matter of winning the total popular vote, he would have campaigned differently to fit the criteria of that scenario.   Donald Trump will be our next president, and as I have written before, I will support him in the collective interests of my country as much of our success will dovetail with his own success in office...but on specific issues with which I differ from our next president, I reserve the right to respectfully stand in opposition to his decisions and express those opinions.  In this regard, although I disagree with him on a number of issues, I am in agreement on this one with Mark Levin, who has never remotely been a "cheerleader" for our incoming president and is often very blunt with his criticism...