"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy."
-ancient Jewish proverb
Monday, March 27, 2006
Friday, March 24, 2006
Meet the Jernigans
http://jernigans.blogspot.com
I wanted to link my blog to the Jernigan's blog, but the one to the right of my postings does not seem to be cooperating for some reason. Hopefully, the link above the pictures will take you there, but if not, their address is jernigans.blogspot.com. I have known Andrew for about 20 years. He, his wife, Juliana, and his kids Lucas (age 4) and Luiza (barely 1) are in Kumasi, Ghana, which is in on the west coast of Africa. Their blog will tell you most of what you need to know, but I'll add a small personal bit here also. They are without a doubt an inspiration to Myndall and myself. They left for Ghana in August of 2005. Lucas was only three, and Luiza was less than five months old. They are fueled by their intense conviction that Jesus is the real deal. They have many miraculous stories to back this up.... which I may allude to in another posting sometime in the not to distant future. They are also fueled by their intense love for people, especially people who are hurting and in need. These two fuels work together to allow them to be used by God in a powerful way. They would be quick to tell you that it is not them that has anything to offer these people, but Jesus at work in them. They would assure you that they are just as prone to complain, become self-centered, and not allow Him to be revealed through them as anyone else, but I think their lives speak for themselves. I do not wish to put them on a pedestal in an unhealthy or unrealistic way, but I also do believe that the Bible teaches that we are to honor those who are the truest servants among us, and we are to follow them, "as they follow Christ." They could use moolah from anyone who is interested, but I know that more than anything, they want your faithful prayers.
Please check out their blog when yous guys get a chance.
Sincerely, DDD
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Professor Sophie speaks about ethanol....
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Did you know.....
Of the nation's 168,987 gas stations, only 608 offer ethanol pumps for flexible-fuel vehicles.
E85-capable flexible-fuel vehicles that run on either gasoline or an ethanol mix have been available since the mid-1990's.
Automakers have already produced about 5 million flexible-fuel vehicles in the United States.
Because there are so few E85 pumps, not many vehicles actually run on the home-grown fuel, mostly made of corn.
One bushel of corn produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol.
Brazil is expected to wean itself from oil imports this year.
Brazil has been burning ethanol made from sugar cane since the first oil crisis of the 1970's.
Of Brazil's 16.5 million vehicles, more than 4.3 million run on ethanol.
About 75% of all vehicles sold there in 2006 will be fuel-flexible vehicles.
Professor Sophie wonders if ethanol is about to swell in popularity within the United States.
*-you can find this and much more information about ethanol in March 17, 2006 article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution section S pages 1 and 2.
Updates and Intro to Blogging for beginners
I am experimenting with a feature that is supposed to let me upload pictures on here. If it does not work, I apologize. Here's some pictures for those of you who haven't already seen them.
Since I have made my first post, I have been surprised at the number of people who are not familiar with blogging in general. Therefore, I am going to go over some basics for beginners. First of all, at the end of each of my new postings, there should be the word comments. If you will position the pointer over this word and left click, you should be taken to a different screen designed to allow you to respond to my meanderings. If you do not have a blog with blogspot, you should click on the option listed other and then you can type in your name after that to let us know who left the comment, or you can just leave it anonymously if you feel more comfortable doing so. After you do either identify youself or choose to remain anonymous, you will be required to type in a series of letters matching the ones typed in a wavy format below the area for your name. There aren't that many rules at my blog site. Please refrain from profanity. I actually encourage lively debates but please be civil and respectful at all times. Some of my posts will actually be geared toward generating discussion about various topics ranging from spiritual, political, cultural, and so on. Other postings are more of a creative outlet for me ranging from funny stuff, topics of interest to me, and personal updates about myself, Myndall, Ella, Sophie, and Jack. I highly value feedback! I can not stress this enough. It doesn't have to be a pat on the back. I want the real deal. Thanks for your interest.
Since I have made my first post, I have been surprised at the number of people who are not familiar with blogging in general. Therefore, I am going to go over some basics for beginners. First of all, at the end of each of my new postings, there should be the word comments. If you will position the pointer over this word and left click, you should be taken to a different screen designed to allow you to respond to my meanderings. If you do not have a blog with blogspot, you should click on the option listed other and then you can type in your name after that to let us know who left the comment, or you can just leave it anonymously if you feel more comfortable doing so. After you do either identify youself or choose to remain anonymous, you will be required to type in a series of letters matching the ones typed in a wavy format below the area for your name. There aren't that many rules at my blog site. Please refrain from profanity. I actually encourage lively debates but please be civil and respectful at all times. Some of my posts will actually be geared toward generating discussion about various topics ranging from spiritual, political, cultural, and so on. Other postings are more of a creative outlet for me ranging from funny stuff, topics of interest to me, and personal updates about myself, Myndall, Ella, Sophie, and Jack. I highly value feedback! I can not stress this enough. It doesn't have to be a pat on the back. I want the real deal. Thanks for your interest.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Defenseless against suffering
Hello everyone and boy do I mean everyone. I suppose the notion of doing this is a little strange to me. This is my first blog, and the thought of posting some of my meandering meditations has my mind filled with visions of everyone in the world gazing down upon me even as I type this. Just back off! Just kidding. I know that is just plain silly. Anyhoo. This post will be dedicated to touching on some of the reasons that I chose this particular name for my first blog. It does sound a bit sad and dark doesn't it. However, this will not be the tone of this blog.
The short version is that the name came from a quote I jotted down, "We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love." Sigmund Freud said it so you know it has to be true (sarcasm alert-for those of you who don't know me). There are so many angles of truth to this statement that it is mind boggling. One of the angles is probably the one Ziggy was going for when he made the statement back in the day. When you open yourself up and become intimate with another person, your intimacy level increases in direct proportion to the level that your defenses decrease. Therefore, if the other person chooses to not consider your heart the treasure that you hope they will, suffering ensues.
Another angle is that when you are younger, single, broke, and bee bopping through life, you do not have a whole lot to lose. However, as you begin to create life long relationships, achieve life long dreams, and you begin to lay your roots, you start to realize that your huge blessings are always fragile because this life is a temporary place, and this causes you to suffer because you now care so deeply about so many people and things.
However, this leads me to a third angle that will be the last one that I address. If you are not familiar with me personally, let me say that I am a believer in Jesus Christ. When I say that I am a believer in Jesus Christ, I primarily am referring to my belief that He is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. I believe He is alive right now in heaven with God the Father, and I am consistently trying to give Him His rightful place as the center of my solar system by revolving around Him (thank the Lord for His gravitational pull!). Anyways, one of the ways I do this is through reading and studying the Bible. The "fellowship of His sufferings" is mentioned many times. I believe this is referring to growing closer in intimacy with Jesus through our suffering. This is not to be confused with some masochistic perversion or sadistic perversion on the part of God. I believe this is referring to suffering with a purpose. Two examples of suffering with a purpose would be: the soldier, who endures hardship and even loss of life because he or she believes that the one or the cause that they fight for is worthy of their sacrifice and the friend, who bears the burden of someone else to keep them from collapsing under the weight of it. Also, the suffering draws us closer to Christ because we touch upon a shared experience of His. Not to say that we even begin to approach the degree of his suffering and sacrifice, but shared experience bonds powerfully.
So, I want to be defenseless against suffering because I want to live a life that is overflowing with love for all those who know me in this life. Besides, I started registering for this and kind of had to come up with something quickly, and this is it so there. :)
Smooches and sunshine,
Dennis
The short version is that the name came from a quote I jotted down, "We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love." Sigmund Freud said it so you know it has to be true (sarcasm alert-for those of you who don't know me). There are so many angles of truth to this statement that it is mind boggling. One of the angles is probably the one Ziggy was going for when he made the statement back in the day. When you open yourself up and become intimate with another person, your intimacy level increases in direct proportion to the level that your defenses decrease. Therefore, if the other person chooses to not consider your heart the treasure that you hope they will, suffering ensues.
Another angle is that when you are younger, single, broke, and bee bopping through life, you do not have a whole lot to lose. However, as you begin to create life long relationships, achieve life long dreams, and you begin to lay your roots, you start to realize that your huge blessings are always fragile because this life is a temporary place, and this causes you to suffer because you now care so deeply about so many people and things.
However, this leads me to a third angle that will be the last one that I address. If you are not familiar with me personally, let me say that I am a believer in Jesus Christ. When I say that I am a believer in Jesus Christ, I primarily am referring to my belief that He is the Savior of the world and the Son of God. I believe He is alive right now in heaven with God the Father, and I am consistently trying to give Him His rightful place as the center of my solar system by revolving around Him (thank the Lord for His gravitational pull!). Anyways, one of the ways I do this is through reading and studying the Bible. The "fellowship of His sufferings" is mentioned many times. I believe this is referring to growing closer in intimacy with Jesus through our suffering. This is not to be confused with some masochistic perversion or sadistic perversion on the part of God. I believe this is referring to suffering with a purpose. Two examples of suffering with a purpose would be: the soldier, who endures hardship and even loss of life because he or she believes that the one or the cause that they fight for is worthy of their sacrifice and the friend, who bears the burden of someone else to keep them from collapsing under the weight of it. Also, the suffering draws us closer to Christ because we touch upon a shared experience of His. Not to say that we even begin to approach the degree of his suffering and sacrifice, but shared experience bonds powerfully.
So, I want to be defenseless against suffering because I want to live a life that is overflowing with love for all those who know me in this life. Besides, I started registering for this and kind of had to come up with something quickly, and this is it so there. :)
Smooches and sunshine,
Dennis
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