I have spent that past few weeks reading intently through the four Gospels, and finally finished the last one, the Gospel of John. The next morning I went to sit in my Chair of Quiet Meditation like usual and picked up the bible to start reading again. But where to go from here? Those gospel stories were so good! Should I brace myself for the intellectual rigor of the letters of Paul? Enjoy the free form manic-depressive beauty of the Psalms? How about giving... Read more
Continued from previous post The scientific behaviors of electrons and photons have quite a bit to teach us about grace, also. The definition of grace is receiving a gift that you don’t deserve. The ultimate act of grace in Christianity, of course, being the sacrifice of Jesus Christ dying on the cross and paying for our sins to give us the gift of eternal life (I was so good at presenting the gospel at one time). Beyond that major milestone... Read more
It seems as if science itself has progressed so far that it has shut the door on absolute-ness, thanks to the study of sub-atomic particles and time-space relativity. Quantum Mechanics, which studies these tiniest of particles, is a scientific discipline wrought with paradoxical issues and weird ideas. Take, for example, electrons and photons. Electrons are the smallest particles of matter that make up everything that exists. And Photons are the particles that make up light. Now consider this fact: The... Read more
My CFO, Drew, and I have coined a term that we use quite a bit at the office. It’s called “Business Sovereignty.” Drew and I are making decisions and taking risks every day as we are running the company, but we believe that it is God who works it all out one way or the other. Like me, Drew also happens to be Presbyterian, which is really neither here nor there, other than we flatter ourselves with our astute choice... Read more
One of the great things about blogging is the stimulating and critical thinking that you come across, those ideas that lodge right into your subconscious, and eventually manifest themselves as full-fledged, real-life action. Usually my attention span doesn’t last very long, and I kind of blip in and out of various blogger friends and sites. But lately I couldn’t help but notice that many of the business bloggers and marketing experts were yapping nonstop about the all-the-rage social media sites, Facebook and Twitter.... Read more
Continued from previous post There has been one overriding, familiar theme woven throughout all of my journal writings during the past twenty years: I was constantly searching for some greater purpose and meaning for my life. But I never really got it, not in the way I thought it should be at the time when I was writing it down. I kept waiting for some huge Master Plan from God to overlay my life, like it would click into place... Read more
Continued from previous post Oftentimes, my journal acted as a sounding board for my career – a personal assistant of sorts, to help me think through major issues, or grapple with risk. Sure, being an executive can be fun, you are thinking. You get to make big decisions. People respect you. You get to tell others what to do. And, let’s see. What else? Oh yes – the fate of the entire organization rests upon your shoulders. That’s not completely accurate,... Read more
Like most insecure and spiritually frustrated white men in their forties, I keep a journal. Some men hunt. Others play golf. I know one gentleman whose passion is collecting kaleidoscopes. Me, I’ve taken to transcribing the obsessive voices in my head into a handsome series of leather-bound, hand-written manuscripts. Because if you were to secretly hold up a glass to my skull and listen in at any given moment, I’m afraid you would hear a terrorizing barrage of chatter that... Read more
Modest Mouse finished their set, and the crowd, in solidarity with the band’s namesake, offered up a Modestly enthusiastic applause while the band exited the stage. The roadies began setting up for REM. Some kind of eclectic indie-alt music was now being piped out to the crowds. All of the songs had that same ironic apathetic tone of youth, with frequent and casual use of the f-word throughout the lyrics. I was offended, and increasingly disturbed that the f-word has become... Read more
Sophie was running ahead of me, talking to her friend on the cell phone, trying to decide where to meet. We eventually found her friends over at the sunscreen-sponsor tent. After the initial greetings, my daughter immediately banned me from their presence. I’m used to this by now. But I still put up a little fight. “Well how am I going to know where you are? There are like twenty thousand people here. What am I gonna do all alone?” “Da-ad! You are... Read more
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