As he walked through the woods the brambles and undergrowth wilted and shriveled away from his offensive breath like snowflakes on a hot stone. I have seen the forest part before his breath like the red sea parted before Moses and the Israelites.

EARTH'S SHORT FUTURE- OBJECTION #4

The ethical criticism-


Many criticize planned dwarfism as being unethical. They claim that once we embark on the path towards planned dwarfism, it will be a slippery slope towards more sinister plans such as genetic engineering, euthanasia, or shortened life expectancies. However, dwarfism, in its proper context, should be viewed as an alternative to such plans and not as a precursor. Planned dwarfism is not, “playing God.” It is using our God-given intellect to address a crisis and effect positive change.

PROPOSED FLAGS FOR THE WESTERN TATES

"But I am like an olive tree

flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God's unfailing love

for ever and ever."

Psalm 52:8

Classic 

I like this one. It is vaguely reminiscent of a struggling banana republic, isn't it? Or perhaps a former colony in subsaharan Africa, which obtained freedom from Europe only to descend into a maddening cycle of sham elections, coups, and strongmen. Can't you just see it flying over a presidential palace, which stands in stark, gleeming contrast with the surrounding slums and shanties. Sandbag barricades and whip-thin men with AK-47's stand beneath the flag near a large, bullet-riddled mural of the great leader, and U.N. Peacekeepers patrol the streets in advance of elections, the outcome of which are doomed to be viewed with suspicion.

The keepers of the western door.

Vote on which flag you like best in the poll to the right.

MY SHOES UPDATE

 The Boat Shoes have suffered a mortal wound, a gash along the outstep, and consequently they have been largely removed from the lineup. That's right, just largely removed. I know that most people would completely remove them, and throw them away, but they are still the sort of handy, slip-on footwear that is perfectly ideal for taking out the trash or running out to the car for something.

 My plan is to retire them this spring after the last frost. I will fill them with potting soil and plant flowers in them.

I am pleased to announce the arrival of a new pair of shoes to the team. I have purchased a pair of New Balance running shoes from Marshalls for $30.00. I hope to get back into jogging sometime soon. Jogging and bicycling are the only forms of excercise that I have been regular and disciplined about in years past. I actually really enjoy jogging, and my hope is to take it up again soon.  Welcome to the team "N Shoes."

THOUGHTS I HAD TODAY BUT DIDN'T SHARE WITH ANYBODY

1. I wonder if a bunch of feral humans would stink worse than chimps or gorillas. Sometimes I think the stink of an unwashed human is worse than an animal smell. I bet chimps stink pretty bad though.

2. Feral humans? There are some problems with that term. Who is tame? Who is controlled? There are plenty who don't heed God, parents, spouses or the law. I suppose such could be called feral. That doesn't speak to the issue of personal hygiene and the human stink though.

3. Khaddafi can't be as unhinged as he looks. Can he? How could such a man remain at the helm if he didn't have command of himself. There must be more to the man than appearances, but why does he choose to appear as he does? Is that a cape he's wearing?

4. Why are hotdog buns so awful? It's just way too much bread in proportion ot the amount of hotdog.

5. All of these cars used to be brand new. For a time all of these cars were the apples of their owners' eyes. Somebody went onto a lot and out of all the lines of cars they picked out that one. Unbelievable that all of these were once brand new.

A NIGHT ON THE TOWN

For my birthday, way back in January, the small group Bible study that Sarah and I host in our home, chipped in and got us a night on the town, which included:

-Dinner for 2 at the Hidden Village Chinese Restaurant.
- A gift card for two to the local movie theater.
-A room at the Idyllwild Inn
-And (This is the truly amazing part!) babysitting overnight!!!

We have the absolute best small group in the world! Not only are they very patient with me but I really couldn't ask for a more excellent group of people to get together with every week. Sarah and I feel tremendously blessed to have these wonderful (...and generous!) people in our lives. I look forward to Wednesday night every week. It is the highlight of my week. Thanks guys!!!

I have to give a special "Thank You!!!" to Connie and Mariah Benson for volunteering to watch our kids overnight. This whole adventure would not have been able to happen without that generous and selfless act. Sarah and I felt so comfortable leaving the kids in their care and they were so enthusiastic about doing it that we didn't even feel like we were burdening them. Thanks soooo much guys!

Here are Sarah and I prior to the arrival of our dinner (Bao-bao plate, shrimp fried rice, and drinks). 

Sarah's fortune- "You are a true romantic"
My fortune- "Chances of glamour and excitment are coming to you"

After dinner, we walked over to the Rustic Theater for the 7:00 pm showing of the film "127 Hours," which is the story of Aron Ralston- the rock climber who gut his arm stuck between a boulder and a cliff face, and who was eventually forced to amputate his own arm with a pocket knife to free himself. Sarah and I were both surprised at how much we enjoyed the film. I did not enjoy the scene where he drank his own urine.

Then after the movie we ambled back acros town to our room at the Idyllwild Inn. Once inside we found that our friends, Josh and Emily White, who also happen to own the inn, and who donated the room in the first place, had left us a present of Sparkling Cider on the kitchen counter. The Idyllwild Inn is super nice, which won't surprise anyone who knows Josh and Emily.  Some people just do things right. They're that sort, and Sarah and I are really glad to be their friends.  They really are just amazing people.



Sarah and I had a really nice evening just hanging out without the kids. I'm so thankful to God for my wife, Sarah. Not only is she the most beautiful woman in town, but I truly couldn't ask for a better companion and partner. She's fun!

The room, #20, described in the Inn's website as a rustic suite,  was absolutely "Top Shelf," with a comfortable queen-size bed, fully furnished living room, kitchenette, and flat screeen TV, but Sarah and I were both in agreement that our favorite feature was the room's jacuzzi tub.

Sarah and I have decided to be more purposeful in carving out time to be alone together. We have had babies in the mix for almost eight years now, and we had almost forgotten what it was like to just be Josh and Sarah. Times like this allow us to reconnect as a couple. It think it's important, and even if it weren't important, it is certainly fun! It was really good to get away like that, and Sarah and I are so grateful for everyone who helped make it happen.



BEARDS OF IDYLLWILD

This man claims to have been continuously bearded for "about thirty years," and he advised that his beard was even longer until recently when he accidentally caught it on fire with a cigarette.

OVERHEARD

"She was a real Texas woman*, you know what I mean? That's what attracted me to her, but it was always the problem as well."
So said a man with a British accent who was not dressed in a seasonally appropriate way (T-shirt, shorts and sneakers sans socks. It's snowy here in the San Jacks!) to a second man who was carrying some lengths of Manzanita wood, which he had apparently harvested himself for some unknown purpose. This second man was dressed in a manner commensurate to current meteorological trends. Outside the Post Office, Idyllwild, CA.

*Strangely enough, after overhearing the above quote I continued down to Fairway Market where I observed a book in the "Leave a Book, Take a Book" bin entitled "Texas Woman." Sarah is not a Texas Woman, which is exactly what has always attracted me to her, but that is sometimes a problem as well. I was tempted to take "Texas Woman" home and give it a read in an effort to gain some insight into the Briton's situation, but its cover was pink and looked like a bodice-buster romance so I thought better of it. If any of you readers are interested in acquiring a copy of "Texas Woman" I'm willing to wager it's still there in the bin at Fairway. I would be willing to procure it for you and send it along free of charge by way of the U.S. postal service free if you so requested.

EARTH'S SHORT FUTURE- OBJECTION #3

The aesthetic objection-


This is the most trivial of the criticisms that I have been presented with. Many object to planned dwarfism on the grounds that they do not find dwarves attractive. This is ridiculous, and I would not even address the issue were it not for the fact that it is such a common objection. When we talk of planned dwarfism we are referring to proportionate dwarves which are equally proportioned individuals. In other words, proportionate dwarves are exactly like today’s population only smaller. Also, dwarfism would be imposed upon an entire generation, so a dwarf would not necessarily be at a reproductive disadvantage. Finally, society’s concept of what is attractive in a person is in a constant state of flux, and can even vary from region to region within the same country. It is irrational to deduce that because our society currently finds dwarfism unattractive that an entire generation of dwarfed individuals would find one another unattractive.

The wind is inciting the trees,
And they're altogether riotous.
I don't know what the wind is saying
But you can be sure it's scandalous!

The lovely Earth has two suitors,
The somber Moon and vibrant Sun,
And as she dances on her axis
She asks herself, "Which one? Which one?"

Redskins Week 16: Obi-Wan Skinsobi

PERSPECTIVE

This morning I found a chain of tracks in the mud, coyote I think. They crossed the field next to my office in a purposeful way, straight ahead and deliberate. I followed them until they came to a place where they ended amidst scattered fur, rabbit I think. The evidence of a kill spoke to me of success. I was glad for the coyote, excited even. I suppose the scene could of just as easily spoken to me of the rabbit's failure, but I thought of success first. Perhaps that was because I had been following the coyote's tracks and had thus come to view this as its story. So I viewed the killing of the rabbit from the coyote's perspective- a triumph! I wonder though, if I had been following the rabbit's tracks first, instead of the coyote's, would I have been preconditioned to view the spot where they met as a sad sort of tragedy?

I think probably.

It made me question my response to world events, sports, and interpersonal conflict. Are all my feelings of anguish and elation just a matter of perspective? Is it all just the stuff of prejudice?

What is the correct perspective? Who is right? Who is wrong? What is the truth? God alone sees things perfectly. God's perspective must be true for He is truth. We all are naked before Him. He is the one who will one day lay bare all that has been done in the open and in secret, and judge it in perfect righteousness.

That's the view from my house.

But how often do I see things from God's perspective? Certainly not always. I would dare say, not even most of the time. My heart is up and down, it's all around, it spins and dances like a drunken thing. How can I get God's perspective? I want to see things from His angle. I want the peace and confidence that must come from such a vantage point.

I believe the key is God's word. The bible. What a harbor for the wave-tossed heart is the Bible. What a rock of certainty and truth. I have often run to it like a ship before the storm, and found an unrivaled peace in the safety of that harbor. It is God's perspective.

My fallen heart is a wind-blown and fickle thing, that's true, like a tuft of disembodied bunny fur swept aloft, and if I am not purposeful in my efforts to view things from God's perspective, renewing my mind daily through the study of His word, my heart will inevitably stray in its affections. I will be tempted to cooperate with the enemy, and make a peace with this world, to see things from its perspective. Maybe even to agree with that perspective. I don't ever want to drift into a position opposite the Almighty.


I have purposed in my heart to train my affections on the things of God through the disciplined study of His word, giving thanks to Him for rememembering that I am made of dust and for forgiving me when I stray. I am God's man, but all of my sinful inclinations threaten to sabotage the defenses of my heart like a traitor within.

"Search me O' God and know my heart
Test me and know my anxious thoughts
See if there is any offensive way in me
And lead me in the way everlasting."

Psalm 139:23-24

MIDNIGHT PIE!!!