HARMLESS THOUGHTS

Jim tagged me. (I will have to get him back somehow...) I haven't participated in a meme since the friday five and blogger idol, but since I have been involuntarily tagged, then I guess that I will participate. The idea behind this one is that, when tagged, you choose 5 occupations (or more) from the list below and complete the sentence with it describing what you would do as a member of that profession. If you have more occupations to add, you add them at the bottom following the "If I could be..." format. After your done, you get to go and tag 3 other people. Add a trackback to the one that tagged you as well as a trackback to Ogre's origional post . If I could be a scientist... If I could be a farmer... If I could be a musician... If I could be a doctor... If I could be a painter... If I could be a gardener... If I could be a missionary... If I could be a chef... If I could be an architect... If I could be a linguist... If I could be a psychologist... If I could ...

Right in line with what I posted yesterday, here is a great article called The Gospel vs. Religion . It is worth a read, go and check it out.

I normally don't get involved in internet debates, but the last couple of weeks I have been participating in a couple of debates. One of them started on a Post by Tim Samoff . It is an interesting topic, and one that I think is of great importance. I would like to encourage you to read there and see what you think. From that post, I was inspired to get involved in a forum . On this forum, I started a new topic called, Weak Theology . You will have to read it in order to understand what it is about. There have been several good responses to the initial topic. I haven't started debating these things to try to earn enemies. In fact, most of these blogs I read on a daily basis, and have been reading for over a year now. I enjoy hearing what these people have to say. Here is another example of a blog that I have been reading for over a year now. The blog is called Living Room. To my understanding, Living Room is an emerging church in Australia. This post was written after a Muslim ...

Here are some words used throughout the books of Psalms and Proverbs referring to the Bible, the Word of God. As you read through these books, consider these definitions*. Testimonies - those things to which God witnesses Law - that which points the way Precepts - mandates handed down to be observed Statutes - something that is engraved, cut; it is a definitive standard, set forth in a manner that is intended to last Commandments - those thing God requires, enjoins with authority Judgements - a legal term meaning, "decisions handed down"; court verdicts (case law) divinely given An excellent example can be found in Psalm 19:7-11 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to ...

I am at school right now. I am sitting at my desk while my students are taking a standardized test. Here is the satellite image of my school, thanks to Google Maps . I don't know why I am putting this on here, except that a satellite image of anything is a little cool.

Well, if you can't decide where your loyalties are with search engines, then just try... When you search for something, it gives both Yahoo! 's results and Google 's results.

Here are a couple of blog tools. Character Converter - This site will help you be able to type all of those really interesting symbols and such on your blog. There are 252 different symbols available on this particular site. Here are some examples: © ® ™ ∞ Æ ¤ ¥ µ Ñ Ω ♥ ♣ ♠ € ¢ ¼ ½ é è ê ë æ and so on... and so on... Simple Code - If you want to enter an example of code into your blog post, but everytime you try, it ends up looking like what the code would do... Then try this site. I used this tool a few post ago, look at it here . Blogger Hacks - This is on the Blogger site. If you are using Blogger for your blog, you might find one of your questions answered here.

Thanks to Rodney Olsen's Skype™ posts, here and here , I have been using Skype™. I even had the opportunity to talk to Rodney using Skype™. (It isn't everyday that I get to talk to a real live Australian!) But I will say that there was some controversy over who had the accent . He even mentioned my name during his radio broadcast, on 98.5 Sonshine FM (an Australian radio station!) That is right, ladies and gents -- Matt Harmless' name has been mentioned on the other side of the globe! Here are some other features that I have found for Skype™: SAM: The Skype™ Answering Machine I have installed this, but I have not had a chance to see how it works yet. (Nobody has called.) HotRecorder™ is a new program that you can use to record Skype™ conversations. I have even seen some articles about how it can be use to create something called a podcast . But because of Skype™ some people are calling them Skypecasts . There is only one problem that I...

Life happens, doesn't it? It doesn't matter what you do or who you are, life just keeps rolling. Whether you respond well to life, or if every little bump in the road throws you into a series of convulsions -- life just keeps happening. And the situations that we find ourselves in can be very difficult. We are surrounded by these... these... People! They are everywhere, and none of them treat us the exact way that we want to be treated, and most of them are just plain old selfish! Whether they are bosses, co-workers, family members, students, teachers, or neighbors... even when there are a few good ones, there are plenty of them that are treating us wrong. But as I look to the Word of God, I find great hope in these circumstances. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among man...

Since I moved to the South last summer, I have grown to love it more and more. The mild winter, the early spring, the sweet tea, the sweet southern accent... But today I found something that in my 31 years of living up north, I have never found. It was crawling in one of my son's toys, in the toy box. I caught it in a little tupperware container, just so I could study the markings. The picture you see to the right isn't the actual spider I saw, but the one I have looks exactly like this one. Now, there aren't many things that freak me out. I don't mind heights. Big dogs are only a little scary. Roller coasters, no problem. But I can't stand little things that bite. And to think that there was one in my children's sand box! They say that the bite of a black widow spider won't actually kill you, but how is that any consolation?!? The fact that they have to say that it won't kill you is enough to freak me out! Well the southern living... I love it, I just h...

Today is Friday, April 15th, 2005... Do you know where your taxes are?

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. -James 1:22-25 (NIV) Imagine a guy getting up in the morning and going to the mirror, and spotting this huge, swollen, ripe blemish on his forehead. Right away, he knows that something needs to be done with this thing. It is so big that while he is looking in the mirror, it is the only thing that he notices about himself. He can't take his eyes off of it. It is so bad that he ponders canceling all of his appointments until it had been dealt with. He begins thinking of different surgeries that he could perform on himself to get rid of i...

you spoke and made the sunrise to light up the very day you breathed across the water that started the very first wave it was you you intoduced your glory to ever living creature on earth and they started singing the very first ever to be heard they sang for you you make all thigns new you make all things new then the world was broken fallen battered and scarred you took the hopless life wasted ruin in my heart and made it new you make all things new you make all things new you redeem and you transform you renew and you restore you make all things new you make all things new and forever we will watch and worship you you make all thigns new you turn winter into spring you take every living thing and breathe your breath of life into it over and over again you mkae the sunrise day after day after but theres a mornin' comin' when things will all pass away and everyone will see you make all things new you make all things new come redeem and come transform come renew and come restore...

No... I didn't get promoted. At least not yet! I would like you to promote me though. Add a button to your blog! Copy and paste the following code into your blog. <a href="http://letmenotwander.blogspot.com"><img height="19" alt="Daily Bible Reading" src="http://photos4.flickr.com/9103684_886a0938c7_o.gif" width="175" border="0" /></a> And it will look like this: Read about the Let Me Not Wander blog here .

Read the old stuff first: ~ Change - resources of change #1 ~ Change - not by osmosis Last year I was teaching a Bible class at a highschool. The class was composed of sophmores and juniors, and we were discussing the importance of being in the word on a daily basis. If you are ever going to hope to change, one of the main ingredients is to be in the word. How can a young man keep his way pure? by living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. -Psalm 119:9-11 After spending some time talking about this great importance, one of my students approached me and said, "I really want to read my Bible everyday, and I always start with such excitement and energy, but no matter how hard I try, I always fail. I will read the Bible for about a week, and then it just fizzles out." I think that alot of us have dealed with the exact same thing. We know what the right...

I would like to direct you to a few blogs that I have found in the last month or so, that I think make some really good reading. Sharper Iron Evangelical Underground Pensees Proverbs Daily Apelles

Alright, I did it. I joined the sypers of the world. I have tried it, and it really does work. All you need is an internet connection, speakers and a microphone. If you download it and install it, just add me as a contact... (mattharmless)

When you are old and grey and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face; And bending down beside the glowing bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled And paced upon the mountains overhead And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. by William Butler Yeats

The last few months have been very busy months. In February, I went to the Biblical Counseling Training Conference. It was really awesome. The conference starts on Saturday night, and ends the next Friday. Monday through Thursday you are in sessions from 8am until about 9pm. (they let you leave the building for supper, but you are there the rest of the time.) Here are some of the main speakers: James MacDonald , Jay Adams , Wayne Mack , Paul Tripp , Charles Ware , Randy Patten, Steve Viars, and many others. By the end of the week I felt like I had been drinking from a fire hydrant. (An expression that Steve Viars uses every year to describe the experience.) Later in February, I went to Charleston for a math competition. Charleston is a beautiful city, I had a good time there and was able to get to know a couple of the students a little bit better. I also spent half a day sitting in a Starbucks... In March I went to Washington DC. Another great experience, and one I was able to sha...

There is a pastor in Michigan who has put out a series of 10 to 15 minute videos. Each one has a one-word title and an excellent message. Check them out at nooma.com I already own the first 7, thanks to a former student... But there are three new ones out! (Just in case anyone was wondering what to get me for my birthday...)