HARMLESS THOUGHTS

Last night I was reading the Bible to my children before they go to bed... I would like to be able to say on this blog that this is a regular occurrence in this house, but it hasn't been. We, like so many families read the Bible in spurts. We will do it really regularly for awhile, but then it will taper off. I confessed to my sons the other day that this was my fault. As the dad, I view it as ultimately my responsibility whether or not this happens. My sons graciously volunteered to help me in this, which they have... hence the Bible reading last night. Back to the story... So, I was reading the Bible to my children before they went to bed last night. I had taken a few days to read some proverbs to them and talk about what those things mean, but the last couple of days I shifted into the Old Testament to read some of the stories. Well, I got a little boost (or maybe a kick in the butt) to continue on in this daily endeavor when I stopped reading. You see, I had just...

Ignore the first little bit. [ht: Rick Boyne ]

I am spending my days in my currently empty classroom, trying to get all of that "stuff" ready for the beginning of another school year. If you haven't seen it yet, here is a picture of my school, taken by the Science teacher, Mr. Heavner.   The sound of the rain outside has helped make my room a good place to get some work done.  It also gives a nice opportunity to occasionally get up and check out the mountains in the background.  They are really cool in a storm.  You can see the clouds rolling gently over the edges of the mountain behind the school.       I thought that I would also add a picture of the gymnasium that is currently under construction behind the building.  It is going to be really nice when it is completed.  Right now we are still praying on the funds to finish the project. Finally, I thought that I would pop in a picture of my (messy) desk so you can really see where I spend my days.   (Note: You can see the blog ...

I love it when I get a really important, urgent voice mail. The excitement in people's voices... The sense that they will be anxiously awaiting my return call... The feeling of love and happiness that they had a reason to call me... That is what I felt when my sister left this message the other day. By the way... Happy Birthday!

I am reading a book called When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey. I haven't completed it yet, but I am recommending it already. It's great! Here is a clip from the preface: You might be curious about a guy who would write a book called When Sinners Say "I Do." My name is Dave and ... well ... I'm a sinner. Saying "I do" twenty-five years ago to my beautiful wife not only didn't solve that problem, it magnified it times ten. He goes on to say: If you are married, or soon to be married, you are discovering that your marriage is not a romance novel. Marriage is the union of two people who arrive toting the luggage of life. And that luggage always contains sin. Often it gets opened right there on the honeymoon, sometimes it waits for the week after. But the suitcases are always there, sometimes tripping their owners, sometimes popping open unexpectedly and disgorging forgotten con...

I found this over at Rodney Olsen's blog and just wanted to pass it along...     Sent to you by mattharmless via Google Reader:     The sad life and death of Dolores Aguilar via RodneyOlsen.net by Rodney Olsen on 8/21/08 What do you hope people will say about you when you die? Does it really matter to you? Sometimes I wonder who'll turn up at my funeral when my life here is over. Will those who do show up have good things to say or will their silence tell a different story? I will have no chance to control what's said when the time comes but I can do something about it while I'm still here by the way I choose to live my life. Will I leave friends and family with good memories? I guess that's up to me and the choices I make every day of my life. I wonder about what kind of difference I'm making to the wider world. Will I be missed by more than those close to me? Will there be those I've never met who will be thankful that I was once alive? Am I making a di...

I am preparing some lecture notes for the in-service week at school.  I was asked to do a little teaching on Communication or Conflict Resolution, and I was assigned a 30-minute time slot.  (Which is coincidentally right before the session on blood-borne pathogens.  What is that supposed to mean?) In the process of refreshing my memory and revising my notes, I ran across a verse that has never jumped out at me before, but I thouroughly  enjoyed it, so I am passing it along to you. Do not pay attention to every word people say,      or you may hear your servant cursing you- for you know in your heart      that many times you yourself have cursed others. ( Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 ) Isn't that just a great verse? What verses have you had jump out at you lately? Maybe they were more like a smack than a jump...

I adjusted my template a little bit. If you are checking this out through a reader, drop by and tell me what you think.

I am too lazy to do a full vacation post, so instead I will do a slideshow...

Here is a post Here is a blockquote that is meant to look like a highlighter... This doesn't work as well in Internet Explorer... So, I am going to try this... Here is a blockquote that is meant to look like a highlighter... Maybe this one will look better...

In addition to the beginning of another school year, I am also gearing up for the beginning of another round of Counseling 101.  I am still team teaching the class with Jim Phillips, but this will be the last time that I share the responsibility. He is only covering one topic, and that is at my request. Here is the description of the class from my church's website : God’s Word gives us wonderful insight into such heart issues as anger, depression, guilt, fear, anxiety, and more. Join Matt Harmless and Jim Phillips as they share sound Biblical truth you can use to help counsel yourself and others. Counseling 101 is offered during the fall and winter Life Ed. sessions. This training is vital for those desiring to minister words of encouragement or exhortation in obedience to Scripture (Romans 15:1-3a; Galatians 6:1-3, 9-10; Hebrews 10:23-24, etc.). (Room 106) I am looking forward to the class already.  Not just because I love to teach (Which I do), but also because I alw...

I am back from my short little vacation, and I think that I am ready to roll...

The van is packed. The kids are dressed and already standing by the door. Just one more time for everyone to "try" to go to the bathroom, and we're off!

We are all getting to bed early tonight, anxiously awaiting our road trip tomorrow. There isn't a person in this family that doesn't enjoy a road trip. (Except maybe the dog.)

I want to write something about the book that I just finished. The title of the book was Love Your God with All Your Mind and it was written by J.P. Moreland.  I say I want to write something about this book, but I am just not so sure what to write. The book started out quite interesting.  It had a great premise and the author put the thoughts together in a very systematic, logical fashion.  It was well researched and contained several great quotes and supports for his argument. I am not going to attempt to summarize this book, but here is the gist of it:  (Is "gist" a real word?)  Intellectualism and the cultivation of the mind is an essential part and a core value of true Christianity.  In other words, true Christianity and its faith includes reason and rational thought, it does not stand in opposition to it. I agree with this basic idea.  I get bothered by those who pass off the Christian faith as something for the dull-witted, like anyone...

This summer has flown by.  Seriously.  I don't even have that back at school awkward feeling when I walked in my room.  It seemed like I had just been here the day before. The biggest reason this summer flew by is my lack of time off.  I went straight from working at the school to working at the moving company.  Then I have only taken two days off from the moving company.  One Friday for a short family trip to Chimney Rock, the other was a Tuesday because I had the flu. Add in the hours that I have worked at the church, and it has been packed with work. Now, here it is a Monday, and I am back at work at the school. Fortunately I am going to take a short vacation starting this week.  I am starting with a little family reunion in Gatlinburg, TN.  Then I am going to visit more family in Indiana and Illinois.  We are then taking a little trip up to Chicago for son #1's 10th birthday. But do you think that I am going to leave all that work...