Being Right

I believe that there is a high correlation between how much we love God and how much we love others. The degree to which we love God is shown in and by our love for other people. There are many places in the Bible that allude to this fact. One place in particular is seen when Christ is questioned by the pharisees:

But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"

And He said to him, " `YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' This is the great and foremost commandment.

"The second is like it, `YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'

"On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
--Matthew 22:34-40

Notice that the question that was asked was, ...what is the greatest commandment? Yet when Christ responds, he responds with Love God... and just like that, Love Your Neighbor. Even though He was only questioned about the one greatest command, He responded with the two commands. Loving God and Loving your neighbor are so tightly bound together that it was almost as if you couldn't say one without saying the other. Together, these two commands are a summary of what God wants you to do.

At a later place, Christ is talking to his disciples about the judgement, and he likens it to a shepherd, seperating the sheep from the goats:

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left."
-- Matthew 25:32-33

He continues on in this illustration by talking about how the sheep have lived and about how the goats have lived. In fact, the ONLY difference that he mentions is how these people have treated each. He talks about how the sheep have fed and clothed Him, how they have visited Him while He was sick and in prison. Their response is, Lord, when did we do this?!? He immediately responds by saying, "In as much as you have done it to the least of these my bretheren, you have done it unto me... enter into my rest." (Read the full passage here.)

So you can see, your love for God is played out, is demonstrated in your love for other people. But not just anybody... It must be everybody! Here is a sobering thought: Your love for God is best demonstrated in your love for the least of these.

Take a moment to consider that one person in your life that you like the best. Of course you show love to them. As Jesus said, "...even the tax collectors and sinners love those who love them..." But now consider that one person in your life that you like the least. That one person that you find to be irritating or annoying. Think for a moment about your worst enemy. How much do you love them? THAT is the picture of your love for Christ!

If you want to be right with God. It begins by being right with others. It is easy to sing those songs in church about how much you love God. That makes us feel good. But which category do you fall into?

The sheep or the goats?

Just Coffee

I think that this is really amazing. And Cool. Coffee Art.

Anticipating the Day


Light of the Harbor


The site is just coffee, and all of this art is done with coffee. Just coffee. Espresso for the darker spots, a lighter coffee for the lighter areas. It is all done in the same method that you would paint with water colors.

See the entire gallery here.

The artist is a distant cousin to one of the students in my computer class. She showed it to me, and I thought that I would pass it on to you.

monitoring tests

In the last year I have had 2 monitors burn out on me.

And I think that I am about ready to lose another one.

I like to type my own tests. OK, actually I don't really like to type them, but I just don't like those pre-made tests that come with the curriculum. I am a fundamentalist when it comes to Math. I like to stick to the basics. Some of these more recent text books like to cram in several different topics and methods all together. But I don't like that.

I can remember when I took math growing up: If you had a chapter on fractions, then you would get like 100 fraction problems. Now, if there is a chapter on fractions, they give you 5 fraction problems, a few story problems, some problems with decimals, a couple of pictures of fraction situations, and several review questions.

I know that this concept of integrating several different things together seems sound, but I just don't think that it works in reality. If students are going to remember how to work with fractions, they need like a hundred fraction problems... at least! It is the repetition that burns it into their brains.

I just know that I am about tired of teaching the upper level classes and half of them don't know how to add, subtract, multiply or divide fractions. It's just crazy. It is one thing to have a couple of students that are struggling, but when you put some fractions on the board and half of a class doesn't know where to begin... very frustrating.

But anyway!

I planned on typing two tests at home last night (the tests were today) and it didn't seem like it would be too much of a problem. I had already gathered all of the information that I needed, written out all of the problems, and all I had left was to type it. And then it happened.

The monitor started flickering.

There it would go. In and Out. In and Out. Every time it started to flicker, I thought, "oh no! This can't be happening."

I barely made it through the tests. They were saved and printed. But I just couldn't believe it, another monitor! And on a night like that. I almost never bring work home to be typed on the computer, and the one night that I do, the monitor starts to go out. Wouldn't it just figure?

Carson Quotes

Johnny Carson
1925-2005



I know that I am barely old enough to say that I was a part of the Carson era. But I do remember watching his show. It was usually on the couch at my girlfriend's house, as we were waiting for Letterman to come on. I don't remember alot about the show, because my attentions were focused on the girl... not on the TV.

Here are a few quotes of his that I found on the internet:

"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." (I have actually heard this one before.)

"If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead."

"The only thing money gives you is the freedom of not worrying about money."

"My success just evolved from working hard at the business at hand each day."

"People will pay more to be entertained than educated."

"Married men live longer than single men. But married men are a lot more willing to die."

Book Review - Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling

"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
-- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

I believe that the Bible has the answers and the directions to any trial, tribulation, or temptation that you may encounter in your life. The Bible is there to equip you: completely and accurately. The Bible has not become outdated. And regardless of popular opinion, there aren't exceptions to the answers it provides.

But lets be honest, the Bible is a huge book. It is filled to the brim with information. And when you are in the middle of a crisis situation (whether yours or someone else's) you may not have the time to find what you need. Any Biblical tool can become very useful, and almost essential. So, you don't need to be a counselor to think that the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling is an excellent book. Even though it was written with the purpose of assisting Biblical Counselors, I have found it very useful in day to day life.

There have been many occasions that my wife and I have flipped through these pages, writing things down, searching for the answers and the help for the moment.

I have also used this on several different occasions when working with students. A counselor is simply a brother or sister in Christ that is walking along side... that is assisting along the way.

Here are just a few of the topics included in this book:

Anger
Bitterness
Changing (to please God)
Church Discipline
Comfort
Death
Decision Making
Depression
Divorce
Drug Abuse
Fear
Homosexuality
Husband/Wife Relationships & Marriage
Laziness
Lust
Lying
Obedience
Overcoming Sin
Persecution
Prayer
Priorities
Providence of God
Repentance
Resentment
Self-Centeredness
Self-Control & Self-Discipline
Self-Pity
Sex Life
Trials
Trust
Waiting on the Lord
Warnings
Work
Worry

This book has been an excellent help to me, and I just thought that I would pass it along to you. Click on the book, and check it out. The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Kruis.

Sonnets

I have gone and done something a little bit on the geeky side. I have signed up to receive a sonnet-a-day. Each day I receive in my e-mail a sonnet by Shakespeare. And I freely admit that I am surprised at how much I love to read them.

Here is one that I read the other day that I really enjoyed.

Let not my love be call'd idolatry,
Nor my beloved as an idol show,
Since all alike my songs and praises be
To one, of one, still such, and ever so.
Kind is my love to-day, to-morrow kind,
Still constant in a wondrous excellence;
Therefore my verse to constancy confined,
One thing expressing, leaves out difference.
'Fair, kind and true' is all my argument,
'Fair, kind, and true' varying to other words;
And in this change is my invention spent,
Three themes in one, which wondrous scope affords.
'Fair, kind, and true,' have often lived alone,
Which three till now never kept seat in one.
--William Shakespeare

coffee mom

Recently my wife landed a job at Port City Java. Besides the extra income, I am seeing all sorts of benefits to this new job. (1)The free coffee. (2)The free cappucinos. (3)The free lattes. (I don't know if I am spelling any of these things correctly or not...) (4)Being able to have my wife order my coffees for me because I am never really sure what I am ordering until I take the first drink. (5)Finding out what a barista is. (6)More free coffee.

The list of benefits is huge! And I haven't even gotten into the secondary benefits yet. Things like: having more time to do school work at home or being able to watch a Jackie Chan movie on a weekday. There are all sorts of secondary benefits.

But the neatest thing about this job is how she got it. You can read all about it in her post titled, the story of my life. But I still feel the need to make a couple of comments about it myself.

I must say, the way she finds jobs is amazing. I mean, even in this case, she didn't even go down there right away, they called her! That is so typical of how things go in her life. She gets the neatest opportunities and I think that it is because people love her. They really do, people just love her. She has abilities in social situations that would amaze you. She can walk into a room of complete strangers, and within minutes have people feeling at ease and wanting to be her friend for life.

I also want to say that I think that she will be perfect for this job. God has blessed her with the ability to multi-task and administer. She does great in high pressure situations. I fully expect her to be running a business someday. She just has a knack for it.

Her only limitation will be her priorities. I know that she will put me and the boys first. I don't doubt it for a moment. Her #1 priority is her family. She is a mom at heart and nothing is going to change that.

Port City Java may just have to wait for their manager of the year decade.