Against Nothingness

Question:  How do you know you have learned something?   You definitely have not learned something just because you did well on an academic style exam which 'tested' your knowledge of the subject.  Beyond that, this question is ridiculously hard to answer.  A subject of philosophers and educational academics throughout the ages... Broadly, just to offer some thoughts on the subject, I think you need to ask what it is you are trying to learn.  Is it an applied life-skill?  A fine-motor skill? A piece of information? An equation or a formula? What?  Because in each of these different cases, having learned that something will look different.   If it is a piece of information, you have learned, or at least learned of it, the first time you come across it.  If your asking how you know when you will remember it, that's highly individual.  I know I will remember something if I repeat it enough, or if it had a major impact on my life, or if it is a piece of information that is

As you may, or may not, know I recently received a 3rd generation graphite Kindle (wi-fi only) for my birthday.  Kristina, my wife, who is wonderful, beautiful,and very thoughtful, got it for me. She gave it to me early because I accidentally found out I was getting it, and because Amazon shipped it so ridiculously fast.   Consider E-Readers I had been thinking about getting an e-reader for several months.  What that really means is I had been spending exorbitant amounts of time looking at them on the net, comparing them, reading reviews, drooling, and dreaming.  There are so many to choose from; how could I know which one I wanted?  To make matters worse, you can't actually get your hands on most of them to try them out (I was able to test some Sony models, some Kindles, and a Nook).  Not only that, but did I really need one? Or was this just my gadget fetish flaring up again?  In the end, I decided that yes, I did want an e-reader.  It would allow me to read all the free stu

Question: If God granted you one request what would you ask for and why? How will your request be viewed from others around you? (Or: if you had one wish, what would you wish for and what would others think of that wish?) In so many ways, this is really a rewording of Solomon's choice in 1 Kings 3.  Knowing that makes it hard to answer though; how can I now, having pointed out the similarity, ask for anything but wisdom?  Well, there is one way, and that is to take my answer from somewhere else in the bible!  Shocking, I know.  But, this is really what I would ask for:  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with powerthrough his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to t

I don't know if you pay attention to things like the links on the side of my blog or not.  I totally understand if you don't.  But, if you do, you may have noticed that I added a second 'advertisement' this week.  Up until now the only banner has been for Compassion International.  However, I signed up to be a part of " Blog Action Day " and so I added their widget as well.  Well, now the day has come.  Today is blog action day! And our topic is water.  Basically, clean water is super important (if you didn't know that, then I advise you to stop drinking out of those muddy puddles in your curb) and a lot of people around the world don't have it.  You thought that joke about muddy puddles was funny?  People actually drink from water like that, and as a result, among other things, 38000 children die every week.  Think about that.  The number is simply staggering and heart-breaking.  I saw a bumper sticker today, and I liked it.  It said this: "If

Question:  In your own life have you learned more from your failures or from your achievements and success? "God will not look you over for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars." - Brennan Manning What have I learned more from? My failures, unquestionably.  I am not saying it couldn't be the other way, but for most of us it isn't, and definitely not for me.  Let's talk about why.  When I succeed I tend to reflect less.  I don't examine closely and carefully the reasons for my success.  I am prone to attribute my success to whatever I thought would make me succeed in the first place.   Have you ever heard the joke about the Canadian man who whistled for at least 15 minutes everyday?  His friend asked him why he did that and the man told him that it keeps the elephants away.  His friend sputters and the man looks at him and says "Clearly it works, you never see elephants around here, do you?"  That kind of reasoning is nonsensical but I thin

A few days ago I posted on Encouragement . I wrote about how powerful our words are in the lives of those around us.  But, there is another way to encourage, powerful in its own right, and that is encouragement in action, or "Living Encouragement".  These two paths stand and fall together, they belong together like hand and glove. Actions without words can encourage, but they are often direction-less encouragement.  Words without actions quickly become flat, hypocritical, and useless. Together, directed by the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus for the mission of the Father, they change lives.   James warns us about separating the two: "If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,' and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." And I would venture to say the same thing of encouragement: So encouragement by

John Sowers, Fatherless Generation: Redeeming the Story . Zondervan, 2010. 138 pgs.  Thank you once again to engagingchurchblog.com for hosting this blog tour and providing the book for me to review.   In this book Sowers tells the story of burgeoning fatherlessness in America and the results of this ongoing tragedy.  He tells this story through a mix of personal stories, both his own and those from others, information on what is happening and the consequences of it, and biblical passages which reveal the heart of God on this matter.  In short, being fatherless is having massive negative consequences on the lives of young men and women and we, as God's people, need to step up to be fathers to the fatherless, just as God himself proclaims that He is a father to the fatherless.    The book is divided into two sections.  The first examines the problem and the second examines the solution.  Sowers paradigm for helping is that of redeeming the story which, to him, means helping pe

Yes, I have bad grammar.  Feel free to point it out whenever you want to :) In the meantime, I found this video hilarious! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSSQe6vsSw&feature=player_embedded

Question:  How do you know you have reached the 'when I grow up' stage? Introduction Now there is a question which sends a rush of thoughts to my head.  Lost innocence as a substitute for wisdom, growing up to fast and extended adolescence, maturity and faked maturity, getting married at 13 and getting married at 21, and Someday Never Comes by CCR .  If you have never heard that song, give it a listen.  Here is the first verse and chorus: First thing I remember was askin' papa "why?" For there were many things I didn't know.  And Daddy always smiled; took me by the hand,  Sayin', "Someday you'll understand."  Well, I'm here to tell you now each and ev'ry mother's son You better learn it fast and you better learn it young, 'Cause, "Someday" never comes.  Thoughts Approaching the Question When I hear this question I can't help thinking about how messed up our society has become about 'growing

Now that I walk Hannah to the park 3-5 times a week I have suddenly and shockingly become aware of just how recklessly people drive through residential neighborhoods (have I driven like that? Never again!). Crossing the street is stressful, especially when Hannah wants to walk herself (which she does NOT get to do yet).   Then, the other day I was approaching a curb with the intention of turning right. But, the curve goes right to the edge of the road and while pulling Hannah's red wagon, with her in it, I have to go right up to that edge before I can turn.  Meanwhile, a maroon SUV approached from my left, also intending to turn right.  Had he been like most drivers he would have gunned it to get around the corner before I got there (you know, just in case).  Instead, he stopped and waited.  This was especially nice since I wasn't even going to cross the street. For just a moment, I was encouraged. Then, this SUV pulled up and parked about 5 cars down the road, exact