random thoughts: A Valentine's Wish poem

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A Valentine's Wish poem

A Valentine's Wish

To the one who owns this heart of mine
Comes this lovely wish dear valentine
That you'll feel special all day through
Because I think the world of you!

- Joanne Griffiths -

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We Really Do Need School Libraries and Teacher Librarians

I love libraries and am an active advocate of the role they play in schools.Yesterday I received an email about Australian schools who had or were in the processing of removing books from their libraries. Some have even dispensed with the library completely, replacing it with a book-less (not even an eBook!)technology area.

Now I'm not anti-technology in any shape or form. I work in IT. I had the Internet connected at home before it was commonly accessible for recreational use. I have an Ipad I use to read e-Books. I can envisage a time when the school library will be predominantly on-line and electronic, when hard copy books are no longer the norm. But I don't think we're close to doing that equitably yet and certainly not in our country's underfunded school libraries.

What worried me most about the books being removed was the lack of a replacement 'literature or story' and 'professional expertise'. The books weren't replaced by eReaders and eBooks. There space was simply reassigned - to more high tech resources and a VCE centre. Some non-fiction books were redistributed into classrooms with no cataloging or borrowing process in place. A teacher librarian wasn't considered necessary.

A number of libraries have already removed most of their non-fiction. While on-line resources are wonderful for research, they are not 'fiction-friendly'. I am concerned that there are rumblings of fiction being removed along with the non-fiction. How will a child learn to love reading if a library contains mostly eBooks and not enough eReaders for books to be borrowed and read at leisure? Lots of families don't have eReaders. Fiction needs to be portable. Kids need to be able to take a story home, to sit reading it in the playground, or a quiet time in class. Not only read it when they are in the library.

How can a school library even think of surviving without a teacher librarian to make it more effective? It doesn't matter what form non-fiction information is in, it still requires a professional to manage it and teach students the best way to maximise information and its usage. How will a child learn to love reading if there is no librarian to guide them and help them select books? I have met many wonderful , dedicated classroom teachers who have a limited knowledge of children's fiction outside the texts they teach. They don't have the time to research new releases or develop knowledge of a wide range of titles. That's the role of the teacher-librarian.

On the plus side I heard a story of a NZ school who replaced the library with a cyber cafe but have since reversed the decision and put their library back again. That's what I like to hear!

Monday Ministry Highlights -- Keep on Walking in 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We were blessed to bring in the New Year with two baptisms yesterday, a young boy and a teen girl. The teen girl is one we have been praying for. She professed salvation several years ago, but there was no evidence. A few weeks ago, she pulled her Mom into her room and told her that she wasn't really saved and wanted to accept Christ as her Savior! She had no idea that anyone doubted her previous "testimony" and that many were praying for her salvation. It has been a pleasure to see such joy in her smile!

God is moving here in Kenora. Keith was teaching the teens a series on Christian Joy and decided to teach the adults the same series on Wednesdays. We have seen a great change among the church, including our own family. It's amazing what happens when you realize that joy comes from Christ not circumstances. I know we all "know" that, but it makes a difference when you really KNOW it. Oh come on now, don't tell me you've never struggled with joy!

As anyone who has been saved for any length of time knows -- when God moves, Satan attacks. Through his attacks, we have been encouraged. A pastor never really knows who in the church is behind him until such trials come along. Folks have been stepping up and have been such a blessing to my husband and me. We have seen an increase of faith and a determination to do battle. Unfortunately, battles usually involve some casualties. Although our hearts break for those who fall away, Satan has in no wise won! It is such a joy to see Satan lose!

My husband and I were led to choose our theme verse for 2012 back in the summer - Luke 13:33. Little did we know how appropriate it would be.

"Nevertheless I MUST walk to day, and tomorrow,

and the day following,

for it CANNOT be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem."

Jesus is being threatened by the Pharisees in this passage. This verse is Christ's response. As we seek to follow His footsteps, we too are determined to keep on walking! We have chosen twelve "walk in's" found in Scripture such as "Walk in newness of life", "Walk in the Light", "Walk in integrity"... and so on. These are what are on the footprints on the wall beneath the verse. We are going to use one each month of 2012. As a church, Victory Baptist Church is determined to keep on walking today, tomorrow, and the day following, and the day following that, for it CANNOT be that Kenora should loose a witness of Christ in 2012.

I'm looking forward to seeing what God is going to do this year. That is, IF Christ doesn't return first!

Keep on Walking in 2012!!!

Psychology of Seating in Church vs. Concert

So last year while I was unemployed I started going to church. It was a very long time since I attended services, and I needed a change in my life. Actually I think the same time I started going to church is when I stopped updating this blog.

I have attended many concerts over the years. Last year I saw U2 in Dublin (church pic from the church I attended in Dublin) and Pearl Jam (concert pic is from the last show ever) at the last event ever in the Spectrum in Philadelphia. It’s amazing how people will spend lots of money and spends lots of time waiting for a great seat at a concert. The best seats at a concert are up front in the center. Now if you ever go to church, you see the opposite. I think that’s just wrong. People usually sit scattered to the sides and back of the church rather than to the front and center.

I recently saw the movie “Keeping the Faith” on TV last month. I haven’t seen it in awhile and it’s a good flick. This film is Edward Norton’s directorial debut. He plays a priest and Ben Stiller plays a rabbi. They both bring large audiences to their places of worship in the movie. It would be nice if people at my church sat in the front and in the middle like in the film. It doesn’t cost any money to attend (a charitable donation is recommended) and you don’t have to wait hours without going to the bathroom to sit up front and in the center.

Penang, a Tropical Island of Heritage

Never have I really done any visit to the places of interest of my own hometown taking public transport. Everyone is so used to taking their own vehicle. It's called "convenient" because one has the freedom to follow own schedule and pace. Most of all, I guess it is all about avoiding the hassle of squeezing with others.

However, thanks to the courtesy of Ministry of Tourism (MOTOUR) and Project Penang, a trip on a very comfortable Rapid Penang Coach to one of the many specially designed routes has given me an opportunity to experience my lovely little Penang in a very special way.

It is Route number 101 where the journey starts from Jetty Penang and ends at Teluk Bahang (and return). We started the trip at 9am, given 45min to make visit respectively, enjoyed a one hour very delicious lunch and reached Jetty around 6pm. Along the way we stopped by KwanYin Temple, Penang State Museum, and the bus terminal at KOMTAR.

KwanYin Temple is one of the renown temple in town. It's located along Pitt Street, next to Penang Chinese Town Hall. Being the oldest temple in Penang, it attracts many people throughout the year.Every 1st and 15th day of Chinese Lunar Month, people (mostly Taoist) will come for prayers and make their wishes. During then, all of the architecture including stone crafting and wall painting were done by masters from China. They are still well-kept until today (after more than two hundred years). I am always fascinated by the look of the sincere faces as they hold up high the jossticks in their hands when praying. It is as if I could see/hear their whispers wishing for good health, luck and abundance in their life endeavors.

Penang State Museum stores the stories of how this almost invisible land on world map was notice and how it has prospered since Sir Francis Light back in 1886. This old premise that host artifacts and witnesses of development is reaching it's limit and will soon be extended to another building in Macalister Road

The Mayans Made a Calendar

The Maya calendar is a system of calendars used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern communities in highland Guatemala[1] and in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico[2].

The essentials of the Maya calendar are based upon a system which had been in common use throughout the region, dating back to at least the 5th century BCE. It shares many aspects with calendars employed by other earlier Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Zapotec and Olmec, and contemporary or later ones such as the Mixtec and Aztec calendars. Although the Mesoamerican calendar did not originate with the Maya, their subsequent extensions and refinements of it were the most sophisticated. Along with those of the Aztecs, the Maya calendars are the best-documented and most completely understood.

By the Maya mythological tradition, as documented in Colonial Yucatec accounts and reconstructed from Late Classic and Postclassic inscriptions, the deity Itzamna is frequently credited with bringing the knowledge of the calendar system to the ancestral Maya, along with writing in general and other foundational aspects of Maya culture.

Providence

God is good. I love that He likes to give us small blessings as well as large ones, and I love to see how He orchestrates and impresses upon our hearts little things.

Very early Christmas morning I made a long drive from Cookeville to Chattanooga to go to work. As I stopped at a red light, I noticed a man on the street corner selling Sunday newspapers. I've seen him there before; in fact, I'm pretty sure he's been there every Sunday morning that I can remember passing by that corner. And he's there early, because I usually pass by around 6:10 AM. I looked at him and suddenly felt ashamed. There I was about to go to a job that I love, that is a huge blessing to me, and that pays enough to fill my needs and more, and I was a little bit resentful that I had to do it on Christmas day. And there he was, cold, up early on Christmas morning trying to sell newspapers to people who mostly didn't want to give him the time of day.

Whenever I see people selling things on street corners, I feel compelled to give them something. And I have told God many times before that any time I'm in a situation like that, if it is possible, I will stop and give them something. Providentially, the light had just turned red as I was coming up to it, so I knew I had the time, and I was glad for the opportunity. I don't really read newspapers, though I probably should, but I thought at least I could use it for fire starter in our fireplace at home. However, God had a little something more in mind than fire starter.

I rolled down my window, gave him what cash I had with me, and wished him a Merry Christmas. I threw the newspaper on the floor of the seat next to me, and didn't have a chance to look at it again until that night. I noticed a picture of a small child on the front page and thought it curious, but I didn't have time to read the article until this morning.

When I read it this morning, I discovered it was an article about a baby who was once a patient in the NICU that I work in. I was blessed as I read, and I was reminded once again of why I do what I do. I was reminded of why I chose to be a nurse, and the reminder couldn't have come at a better time because

this past week has been one of the most stressful and difficult weeks I've had in the NICU since I started in September. God is good. More than I can express in words. And I am ever so thankful of His love and care for me.

Disregard for Home Maintenance Reduces Property Values

The Average cost of home repairs typically costs home owners about one tenth of one percent of the value of the property. For example, a home that is worth $100,000 will run $100 a month in maintenance costs.

Keep in mind this figure represents an overall average which means the property may not even cost anything in maintenance for five years and then it needs a new roof for $6000. Just know that home repairs are an actual and ongoing cost of home ownership. Sadly, many forget to think about this ahead of time and never remember to budget it in before or even after purchasing property, forcing them to take out a home equity loan just as soon as they had begun building equity.

In this bad economy the combination of high unemployment rates and the rising cost of living is creating thinner wallets all across the country. When pockets run thin, home maintenance easily gets tossed to the wayside. Unfortunately however when even the smallest of home repairs is ignored it can lead to much larger and costlier repairs in the long run. Some of which can start out as just a simple leak in the roof which my have only cost $200 to repair, but left ignored could ultimately lead to water damage and mold, which will then run tens of thousands of dollars to fix.

A homes exterior is exposed to the elements 24/7 and requires constant maintenance. When these types of repairs go undone it becomes easy for everyone in the neighborhood to notice. The curb appeal of the property quickly deteriorates and the home turns into an eye sore. Boarded up windows, uncut lawns, missing shingles, fading paint, rotting wood, and defective siding are a few things that can cause homes to rapidly depreciate.

Another downside of neglecting home maintenance is the loss of value to your property. If it's for sale and needs repairs then buyers are going to offer thousands less then asking price. There are so many homes on the market that buyers don't need to buy one that needs immediate repairs. This also forces sellers to drastically lower their sale price just to stay competitive with similar homes not needing repairs.

Homes are only worth what others are willing to pay for them thus the value of a home is strictly determined by it's sale price. Strangely however, a lack of home maintenance is one of the only things that can reduce a homes value prior to sale and worse yet it can reduce the value of the surrounding homes in it's vicinity. It only takes just a few deteriorating homes to reduce the value of an entire neighborhood.

Born to Die

We all have a birth day, a particular point in time where life began for us. At some point in life we begin to realize that we are not immortal. We see grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and even siblings die. Although death is all around us we still get the idea that we will live to be 70, 80 or 100 years old. Surely we won't be one of those who die young. Our focus is on our hopes and dreams and all the things we want to accomplish. Nobody likes to think about death's inevitability. We see our purpose being fulfilled in life and not death.

It wasn’t so for our Lord Jesus Christ. In His life he was the exact representation of His Father in heaven and He demonstrated how we should live on earth but His mission was fulfilled in His death. He said "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" Matthew 20:28. Long before there was time, God had a plan to create mankind. Being omniscient, he knew that man would fall prey to Satan and sin, so even before Adam existed, God formulated a redemption plan.

God is perfect. He is holy. Nothing imperfect or unholy can dwell in His sight. Apart from reconciliation to God through Jesus Christ we have no righteousness. Our sin, our disobedience, our iniquities require expiation, and the only way to make atonement is with life-giving blood. "For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life" Leviticus 17:11. Sin is such a grievance to God that it must be covered in blood, the very life of the flesh. "...without the shedding of blood is no remission of sin" Hebrews 9:22.

When Adam and Eve sinned through disobedience, God slaughtered an animal to make a covering for them. The dead animal's hide provided a covering for their skin and the blood of the animal provided a covering for their sin. Many years later when God gave Israel the law, He instituted a sacrificial system where the blood of bulls and goats would be used to make atonement for man's sins. "But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" Hebrews 10:3, 4. The priest would go to the altar every day, offer the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never make a dent in the sin problem. But our High Priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, once and for all!

The Bible teaches us that all things point to Christ and His mission to redeem mankind. When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised a redeemer. The promise of a Messiah was given to Abraham, the father of faith. The Ten Commandments demonstrated how imperfect we are and showed us our need for a Savior. There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that foretell Jesus birthplace, details of his life, his mission, his nature, his death, and his resurrection. When the time was right, Jesus was born into the world. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We saw his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" John 1:14. Jesus’ purpose was to glorify God in the flesh, and ultimately give his flesh as an offering for the very people He created.

During this season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, let’s not forget His subsequent death, burial and resurrection. That is the “rest of the story.”

Andrew Gold: 1951 - 2011

I was very saddened to hear of Andrew Gold's sudden death in his sleep yesterday at the age of 59. Gold was truly a musical phenomenon of the 70s and 80s, and even if his name does not sound familiar, you know his songs.

His two biggest hits were the out-of-left-field 1977 psychodrama "Lonely Boy" and "Thank You For Being A Friend," the latter which went on to be the long-running theme song for the TV show "Golden Girls." While these two songs brought Gold his biggest success, they were far from his best work and don't even hint at the amazing jack-of-all-trades talent he was.

Gold's initial impact came as part of Linda Ronstadt's band in the first half of the 70s, when the singer was in her heyday. He helped pioneer the Ronstadt "Southern California" sound blending rock and country by arranging many of her hits and playing a very distinct twangy guitar. Think about the solo in the middle of Ronstadt's cover of the Everly Brothers' "When Will I Be Loved" and you'll know what I mean. Here's Ronstadt performing it on "The Midnight Special" with Gold on the left behind her. His background vocals were very distinct on her recordings, and if you go through them, you'll definitely hear all those arranging, musical and vocal trademarks.

When Gold stepped out on his own, it was in the era of multi-instrumentalists, where people like Todd Rundgren, Stevie Wonder and Dan Fogelberg played nearly every instrument on their albums through the process of overdubbing. Gold mastered the guitar, bass and piano for many of his solo recordings.

While "Lonely Boy" (from his second album) and "Thank You For Being A Friend" (from his third album) brought him the biggest commercial success, it was his 1975 debut album that was by far his best. Loved by the critics and not selling many copies, Andrew Gold (cover seen above) was Southern California rock at its best, with touches of country and pop, but really the first look at his songwriting. We knew about his singing and playing, but man, this guy could write hooks the size of a skyscraper. Expert musicianship, sounding much like those distinct Ronstadt records, and lots of harmonies. Just a great album with 10 absolutely unforgettable songs.

It's also the first time the public got a taste of Gold's twisted sense of humor and storytelling: the ballad "Endless Flight," with some poor guy on a bumpy flight pondering the future of a relationship at the same time... another guy on the lam from a crime warns his girlfriend to "Hang My Picture Straight"....

Even if the record didn't sell, at least Gold got royalties from Leo Sayer's cover of "Endless Flight."

Beyond those two megahits (and writing the theme song for 90's sitcom "Mad About You"), Gold's song were not destined to last, as country/rock fell out of favor and even Ronstadt had to figure out what her next phase was going to be. Gold periodically released albums, including a mesmerizing tongue-in-cheek tribute to 60s psychedelia under pseudonym Fraternal Order of The All called Greetings From Planet Love. That album had a carbon copy Byrds song called "Somewhere In Space And Time," and nods to "Magical Mystery Tour"-era Beatles, and a John Lennon/Bob Dylan combo called "Mr. Plastic Business Man."

Another side project was really something out of a pop lover's dream -- teaming with 10cc's Graham Gouldman in 1988 to form Wax UK, which had a US cult following and something more than that in Europe. They had one fantastic single, "Bridge To Your Heart," which was accompanied by a crazy Peter Gabriel-ish video.

13 Things the Bible Says About Work

Though we all have varying forms due to our situation we all have some sort of work we must deal with on a daily basis.

We have been focusing on what the Bible says about setting goals and life's big questions over the New Year at church....this is taken from my pastor's wonderful sermon series.....

1. Ecclesiastes 2:22….What does a man get for all of his hard work?

2. One type of worker is the lazy worker….The fool won’t work and almost starves, but feels it’s better to be lazy and barely get by than work hard….Ecclesiastes 4:5

3. The other type of worker is a workaholic….Here’s a man who is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless…and a miserable way to live…Ecclesiastes 4:8

4. Workaholics must readjust their values….I’ve learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is better they envy the things their neighbors have…Ecclesiastes 4:4 So often we work to beat out the competition....our society actually rewards bad behavior....bad habits.

5. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? What can a man give in exchange for his soul?....Mark 8: 36

6. In spite of all our hard work, there’s nothing we can take with us?....Ecclesiastes 5:15 We should ask ourselves: Why am I working so hard? Is the pay off worth it? and Why do I think it will satisfy me?

7. All of us should enjoy our rewards. All of us should eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for. It is God’s gift….Ecclesiastes 3:13

8. It’s better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands….Ecclesiastes 4:6

9. We have to limit our labor….Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself our with work…..Ecclesiastes 10:15 Work should follow an intention schedule, and we should stick to it.

10. You have six days in which to do your work, but the 7th day is to be a day of rest dedicated to Me….Exodus20: 9-10

11. It’s senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night….for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest….Psalm 127:2

12. Anticipate God’s care…Trust God….Don’t worry, saying, “What shall we eat…or drink….or wear? For pagans, run after these things, and your Heavenly Father knows you need them….Matthew 6:31-32

13. Exchange your pressure for God’s peace….”Come to me, you who are tired from carrying your heavy loads and I will give you rest….The yoke I’ll give you is easy and the load I’ll put on you is light…..Matthew 11:28,30

WORK SMARTER.....NOT HARDER.

Guide to Essay Writing

In preparation for going back to school, I'm brushing up on my essay writing skills. I found this list very helpful.

Guide To Essay Writing

1. Avoid alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague.
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary
7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
8. Contractions aren’t necessary.
9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.
10. One should never generalize.
11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
12. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
14. Be more or less specific.
15. Understatement is always best.
16. One word sentences? Eliminate.
17. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
18. The passive voice is to be avoided.
19. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
20. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
21. Who needs rhetorical questions?
22. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

Daily Thought: Nothing Changes

"Every election season America is presented with a series of false choices. Should we launch preemptive wars against this country or that one? Should every American neighborhood live under this social policy or that one? Should a third of our income be taken away by an income tax or a national sales tax? The shared assumption behind these question, on the other hand, are never cast in doubt, or even raised. And anyone who wants to ask different questions or who suggests that the questions as framed exclude attractive, humane alternatives, is ipso facto excluded from mainstream discussion.

"And so every four years we are treated to the same tired, predictable routine: two candidates with few disagreements on fundamentals pretend that they represent dramatically different philosophies of government.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A Valentine's Wish poem

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