Ummm..... Correction.
That is NOT my 4H pig below. It belongs to my son, Trahern. We just set him up in his own blog the other day and he inadvertantly sent the picture of the late Penelope to my blog instead. For a scarey look inside my home, you can read of life in the Grenon household from his and my daughter, Hannah's perspective.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Monday, September 20, 2004
Friday, September 17, 2004
I Won
I have been receiving notices from all kinds of people lately, notifying me that I had won in a lottery which I have no rememberance of taking part in. People in Japan, Nigeria, and obscure African nations have been contacting me in droves because my reputation for honesty and astute financial judgement has spread around the globe. They want my help to move hundreds of thousands of dollars for the poor relations of fabulously wealthy people who have been dropping like flies before putting their money safely in Swiss bank accounts. (I think Interpol should be contacted and an investigation launched into the suspicious deaths of all these rich people.)
Yesterday when I came home for lunch, I got a phone call from someone informing me I had won yet another contest. Yikes! Now they are phoning me ? Turns out, this time it was a bonafide call. Last spring I entered some recipes in a contest for low glycemic eating in various categories, and I won first prize in two of the categories. I can't decide. Should I replace the couch that is disintegrating after 40 years of hard service and many children bouncing on it, or the washing machine that has to be run twice on the spin cycle to get the water out of the clothing? Decisions, decisions.
I have been receiving notices from all kinds of people lately, notifying me that I had won in a lottery which I have no rememberance of taking part in. People in Japan, Nigeria, and obscure African nations have been contacting me in droves because my reputation for honesty and astute financial judgement has spread around the globe. They want my help to move hundreds of thousands of dollars for the poor relations of fabulously wealthy people who have been dropping like flies before putting their money safely in Swiss bank accounts. (I think Interpol should be contacted and an investigation launched into the suspicious deaths of all these rich people.)
Yesterday when I came home for lunch, I got a phone call from someone informing me I had won yet another contest. Yikes! Now they are phoning me ? Turns out, this time it was a bonafide call. Last spring I entered some recipes in a contest for low glycemic eating in various categories, and I won first prize in two of the categories. I can't decide. Should I replace the couch that is disintegrating after 40 years of hard service and many children bouncing on it, or the washing machine that has to be run twice on the spin cycle to get the water out of the clothing? Decisions, decisions.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Best of Both Worlds
I spent the better part of today at a parents' seminar put on by the E Bus teachers who will be assisting me in educating my children. I know it isn't PC to say this about public school educators in homeschool circles, but these teachers reminded me of what a blessing it can be to have a talented and dedicated teacher to help you with learning.
One teacher in particular, Mr. Nussbaumer, very kindly did the verbal equivalent of patting my hand and telling me it would be alright. I was on the verge of having a complete meltdown over managing the course work for everyone. They were able to reassure me that everyone would learn what they needed to learn in a way that wouldn't burden me and would allow the kids to enjoy learning.
For those who are wondering, this isn't the same program that I mentioned earlier. I learned about E Bus about 5 weeks ago and decided to enroll all the children, not just the older kids. That means that everyone will be accountable to a teacher, a teacher will do the grading and give out report cards, but the kids can still work at their own pace and use many of the same resources that I would have been using anyhow.
I think this program is going to be a good fit. The work is flexible and it takes into account real life experience for credit. It also provides a means for allowing the kids to do some extra curricular things like taking music or art lessons ~ things we could never do before. Most importantly, it provides me with someone to hold my hand and reassure me that the children really are learning and that they are not going to grow up as little ignoramuses.
I think the hardest thing about homeschooling for me has been the oppressive weight of responsibility that has rested on my shoulders. That weight has stolen all the joy because if I don't do a good job, then my kids suffer. It is hard enough being responsible for their moral training without adding everything else on top. If not every man is suited to teach in the church, why do we assume that every mother is suited to teach her kids a classical and rigorous academic program? Good teaching requires talent and gifting. Not every mother is so gifted. Least of all, me.
So thank you to all you wonderful E Bus teachers! You have saved my sanity. And once I figure out how it all works, I suspect I might actually start to enjoy teaching at home again.
I spent the better part of today at a parents' seminar put on by the E Bus teachers who will be assisting me in educating my children. I know it isn't PC to say this about public school educators in homeschool circles, but these teachers reminded me of what a blessing it can be to have a talented and dedicated teacher to help you with learning.
One teacher in particular, Mr. Nussbaumer, very kindly did the verbal equivalent of patting my hand and telling me it would be alright. I was on the verge of having a complete meltdown over managing the course work for everyone. They were able to reassure me that everyone would learn what they needed to learn in a way that wouldn't burden me and would allow the kids to enjoy learning.
For those who are wondering, this isn't the same program that I mentioned earlier. I learned about E Bus about 5 weeks ago and decided to enroll all the children, not just the older kids. That means that everyone will be accountable to a teacher, a teacher will do the grading and give out report cards, but the kids can still work at their own pace and use many of the same resources that I would have been using anyhow.
I think this program is going to be a good fit. The work is flexible and it takes into account real life experience for credit. It also provides a means for allowing the kids to do some extra curricular things like taking music or art lessons ~ things we could never do before. Most importantly, it provides me with someone to hold my hand and reassure me that the children really are learning and that they are not going to grow up as little ignoramuses.
I think the hardest thing about homeschooling for me has been the oppressive weight of responsibility that has rested on my shoulders. That weight has stolen all the joy because if I don't do a good job, then my kids suffer. It is hard enough being responsible for their moral training without adding everything else on top. If not every man is suited to teach in the church, why do we assume that every mother is suited to teach her kids a classical and rigorous academic program? Good teaching requires talent and gifting. Not every mother is so gifted. Least of all, me.
So thank you to all you wonderful E Bus teachers! You have saved my sanity. And once I figure out how it all works, I suspect I might actually start to enjoy teaching at home again.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
'Flu Season Hysteria Begins
By Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO
The following article is an article in the Online Vaccine Conference at Redflagsdaily.com. This important online conference on vaccines will play a significant role in stimulating public discussion on this vital public health issue. You can also view other essential articles on vaccines at the Online Vaccine Conference.
As predictable as the return of yellow school buses and Monday Night Football, the arrival of fall also brings the first fearful chatter about the approaching flu season. But this year, there is a twist: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has devised a portentous new blueprint to ensure the economic success of this season's flu vaccine.
Concerned over data documenting that almost 65 percent of the people surveyed in 2003 did not receive the flu shot -- including nearly 47 percent with chronic illnesses and 78 percent of children ranging in age from 6-23 months -- a new strategy has been devised. The plan was fully disclosed in the 51-slide communiqué, "Planning for the 2004-05 Influenza Vaccination Season: A Communication Situation Analysis," prepared by Glen Nowak, Ph.D., associate director for communications at the National Immunization Program.
The most important part of the program, "The Seven-Step Recipe for Generating Interest in, and Demand for, Flu (or any other) Vaccination," is designed to methodically manipulate the general public.
Language within the presentation reveals the intent of the government and their drug company "partners" to use major news media (newswires, TV) to send scheduled, fear-based messages in an attempt to convince the unsuspecting public that not only is the flu shot necessary, but to motivate them to demand it. This will amount to millions of dollars of free advertising for flu vaccine manufacturers.
A Synopsis of the CDC plan
Step 1: Start discussing the flu at the beginning of the "immunization season."
Posters, fliers and media campaign materials are generally mailed to public health departments and healthcare provider offices in mid-August, "planting the seeds" in the minds of patients so that they request the flu vaccine when it arrives.
Step 2: The media will begin to make pronouncements that the "new" influenza strains anticipated this year "will be associated with severe illness and serious outcomes."
Right on cue, the government announced on Aug. 25, that it is "preparing for world's next big flu outbreak." A report released to the Associated Press suggests that a bad flu season could kill up to 207,000 Americans. To fuel the hysteria, the CDC and Department of Human Services announced that they are issuing a joint "Pandemic Influenza Response and Preparedness Plan" which will stress "ways to speed up vaccine production, limit the spread of a super-flu, and care for the ill."
Step 3: The buildup will continue through the early fall, as local and national "medical experts and public health authorities publicly (e.g., via media) state concern and alarm (by predicting dire outcomes) -- and urge influenza vaccination."
Here's one example: "We know we're going to have a pandemic because, historically, we're overdue for one," said Neil Pascoe, epidemiologist in the infectious disease division of the Texas Department of Health. "When it happens, it's going to be huge. It will be global, and everyone is going to be affected ... it could be terribly fatal. Imagine 4 million Texans [becoming] infected, and 20 percent of them die."
Be prepared for many similar statements in major newspapers and on national TV stations as the weeks progress.
Step 4: Reports from medical experts will be used to "frame the flu season in terms [that will] motivate behavior." Language to be used will include "very severe," "more severe than last or past years" and "deadly."
Last year, there were 1,026 messages sent via the media between September 21-28. Some of the phrases the media used included, "This could be the worst flu season ever," "The flu kills 36,000 people per year" and "The flu shot is the best way to prevent the flu." Even though less than 175 people actually died from influenza in 2003, anticipate exponentially more messages regarding the "deadly flu" will be pushed through the news media this year.
Step 5: Continue to release reports from health officials through the media that influenza is causing severe illness and/or affecting lots of people "helping to foster the perception that many people are susceptible to a bad case of influenza."
Step 6: Give visible, tangible examples of the seriousness of influenza by showing pictures of ill children and affected families who are willing to come forward with their stories. "Show pictures of people being vaccinated, the first to motivate, the latter to reinforce."
Step 7: List references to, and have discussions regarding, the influenza pandemic. "Make continued reference to the importance of vaccination."
The language used to describe Steps 5, 6, and 7 was taken directly from Nowak's presentation. This should leave little doubt the government intends to use the media to create hysteria that will increase the demand for a pharmaceutical product.
Vaccine manufacturers often cry the blues about revenues lost by producing vaccines. However, last year, Chiron, one of the two largest vaccine manufacturers, made 38 million flu shots, accounting for nearly $230 million in revenue. And even though sales of FluMist, the intranasal flu vaccine, reportedly "failed miserably," the company still marked $33 million in revenues from sales of the product. Not exactly the stellar returns MedImmune had hoped for, but clearly revenues were made.
Health officials are expecting that, through the publicity generated by last year's flu hype, coupled with a carefully planned and implemented new strategy, record numbers will seek vaccination this year. Perhaps, understanding the tactical maneuvers of the "CDC-Big Pharma-Media" partnership will result in another "bust" year for the flu vaccines.
Many thanks to Mrs. Lujene Clark, president of NoMercury.org for her research and bringing this to my attention.
Sherri J. Tenpenny, D.O. is a nationally renowned and respected vaccine expert.
Cheryl notes that the best defense against the 'flu is a strong immune system. Eat whole foods, exercise and use glyconutrients and other supplements to build your immune system.
By Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO
The following article is an article in the Online Vaccine Conference at Redflagsdaily.com. This important online conference on vaccines will play a significant role in stimulating public discussion on this vital public health issue. You can also view other essential articles on vaccines at the Online Vaccine Conference.
As predictable as the return of yellow school buses and Monday Night Football, the arrival of fall also brings the first fearful chatter about the approaching flu season. But this year, there is a twist: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has devised a portentous new blueprint to ensure the economic success of this season's flu vaccine.
Concerned over data documenting that almost 65 percent of the people surveyed in 2003 did not receive the flu shot -- including nearly 47 percent with chronic illnesses and 78 percent of children ranging in age from 6-23 months -- a new strategy has been devised. The plan was fully disclosed in the 51-slide communiqué, "Planning for the 2004-05 Influenza Vaccination Season: A Communication Situation Analysis," prepared by Glen Nowak, Ph.D., associate director for communications at the National Immunization Program.
The most important part of the program, "The Seven-Step Recipe for Generating Interest in, and Demand for, Flu (or any other) Vaccination," is designed to methodically manipulate the general public.
Language within the presentation reveals the intent of the government and their drug company "partners" to use major news media (newswires, TV) to send scheduled, fear-based messages in an attempt to convince the unsuspecting public that not only is the flu shot necessary, but to motivate them to demand it. This will amount to millions of dollars of free advertising for flu vaccine manufacturers.
A Synopsis of the CDC plan
Step 1: Start discussing the flu at the beginning of the "immunization season."
Posters, fliers and media campaign materials are generally mailed to public health departments and healthcare provider offices in mid-August, "planting the seeds" in the minds of patients so that they request the flu vaccine when it arrives.
Step 2: The media will begin to make pronouncements that the "new" influenza strains anticipated this year "will be associated with severe illness and serious outcomes."
Right on cue, the government announced on Aug. 25, that it is "preparing for world's next big flu outbreak." A report released to the Associated Press suggests that a bad flu season could kill up to 207,000 Americans. To fuel the hysteria, the CDC and Department of Human Services announced that they are issuing a joint "Pandemic Influenza Response and Preparedness Plan" which will stress "ways to speed up vaccine production, limit the spread of a super-flu, and care for the ill."
Step 3: The buildup will continue through the early fall, as local and national "medical experts and public health authorities publicly (e.g., via media) state concern and alarm (by predicting dire outcomes) -- and urge influenza vaccination."
Here's one example: "We know we're going to have a pandemic because, historically, we're overdue for one," said Neil Pascoe, epidemiologist in the infectious disease division of the Texas Department of Health. "When it happens, it's going to be huge. It will be global, and everyone is going to be affected ... it could be terribly fatal. Imagine 4 million Texans [becoming] infected, and 20 percent of them die."
Be prepared for many similar statements in major newspapers and on national TV stations as the weeks progress.
Step 4: Reports from medical experts will be used to "frame the flu season in terms [that will] motivate behavior." Language to be used will include "very severe," "more severe than last or past years" and "deadly."
Last year, there were 1,026 messages sent via the media between September 21-28. Some of the phrases the media used included, "This could be the worst flu season ever," "The flu kills 36,000 people per year" and "The flu shot is the best way to prevent the flu." Even though less than 175 people actually died from influenza in 2003, anticipate exponentially more messages regarding the "deadly flu" will be pushed through the news media this year.
Step 5: Continue to release reports from health officials through the media that influenza is causing severe illness and/or affecting lots of people "helping to foster the perception that many people are susceptible to a bad case of influenza."
Step 6: Give visible, tangible examples of the seriousness of influenza by showing pictures of ill children and affected families who are willing to come forward with their stories. "Show pictures of people being vaccinated, the first to motivate, the latter to reinforce."
Step 7: List references to, and have discussions regarding, the influenza pandemic. "Make continued reference to the importance of vaccination."
The language used to describe Steps 5, 6, and 7 was taken directly from Nowak's presentation. This should leave little doubt the government intends to use the media to create hysteria that will increase the demand for a pharmaceutical product.
Vaccine manufacturers often cry the blues about revenues lost by producing vaccines. However, last year, Chiron, one of the two largest vaccine manufacturers, made 38 million flu shots, accounting for nearly $230 million in revenue. And even though sales of FluMist, the intranasal flu vaccine, reportedly "failed miserably," the company still marked $33 million in revenues from sales of the product. Not exactly the stellar returns MedImmune had hoped for, but clearly revenues were made.
Health officials are expecting that, through the publicity generated by last year's flu hype, coupled with a carefully planned and implemented new strategy, record numbers will seek vaccination this year. Perhaps, understanding the tactical maneuvers of the "CDC-Big Pharma-Media" partnership will result in another "bust" year for the flu vaccines.
Many thanks to Mrs. Lujene Clark, president of NoMercury.org for her research and bringing this to my attention.
Sherri J. Tenpenny, D.O. is a nationally renowned and respected vaccine expert.
Cheryl notes that the best defense against the 'flu is a strong immune system. Eat whole foods, exercise and use glyconutrients and other supplements to build your immune system.
Monday, September 13, 2004
Covenant Mercies Out Live Us
Yesterday I was thinking about Moses, and specifically, Moses' mother. This brave lady likely did what she could to hide the fact that she was pregnant in order to hide the subsequent birth and to protect her baby boy's life for as long as possible. By the time he reached the age of 3 months, he could no longer be hidden in the home. How her mother's heart must have ached as she wove the basket she was planning to place him in. How in the world could her baby survive in a basket? He would cry and she couldn't go to him. If he wet or soiled himself, she couldn't be there to change him. If he hungered, she couldn't nurse him except as she was able to sneak away. I am sure the thoughts of crocodiles lurking in the reeds and other hazards troubled her mind as she worked. By the miraculous intervention of God's directing providence, Moses is picked up out of the river and taken in by Pharoah's daughter.
We don't know now long Jochabed lived after turning Moses over to Pharoah's daughter. Did she live to see him a man grown in Egypt? Was her heart wrung by the knowledge that he had become a murderer who ran away to escape the penalty of his sin? We never read of Jochabed beyond the early childhood of Moses. Presumably she didn't live long enough to see her son become the meekest man on earth. Nor did she live to see the deliverance of Israel by God. For me, this story is a potent reminder that God's covenant promises don't need to be seen by us to be fulfilled through us.
Why are you cast down my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of my countenance. ~ Psalm 42:5
Yesterday I was thinking about Moses, and specifically, Moses' mother. This brave lady likely did what she could to hide the fact that she was pregnant in order to hide the subsequent birth and to protect her baby boy's life for as long as possible. By the time he reached the age of 3 months, he could no longer be hidden in the home. How her mother's heart must have ached as she wove the basket she was planning to place him in. How in the world could her baby survive in a basket? He would cry and she couldn't go to him. If he wet or soiled himself, she couldn't be there to change him. If he hungered, she couldn't nurse him except as she was able to sneak away. I am sure the thoughts of crocodiles lurking in the reeds and other hazards troubled her mind as she worked. By the miraculous intervention of God's directing providence, Moses is picked up out of the river and taken in by Pharoah's daughter.
We don't know now long Jochabed lived after turning Moses over to Pharoah's daughter. Did she live to see him a man grown in Egypt? Was her heart wrung by the knowledge that he had become a murderer who ran away to escape the penalty of his sin? We never read of Jochabed beyond the early childhood of Moses. Presumably she didn't live long enough to see her son become the meekest man on earth. Nor did she live to see the deliverance of Israel by God. For me, this story is a potent reminder that God's covenant promises don't need to be seen by us to be fulfilled through us.
Why are you cast down my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of my countenance. ~ Psalm 42:5
Now They Want to Euthanize Children In the Netherlands,
31 percent of pediatricians have killed infants. A fifth of these killings were done without the "consent" of parents. Going Dutch has never been so horrible. by Wesley J. Smith 09/13/2004 12:00:00 AM
FIRST, Dutch euthanasia advocates said that patient killing will be limited to the competent, terminally ill who ask for it. Then, when doctors began euthanizing patients who clearly were not terminally ill, sweat not, they soothed: medicalized killing will be limited to competent people with incurable illnesses or disabilities. Then, when doctors began killing patients who were depressed but not physically ill, not to worry, they told us: only competent depressed people whose desire to commit suicide is "rational" will have their deaths facilitated. Then, when doctors began killing incompetent people, such as those with Alzheimer's, it's all under control, they crooned: non-voluntary killing will be limited to patients who would have asked for it if they were competent.
And now they want to euthanize children.
In the Netherlands, Groningen University Hospital has decided its doctors will euthanize children under the age of 12, if doctors believe their suffering is intolerable or if they have an incurable illness. But what does that mean? In many cases, as occurs now with adults, it will become an excuse not to provide proper pain control for children who are dying of potentially agonizing maladies such as cancer, and doing away with them instead. As for those deemed "incurable"--this term is merely a euphemism for killing babies and children who are seriously disabled.
For anyone paying attention to the continuing collapse of medical ethics in the Netherlands, this isn't at all shocking. Dutch doctors have been surreptitiously engaging in eugenic euthanasia of disabled babies for years, although it technically is illegal, since infants can't consent to be killed. Indeed, a disturbing 1997 study published in the British medical journal, the Lancet, revealed how deeply pediatric euthanasia has already metastasized into Dutch neo natal medical practice: According to the report, doctors were killing approximately 8 percent of all infants who died each year in the Netherlands. That amounts to approximately 80-90 per year. Of these, one-third would have lived more than a month. At least 10-15 of these killings involved infants who did not require life-sustaining treatment to stay alive. The study found that a shocking 45 percent of neo-natologists and 31 percent of pediatricians who responded to questionnaires had killed infants.
It took the Dutch almost 30 years for their medical practices to fall to the point that Dutch doctors are able to engage in the kind of euthanasia activities that got some German doctors hanged after Nuremberg. For those who object to this assertion by claiming that German doctors killed disabled babies during World War II without consent of parents, so too do many Dutch doctors: Approximately 21 percent of the infant euthanasia deaths occurred without request or consent of parents. Moreover, since when did parents attain the moral right to have their children killed? Euthanasia consciousness is catching. The Netherlands' neighbor Belgium decided to jump off the same cliff as the Dutch only two years ago. But already, they have caught up with the Dutch in their freefall into the moral abyss. The very first Belgian euthanasia of a person with multiple sclerosis violated the law; and just as occurs routinely in the Netherlands, the doctor involved faced no consequences. Now Belgium is set to legalize neo-pediatric euthanasia. Two Belgian legislators justify their plan to permit children to ask for their own mercy killing on the basis that young people "have as much right to choose" euthanasia as anyone else. Yet, these same children who are supposedly mature enough to decide to die would be ineligible to obtain a driver's license.
Why does accepting euthanasia as a remedy for suffering in very limited circumstances inevitably lead to never-ending expansion of the killing license? Blame the radically altered mindset that results when killing is redefined from a moral wrong into a beneficent and legal act. If killing is right for, say the adult cancer patient, why shouldn't it be just as right for the disabled quadriplegic, the suicidal mother whose children have been killed in an accident, or the infant born with profound mental retardation? At that point, laws and regulations erected to protect the vulnerable against abuse come to be seen as obstructions that must be surmounted. From there, it is only a hop, skip, and a jump to deciding that killing is the preferable option.
Wesley J. Smith is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, an attorney for the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, and a special consultant to the Center for Bioethics and Culture. His next book, Consumer's Guide to a Brave New World will be released in October.
31 percent of pediatricians have killed infants. A fifth of these killings were done without the "consent" of parents. Going Dutch has never been so horrible. by Wesley J. Smith 09/13/2004 12:00:00 AM
FIRST, Dutch euthanasia advocates said that patient killing will be limited to the competent, terminally ill who ask for it. Then, when doctors began euthanizing patients who clearly were not terminally ill, sweat not, they soothed: medicalized killing will be limited to competent people with incurable illnesses or disabilities. Then, when doctors began killing patients who were depressed but not physically ill, not to worry, they told us: only competent depressed people whose desire to commit suicide is "rational" will have their deaths facilitated. Then, when doctors began killing incompetent people, such as those with Alzheimer's, it's all under control, they crooned: non-voluntary killing will be limited to patients who would have asked for it if they were competent.
And now they want to euthanize children.
In the Netherlands, Groningen University Hospital has decided its doctors will euthanize children under the age of 12, if doctors believe their suffering is intolerable or if they have an incurable illness. But what does that mean? In many cases, as occurs now with adults, it will become an excuse not to provide proper pain control for children who are dying of potentially agonizing maladies such as cancer, and doing away with them instead. As for those deemed "incurable"--this term is merely a euphemism for killing babies and children who are seriously disabled.
For anyone paying attention to the continuing collapse of medical ethics in the Netherlands, this isn't at all shocking. Dutch doctors have been surreptitiously engaging in eugenic euthanasia of disabled babies for years, although it technically is illegal, since infants can't consent to be killed. Indeed, a disturbing 1997 study published in the British medical journal, the Lancet, revealed how deeply pediatric euthanasia has already metastasized into Dutch neo natal medical practice: According to the report, doctors were killing approximately 8 percent of all infants who died each year in the Netherlands. That amounts to approximately 80-90 per year. Of these, one-third would have lived more than a month. At least 10-15 of these killings involved infants who did not require life-sustaining treatment to stay alive. The study found that a shocking 45 percent of neo-natologists and 31 percent of pediatricians who responded to questionnaires had killed infants.
It took the Dutch almost 30 years for their medical practices to fall to the point that Dutch doctors are able to engage in the kind of euthanasia activities that got some German doctors hanged after Nuremberg. For those who object to this assertion by claiming that German doctors killed disabled babies during World War II without consent of parents, so too do many Dutch doctors: Approximately 21 percent of the infant euthanasia deaths occurred without request or consent of parents. Moreover, since when did parents attain the moral right to have their children killed? Euthanasia consciousness is catching. The Netherlands' neighbor Belgium decided to jump off the same cliff as the Dutch only two years ago. But already, they have caught up with the Dutch in their freefall into the moral abyss. The very first Belgian euthanasia of a person with multiple sclerosis violated the law; and just as occurs routinely in the Netherlands, the doctor involved faced no consequences. Now Belgium is set to legalize neo-pediatric euthanasia. Two Belgian legislators justify their plan to permit children to ask for their own mercy killing on the basis that young people "have as much right to choose" euthanasia as anyone else. Yet, these same children who are supposedly mature enough to decide to die would be ineligible to obtain a driver's license.
Why does accepting euthanasia as a remedy for suffering in very limited circumstances inevitably lead to never-ending expansion of the killing license? Blame the radically altered mindset that results when killing is redefined from a moral wrong into a beneficent and legal act. If killing is right for, say the adult cancer patient, why shouldn't it be just as right for the disabled quadriplegic, the suicidal mother whose children have been killed in an accident, or the infant born with profound mental retardation? At that point, laws and regulations erected to protect the vulnerable against abuse come to be seen as obstructions that must be surmounted. From there, it is only a hop, skip, and a jump to deciding that killing is the preferable option.
Wesley J. Smith is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, an attorney for the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, and a special consultant to the Center for Bioethics and Culture. His next book, Consumer's Guide to a Brave New World will be released in October.
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Musical Interlude
Despite the assertions of a friend of mine, I don't have a good singing voice. It cracks at times and it isn't very strong. The best that can be said for it is that I am able to keep it on key. Nevertheless, I enjoy excercising my vocal cords by singing along with some favorite music.
I don't know how my friend does it. She listens to music on headphones while she composes letters, blog posts, emails, and other writings. My kids also have the ability (so they say) to do schoolwork with music blaring loudly beside them. I can't. Anything that requires my full attention means I can't pay attention to music and singing or whatever it is that I am working on. Instead, I use music to accompany me when I am working in the kitchen or doing tedious chores like ironing shirts. I also use it when I am driving places because it makes the time pass more quickly.
Today I was making lasagne's in the kitchen. One is for tonight's festivities. We are celebrating my son Nathanael's 18th birthday. He actually turned 18 last Lord's Day, but his dad and I were away and his second eldest sister just came down for the weekend, so we thought we would wait til today to perform the birthday rites. While I was working away, I had on some music that I used to listen to long ago -- The Electric Light Orchestra. Man, just hearing that stuff transported me right back to my teen years.
You know, on the one hand you couldn't pay me enough to go back and relive those years over. And at the same time I miss them. I had some good times while I was a youngster, even when I was dating. The summer I was 16 was probably one of my best summers. That was the year I worked at a truck stop not far from my home as a waitress, and it was also the summer I spent dating Jimmy Hughes. Jimmy was the son of a gal my dad knew growing up. I know my parents didn't really approve of Jimmy, but we never did anything bad or questionable. He used to pick me up and drive me to work and come back around midnight to drive me home. During the times we weren't working, we would bomb around the backroads of Westmoreland county in his little Toyota and listen to music and yak. I was broken hearted when he wanted to stop dating me, but obviously, I recovered enough to take up with Marc and get married. Jimmy still lives in Moncton, as far as I know, and no doubt knows about me and my brood of 11. He's probably congratulating himself on his narrow escape. heheh
Another lad who escaped my clutches was "Q". His name was actually Robbie Cusack, but we all called him "Q" for short. I "dated" him for all of one summer. We didn't actually spend a lot of time together because I was at summer camp either as a camper or working as a counselor. I saw him from a distance a few years ago when I was back home visiting my parents. He became a DJ at a Christian radio station and introduced Steve Green at a concert my mom and I went to. I wanted to say hi to him, but he got away before I could. He was bald.
Yesterday I was at the store and picked up a People magazine and glanced through it. There was a picture of Brooke Shields with her new baby. Cute baby, but man... Brooke, who is slightly younger than me, has huge crow's feet and wrinkles on her face -- more than I do. I have yet to get crow's feet. Of course, my hips are more generous than hers, but I can lose the hips.
Well I'm babbling now and haven't anything astounding to say. Thus ends the interlude. Back to work.
What I'm Listening to: Default
Despite the assertions of a friend of mine, I don't have a good singing voice. It cracks at times and it isn't very strong. The best that can be said for it is that I am able to keep it on key. Nevertheless, I enjoy excercising my vocal cords by singing along with some favorite music.
I don't know how my friend does it. She listens to music on headphones while she composes letters, blog posts, emails, and other writings. My kids also have the ability (so they say) to do schoolwork with music blaring loudly beside them. I can't. Anything that requires my full attention means I can't pay attention to music and singing or whatever it is that I am working on. Instead, I use music to accompany me when I am working in the kitchen or doing tedious chores like ironing shirts. I also use it when I am driving places because it makes the time pass more quickly.
Today I was making lasagne's in the kitchen. One is for tonight's festivities. We are celebrating my son Nathanael's 18th birthday. He actually turned 18 last Lord's Day, but his dad and I were away and his second eldest sister just came down for the weekend, so we thought we would wait til today to perform the birthday rites. While I was working away, I had on some music that I used to listen to long ago -- The Electric Light Orchestra. Man, just hearing that stuff transported me right back to my teen years.
You know, on the one hand you couldn't pay me enough to go back and relive those years over. And at the same time I miss them. I had some good times while I was a youngster, even when I was dating. The summer I was 16 was probably one of my best summers. That was the year I worked at a truck stop not far from my home as a waitress, and it was also the summer I spent dating Jimmy Hughes. Jimmy was the son of a gal my dad knew growing up. I know my parents didn't really approve of Jimmy, but we never did anything bad or questionable. He used to pick me up and drive me to work and come back around midnight to drive me home. During the times we weren't working, we would bomb around the backroads of Westmoreland county in his little Toyota and listen to music and yak. I was broken hearted when he wanted to stop dating me, but obviously, I recovered enough to take up with Marc and get married. Jimmy still lives in Moncton, as far as I know, and no doubt knows about me and my brood of 11. He's probably congratulating himself on his narrow escape. heheh
Another lad who escaped my clutches was "Q". His name was actually Robbie Cusack, but we all called him "Q" for short. I "dated" him for all of one summer. We didn't actually spend a lot of time together because I was at summer camp either as a camper or working as a counselor. I saw him from a distance a few years ago when I was back home visiting my parents. He became a DJ at a Christian radio station and introduced Steve Green at a concert my mom and I went to. I wanted to say hi to him, but he got away before I could. He was bald.
Yesterday I was at the store and picked up a People magazine and glanced through it. There was a picture of Brooke Shields with her new baby. Cute baby, but man... Brooke, who is slightly younger than me, has huge crow's feet and wrinkles on her face -- more than I do. I have yet to get crow's feet. Of course, my hips are more generous than hers, but I can lose the hips.
Well I'm babbling now and haven't anything astounding to say. Thus ends the interlude. Back to work.
What I'm Listening to: Default
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Three Things....
Thanks to Jerry for this.
Thanks to Jerry for this.
| Three things that scare me: | |
| 1 | Driving in a blinding snow storm |
| 2 | My kids going too close to the edge of a drop |
| 3 | Getting a phone call from the elders. :o |
| Three people who make me laugh: | |
| 1 | Marc, my husband |
| 2 | Nick S. |
| 3 | Dawn M. |
| Three Things I love: | |
| 1 | Ice Cream |
| 2 | Long, hot baths |
| 3 | Being massaged |
| Three Things I hate: | |
| 1 | Having cold feet |
| 2 | A messy house |
| 3 | Malfunctioning equipment |
| Three things I don't understand: | |
| 1 | Men |
| 2 | Math |
| 3 | Revelations |
| Three things on my desk: | |
| 1 | Calculator |
| 2 | Tub of Ambrotose |
| 3 | Empty ice cream dish |
| Three things I'm doing right now: | |
| 1 | Indulging in mindless amusement |
| 2 | Getting ready for bed |
| 3 | Wondering which book I should read tonight |
| Three things I want to do before I die: | |
| 1 | Have lots and lots of grandchildren |
| 2 | Travel around the UK |
| 3 | Have a vacation home in New Brunswick |
| Three things I can do: | |
| 1 | Help other people feel better |
| 2 | Cook for and entertain large crowds |
| 3 | Have fun at the drop of a hat |
| Three ways to describe my personality: | |
| 1 | Optimistic |
| 2 | Friendly |
| 3 | Goofy |
| Three things I can't do: | |
| 1 | Father a child |
| 2 | Keep track of my car and house keys |
| 3 | Sit still for very long |
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
This and That
It is amazing how quickly I can fall behind with things when I take a few days away from home. Laundry Mountain has switched places. Instead of a mountain of dirty laundry, I now have a mountain of clean laundry awaiting folding and sorting before being dispersed to the appropriate person. I could ask one of my kids to do the folding, but I'm rather anal about how the laundry gets folded and since it is my single obsession, it will have to wait until I get to it.
I spent today sorting out and packing away my summer clothing and digging out my winter clothing. Farewell light summery things; hello warm winter woolies. I am a bit sad about the loss of summer sun and warmth, but every season has its joys and I'll recover to enjoy the autumn weather soon.
Which reminds me of something... I have come to realize what a blessing it is to possess a generally happy frame of mind. I have my trials and tribulations that serve to remind me that life is sober; life is cruel. However, if I can distract myself for even a few minutes, it usually restores me to a more optimistic frame of mind. I was lamenting to myself over one of the kids today and doing some writing on a totally unrelated subject helped to restore my equilibrium and perspective. I remember suffering from depression as a teen, and I developed a great distaste for it. Consequently, I have endeavored to do all I can to preserve a more cheerful frame of mind where possible. Perspective is everything. I could keep myself down by constantly reminding myself of my own sinful nature and its results and that of those around me. Joy, however, always sneaks back in. I can't help it. I find too many things to rejoice in and be grateful for. No matter how grey things look to me, I know I can always find someone worse off than I am. And besides, given what my sins deserve, I am grateful that the trials I experience in this life are the worst it will ever be for me. This life is the closest to hell I shall ever get. Now if that isn't cause for gratitude over the lightness of affliction I suffer now, I don't know what is.
Things are slowly starting to come together as far as school goes. I heard from several of Ben's teachers today and his lessons will be sent out soon. I also heard from the teacher who will be overseeing the younger children. For once, I am actually looking forward to getting started. That, of course, could change as soon as I am actually doing something. Alas, homeschooling is one area that does challenge my ability to remain cheerful. However, I shall endeavor to do this as unto the Lord with a minimum of grumbling and belly aching about it.
Sorry I don't have anything more exciting to write about.
What I am listening to: Smashmouth
It is amazing how quickly I can fall behind with things when I take a few days away from home. Laundry Mountain has switched places. Instead of a mountain of dirty laundry, I now have a mountain of clean laundry awaiting folding and sorting before being dispersed to the appropriate person. I could ask one of my kids to do the folding, but I'm rather anal about how the laundry gets folded and since it is my single obsession, it will have to wait until I get to it.
I spent today sorting out and packing away my summer clothing and digging out my winter clothing. Farewell light summery things; hello warm winter woolies. I am a bit sad about the loss of summer sun and warmth, but every season has its joys and I'll recover to enjoy the autumn weather soon.
Which reminds me of something... I have come to realize what a blessing it is to possess a generally happy frame of mind. I have my trials and tribulations that serve to remind me that life is sober; life is cruel. However, if I can distract myself for even a few minutes, it usually restores me to a more optimistic frame of mind. I was lamenting to myself over one of the kids today and doing some writing on a totally unrelated subject helped to restore my equilibrium and perspective. I remember suffering from depression as a teen, and I developed a great distaste for it. Consequently, I have endeavored to do all I can to preserve a more cheerful frame of mind where possible. Perspective is everything. I could keep myself down by constantly reminding myself of my own sinful nature and its results and that of those around me. Joy, however, always sneaks back in. I can't help it. I find too many things to rejoice in and be grateful for. No matter how grey things look to me, I know I can always find someone worse off than I am. And besides, given what my sins deserve, I am grateful that the trials I experience in this life are the worst it will ever be for me. This life is the closest to hell I shall ever get. Now if that isn't cause for gratitude over the lightness of affliction I suffer now, I don't know what is.
Things are slowly starting to come together as far as school goes. I heard from several of Ben's teachers today and his lessons will be sent out soon. I also heard from the teacher who will be overseeing the younger children. For once, I am actually looking forward to getting started. That, of course, could change as soon as I am actually doing something. Alas, homeschooling is one area that does challenge my ability to remain cheerful. However, I shall endeavor to do this as unto the Lord with a minimum of grumbling and belly aching about it.
Sorry I don't have anything more exciting to write about.
What I am listening to: Smashmouth
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Back to a New Grind
I'm being bad in posting on here right now but if I don't do it now, I don't know when it will get done.
I had a jam-packed couple of days. At the last minute, I decided to go to Portland, Oregon with Marc on a business trip. A couple of courses for health professionals were offered at a good price and it was too good an opportunity to miss when one of my older daughters was available to babysit. We left on Wednesday morning around 8:30 and arrived in Portland around 12:30 that night. We jumped into bed and then next morning I was up early to take in a class on "Glycosciences in Fundamentals of Health and Disease," a technical medical course that is worth four hours of continuing education for MD's and other health care professionals. It was very technical, immensely interesting, and extremely encouraging. One of the presenters was Dr. Robert Murray, the editor of Harper's Biochemistry, a text book used in medical schools.
In the afternoon I met up with Dee Dee S., a fellow Covenanter in the RPNA, as well as a business partner. I sat with her and Kelly K through another 4 credit hour course on living at goal weight by Dr. Gil Kaats, the head of the Health and Medical Research Foundation. I now have all the credit hours I need with the addition of some other courses I took prior to this to qualify for certification as a weight loss consultant. My education is not ending there though. I have also signed up for a diploma course that will certify me as a nutritional consultant and charter member of the American International Association of Nutritional Education through the University of Miami's School of Medicine. Who says homeschooling doesn't work?
I'm afraid I am a bad girl. I sometimes think that one of the negative side effects of glyconutrients is that it causes people to run off at the mouth with cliches. In some of the later presentations I attended I had Dee Dee and another gal on my other side laughing their heads off and telling me to shut up and behave because my running commentary on what was happening was distracting them.
There are some truly astounding studies that are coming out. These are bona fide medical studies being done and not merely the result of anecdote and placebo induced results. For instance, I have in front of me Volume 3, No.2 of the Proceedings of the Fisher Institute for Medical Research. In a study involving 91 subjects afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis, 72.5 % reported an improvement in their lung symptoms while 81.1% reported an improvement in their digestive symptoms. Some of the children no longer present with CF clinical symptoms. This sort of thing is unheard of using the standard allopathic care. What is interesting is that this is not merely a bunch of "quacks" from the alternative medical field doing these studies, but bona fide medical experts in the allopathic field. Other conditions that are reversing are things like peripheral neuropathy and various forms of cancer. When you are looking at any form of autoimmune disorder, you are basically looking at a glycosylation problem, which can be corrected by the supplementation of the glyco part of the equation, for proper glycoprotein synthesis.
Another interesting lecture I attended was presented by Dr. Marcia Smith on Nutrigenomic Modulation. Nutrigenomics is the study of how naturally occuring chemicals in foods alter molecular expression of genetic information in each individual. Food molecules enter the human body and act as hormone-like messengers that regulate pivotal body functions at the cellular level. They literally turn on some genes and shut off others. These functions include the division of cells in the human body that have implications for cancer as well as heart disease inflammation processes. In addition, some mental imbalances can be aggravated by the consumption of particular foods that contribute to mood and learning disorders. An example of this would be ADDHD, schizophrenia, and dyslexia. It is likely that a fatty acid imbalance is aggravated by the consumption of foods high in the Omega 6 fatty acids, like those found in deep fried foods. What is ironic, is that people who are diagnosed with severe mental disorders are often institutionalized in places where they are fed fatty foods and a nutritionally poor diet, thus making the condition worse.
Most of the hormone-like food molecules are synthesized by plants and can't be manufactured by the human body. Age-related diseases like heart failure, diabetes, and many types of cancer have increased significantly in the Western world due to a dramatic decrease in the consumption of plant-based food such as veggies, fruit, herbs, and spices. Food molecules enter our body and modulate our genes. Your diet is more powerful than drugs are, and many disease processes are the result of food deficiencies, not drug deficiencies. IOW, you don't get cancer cuz mom forgot to sprinkle chemotherapy drugs on your cornflakes when you were a child. It is more likely that a person develops cancer because key elements of nutrition are missing from the diet on an on-going basis.
If that doesn't make the parents reading this feel a bit guilty about all the processed food and sugar that you feed your kids, it should. It does for me. If you want to see how food choices play out over generations, read this article on Pottenger's Cats.
By Saturday night, I was suffering from information overload. Poor Marc. It was a good thing that I came down with him because he had a bit of a relapse of his intestinal problems. Our main fear was that he would end up in hospital in the US with their exorbitant rates. But thankfully, putting him to bed early, restricting his diet, and making him take it easy meant that he was able to get by with bedrest, fluids, and a few glyconutrients.
Sunday morning we left Portland and I drove us through insane traffic (where were all these people going on a Sunday morning?) by-passing Seattle, and we made it to Everson, Washington, where I was able to attend worship with some more Society People while Marc crashed in the spare room they had allotted to us. It was great finally getting to meet all the Tarons en masse and amusing to watch Paul Roberts and Bob Suden engage in verbal sparring on immigration.
Monday morning saw us leaving the Tarons and heading back over the border into Canada. I love Canada! I love the mountains, the valleys, the lush green overgrowth of the Lower Mainland, the sage brush and sand of the desert-like Fraser Canyon, and the beauty of the mountains and rolling hills of the central interior. Yeah, we may need to wait in line for medical care, but at least we don't have to worry about it bankrupting us if we do need it. Yeah, we are afflicted with social and practial atheists who run this country, but the land itself is a testimony to me of the greatness of the God who created it and is able to remove the morons or convert them when He deems the time right.
I managed to sneak into the house without anyone seeing me because my "water tank" was full and in danger of overflowing. When I came out of the powder room, there was Elodie in my husband's arms. As soon as she saw me she gasped and said "Mama!" and held out her arms to me. Her next words were a command to sit down so she could nurse. So much for thinking this trip would mean she would wean! I was then smothered in a multitude of hugs and kisses from children who realized that grumpy as mama bear can be, they still need her and miss her when she is gone.
So here I am back at home, facing Laundry Mountain once again, trying to organize for school, figure out scheduling, and preparing to re-stock the pantry as well as do some business stuff. At least I am not bored. Oh, and Marc is recovering well.
I'm being bad in posting on here right now but if I don't do it now, I don't know when it will get done.
I had a jam-packed couple of days. At the last minute, I decided to go to Portland, Oregon with Marc on a business trip. A couple of courses for health professionals were offered at a good price and it was too good an opportunity to miss when one of my older daughters was available to babysit. We left on Wednesday morning around 8:30 and arrived in Portland around 12:30 that night. We jumped into bed and then next morning I was up early to take in a class on "Glycosciences in Fundamentals of Health and Disease," a technical medical course that is worth four hours of continuing education for MD's and other health care professionals. It was very technical, immensely interesting, and extremely encouraging. One of the presenters was Dr. Robert Murray, the editor of Harper's Biochemistry, a text book used in medical schools.
In the afternoon I met up with Dee Dee S., a fellow Covenanter in the RPNA, as well as a business partner. I sat with her and Kelly K through another 4 credit hour course on living at goal weight by Dr. Gil Kaats, the head of the Health and Medical Research Foundation. I now have all the credit hours I need with the addition of some other courses I took prior to this to qualify for certification as a weight loss consultant. My education is not ending there though. I have also signed up for a diploma course that will certify me as a nutritional consultant and charter member of the American International Association of Nutritional Education through the University of Miami's School of Medicine. Who says homeschooling doesn't work?
I'm afraid I am a bad girl. I sometimes think that one of the negative side effects of glyconutrients is that it causes people to run off at the mouth with cliches. In some of the later presentations I attended I had Dee Dee and another gal on my other side laughing their heads off and telling me to shut up and behave because my running commentary on what was happening was distracting them.
There are some truly astounding studies that are coming out. These are bona fide medical studies being done and not merely the result of anecdote and placebo induced results. For instance, I have in front of me Volume 3, No.2 of the Proceedings of the Fisher Institute for Medical Research. In a study involving 91 subjects afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis, 72.5 % reported an improvement in their lung symptoms while 81.1% reported an improvement in their digestive symptoms. Some of the children no longer present with CF clinical symptoms. This sort of thing is unheard of using the standard allopathic care. What is interesting is that this is not merely a bunch of "quacks" from the alternative medical field doing these studies, but bona fide medical experts in the allopathic field. Other conditions that are reversing are things like peripheral neuropathy and various forms of cancer. When you are looking at any form of autoimmune disorder, you are basically looking at a glycosylation problem, which can be corrected by the supplementation of the glyco part of the equation, for proper glycoprotein synthesis.
Another interesting lecture I attended was presented by Dr. Marcia Smith on Nutrigenomic Modulation. Nutrigenomics is the study of how naturally occuring chemicals in foods alter molecular expression of genetic information in each individual. Food molecules enter the human body and act as hormone-like messengers that regulate pivotal body functions at the cellular level. They literally turn on some genes and shut off others. These functions include the division of cells in the human body that have implications for cancer as well as heart disease inflammation processes. In addition, some mental imbalances can be aggravated by the consumption of particular foods that contribute to mood and learning disorders. An example of this would be ADDHD, schizophrenia, and dyslexia. It is likely that a fatty acid imbalance is aggravated by the consumption of foods high in the Omega 6 fatty acids, like those found in deep fried foods. What is ironic, is that people who are diagnosed with severe mental disorders are often institutionalized in places where they are fed fatty foods and a nutritionally poor diet, thus making the condition worse.
Most of the hormone-like food molecules are synthesized by plants and can't be manufactured by the human body. Age-related diseases like heart failure, diabetes, and many types of cancer have increased significantly in the Western world due to a dramatic decrease in the consumption of plant-based food such as veggies, fruit, herbs, and spices. Food molecules enter our body and modulate our genes. Your diet is more powerful than drugs are, and many disease processes are the result of food deficiencies, not drug deficiencies. IOW, you don't get cancer cuz mom forgot to sprinkle chemotherapy drugs on your cornflakes when you were a child. It is more likely that a person develops cancer because key elements of nutrition are missing from the diet on an on-going basis.
If that doesn't make the parents reading this feel a bit guilty about all the processed food and sugar that you feed your kids, it should. It does for me. If you want to see how food choices play out over generations, read this article on Pottenger's Cats.
By Saturday night, I was suffering from information overload. Poor Marc. It was a good thing that I came down with him because he had a bit of a relapse of his intestinal problems. Our main fear was that he would end up in hospital in the US with their exorbitant rates. But thankfully, putting him to bed early, restricting his diet, and making him take it easy meant that he was able to get by with bedrest, fluids, and a few glyconutrients.
Sunday morning we left Portland and I drove us through insane traffic (where were all these people going on a Sunday morning?) by-passing Seattle, and we made it to Everson, Washington, where I was able to attend worship with some more Society People while Marc crashed in the spare room they had allotted to us. It was great finally getting to meet all the Tarons en masse and amusing to watch Paul Roberts and Bob Suden engage in verbal sparring on immigration.
Monday morning saw us leaving the Tarons and heading back over the border into Canada. I love Canada! I love the mountains, the valleys, the lush green overgrowth of the Lower Mainland, the sage brush and sand of the desert-like Fraser Canyon, and the beauty of the mountains and rolling hills of the central interior. Yeah, we may need to wait in line for medical care, but at least we don't have to worry about it bankrupting us if we do need it. Yeah, we are afflicted with social and practial atheists who run this country, but the land itself is a testimony to me of the greatness of the God who created it and is able to remove the morons or convert them when He deems the time right.
I managed to sneak into the house without anyone seeing me because my "water tank" was full and in danger of overflowing. When I came out of the powder room, there was Elodie in my husband's arms. As soon as she saw me she gasped and said "Mama!" and held out her arms to me. Her next words were a command to sit down so she could nurse. So much for thinking this trip would mean she would wean! I was then smothered in a multitude of hugs and kisses from children who realized that grumpy as mama bear can be, they still need her and miss her when she is gone.
So here I am back at home, facing Laundry Mountain once again, trying to organize for school, figure out scheduling, and preparing to re-stock the pantry as well as do some business stuff. At least I am not bored. Oh, and Marc is recovering well.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
The Purpose of Parachutes
Imagine yourself getting on an airplane. As you board, you see the stewardess attempting to hand out parachutes to the passengers and instructing them that parachutes are important and they will enhance their experience of the trip on the aircraft. Most of the passengers reject the parachutes, but when you reach the stewardess, you are persuaded by her arguments and take one.
You struggle into the harness and lower yourself into the airplane seat and buckle yourself in. The bulk of the parachute prevents you from leaning back comfortably in your chair, but you trust what the stewardess said – this will make the ride better than if you hadn’t been wearing it.
Pretty soon the airplane takes off and you find yourself unable to just relax the way the other passengers are relaxing in their chairs. You shift one way and then another, but the buckles stick into your back and hurt you. Not only that, some of the other passengers are eyeing you with amusement and snickering at you. Finally someone asks you why you believed that tale the stewardess told you, in a tone of voice that conveys clearly they they consider you a fool.
Finally in disgust you get up and rip the parachute off and throw it away.
Now imagine yourself getting on the airplane again, only this time the stewardess tells you that you need to wear the parachute because it will save your life. You sit down in your seat, and though it is a bit uncomfortable and people are looking at you strangely and mocking you for wearing it, you know that having that parachute on your back will be the means of saving your life when it is needed.
The first analogy is meant to contrast typical mainstream evangelical presentations of the Gospel, while the latter represents a more Biblical approach as taught on a series I have been watching lately called, “The Way of the Master.”
Most Christians are afraid of offending people and so they want to sell the Gospel as a means of enhancing your experience here on earth. “Come to Jesus and get your marriage fixed.” Or “Come to Jesus and be healed.” Or “You have a God-shaped hole in your heart that only God can fill.” Jesus is the big need – meeter.
What does the Bible tell us can be the reality of the Christian life? “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.” When Christianity begins to cost something, those who came to Christ to have their ride through life enhanced will bail, because we are called to suffer with Christ, and no one told them that.
Those who are looking for a more Biblical approach that allows you to give the Gospel to a person in less than 10 minutes, and does so in a way that is Biblical would do well to look into this series. This is not an unqualified endorsement, however. There is a bit of Arminian teaching to be found in it. If you can spit out that bone and the creedo baptist position, it is a worthwhile series for learning to share the Gospel with sinners.
A typical conversation with an unbeliever in the on-street interviews goes like this:
Christian [to man on the street]: Hi! Mind if I ask you a few questions?
Mr. T: No, I guess not.
Christian: My name’s Christian, what’s yours?
Mr. T: “Mr. T.”
Christian: So, Mr. T., do you believe you are a good person?
Mr. T: Yeah, I think so. I do a lot of good stuff. I look after my wife and kids. I pay my taxes. I give to charities.
Christian: So tell me, have you ever told a lie?
Mr. T: Hmmm. Well, yeah.
Christian: What do we call people who tell lies?
Mr. T: Liars?
Christian: Right. Now, tell me, have you ever stolen something, even if it was something small?
Mr. T: [shamefacedly] Yeah.
Christian: What do we call people who steal things?
Mr. T: Ummm. Thieves.
Christian: Mhmm. Jesus said in the Bible that whoever looks on a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Have you ever done that? I have.
Mr. T: Doesn’t everyone?
Christian: Yes, I haven’t met anyone who has said they havent’ done that. Now here’s the last question: Have you ever used God’s Name as a cuss word?
Mr. T: Yeah, I have.
Christian: That’s called blasphemy. Now by your own admission, you are a liar, a thief, and adulterer at heart, and a blasphemer. If you died tonight and had to stand before God who will render judgement, will he pronounce you innocent or guilty?
Mr. T: Well, I think God is a loving God and he’ll overlook those bad things.
Christian: Tell me, Mr. T. If there was incontrovertible evidence that a man had committed murder and was, without a doubt, guilty, would the judge who judged him be a good judge or a bad judge if he let him go without any punishment for it?
Mr. T: Well he’d be a terrible judge!
Christian: But what if the murderer pleaded that even though he had murdered, he had been a faithful provider for his wife and children and had given money to starving orphans in Africa? Should the judge let him go free on the basis of those other things?
Mr. T: No!
Christian: So how can God be a good judge, and we know He is good, and let you off from the things you confessed to being guilty of? You said yourself you are guilty of just four of the commandments I mentioned. I didn’t even bring in the other six. If you died tonight and were judged, would you go to Heaven or Hell?
Mr. T: I guess I would deserve hell.
Christian: Does that concern you?
There is more but that is the kernel of the Gospel presentation. Short, sweet, uses the Law to directly affect the conscience, and bypasses all the intellectual arguments that people like to raise and throw at you.
The Gospel is not meant to make this life easy or to enhance our “ride.” It is meant to save the perishing from destruction.
Show people the real purpose of the parachute, and they won’t mind the discomforts of the ride so much while wearing it.
Imagine yourself getting on an airplane. As you board, you see the stewardess attempting to hand out parachutes to the passengers and instructing them that parachutes are important and they will enhance their experience of the trip on the aircraft. Most of the passengers reject the parachutes, but when you reach the stewardess, you are persuaded by her arguments and take one.
You struggle into the harness and lower yourself into the airplane seat and buckle yourself in. The bulk of the parachute prevents you from leaning back comfortably in your chair, but you trust what the stewardess said – this will make the ride better than if you hadn’t been wearing it.
Pretty soon the airplane takes off and you find yourself unable to just relax the way the other passengers are relaxing in their chairs. You shift one way and then another, but the buckles stick into your back and hurt you. Not only that, some of the other passengers are eyeing you with amusement and snickering at you. Finally someone asks you why you believed that tale the stewardess told you, in a tone of voice that conveys clearly they they consider you a fool.
Finally in disgust you get up and rip the parachute off and throw it away.
Now imagine yourself getting on the airplane again, only this time the stewardess tells you that you need to wear the parachute because it will save your life. You sit down in your seat, and though it is a bit uncomfortable and people are looking at you strangely and mocking you for wearing it, you know that having that parachute on your back will be the means of saving your life when it is needed.
The first analogy is meant to contrast typical mainstream evangelical presentations of the Gospel, while the latter represents a more Biblical approach as taught on a series I have been watching lately called, “The Way of the Master.”
Most Christians are afraid of offending people and so they want to sell the Gospel as a means of enhancing your experience here on earth. “Come to Jesus and get your marriage fixed.” Or “Come to Jesus and be healed.” Or “You have a God-shaped hole in your heart that only God can fill.” Jesus is the big need – meeter.
What does the Bible tell us can be the reality of the Christian life? “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.” When Christianity begins to cost something, those who came to Christ to have their ride through life enhanced will bail, because we are called to suffer with Christ, and no one told them that.
Those who are looking for a more Biblical approach that allows you to give the Gospel to a person in less than 10 minutes, and does so in a way that is Biblical would do well to look into this series. This is not an unqualified endorsement, however. There is a bit of Arminian teaching to be found in it. If you can spit out that bone and the creedo baptist position, it is a worthwhile series for learning to share the Gospel with sinners.
A typical conversation with an unbeliever in the on-street interviews goes like this:
Christian [to man on the street]: Hi! Mind if I ask you a few questions?
Mr. T: No, I guess not.
Christian: My name’s Christian, what’s yours?
Mr. T: “Mr. T.”
Christian: So, Mr. T., do you believe you are a good person?
Mr. T: Yeah, I think so. I do a lot of good stuff. I look after my wife and kids. I pay my taxes. I give to charities.
Christian: So tell me, have you ever told a lie?
Mr. T: Hmmm. Well, yeah.
Christian: What do we call people who tell lies?
Mr. T: Liars?
Christian: Right. Now, tell me, have you ever stolen something, even if it was something small?
Mr. T: [shamefacedly] Yeah.
Christian: What do we call people who steal things?
Mr. T: Ummm. Thieves.
Christian: Mhmm. Jesus said in the Bible that whoever looks on a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Have you ever done that? I have.
Mr. T: Doesn’t everyone?
Christian: Yes, I haven’t met anyone who has said they havent’ done that. Now here’s the last question: Have you ever used God’s Name as a cuss word?
Mr. T: Yeah, I have.
Christian: That’s called blasphemy. Now by your own admission, you are a liar, a thief, and adulterer at heart, and a blasphemer. If you died tonight and had to stand before God who will render judgement, will he pronounce you innocent or guilty?
Mr. T: Well, I think God is a loving God and he’ll overlook those bad things.
Christian: Tell me, Mr. T. If there was incontrovertible evidence that a man had committed murder and was, without a doubt, guilty, would the judge who judged him be a good judge or a bad judge if he let him go without any punishment for it?
Mr. T: Well he’d be a terrible judge!
Christian: But what if the murderer pleaded that even though he had murdered, he had been a faithful provider for his wife and children and had given money to starving orphans in Africa? Should the judge let him go free on the basis of those other things?
Mr. T: No!
Christian: So how can God be a good judge, and we know He is good, and let you off from the things you confessed to being guilty of? You said yourself you are guilty of just four of the commandments I mentioned. I didn’t even bring in the other six. If you died tonight and were judged, would you go to Heaven or Hell?
Mr. T: I guess I would deserve hell.
Christian: Does that concern you?
There is more but that is the kernel of the Gospel presentation. Short, sweet, uses the Law to directly affect the conscience, and bypasses all the intellectual arguments that people like to raise and throw at you.
The Gospel is not meant to make this life easy or to enhance our “ride.” It is meant to save the perishing from destruction.
Show people the real purpose of the parachute, and they won’t mind the discomforts of the ride so much while wearing it.
Monday, August 30, 2004
Electrical Activity in Cells
Ok, I am not a nut. I am not a nut. I am not a nut. I am not a nut. I am not a nut. I am not a nut. I do work with subtle electrical energy at the cellular level and this does impact health in many ways. This article helps to confirm some things I had hypothesized about the use of calcium, potassium and other minerals in the body's level of conductivity.
Nature 423, 21 - 22 (01 May 2003); doi:10.1038/423021aStructural biology: Life's transistors
FRED J. SIGWORTH
http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v423/n6935/full/423021a_fs.html
Voltage-gated ion channels control electrical activity in nerve, muscle and many other cell types. The crystal structure of a bacterial voltage-gated channel reveals the astonishingly simple design of its voltage sensor.
The membranes of living cells, from bacteria to humans, contain protein macromolecules that behave rather like field-effect transistors. In transistors, the flow of electrons through a semiconductor 'channel' is governed by the voltage applied to a 'gate' electrode. With the protein equivalents — voltage-gated ion channels — an appropriate voltage, imposed across the cell membrane, causes the channels to open and allows a current of ions to cross the membrane. The molecular structures within ion channels that sense the membrane voltage have remained obscure for the 50 years since Hodgkin and Huxley first described1 their function. But the voltage sensors have at last been made visible, in the X-ray structure of a potassium ion channel. Youxing Jiang, Roderick MacKinnon and colleagues present this work on page 33 of this issue2, and in a second paper (on page 42)3 they describe tests of a hypothesis for voltage-sensor motion.
The functional unit of a voltage-gated channel is an assembly of four proteins, or subunits; in each, the polypeptide chain snakes back and forth across the membrane six times. This 'six-transmembrane' structure is seen in the voltage-gated potassium, sodium and calcium channel families, and also in other channel types. As voltage-sensing devices, these channels can perform much better than their electronic counterparts (Fig. 1a). Their high sensitivity to voltage is important, because cellular voltage changes are small.
Figure 1 Voltage sensing in a potassium ion channel. Full legend High resolution image and legend (26k)
A simple biological voltage sensor would be a charged particle within a cell membrane, with an imposed voltage difference driving the particle from one surface of the membrane to the other. Theory shows that, to explain the observed sensitivity of voltage-gated channels, at least 12 elementary charges must participate in the sensing mechanism. Indeed, direct measurements of 'gating currents' confirm that the total charge displacement in a channel's voltage sensors is about 13 elementary charges per channel4.
So where in the channel protein are these charges found? It has been established5 that, in a six-transmembrane channel, the transmembrane segments known as S6 helices — one from each of the four subunits — form a 'gate'. That is, they form a bundle that can pinch off the ion pathway, effectively closing the channel. Meanwhile the fourth segment, S4, has always seemed a natural candidate for the voltage sensor that causes the gate to open and close6. Depending on the channel type, S4 has four to seven positive charges, mostly from arginine amino-acid residues. Moreover, S4 is otherwise very hydrophobic, which makes it likely to be embedded in the oily interior of a protein — or within the membrane itself. Because of these properties, S4 has been the subject of intense study7. Mutation analyses have shown it to be important in voltage sensing; spectroscopic probes have shown that it moves in response to voltage; and chemical-modification studies have revealed that some of its amino acids are alternately exposed on the internal or external face of the membrane, depending on the membrane voltage. So it has become clear that the four S4 segments per channel are the main voltage sensors.
What structural design would allow so many charges to move so far, crossing the 30-Å-thick, electrostatically hostile interior of a cell membrane? Practically everyone in the ion-channel field (including myself) has imagined the S4 segment to be an -helix — a common structural feature of proteins, in which the polypeptide backbone is twisted into a spiral — that is packed snugly among the other helices of the protein. It has been thought that the S4 helix would undergo a shift or a rotation in response to voltage, and that charge transport might even be amplified by 'focusing' the membrane electric field near S4. This model has made its way into the textbooks. But the results of MacKinnon and colleagues show that it is almost certainly wrong.
Determination of the structure of a voltage-gated channel has been long in coming. The five-year effort in the MacKinnon laboratory involved trials of many channel proteins, none of which formed either two-dimensional or three-dimensional crystals. Reasoning that these failures might reflect a particularly loose protein structure, MacKinnon and colleagues decided to use parts of antibody molecules (so-called Fab fragments) as a scaffold to aid crystallization, and also chose a particularly rugged channel protein. Although its origin is the archaebacterium Aeropyrum pernix, this protein, KvAP, has sequence features and electrical characteristics8 that place it firmly in the broad family of voltage-gated potassium channels.
The resulting X-ray structure2 of KvAP shows the expected potassium channel core, consisting of transmembrane segments S5 to S6, surrounded by S1 through to part of S3. What was unexpected is that the S4 helix, along with the second part of S3, forms an -helical hairpin — a 'paddle' that extends out from the channel core into the membrane's fluid interior (see Fig. 3 of ref. 2, page 35). The paddle has a flexible connection to the rest of the channel, as the authors show by comparison with another crystal structure, of segments S1 to S4 alone. This flexibility explains the difficulty that the authors encountered in crystallizing the protein; it also suggests a mechanism for voltage sensing. The paddle is a hydrophobic, charged particle that can move in the membrane interior, transporting its four positive charges from one membrane surface to the other (Fig. 1b).
It is the location of S4 — not embedded in the protein core, but loose in the membrane — that is the big surprise here. It explains an old puzzle, that small lipid-soluble molecules somehow have ready access to ion-channel voltage sensors. Such molecules include local anaesthetics, the alkaloid nerve toxins and the well-known insecticides allethrin and DDT. It is now easy to imagine them diffusing up to the voltage-sensor paddle from within the lipid membrane interior.
An X-ray crystal structure is like a posed photograph; in the KvAP crystal, for instance, the voltage-sensor paddle is held firmly in place by an antibody scaffold. What can be learned about the paddle's natural conformation and movements? A few years ago, Horn and colleagues9 showed for sodium channels that a bulky moiety, attached by chemical modification to an S4 amino acid on the outside of the membrane, can actually be dragged through to the inner surface in response to an inside-negative voltage. In their second paper3, MacKinnon and colleagues show that a much larger molecule — biotin plus a 17-Å linker — flips across the membrane in a voltage-dependent manner when it is attached to an S4 amino acid in KvAP. They conclude that the S3–S4 paddle moves through a quite unrestricted space. They go on to attach this biotin–linker molecule to various other sites in the paddle, to map its position relative to the membrane surfaces at positive and negative voltages.
After all this, MacKinnon and co-workers have still left a few questions to be answered. The actual conformation of the channel in the membrane will need to be clarified, because in the crystal the membrane is replaced by a blanket of detergent molecules. Questions also remain about the disposition of the amino-terminal end of the protein (thought to be intracellular) and of the loop between the S3 and S4 segments in related channels (in the well-studied Shaker potassium channel, this loop is always accessible from the outside surface). Moreover, details of the motions of the voltage sensor — in some channels the charge movement occurs in several discrete steps — remain to be worked out, as does the energetic issue of moving the quadruply charged paddle through the membrane interior. But the structure of KvAP's voltage sensor, so simple and, with hindsight, so obvious, is a wonderful end to a 50-year-old mystery.
References
1.
Hodgkin, A. L. & Huxley, A. F. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 117, 500-544 (1952). PubMed ISI ChemPort
2.
Jiang, Y. et al. Nature 423, 33-41 (2003). Article PubMed ISI ChemPort
3.
Jiang, Y. et al. Nature 423, 42-48 (2003). Article PubMed ISI ChemPort
4.
Bezanilla, F. Physiol. Rev. 80, 555-592 (2002).
5.
del Camino, D. & Yellen, G. Neuron 32, 649-656 (2002). Article ISI
6.
Noda, M. et al. Nature 312, 121-127 (1984). PubMed ISI ChemPort
7.
Gandhi, C. S. & Isacoff, E. Y. J. Gen. Physiol. 120, 455-463 (2002). Article PubMed ISI ChemPort
8.
Ruta, V. et al. Nature 422, 180-185 (2003). Article PubMed ISI ChemPort
9.
Yang, N., George, A. L. & Horn, R. Neuron 16, 113-122 (1996). Article PubMed ISI ChemPort
Friday, August 27, 2004
A Farewell to Summer
The signs are all in place for the end of summer. Yesterday I drove the kids and several of their friends on our yearly pilgrimage to Barkerville, a historic Gold Rush town that is now a restored heritage site in British Columbia. The deciduous trees have that brassy tired look to them, as they wait for the needed signal from the first frost to start unloading the weight of their leaves. I was struck afresh at how beautiful this country is, "where every prospect pleases, and only man is vile." At the same time, this country is showing signs of wear and tear. The rolling hills were dotted with the rusty red of dead pines that were savaged by the Mountain Pine Beetle. It was interesting but chilling to see at the same time. It would take very little to ignite a raging forest inferno. So far we don't have any dead pines on our property, but I don't know how long that will last. I know this, any dead pines will be taken out to lessen the chances of being burned out of our home by a forest fire.
Another sign that summer is coming to an end is the phone calls I am now getting concerning setting up the kids' curriculum and learning plans. I have come into a bit of a windfall and the children will all be able to take music, art, and swimming lessons or karate classes. This thrills me to no end though it means a lot more running around. I may be able to get a proper keyboard and a guitar and we will finally be able to learn more than just the basics. I am hoping to learn to play the guitar along with the kids. The extras are what is making me look forward to homeschooling in a way that I haven't in eons.
I usually just endure summer the way I endure winter, living mostly for spring and fall when I feel like I am truly alive. But something is different this year and I don't know why. I am sorry to see summer go and I really did enjoy it, even the heat. Maybe I am growing up and learning contentment in every season of the year.
The signs are all in place for the end of summer. Yesterday I drove the kids and several of their friends on our yearly pilgrimage to Barkerville, a historic Gold Rush town that is now a restored heritage site in British Columbia. The deciduous trees have that brassy tired look to them, as they wait for the needed signal from the first frost to start unloading the weight of their leaves. I was struck afresh at how beautiful this country is, "where every prospect pleases, and only man is vile." At the same time, this country is showing signs of wear and tear. The rolling hills were dotted with the rusty red of dead pines that were savaged by the Mountain Pine Beetle. It was interesting but chilling to see at the same time. It would take very little to ignite a raging forest inferno. So far we don't have any dead pines on our property, but I don't know how long that will last. I know this, any dead pines will be taken out to lessen the chances of being burned out of our home by a forest fire.
Another sign that summer is coming to an end is the phone calls I am now getting concerning setting up the kids' curriculum and learning plans. I have come into a bit of a windfall and the children will all be able to take music, art, and swimming lessons or karate classes. This thrills me to no end though it means a lot more running around. I may be able to get a proper keyboard and a guitar and we will finally be able to learn more than just the basics. I am hoping to learn to play the guitar along with the kids. The extras are what is making me look forward to homeschooling in a way that I haven't in eons.
I usually just endure summer the way I endure winter, living mostly for spring and fall when I feel like I am truly alive. But something is different this year and I don't know why. I am sorry to see summer go and I really did enjoy it, even the heat. Maybe I am growing up and learning contentment in every season of the year.
Thursday, August 26, 2004
How True
I suppose some people would prefer that I not confess to reading Douglas Wilson's blog or anything else he writes , but I do. When a guy is right, he is right. I just wish we were more like-minded in some other areas. Anyhow, I am linking to this post of his, which is a sort of exposition on Chapter 1 on the Westminster Confession of Faith, because he makes some valuable points, imho. This post as well, is worthy of reading, as far as it goes.
I suppose some people would prefer that I not confess to reading Douglas Wilson's blog or anything else he writes , but I do. When a guy is right, he is right. I just wish we were more like-minded in some other areas. Anyhow, I am linking to this post of his, which is a sort of exposition on Chapter 1 on the Westminster Confession of Faith, because he makes some valuable points, imho. This post as well, is worthy of reading, as far as it goes.
They Are Home
I neglected to mention the other day that Hannah and Ben are home. My house is relatively full again, not only with the returning chicklets, but their friends as well. Hannah is as brown as a nut and I can see a change in her. She is changing from a child to a young lady.
Ben is taller and still has that smart-alecky sense of humor, but his attitude is definitely better than it was when he left. My boy is growing up too.
Many thanks to my long-suffering parents for taking on my kids for the summer. I hope you don't have too many new grey hairs from it. The kids had a blast and enjoyed getting to know some of the extended family.
I neglected to mention the other day that Hannah and Ben are home. My house is relatively full again, not only with the returning chicklets, but their friends as well. Hannah is as brown as a nut and I can see a change in her. She is changing from a child to a young lady.
Ben is taller and still has that smart-alecky sense of humor, but his attitude is definitely better than it was when he left. My boy is growing up too.
Many thanks to my long-suffering parents for taking on my kids for the summer. I hope you don't have too many new grey hairs from it. The kids had a blast and enjoyed getting to know some of the extended family.
A Summer of Music
Summer time is typically a time of the year when I tend to listen to more music than I get a chance to during the rest of the year, due to the fact that I have more time to cruise the backroads and generally bomb around the countryside, unimpeded by snow and ice. This summer has been a summer of music because I have been paying more attention to music and actively seeking it out. I have been enjoying some favorite music over and over again (to the point of driving my kids to distraction) as I milk each song for everything it has to hold. It has also been a time for re-discovering old favorites as well as being introduced to some new stuff.
One of my favorite ways to de-stress is to play some favorite music really loud with all the car windows open and self singing harmony with it. (This can be difficult if the music is strictly instrumental.) The benefit of doing this is that it creates pleasurable memory anchors that come in handy later in the year when I am feeling stressed by something. All I have to do is turn on the music and I am instantly transported to those happy feelings of sunny summer days, the warmth of summer and the joy of being alive.
Music is fascinating to me because of the way it can stir emotions. I find it amazing that a certain arrangement of sounds can cause one to feel joy, sadness, anger, and every shade of emotion in between. It is also amazing to me how musical instrumentation can turn the most banal of lyrics into something that mean something far more intense than the mere words themselves suggest. Of course, when you have powerful lyrics married to powerful music, like the beautiful poetry of a Stan Rogers or some of U2's stuff, you really have something that can get right in between the joints and marrow.
A friend and I were discussing our different approaches to music the other day. She is attracted to music by the instrumentation and hardly notices the lyrics initially. She is like Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy Sayers' noble sleuth: "Peter, she felt sure, could hear the whole intricate patttern, every part separately and simultaneously each independent and equal, separate but inseparable, moving over and under and through, ravishing heart and mind together." On the other hand, while the music itself may draw my attention to a particular piece of music, I tend to focus on the lyrics if there are any. To me, the lyrics are the main message and the musical instrumentation is there to enhance and intensify what is being said. It is frustrating to me how quoting the words to a song in my blog, stripped of the music, makes the words pale almost to insignificance to what they are when they have the music attached to them. (The words of the Psalms are a notable exception to this.)
Some of my favorite cruising music:
Summer time is typically a time of the year when I tend to listen to more music than I get a chance to during the rest of the year, due to the fact that I have more time to cruise the backroads and generally bomb around the countryside, unimpeded by snow and ice. This summer has been a summer of music because I have been paying more attention to music and actively seeking it out. I have been enjoying some favorite music over and over again (to the point of driving my kids to distraction) as I milk each song for everything it has to hold. It has also been a time for re-discovering old favorites as well as being introduced to some new stuff.
One of my favorite ways to de-stress is to play some favorite music really loud with all the car windows open and self singing harmony with it. (This can be difficult if the music is strictly instrumental.) The benefit of doing this is that it creates pleasurable memory anchors that come in handy later in the year when I am feeling stressed by something. All I have to do is turn on the music and I am instantly transported to those happy feelings of sunny summer days, the warmth of summer and the joy of being alive.
Music is fascinating to me because of the way it can stir emotions. I find it amazing that a certain arrangement of sounds can cause one to feel joy, sadness, anger, and every shade of emotion in between. It is also amazing to me how musical instrumentation can turn the most banal of lyrics into something that mean something far more intense than the mere words themselves suggest. Of course, when you have powerful lyrics married to powerful music, like the beautiful poetry of a Stan Rogers or some of U2's stuff, you really have something that can get right in between the joints and marrow.
A friend and I were discussing our different approaches to music the other day. She is attracted to music by the instrumentation and hardly notices the lyrics initially. She is like Lord Peter Wimsey, Dorothy Sayers' noble sleuth: "Peter, she felt sure, could hear the whole intricate patttern, every part separately and simultaneously each independent and equal, separate but inseparable, moving over and under and through, ravishing heart and mind together." On the other hand, while the music itself may draw my attention to a particular piece of music, I tend to focus on the lyrics if there are any. To me, the lyrics are the main message and the musical instrumentation is there to enhance and intensify what is being said. It is frustrating to me how quoting the words to a song in my blog, stripped of the music, makes the words pale almost to insignificance to what they are when they have the music attached to them. (The words of the Psalms are a notable exception to this.)
Some of my favorite cruising music:
Newsboys
U2
Great Big Sea
Kenny G
Electric Light Orchestra
Switchfoot ( a new discovery for me-- totally awesome)
Yanni
Our Lady Peace
Linkin Park
Staind (edited version of course!)
Nick S -- when I have complete pieces and not just snippets of his music
Stan Rogers
Loreena McKennitt
Gordon Lightfoot
The Arrogant Worms (for comic relief)
Enya
The Cranberries
Michael Card
Who do you cruise to?
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Divine Discontent
"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God... These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:8-10; 13-16
"I am my beloved's, and his desire is towards me." Song of Songs 7:10
You broke the bonds and you
"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God... These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:8-10; 13-16
"I am my beloved's, and his desire is towards me." Song of Songs 7:10
I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well yes I'm still running
You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Of my shame
You know I believed it
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
Lyrics from U2's song, "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
Lately I have been meditating on the Song of Songs. It is clear that this is both a picture of idyllic married love but it is also a picture of the relationship of the Bride to Christ. I have heard that the Jewish custom was not to allow young men to read it til they were of a certain age because they considered it pretty hot stuff. And the language is very voluptuous and evocative of the intimacy of married lovers, but in a way that is truly beautiful and lacking of the smuttiness the world typically imposes.
I had a revelation about this the other day. After hunger and thirst, one of the strongest drives that mankind knows is the sex drive. In reading over the Song, I suddenly realized what that drive is to picture: our longing for intimacy, face to face with our Husband. But even more shockingly, it describes His love and desire for His Bride.
"I am my beloved's and his desire is towards me."
We may be accustomed to think of God's love in its sacrificial life-giving terms and ponder the love that would die in the place of the worst condemned prisoner. Do we think of it also in terms of being the intense desire of a lover? This aspect blows me away when I contemplate its depths.
The paradox of the Christian life is that we are to practice contentment with our lot in life and yet at the same time manifest an intense divine discontent that makes us long for union with our Husband. We are like Abraham, dwelling by faith in the Promised Land of salvation and yet knowing that we have not yet found what we are looking for.
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Lies
At last the kids are gone now for the day
She reaches for the coffee as the school bus pulls away
Another day to tend the house and plan
For Friday at the Legion when she's dancing with her man
Sure was a bitter winter but Friday will be fine
Sure was a bitter winter but Friday will be fine
And maybe last year's Easter dress will serve her one more
She'd pass for twenty nine but for her eyes
But winter lines are telling wicked lies
(Chorus)
All lies, all those lines are telling wicked lies
All lies, all those lines are telling wicked lies
Lies, all lies.
Too many lines there in that face
Too many to erase or to disguise, they must be telling lies
Is this the face that won for her the man
Whose amazed and clumsy fingers put that ring upon her hand
No need to search that mirror for the years
The menace in their message shouts across the blur of tears
So this is beauty's finish! Like Rodin's "Belle Heaulmie're"
So this is beauty's finish! Like Rodin's "Belle Heaulmie're"
The pretty maiden trapped inside the ranch wife's toil and care
Well, after seven kids, that's no surprise
But why cannot her mirror tell her lies
(Chorus)
Then she shakes off the bitter web she wove
And turns to set the mirror, gently, face down by the stove
She gathers up her apron in her hand
Pours a cup of coffee, drips Carnation from the can
And thinks ahead to Friday, 'cause Friday will be fine!
And thinks ahead to Friday, 'cause Friday will be fine!
She'll look up in that weathered face that loves hers, line for line
To see that maiden shining in his eyes
And laugh at how her mirror tells her lies
Lyrics by Stan Rogers
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