To the cloud, part 2

I'm fascinated now with Wordle, a website that makes free word clouds for you from linked or pasted text. After seeing what they did for Obama's State of the Union speech, I thought.. hm.. what if I did one for, say..

a love letter?

um, not here.

a blog entry?

eh, maybe not.

a research paper?

ah ha!

I think I have one in mind, too. From Summer 2009, for my independent study class I preached a sermon in lieu of a final paper, on "Does God Change?". I'm interested myself in what it might show. Here goes:



Hm. Yeah, I guess it was all about God and relationship, using Saul and Samuel as examples. Nice.

What next? A lengthy essay on the seasons, maybe... let's see:



Ah. Also nice. I like this stuff!

To the cloud...

This is one of the most interesting things I've seen in a while: a word cloud of the State of the Union address.

Per the cloud, Obama's message was essentially this:

people

make

America

work.

new

American

jobs.

Okay, then. Anytime now. Looking forward to seeing those jobs come rolling in. Sometime before the next election would be good, huh?

Trini-, Bini-, Uni-, huh?

Amazing what one learns in a history course. Especially if it's at a scholarly level, and it's the first time one has delved into the subject matter critically. Most of the history I've learned has been presented - analysis, opinions and all - without comment, as if the version of history being taught is the only one in existence.

This is more true for church history, I guess, than for political history, although as they say history is written by the victors. I'm sure if the Axis powers had prevailed in WW2, the history books of today would read quite differently.

And the same is true of Christian theological history, as I learned a year or two ago in both Systematic Theology and Church History classes. The parties who prevailed during doctrinal debate at the various Ecumenical Councils in the first 500 years of the church were the ones who had the right to call an alternative viewpoint "heresy". They also determined who got excommunicated (and sometimes executed). And this pattern continues.

I find it especially true now of Trinitarians, who are by far the dominant view in the church today, although not the only view. Because Trinitarians are dominant, they can claim to be orthodox, and accuse all others of heresy, including Unitarians, Deists, Binitarians, Adventists, Mormons, some Eastern Christians, etc., etc. The ancient creeds were written by Trinitarians, right after all those *not* holding to "God in three persons, blessed Trinity" were banished from the church.

The same old difference of opinion (or debate, or faction, or heresy, depending on your viewpoint) from those early centuries, came 'round again in America in the late 1700s, when the Unitarian church became dominant in Boston (and at Harvard) around the time of the Revolution. There's more similarity than difference between Deism and Unitarianism, and so the Founding Fathers who were Deists (like Jefferson & Franklin) could make common cause with Unitarians. Keep in mind, though, that at that time Unitarians were not joined with Universalists. In fact, they held to the miraculous in the Bible where the Deists did not, including the resurrection of Christ, and all His miracles.

And so, today, if one holds a position like St. Augustine (one of the early influencers of John Calvin) did, namely that what we know as the Holy Spirit is a binding and animating force of Love rather than a "person", or... if one holds that the person we know as Jesus of Nazareth had, yes, both a Divine and Human nature unique among humans, and yes, was the only begotten son of God, but was NOT in existence as the Son of God prior to the Incarnation... one would not be a Trinitarian, definitely not orthodox, but a heretic.

Hm.

Does it really matter, you ask? Well, yes. At least if you plan on signing a doctrinal statement in good conscience, in order to join a Christian church or teach at a Christian school. (Oh, and to avoid being burned at the stake, metaphorically at least.)

This is a really long month

Okay, it's cold, it's dark, it's 31 days long, and there's no cool holidays in it (who has parties on MLKjr Day?). January pretty much has nothing going for it, except maybe New Year's Day due to the very nice parades and all, but... all the fun was technically in December, and it's all downhill from there.

Then personally, this year the month got even less appealing. Recurring snow and ice, a pressure-filled week at work this last week, along with being in the thick of another Seminary class, which has reading galore. :( So Thursday night, following a huge presentation during the day which I had been worrying about for three weeks, I absolutely crashed, skipped my workout, took a nap after work, studied very little, went to bed early. Bottomed out.

Much better day today, though. :) Unsolicited kudos rolled in on the presentation, and I had enough energy to not only work out, but after that shovel the drive, read a chunk of class material, and have a nice dinner out.

Even so, it's still January. Still cold, still snowy, still dark.

How far away is March, again? I love March.

Where in the world???

Thanks to a handy little web utility, I am aware that this humble blog has passed 11,000 hits since its inception several years ago, averaging about 3 visits a day. Remarkable, for what is little more than an on-line diary or journal, and kept by nobody special at that. There are a few diehard followers, many regular visitors, untold one-offs, and the occasional visitor from the "you must be kidding" category, like Googlebot, NASA or the IRS.

Although the utility doesn't provide me more than the city/state/country and domain for my visitors, I'm amazed at the range of countries where people live who have visited this site. Here's a short list:

Canada
India
Czech Republic
Germany
Denmark
Spain
Ireland
Malaysia
Romania
Russia
Sudan
Sweden
Singapore
Trinadad
France

And that's just within the last 100 visitors! Only 51% of my visitors come from the United States. Remarkable.

I have also noticed that many of the foreign visitors drop in because they have clicked on an image I have posted, which must be available through search engines. So I guess I'll keep posting oddball photographs. People seem to be drawn by them.

covered

.


ground stays white for weeks

winter comes and makes its bed

right in my backyard


.

Getting away while staying home

Now and then it becomes time to examine one's finances, maybe do some planning, goal-setting, set debt reduction strategies, consider changes to investments, etc. But such mathematical exercise doesn't have to be drudgery! :) In fact, it's kinda fun to go away somewhere and combine high finance with fine dining and posh accomodations.

Well, maybe the accomodations weren't all that posh...



but they were classic. The dining was definitely fine, though, at the #3 rated restaurant in this fair state - right there in the hotel. And since it was also connected to the skywalk,



one could roam widely downtown without a winter coat. Who knew this city had such a thing? I thought Skywalks were only for cities that were truly "up north". This place hardly qualifies in that department (recent big dump of snow and stiff winds notwithstanding).



And all this no more than 15 minutes from the house. I must say it was a very helpful construct to pack an overnight bag (incl. snacks), take the dog to a sitter, and get up on the interstate just long enough to pretend like you actually went away for the weekend. Lets the mind make a mental shift, and uncouple from the routine things of life just long enough to get some forward thinking done. :)

"The Weekennnnnnnd!"

(said like the young Bambi, when he sees a clearing ahead: "The Meadowwwwww!")

Well, just like Bambi's mother steps in front of him and checks for danger first... I have to stop and check my HS620DE classwork status, before I go barreling into the weekend full speed, heedless of what might be lurking.

Chapter 1 read of Hatch text?

Check.

Self-introduction to class posted on discussion board?

Check.

Pre-class baseline knowledge test taken?

Check.

Emails sent to group assignment partners?

Check.

Topic for research paper selected?

Check.

Library searched and research books requested?

Check.

Chapters 1-4 read of Noll text?

...

Noll text?

...

Hello?

...

Um.. all four chapters? Seriously?

Awww, Mom. :(

That's the annoying thing about being an adult. All that self-policing..

New Year, New Classes

Can you look forward to something and dread it at the same time?

The turn of a new year not only brings a fresh set of objectives at work (which should make for a very good year, if I can get them all done), but also a fresh set of classes at Seminary. I survived last Fall's experience of doubling up (taking two OT classes from two different schools), so I will try that again, only this time it will be three classes at two schools!

Bethel is on a quarter system, and Luther is on a semester system, so in Fall it worked out to be the same thing, more or less. But Winter quarter at Bethel starts this week, runs until late March, and then after a week of Spring Break, is followed by Spring quarter which runs until early June. In the meantime, Luther's Spring semester begins in early February and runs until mid-May.

With Luther, I'll take OT503 Prophets as a transfer class, which will finish up my core Old Testament requirement at Bethel. Concurrently at Bethel, I'll have two electives - first will be HS620DE, American Christianity, followed by an OT elective, an exposition on Psalms. Psalms is not my favorite book, especially when the instructor picks it apart stylistically and reduces the beauty of it to a technical analysis. But, it's the only choice I had, so.. make the best of it, right?

Having settled in at work now, past my honeymoon period there, it looks to be a long, full year with little respite. Add to that the back to back Winter/Spring school terms which feel never-ending, and it feels like I'm about to push off on the Iditarod, knowing I'll be exhausted at the end, and grateful just to finish.

No Summer School this year, that's for sure. I'll need a break.

Impressive Kid, This.

J1 has been here for the last 4 weeks. :)

Besides giving her city tours, hitting the mall or coffee shop, comparing notes on music and movies, and conferring on recipes, I've also had the opportunity to observe her networking skills and job-hunting efforts first-hand, even lending an editorial perspective here and there to a resume' or cover letter.

Yesterday I read through her "portfolio", which summarizes in PowerPoint form a number of projects she's been involved with since interning with the planning department of Los Angeles. At every turn I've come away with some degree of amazement at what she's learned, and the impressive curriculum vitae she's built.

Now it's some employer's turn to be impressed.



(Proud Dad talking, of course, but also one who screens his share of resumes as a hiring manager.) :)

Good Morning, 2011!

Okay, so there's ontologically no real difference between 11:55 PM on Dec 31, and 12:05 AM on Jan 1. Ten lousy minutes. Another 11,177 miles covered by the earth in its repetitive path about the sun. It's only a quirk of the Julian calendar and the notion of time zones that makes it anything at all. And all it is, really, is so much symbolism - a point in time used to make a different sort of point, one of both reflection and celebration. We measure a human life time in years: how many winters one has seen. (and such winters!!)

So at a set point in time, by convention, we reflect on the passage of the prior year and the coming of a new one. It's both a look back and a fresh start. It's almost a sacramental: a tangible tool to cause one to consider a greater intangible reality. Of course it's symbolic, and has no real meaning other than a symbolic one. But symbols... are useful. Letters of the alphabet are symbols. So are rings exchanged by lovers. Or a string tied around a finger. Or tattoos (esp. shared ones - mmm). So are liturgical colors, and mascots, and corporate logos. We live in the midst of symbols, and put them to use to make the points we want to make (to ourselves or to others).

And so with New Year's Eve. The toasts, the horns, the kisses, the bells ringing, the fireworks, the resolutions. And.. the songs.

Everybody now, with me: "For auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne ... we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne."