Musings in Search of a Muse

Have you prayed today? While cleaning my living room an urge to pray came over me. No special topic presented itself. No reason seemed evident. I just had this sudden and powerful urge to pray. Do you think God was trying to tell me something? Maybe he was.

Upon reflection ~~~ earlier in the evening I wrestled with lustful thoughts and lost "big time" (thanks for the quote, Mr. Cheney). Yes, I was pinned quickly. Two points for sin. The later rematch was just as quick. Two more points for the opponent. So I guess the "head coach" was talking to me about my loss. But he was comforting and forgiving.

What came about was that I again recognized that I'm human and have physical processes that leap out and make themselves known from time to time. As the comedian Robin Williams recently said in his last HBO concert, "you have a brain in your head and a brain in your penis, but not enough blood for both to use at the same time" (paraphrased). How true it is. With God's help, however, I feel that I just may be able to get the bigger brain to out-vote the smaller brain. Thanks, "Coach," for talking to me there.

It's clear to me that I need to pray more. God does "talk" to me, but not always in a fashion I readily recognize. In an earlier post I menitoned that I don't believe in coincidences anymore (9:19:18 PM March 23, 2003). With more frequent prayer I feel that His messages will be clearer.

Oh ... and I've been reading my Bible more, too. Did you know that you can get the entire book on your handheld computer? I use a Sony running Palm software. Here's one Bible. Here's the one I use.

Peace & Prayers

Five years ago today my daughter passed away.

I miss you very much, Lydia Rose. Keep a spot in Heaven ready for me.

All my love, Daddy.

Probably the only positive aspect of the recent school violence in my area is that it has provided a wealth of teachable moments. My students today were thoughtful and sober during our short discussions (I work with special education and emotional support kids so discussions are seldom long, sober, or thoughtful). And one of our regularly scheduled topics tied in nicely: Leadership. The large and complex concepts behind this relatively small word can readily be summed up with the lyrics from the Superchick song, Hero. Here's the chorus:

You could be a hero
Heroes do what’s right
You could be a hero
You might save a life
You could be a hero, You could join the fight
For what’s right for what’s right for what’s right

There's some great advice in there, folks, and in the rest of the lyrics. Think of the lives that could have been saved if more people thought this way. Some time in the near future our whole school will examine the song and discuss it's significance as part of our affective education program. It would do well for all of us to examine how we are heroes. Do we lead by example? Do we put forth our best effort when we need to be followers?

Another great song, Youth of the Nation by P.O.D., covers the issue, too, though in a more intense fashion. However you consider your role in our society, please think about your influence on others around you. Simply acknowledging someone can be enough to be a positive experience ... for everyone.

Peace & Prayers.

Yup ... it's spring. A school has turned in kids for stealing guns.
Still praying?

Yessir, Spring is here and that means one thing: the school shootings will now begin.

At a school in Central Pennsylvania yesterday, a student threw a Molotov Cocktail at the building. Fortunately, he forgot to light it.

Today, a student in another school shot a principal and then himself in a crowded cafeteria (Extra link).

As a public school teacher I think about this often. Which kid is likely to do it? What's a likely date or event that would trigger this? Why do I work in a district where every family seems to have a gun?

A few years ago I was in court because a student was charged with assaulting one of my colleagues. The boy's father argued that despite the son's repeated attempts to kill himself and the numerous threats to kill his sisters, the court should not remove the guns from the home. After all, the 2nd Ammendment said that he could keep all the guns he wanted. When the judge ruled that the guns would be removed "dad" said the kid would go live with "grandpa." That house had lots of guns, too, but the court order didn't cover taking those guns.

Nothing happened, but I feel that we were lucky. Things could have been much worse. Praise to God for that and for minimizing the problems of yesterday and today. Pray that such incidents, if they must happen (remember free will?), be brief and painless. Pray for the victims and for the comfort of those around them. Peace.

Is there really such a thing as legitimate spam in the world today? I don't thingk so, really. What bothers me is that I pay to have e-mail (even the "free" accounts require some sort of paid Internet access, usually). Shouldn't I have a say in whether other can send e-mail to me?

The United States government requires me to have a mail box for "snail mail" and I don't pay for that so I can understand getting junk mail that way. Pennsylvania recognizes my right as someone who pays for telephone service to be free from telemarketing calls. Why can't can't e-mail be like that?

Kill spam, not people. Should be on a t-shirt. Hmmm ... been wondering what I can do with Cafe Express.

Peace & Prayers.

New World Order? Maybe I'm a bit paranoid after reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (and starting his Angels and Demons)
Check this out:

"We have a a greater objective than eliminating threats and containing resentment. We seek a just and peaceful world beyond the war on terror." I've mentioned before that George Bush seems to be calling for a New World Order (NWO) through his ties to various secret societies. Hmmmm ...

Did I mention I'm a Freemason? Nothing beyond historical rumor shows ties to NWO groups. Still looking, though. Peace & Prayers.

Hello! Remember me? Things have been busy and I've had little to rant about. But this headline does it: Looters ransack Baghdad museum. Maybe the US didn't have enough "boots on the ground" to prevent it, but the issue had been raised early in the invasion and well before to allow the military to plan for such an issue at the museum. Perhaps the concern to preserve the oil wealth for the people outweighed the cultural value that the artifacts had for the whole world. The non-priceless objects were valued in the billions of dollars. Now just a few people in Iraq will sell these items for a pittance to wealthy "patrons of the arts" around the world.

Wanna bet that organized crime had a hand in coordinating the thefts and provided some means to spirit away the ill-gotten booty? It's been known to happen, especially in places that aren't that stable.

My question: What will the US and UK governments do about it now? Later ... Peace & Prayers.