Queen of Kings

The covering to the vent which is connected to the fan which, when running, expels stinky air from our washroom came off, and a family of kingbirds decided to nest directly behind the flapper valve. I like kingbirds. I do. And it was for their sake and my own that I decided they must go. Their sake - I doubt kingbird chicks would enjoy getting blasted with unpleasant human odours a few times a day. My sake - my wife was beginning to be creeped out by the occasional flapping sound directly above the toilet.
Outside, I observed two kingbirds watching me in some annoyance as I poked about the home they had come to regard as rightfully theirs. Rather than go and buy a covering for their front door, I instructed my 2-year-old to guard the hole against their entry while I went in search of a suitable plug. Either she failed miserably, or there was a threesome in this family.
I brought the towel back, and, hoping that there was no bird in the nest, plugged the hole.
Today, Andrea brought my attention to the reoccurrance of the mysterious flapping noise from the bathroom fan.
I unplugged the hole and looked inside, but the curvature of the duct hid the bird from view. So I went inside, removed the fan, and sure enough, there were a bunch of feathers sticking out of the flapper. Moving the flapper forced the bird a little ways up the duct, and going outside once more, I saw her perching fearfully about a foot inside the hole.
I pleaded with her to remove herself. I reasoned with her - this is my house, bird. Not yours. I commanded her to fly away. But, having spent a day trapped in a fan vent, she was somewhat reluctant to emerge from said vent with me standing there, watching her. My neighbor came over, and we discussed the problem. He said she'd probably laid eggs already and was guarding them.
I went inside and banged on my bathroom ceiling, and she finally flew out. I plugged the hole again, and went about removing the nest from behind the flapper with a pair of needle-nose pliers, then my hand, then Andrea's hand, and we think we removed all the grass, leaves, feathers, and bird smell from the vent. Fortunately there were no eggs; although I was half-hoping to find some - I've always thought it would be cool to rescue some eggs and hatch them.

Teaching

I've had a fun time teaching this semester. And the few times I've "preached" have also been pretty positive experiences. Add up both of these positive experiences, and I feel more open than I ever have in my life to practicing these sorts of endeavors; to pouring into peoples lives and sharing truths I've learned in a way that will encourage them to apply similar truths in their own lives...

Today's ramble brought to you by the letter Q.

Also, if you like to think, check out this blog.

Random Album Cover

Make your band's album cover:

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

"He stole my hat!"

Moments ago, as I sat watching CBC news, I witnessed my younger son run crying into the living room.
"Shadrach stole my hat!" he wailed. Shadrach ran into the room, laughing in delight. Andrea asked him if he stole Lincoln's hat.
"Yeah!" he said happily.
"Where is it?"
Shad pointed to his head. There was nothing there.
Andrea, holding Shad, said to a still-crying Lincoln, "Come get your hat, Lincoln."
Lincoln, brightening, moved over to Shad, and slapped his brother's head followed by his own.
"Lincoln, you better run so Shad doesn't get your hat!"
Lincoln ran off squealing with glee. Andrea finally let Shadrach run after him. We heard them run down the hall and into the computer room.
Pretty soon Lincoln started crying again, and the whole thing happened a few times more...
This is probably the weirdest thing I've seen in about two weeks.

Some of you know that Barack Obama is getting inaugurated this coming Tuesday. Some of your know that he has asked Rick Warren (the author of The Purpose Driven Life) to deliver the invocation. This has sparked a certain outrage in America. Conservatives are angry with Warren for agreeing to have anything to do with such a liberal President [elect], and liberals are angry with Obama for agreeing to have anything to do with such a conservative (and in many minds prejudiced) pastor.
I don't think either group should be angry.
Conservatives, there wasn't this much screaming when Billy Graham addressed the nation at both of Clinton's inaugurations, was there? I remember Conservatives complaining about Clinton, but not about Graham. Why is it a problem that Rick Warren would pray and ask that God guide Obama's decisions? You should want that!
Liberals, haven't you been listening to anything Obama has been talking about? A certain inclusivity, a certain reaching-accross-the-aile, a certain "There is only a United States of America"? Obama isn't saying he believes in or agrees with everything the man believes by asking him to give a prayer at his inauguration!
I've heard some liberal friends complain that "bigots" should have no place at Obama's inauguration; that it would be like having a Klanner say a prayer. I find that pretty harsh. Here's why - there is absolutely no scientific evidence to suggest that racial distinction is a mark of mental distinction. In other words, science tells us without doubt that the KKK and the Skinheads have absolutely no rational reason to believe what they do.
But there is a lot of scientific research still going into homosexuality - is it genetic? can it be helped? And there is a lot of debate still going on. There are those who believe that it is genetic, can't be helped and is the way God made you; there are those who believe that certain people can be predisposed to it, but that we live in a fallen world and homosexuality is part of that fall, and therefore God can take you out of it. And I think a lot of people on both sides of the debate have good intentions.
Suffice to say, I don't think Rick Warren hates homosexuals. He believes they are wrong, but I believe he loves them. And I think Obama knows this.

Facebook killed the Blogger

Every time a thought crosses my mind, it just keeps going. These thoughts are in such a hurry! Why won't they tarry in the comfy-couch recesses of my conscious long enough for me to write them down in this convenient location? A few people berate me for my disappearance from the blogosphere, even though my presence there has always been sporadic.
I must admit, Facebook was somewhat of an addiction for a while. I haven't deleted my account, but I know check it as often and with as much enthusiasm as I check my email. So I don't think I agree completely with the fellow in the link.

Maybe I'll start writing stuff again here. Next time a thought hits me, I'll try and quickly jot it down.

You can remind me if you want.

Shad Sings

Currently Shad's favorite song.

I am in Time Magazine

A few weeks ago I was surfing the net and was at Time.com, and saw that they were taking questions for Ben Kingsly. I searched my mind for a question, then added it to the list, and expected my chances of getting a question in the magazine were slim.
Yesterday a friend in Chicago informed me that I had gotten my question first on the list of questions for the actor. So that's kind of cool, I guess.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1649293,00.html

I can't wait til they take questions for George W. Bush.... :)

Get up

Last night I watched a YoutTube video that Joe Biden had posted of him on the tonight show. Today I read a story at CNN.com about Eric Hainstock, a kid who brought a gun to school and, whether accidentally or not, shot and killed his principle. He had intended to use the gun to persuade the guy to make the kids stop teasing him. He didn’t “mean to hurt nobody.”
What relates these two stories in my head was a two word phrase that was imparted to Senator Biden by his father when he was just a kid; a phrase that he imparted to his own children; a phrase that he clung to desperately when his wife and baby girl were killed in a car accident a mere month after he was elected senator for the first time.
The phrase: Get Up.
I wonder if people who snap and do crazy, evil things to their fellow man have forgotten this important principle in life. Life is unfair. Life is hard. Life deals you blows that are awful to receive. Excruciatingly awful. And you can respond to these blows in two ways. You can writhe on the ground, moaning and whining about how the world owes you, strangling others because life wasn’t fair to you, beating your kids because you were beaten, succumbing to the rage inside you, taking a gun to school in an effort to make someone else take away all the pain.
Or you can GET UP.
Joe Biden made it through that first year as a single parent (he was left with two small boys) by getting through each day. By telling himself each morning, “Get up.” Some may disagree with his politics, but you cannot deny that this simple philosophy is the only option in a sin-filled world if you intend to get anything accomplished.
I hope I can impart it to my kids.
I wish someone had imparted it to Eric.

Christians who Hate Religion

I’m getting slightly tired of Christians saying they hate religion. I understand why they do it, but I don’t think they understand what religion actually is. I went to my good friend Merriam Webster for the following snippet:

re·li·gion
Pronunciation: ri-'li-j&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English religioun, from Anglo-French religiun, Latin religion-, religio supernatural constraint, sanction, religious practice, perhaps from religare to restrain, tie back
1 a : the state of a religious b1 : the service and worship of God or the supernatural 2 : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
- re·li·gion·less adjective

I think when Christians say they hate religion, or they’re not religious, they are thinking about an “institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices.” They want their faith to be personal, not institutionalized, which is fine. But if you worship God, you're religious. If you have any commitment or devotion to a religious faith, you're religious. If you have a personal set of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices, you're religious. If you have a system of beliefs that you hold to with ardor and FAITH, you're religious.

A Christian who hates religion is like a German Shepherd who's allergic to dogs.

If it's something you believe by faith; if it includes doctrines; if it has a few miracles here and there; if there is some prophecy; if there are a few do's and dont's; it's probably a religion.

Finally, Christians who hate religion seem to forget that the Bible itself commends religion, if done in the right way and for the right reasons – see James 1:26-27 for a shining example.

There is such a thing as good religion! And why hate a good thing?