You are still building your life

Remember when the web was free?

Murdoch: Web sites to charge for content

(CNN) -- Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch expects News Corporation-owned newspaper Web sites to start charging users for access within a year in a move which analysts say could radically shake-up the culture of freely available content.

Speaking on a conference call as News Corporation announced a 47 percent slide in quarterly profits to $755 million, Murdoch said the current free access business model favored by most content providers was flawed.

"We are now in the midst of an epochal debate over the value of content and it is clear to many newspapers that the current model is malfunctioning," the News Corp. Chairman and CEO said.

"We have been at the forefront of that debate and you can confidently presume that we are leading the way in finding a model that maximizes revenues in return for our shareholders... The current days of the Internet will soon be over."

- source and full story here

Hmmm.  Maybe the day's just around the corner when church web campuses will be the only sites left on the internet where content remains totally free ... and available for the asking. 

Do-overs and and Make-overs

Got things in your life you wish you could go back and do over?  Or have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought "Man, I could sure use an extreme full-body make-over?"

I'm guessing most folks can remember a situation or two from the past they'd like to forget, or an unpleasant event they'd like to go back and do-over and, judging from the commercials and videos for sale on TV, there must be lots n' lots of Americans who, let's be honest, whether physically, financially or spiritually ... are unhappy with themselves ... and feel painfully certain that a complete make-over on the outside could heal the hurt and fix what feels broken inside.

We're talking complete physical, financial and emotional make-overs ... and maybe a time machine, too.  Just to make sure we dot every i in the past and start over with a fresh start.

Trouble is that short of time travel, there's simply no way to go back and live life over (and truth be told, we'd probably find new ways to make the same mistakes all over again).   

So folks end up feeling their present is anchored to a painful, bitter and unshakeable past.

--- ---

And the present?

If only I was thinner.  If only I had more money.  If only I was more attractive.  If only we could stop thinking about If Only ... and start thinking about When.

--- ---

If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

- 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

- 2 Corinthians 5:10

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

- 2 Corinthians 5:17

microburst

There's verses in scripture that bring a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes everytime I read them.  I don't know why; I've never even thought about finding a reason.

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

- Luke 39:40

Speechless

This topic jumps back to a previous post ...

I used to wonder a lot why, when he was on trial before the Sanhedrin (and later Pilate), Jesus chose to remain mostly silent in his defense, instead of doing what you or I think we'd like to have seen him do instead: reveal himself as the Messiah and God's only Son, expose the falseness of their accusations  ... and then administer the trusty temple whip to some self-righteous backsides.

Of course, if Jesus had ripped apart his accusers' challenges before the Sanhedrin and proved himself innocent of the charges alleged against him, then neither the crucifixion nor the resurrection would have taken place ... and you and I would have nothing more to look forward to than a scorching, eternal weekend in Brimstone Lake.

-- -

Later on, it occurred to me that Christ's silence in the face of his accusers might have another explanation as well: that the folks who accused him were so pious, and so devout in their legalistic self-righteousness, that they couldn't see the Messiah, God's son, standing in the flesh right in front of them.

Their hearts were hard ... to the point that the Pharisees not only refused, but were unable, to look past themselves to see the obvious: this man is the Son of God.  Not even when Christ was standing no more than arm's-length away.  (Might even call their religious perspective "eternal short-sightedness.")

What about Pilate?  Pilate was more interested in amusing himself with his own smugness and proving his intellectual nimbleness than with humbling himself at the feet of the King of Kings and begging for his forgiveness.

Christ knew what was in their hearts, so what point was there in arguing, debating or "trying to convert" them?  They saw The Light in the flesh, yet still they could not see.  Their ears were filled with God's words, yet still they could not hear.  They beheld The Prince of Peace, yet still they were consumed by rage, indignation and hate.

So they slapped and spat in the Messiah's face, tore their clothes in a self-righteous fit and asked Pilate to have him crucified.  

-----

Funny, isn't it, how we think our words are just noises we make with our mouths ... when words actually echo what's deep inside our hearts.

Rain trials and leak conviction

It's been raining here in Charm City all week.  Literally.  Constant rain, every hour, every day.

Last night was a deluge: I didn't stick my head outside to see for myself but from the inside, the rain drops sounded like pebbles pelting Calypso's 25-year old canvas top.  Like each one might rip open a hole to let its buddies come inside.

So I was surprised when I got up this morning to discover my waterproofing had held up pretty well.  Not perfect, but at least the cushions and mattress stayed dry through the night.

-- -- --

There's an old saying that "Something's always breaking and needs fixing on a boat" ... but I strongly disagree.

My floating, waterfront experience tells me that the truth is actually, "Something always needs fixing on a boat belonging to an absentee owner who only shows up on weekends two or three months out of the year."

That's the guy you see standing around cussing on the docks on Saturday mornings, scratching his head and wondering 'What's wrong this time?  Why won't it start?'"

-- -- --

Compared to the total number of boats here among the 500 or so slips, there's not many full-time liveaboards, which always makes me wonder how the "typical" owner might feel about showing up for a weekend of boating and discovering the most recent thunderstorm had left six inches of rainwater flooding his vessel's saloon.

Or how an "absentee" owner would react upon getting a phone call from the marina office informing him that his boat had sunk overnight because the bilge pump had failed.

See, when there's not a living person aboard to notice the leaks, the boat doesn't much worry if rain's coming in through the hatch somebody forgot to close last month.  

The boat doesn't give a fish stick if rain pours in by the bucketfuls and ruins its upholstery, nor will a boat start crying if a seacock fails and allows its friendly neighbor The entire Chesapeake Bay to come flooding in for a week-long sleep-over.

But when somebody's living inside the boat it's different, because the slightest leak or drip gets noticed right away.  The person living aboard immediately notices, because leaks and staying afloat are mutually exclusive. 

Put simply, you couldn't stand living on a boat if you ignored leaks and didn't pay attention to where the water's coming from.   

Nor could your vessel keep staying afloat.

-- -- --

Scripture tells us that when a person accepts Christ as their saviour, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside that person.  And like living on a boat is incompatible with the deceit of ignoring leaks and pretending they don't exist, the Holy Spirit is incompatible with sin and deception.

That "incompatibility" is what causes believers to feel convicted by their sins and to genuinely seek God's forgiveness and mercy.  A believer can no more shrug off and ignore sin than an unattended, leaking boat can stay afloat or avoid permanent damage.

--  -- --

Being a full-time liveaboard means staying on top of leaks before they cause damage requiring extensive repairs.  

But for pleasure boaters who only show up a few weekends in the year, who knows what major surprise that next little leak or overlooked drip might have in store? 

He Is Mighty to Save

Yet he saved them for his name's sake, 
       to make his mighty power known.

-Psalm 107:6

Who is this coming from Edom, 
       from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? 
       Who is this, robed in splendor, 
       striding forward in the greatness of his strength? 
       "It is I, speaking in righteousness, 
       mighty to save."

- Isaiah 63:1

The LORD your God is with you, 
       he is mighty to save. 
       He will take great delight in you, 
       he will quiet you with his love, 
       he will rejoice over you with singing."

- Zephaniah 3:17

Wolf, wolf

Real quick post (before LOST) ...

1.  The other day I mentioned there's spiders on my boat

2.  I agreed not to squash them; they agreed not to bite me

3.  I did some googling; I think the spiders on  my boat are "Wolf Spiders"

4.  I don't believe in evolution ("Darwinism")

5.  Up close, these photos prove Wolf Spiders are awfully cute (see #4)

- photo source here

... for you and for me

Your chance to ask God a question

Imagine God appeared in your living room, and gave you the chance to ask him a question.

You only get one, so choose your question carefully.

What would you ask?  What would you most like to know?

- What did Jesus look like?

- What's the numbers for this weekend's lottery?

- Is the Genesis account of Adam and Eve literally true?

- Does life exist on other planets?

- What stock's gonna be the next Microsoft?

- Are UFOs for real?

- How long will I live?

- Who will I marry?

- Will I ever be rich?

- Will our country face another terrorist attack?

- Why do you let bad things happen?

- Which faith or religion is really "right"?

Here's one more:

Lord, what can I do to serve you to the best of my ability?

Guess what I lost? Guess what I can't?

(Originally written May 3 2009 10:53AM)

Remember the old expression, "You'd lose your head if it wasn't attached to your shoulders"?

Well, I'm that guy.  I wouldn't call myself forgetful, I'd call myself something else ... I just forget what it is.  Ok, so how forgetful and absent-minded are we talking about?

- How about forgetting to add water, and then wondering what's taking Mr. Coffee so long to start brewing?  (This happens at least once a week.)

- How about trudging all the way from my boat to the marina gate (almost 400 yards),  and then realizing I left my key fob back on the boat?  (this proved to be such a painful lesson, I've only done it once.)  Er, twice.

- How about buying groceries, and then forgetting to make sure all the frozen stuff goes in the freezer?  (most every time)

- How about forgetting to turn off the filtered-water faucet when re-filling my water jug?  (See, unlike a normal kitchen sink, sinks on boats don't have overflow outlets ... unless you're counting the floor & carpet.)  Yep I've done this twice, or maybe four times ... I don't remember.

I have the gift of misplacing things, too.  

Now you might be wondering, "How on earth can you possibly lose or misplace stuff when you live on a boat with no more floor space than a medium-sized elevator?"  I don't know the answer; I just know I can't find stuff when I need it.  Ever.

Losing stuff you need is aggravating beyond description, so I've got no problem admitting that the old saying  is true: I would lose my head if it wasn't already attached to my shoulders.

---- ----

Sure makes me glad that in his grace and mercy God offered me salvation, and made sure I can't ever lose or misplace it.  And that his love guarantees I'm permanently attached to him. 

Happy Cinco de Mayo, what's Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of Frenchforces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

In 1861, Mexico ceased making interest payments to its main creditors. In response, in late 1861, France (and other European countries) attacked Mexico to try to force payment of this debt. France decided that it would try to take over and occupy Mexico. France was successful at first in its invasion; however, on May 5, 1862, at the city of Puebla, Mexican forces were able to defeat an attack by the larger French army. In the Battle of Puebla, the Mexicans were led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín. 

The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had known no defeat for almost 50 years.

Although the Mexican army was victorious over the French at Puebla, the victory only delayed the French invasion of Mexico City; a year later, the French occupied Mexico. - wikipedia