Head-dibs

"They are not many. There is one Phœnix in the whole world, one great general, one perfect orator, one true philosopher in a century, a really illustrious king in several. Mediocrities are as numerous as they are worth-less: eminent greatness is rare in every respect, since it needs complete perfection, and the higher the species the more difficult is the highest rank in it. Many have claimed the title "Great," like Cæsar and Alexander, but in vain, for without great deeds the title is a mere breath of air. There have been few Senecas, and fame records but one Apelles." ( Balthasar Gracian )

Not too long ago as I read Homer’s Odyssey (once again), a thought came to mind. If Homer’s Iliad serves as a kind of record of the siege of Troy (a debated issue due to the activity of the so-called gods as mentioned in the story--strip away the supernatural and the event still stands) and history and archaeology affirm the event as well as many historical figures involved, would it be possible that the Odyssey is a true account of one of the Iliad’s prominent personalities? The possibility is very high. Any fairly-well read person knows of many events found in the Odyssey: who has not heard of Cyclops or Lotus-eaters or of the deadly Sirens? Hades has been known for thousands of years as a place for the dead. A well-read person knows that when Troy fell, the Greeks returned home only Odysseus was delayed in his return, as the story goes. But what was the reason for his delay? Was it monsters and an offended deity? Or was there another reason?  Aeschylus records in his pla...

I’m on the edge of my seat reading this in Homer's  The Odyssey , Book VIII, “How They Held Games and Sports in Phaiacia” (translated by Samuel Butler): [Alcinous said,] "Aldermen and town councillors of the Phaeacians, we have had enough now, both of the feast, and of the minstrelsy that is its due accompaniment; let us proceed therefore to the athletic sports, so that [Odysseus] our guest on his return home may be able to tell his friends how much we surpass all other nations as boxers, wrestlers, jumpers, and runners. . . . The foot races came first. The course was set out for them from the starting post, and they raised a dust upon the plain as they all flew forward at the same moment. Clytoneus came in first by a long way; he left every one else behind him by the length of the furrow that a couple of mules can plough in a fallow field. They then turned to the painful art of wrestling, and here Euryalus proved to be the best man. Amphialus excelled all the others ...

Reading a historical account concerning whaling in the 1800’s, I came across a peculiar practice among Nantucketers that sparked a thought. The thought, I admit, involves a level of imaginative stretching so my caveat at the outset is to admit my conclusion is more interesting (to me, at least) than definitive or conclusive. Permit me to spare all the details and give a general overview, the seed of my thought. One particular captain lost his ship and spend a number of months adrift at sea with two other boats. Survival reached the point of desperation that led to cannibalism (an unspoken yet acceptable practice when necessary among early sea-men). Few men survived and were eventually rescued. Once back home, the captain returned to sea in a matter of months and in nearly the same waters as the loss of his first ship, the second was run aground and he once again returned home. The Nantucket whaling community responded to the first tragedy with great compassion, but following ...

The Gilgamesh Epic is considered to be one of the first hero stories of antiquity. Any studious reader will find the story connected to one of the earliest documented world civilizations in early Mesopotamia, the kingdom of Sumer namely. Copies of the story have been found all over the Middle East written on clay tablets, which may indicate the story has a longer oral tradition. The epic as we have it today is the result of translation work from various pieces, some of which are still missing. Scholars admit the story’s development is traceable, so the form in which we have today represents the work of collected fragments. One curious note is that some ancient recorders seem to favor some stories over others, giving greater attention to details others completely ignore. Perhaps the greatest “claim to fame” of the Gilgamesh epic is the story of a great flood that seems to parallel that of the great flood recorded in the Bible. Some suggest in an attempt to discredit the Bible that the...

Humphreys, Kent. Shepherding Horses: Understanding God’s Plan for Transforming Leaders . Oklahoma City: Lifestyle Impact Ministries, 2010 Humphreys builds this leadership book on an allegory designed to narrow the field of influence concerning leaders. He proposes that within the flock for which the pastor is responsible as shepherd, horses have infiltrated. These horses are for Humphreys symbolic of strong workplace leaders within the church--and these leaders must be tamed. Humphreys begins by asking “What did Jesus do?” as the perfect shepherd. He proposes that horses are trained when they respond to the gospel, understand God’s principles, work, reproduce and relate to the Father. He continues by building on a vision that he suggests will transform cities and churches. The principle hinges on the the way leaders are equipped as ambassadors through relationships, understanding each other contextually and affirmation. The allegory on which the premise of the book is buil...

“The man who thinks he knows all the answers is either not a Christian at all or a Christian with a very defective sense of the mystery and wonder of his faith.” (Casserly, Langmead. Man’s Pain and God’s Goodness. Mowbray: London, 1951. P. 14)

Been testing this out and am quite impressed with the whole system. It's rockin' my world right now!

The apostle Paul settles a controversy in the Corinthians church through the inspiration of the Spirit by pointing out the source of the conflict: the selfish ambition of those in the fight. People were taking sides in the church saying that one teacher was better than another. Paul levels the field concerning the teachers emphasizing their unity by asking, “ What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one .” (1 Corinthians 3:5) 1 Corinthians 4 builds on this fact concerning the church leadership: “ Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ” Here we find the first page of a photo album (if you will), a series of snapshots picturing the Servant of the Lord. The Servant of the Lord is (and some points are worth deeper exploration): Servant of Christ (1 Cor 4:1) Steward of the mysteries of God (4:1)   Trustworthy/faithful (4:2) Examined/assessed...

Youth Ministry specialists are noticing that as technology accelerates, spiritual apathy among young people is increasing. Many teens are biblically illiterate, bored, and find the church to be irrelevant. Parents are frustrated. Youth leaders are burned out. And high school and college students — if they ever attended — are leaving the church by the droves. What on earth has gone wrong? Dr. David Olshine , director of the  Youth Ministry, Family and Culture  program at Columbia International University explores what needs to change and offers practical advice to youth ministry leaders in his new book, “Youth Ministry: What’s Gone Wrong?”   Olshine is the author and co-author of 19 books and is a regular contributor to  Youth Worker Journal . He is ordained in the United Methodist Church and has served for over 30 years as a youth pastor and lead pastor of a college-town church. He is also the co-founder of Youth Ministry Coache s, an organization that helps ...

“One of the world's premier sperm-whale experts, Hal Whitehead, began observing whales in [the Galapagos] in 1985 . . . . He has found that the typical pod of whales, which ranges between three and twenty or so individuals, is comprised almost exclusively of interrelated adult females and immature whales . . . . The females work cooperatively in taking care of their young . . . . Young males leave the family unit at around six years of age and make their way to cooler waters of the high latitudes. Here they live singly or with other males, not returning to the warm waters of their birth until their late twenties . . . . The sperm whale’s network of female-based family unites resembled, to a remarkable extent, the community the whalemen had left back home in Nantucket. In both societies the males were itinerants. In their dedication to killing sperm whales the Nantucketers had developed a system of social relationships that mimicked those of their prey.” Philbrick, Nathani...

I actually think Vivaldi would "like". "Vivaldi Tribute", played by Tina (14 y.o.), played on her Vigier Excalibur, teached and filmed by her teacher Renaud Louis-Servais 

The following pictures were taken with permission at the Salvation Army Evangeline Booth College Historical Center . What an amazing history to study! Scroll down for my personal favorite exhibit. The two pictures below shows the "Walkie-Coffee." It is a back-pack allowing the wearer to carry coffee (on one side) and soup (on another) as they did ministry while moving through disaster areas, giving physical and spiritual nourishment where it was most needed.

“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing.” ― Herman Melville (Moby Dick)