Head-dibs

As we prepare to go to the polls, reflect on these words by Charlie Chaplain, playing the part of a Jewish barber mistaken to be the dictator of Tomania (from the film "The Great Dictator, released in October 1940 before the fall of France by Nazi Germany):

Find out if you're going to die . . . before it's too late.

Anyone who knows me knows of my love for books. My office shelves are quite packed and no room is found on any shelf in the house. While I like books neat and orderly on the shelf (and I am not as ordered as some--often visitors are astounded that my books are cataloged, like in the library. I could be like one individual who arranges his books by size and color . . . ), I am finding there is a particular beauty in stacking them where there is no room. I am moving from “library” to “thrift shop” in terms of style.  Isn't the (above) picture beautiful? No, they are not mine. :-( Given my love for the bound word, believe me when I say I find it extremely difficult to pass by any stack of books for sale, particularly used books. Being that I am in an academic setting, boxes of books often appear in various places ranging from $1.00 or more a piece down to twenty--five cents or “Free.” I know these “free” books--books that never sell and need to be cleared out. True treasur...

The sun had not yet risen but growing light was blooming color back into the world. My headlights pierced fog’s cloak, the friend of the night that wrapped trees and road in a cold gossamer veil. Sliding quietly up the road, a large dark shape suddenly filled the opposite lane. I did not see the vehicle except by the deep shade that blended in with the shadows of the banking curve and the trees. My headlight beams bounced off shiny surfaces as the driver of the other vehicle drifted on his way the other direction--no lights burning. Glancing in the rear-view mirror, I slowed and watch the car until out of site, no signs of light anywhere, driving in dark’s diminuendo. I watched the vehicle long enough to realize this fellow had no intention of turning on his lights. How could he see? Could he truly drive safe with the light he had? Perhaps, but the driving is slow and even poses a danger to other drivers--especially when the unspoken rule of driving around these parts is “...

Great concept, but . . . couldn't help but could'nt help but lol a time or three:

One reason many stop reading the Bible is the genealogies. The names are tough enough, but the smallest amount of confidence can lend to an acceptable pronunciation--a list of names is no reason to stop reading. The list of names is given for a reason and discovering that reason can be quite satisfying. Sudoku, crosswords, word searches and assortments of puzzles provide hours of entertainment, so why should a list of names slow us down? Isn’t is amazing that so many people have lived on this planet and are forgotten? These names are recorded in God’s Unchanging Word locate specific people at a specific time in a specific place. They must be mentioned for a reason even if all we have is a name. We belong to a movement with the primary distinctive of teaching through the Bible book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter and verse-by-verse. Running the risk of sounding critical, one cannot help but wonder why when we approach many of these passages our teaches say to the effect, “see that list ...

Time to meet your sole mate! Find the perfect workout shoe for your routine and find what to do after you make a purchase (where was this article when I needed it?). Who do you luv? (ht: cheezburger fail blog) Think of it as a tribute to invention:

Amazed at the wonders of Creation. These two were found merely inches apart.

Geoffrey Chaucer Hath a Blog . He is writing a "newe set of tales. Thinketh of this: the image of the viage of an erthely pilgrimage ys but a maner of shewinge the wey of thilke parfit glorious pilgrimage into the celestial spheeres of the skye, in which we shal weare awesome shinye clothes and have swooshie laser swordes and eek have snappye dialog and sweepinge orchestrale bakkeground musique as we flye arounde the sunnes and moones and thinges-that-are-nat-moones. And thus Ich am writinge nat of pilgrimes on erthe but of pilgrimes -- wayteth for yt -- IN THE STERRES!" If Gotham City needed crimefighters in the Victorian era, these dress designs from the 1880s would've been a good place to start.

Eric Siblin’s book “The Cello Suites: J. S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece” set me free. Siblin composes a history of Bach’s six Cello Suites that does not merely impart information, but cultivates a deep(er) appreciation for The Master and his masterwork that was nearly lost. Taking his cue from Bach, Siblin divides his book into six chapters (one for each movement) with their respective preludes, allemandes, courantes, sarabandes, minuets, bourees or gavottes and concluding gigues. He explains how, “Bach will occupy the first two or three movements of each suite. The dances that come afterward or earmarked for Pablo Casals. And the gigues that close each suite will be reserved for a more recent story . . . “ (p. 9) While this framework helps the reader capture the mood of each suite, the writer also (perhaps unwittingly) delivers history in a manner that helps the non-cellist grasp the experience of actually playing. The Chord, utilized by Bach thr...

This week is the Christian Life Conference at Columbia International University (CIU) with President Emeritus, Dr. Robertson McQuilkin . Dr. McQuilkin served as the 3rd President of CIU, headmaster of Ben Lippen School and a missionary in Japan. Chapel messages for the week can be heard online . Shock Your Body . Jump-start your workout program! Interested in your thoughts on this short film:

I hope you didn't look at your calendar but if you did, you would notice that today is Rosh Hashana. This holiday is one Israel’s calendar, one festival of three celebrated in the seventh month. Students of scripture would call this the “Feast of Trumpets.” Many today would call this “New Years” so if you need to “start over,” this is a great time to do it. Why wait for January 1? The Torah instructs (the book of Numbers, chapter 29) that this is a day of worship, sacrifice and suspension of labor. Such a time of refreshment intends that one literally stop whatever is keeping one busy and worship. Lay down the tools, get your fingers off the keyboard, gather with others who love the Lord and worship. Each time we worship, we do a spiritual “check”, make certain we keep clean before the Lord by confession and repentance. Are you clean before the Lord? How committed are you to the things of God? He gave us the best gift of Himself as the perfect sacrifice. Why not take this time...

What Kind of book reader are you?  I'm pretty much pegged in the opening paragraphs. Jon Bloom at Desiring God has some thoughts regarding reading . Some talented Ninja action at a Shakespeare festival (?): 

Sort of a strange phrase, isn’t it: “over to unawareness.” It means to moving from “awareness” to “unawareness.” We do it all the time, but we like to use the word “forget.” Have you ever thought about what the “forget” actually means? We commonly agree on “failing to remember,” and we use the word to signify the act of not remembering. The word “forget” is actually a compound word (remember those from grade school?). The first word “for-” is the Old English term meaning “opposite” or “away.” The second (“-get”) is also Old English for, well, “get” or “grasp.” Combine “for” and “get” and we have “un-grasp.” This is what it means to forget. Orwell would be proud. Is forgetting intentional or accidental? Perhaps the latter is the most common—who would intentionally forget? Is it even possible? Why do we fail to keep hold of things we are supposed to remember yet lose our grasp on things we are supposed to keep? Why do we so easily recall our regrets and have nearly no catalog of ou...

I can’t remember how old we were but we were young enough to speak with puppy-eyed honesty, watch the adults laugh at our innocence, and continue on with our minuscule lives with blinders on, oblivious as to what just happened. We sat in dolls chairs around our Lilliputian worktables coloring, eating paste and cutting our hair as the teacher drifted around the room with note pad in hand, interviewing each child how they would prepare their favorite food. The result was a collection of recipes for our darling mothers to cherish forever, the May-time school prize for keeping our noses clean and our pants dry. Art Linkletter would have been proud to see how our submissions were printed exactly as they were spoken. Each contribution mimeographed, trimmed and glued onto a sheet of construction paper, the cover hand-decorated with a half-chewed crayon in an expression of love, causing our mothers to keen and coo all the way home. Now, if you don’t know what a mimeograph machine is, imag...