Having just joined the wireless world, I'm happy to report that I'll no longer be tied to the school's very slow computers in the lab! Hopefully, this will help me keep in better touch with friends and with world events.

What's the deal with one word titles lately?

My friends Will and Kelly had me over for dinner just now, and Will brought up a very interesting metaphor: "We're so laminatedHe went on to explain that the metaphor had to do with our identities and the false (and protective) exteriors with which we cover ourselves--over and over sometimes! These ( Read more... )

Washington, D.C.! As I drove home the other night I saw one such plate, and across the bottom (you know, where N.C. plates have "North Carolina" printed) was this phrase:

"Taxation without representation"

To see such a protest on something as official as a license plate was great!

The eighth chapter of I Samuel should be required reading for any Christian (or Jew, for that matter) during an election year. I was particularly struck by verses 5-7:

and [the elders of Israel] said to [Samuel], "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations ( Read more... )

Probably the most memorable moment from last evening was when I walked into the restroom at Bicentennial Gardens and started singing the national anthem. Scott, who had a surprising knack for harmony, chimed in, and there was created a rather bizarre but very fun sound! Full of hard surfaces, the space resounded and amplified our voices the way ( Read more... )

This post is a bit overdue ( Read more... )

Had a difference of opinion with my dad tonight. He contends that friends should make a point of sharing their unsolicited opinions about what the other should do (i.e. give advice to the other person) while I feel that one should never give advice unless asked. That said, I think I probably rely too much on my own understanding and too often ( Read more... )

What a blessed morning it was! I woke at 5:30, before even the rim of sky had begun to change from midnight blue to orange. After a reasonably productive--but by no means record-setting--couple of hours, I had breakfast with some of the older men in my church; we talked politics, as usual. I was unusually inspired to become more politically ( Read more... )

I made a promise to keep "Men material" coming, so here are a few favorite excerpts from a homily of his on St. Gregory Palamas:

What is our life like? It goes by in constant noise and bustle. The whole existence of modern man is accompanied by all kinds of noise. We live surrounded by hubbub. People, especially those living in towns, are ( Read more... )

These are excerpts from two sermons on the last judgement by Fr. Alexander Men. He was an extraordinary man, a Russian priest who has influenced thousands (including Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov). He was assassinated in 1990. Learn much more about him by reading seraphimsigrist's journal.

The Lord said that He had not come to judge the world but to save it. ( Read more... )