Six Ways to Boost Brainpower

Check out a creative, inspiring, and somewhat lengthy article on "6 Ways to Boost Brainpower":

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=six-ways-to-boost-brainpower

"Confession"

What is it about the winter, staying inside where it is warm, and writing which speaks truth? Here's another Wendell Berry favorite as it captures what I know to be true of myself.

"Confession"
by Wendell Berry

I wish I was easy in my mind, but I ain't.
If it wasn't for anger, lust, and pride, I'd be a saint.

And a quote for the day:

Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

A Warning

Here's another Wendell Berry poem that I resemble!

"A Warning to My Readers"
by Wendell Berry

Do not think me gentle
because I speak in praise
of gentleness, or elegant
because I honor the grace
that keeps this world. I am
a man crude as any,
gross of speech, intolerant,
stubborn, angry, full
of fits and furies. That I
may have spoken well
at times, is not natural.
A wonder is what it is.

A quote for the day:
"The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority."
Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

A Journey in This Day

I've enjoyed the poetry of Wendell Berry for many years. The Kentucky farmer, professor, and poet/writer speaks to my heart and life with his rural imagery, his turn of phrase, and his keen life observations using the everyday setting and circumstances of his home which he knows so well.

"Traveling at Home"
From A Part

Even in a country you know by heart
it's hard to go the same way twice.
The life of the going changes.
The chances change and make a new way.
Any tree or stone or bird
Can be the bud of a new direction. The
natural correction is to make intent
of accident. To get back before dark
is the art of going.

Quote for the day:
"If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
Martin Luther King, Jr., speech, Detroit, Michigan, June 23, 1963.

"Talking One Another Into Things"

I seldom find much from a bishop that catches my attention. I'm pleased to find this exception.

Here's an excerpt:

"Then it dawned on me. What I need most out of a covenant learning community are trusted colleagues who are willing to talk me into things. When I’m mulling over various options and have a notion of what needs to happen, I need someone to push me forward, to say 'go for it!' When I’m counting the cost and measuring the resistance, I need trusted friends who say, 'Be bold and audacious. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Take the risk. Don’t play it too safe. Just do it!'"

http://www.fivepractices.org/detail.asp?pkvalue=320&pageid=14

True Celebration of MLK Day

I'm curious if anyone celebrates a day for MLK by serving in the community? If you are looking for that let me know and I can hook you up Monday. After all, our dreams and our actions work hand in hand. What better way to pay tribute to MLK than to usher in the reality?!

I recall a guy at grad school who would open his apartment window that overlooked the center of campus and he'd replay some of MLK's greatest speeches. Imagine walking to campus with a focus on class, the assignment you didn't read, your own little world, and having words echo through the open campus disrupting your individual march:

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

Mutant Replicators

I was driving home last night with the radio on. Often I just like the peace and quiet. But in these short winter days when it's already dark for the commute, and especially at the end of the week when I'm tired, I seem to keep some noise to move the journey along from work to home.

I clicked on National Public Radio to catch up on all the news I'd missed through the day. As they always do, they offered the highlights, and then shifted to some interesting discussions which I don't often find in other media. They are always intriguing enough to keep me awake and move the trip along quickly.

The most interesting segment concerned the scientific investigations into how the first living creatures evolved on the earth. Now you may think it odd that this is of interest to me, or you may even feel uneasy as to how clergy would deal with such a topic. Actually I've never struggled with this so much. I mean, isn't it possible to have a strong, living faith that engages your mind and your heart? Just as mind and heart aren't mutually exclusive and necessary for total health, I believe that science and faith aren't mutually exclusive and can actually learn from one another and together create a stronger community/ nation/ world. But that's for another day and another conversation.

The NPR story found clues in how life began as scientists have been able to identify self replicating RNA in a lab. The key seemed to be in the dish full of various RNA replicators that some RNA would attach to other different strands unlike them and create mutant replicators. Of course, as with much of scientific inquiry, while there may be new understandings and theories related to the first stages of life on earth, there is also typically breakthroughs that help the world in real life applications today and tomorrow. For more of the science story go to http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99132608.

Yet another thought related to the "mix in the dish" as various replicating entities attract to one another and mix to create new mutant replicators strikes a note of truth about everyday life to me. There's something in this that intrigues my creative nature. I know how I'm drawn to others who ask questions, who seek to create and express, who seek understanding, and who are drawn to other similar characters because of the renewal of energy, the new thoughts, the new life that springs from this. That's part of what I enjoy about church work, about university campus ministry, and certainly with the type mission work I am privileged to enjoy.

HAHA Mutant Replicators of Truth, Justice, Mercy, Life and Faith

May that tribe continue to increase!

UGA Iron Horse in Greene County

I had to drive close to four hours on New Years Day to pick up one of my son's friends in Watkinsville GA. We had lived in the Greensboro/ Madison area a couple of years ago, and still have many wonderful friends from that region. And there are LOTS of wonderful characters and stories from the area that we still enjoy.

Do you know about the Abbott Pattison Iron Horse?

It sits in a field just off Highway 15, just across the Oconee River yet inside the Greene County area just before you cross into Oconee County. In the winter it is relatively easy to see. In the late summer it is a fun challenge to find as the farm usually has tall corn in the field where the horse stays.

Originally the horse sat on the UGA campus in the mid '50's, but the students didn't treat the horse well. So, it was moved rather quickly after it's debut at UGA, and by the late '50's found its home on the farm of a UGA professor. Check out that picture again. Can you believe this thing was THAT controversial?! If I think much about the 1950's in Georgia and the world I realize there may have been any number of more important happenings to engage our energy and emotion.

I've always been curious about this sculpture/relic of a different time. Was it really just a few drunk fraternity boys that caused the trouble or more of a mob mentality against the horse? Was this merely a common ignorance of that time and place, or more about the ignorance of the sculptor as to how his art would be received by the locals? And to make this a more current discussion, are we any different today?! Are there Iron Horses today that consume our energy and emotion, yet which in retrospect will seem a rather ridiculous waste of energy. Even in 2009 I suspect there may be some Iron Horses among us.

I'm curious what you make of this odd story from the recent past. I'm curious if you see any Iron Horses in our world today?

Find the whole story at http://excursia.com/destinations/USA/GA/athens/stories/20010406/att_ironhorse.shtml

Many Opportunities in a New Year

My college student friends I've gotten to know through campus ministry started posting their resolutions about a week ago. The Facebook approach of swapping ideas with notes is to share info with a number of friends (even realizing more friends can look in and comment on your note) & then asking for their thoughts, ideas, encouragement. "Am I honest and real with this?" and "What do you think?" are the common questions to end the notes.

They are a challenging, trouble making bunch! I say that because I've tended not to think much about the new year, much less assess my life, or consider how I need to set goals or take steps forward. And they add a whole new wrinkle to this as they don't merely keep their resolutions personal but make it a communal activity. Now that's brave and has potential for real action and change.

So, I thank them for sharing their lives and thoughts with me, and for getting me better prepared for 2009. After struggling with this for a few days I shared the following note in return with my college friends. Now comes the work!

The “experts” always warn about not creating too many unrealistic, “undoable,” resolutions, but to have a smaller focus and to create a plan. I think time management might be the overarching theme for me though these are the life issues I need to focus on in the new year. These thoughts will be good to keep on my calendar, in my computer, and maybe for some of you to reinforce with me.

1) Allow my life to be renewed and change more as I keep the balance between serving/doing & replenishing my body/soul/life—fuel the fire and act on what I know/sense to do each day.

2) Step up—now is the time for social and community change--transform my church, transform Augusta, transform my denomination, in general build a bridge to a better future through my life and profession.

3) Do more writing—make the time to pull the articles & book/s together. Perhaps this really is just on Facebook and blogging, but creating the bridge (#2) takes time for dialogue and communication. Continue to learn and grow in this by listening to those around me, especially college students and friends outside the church.

3) Spend more time making the biggest difference for people at just the right time. Make sure we launch the medical clinic, help the community development take stronger shape, work to establish mission camps in Augusta, etc.

4) Get more creative- nurture and grow my artistic interests. Flee the computer or TV and spend more time with a paint brush, pencil, pen, etc. and grow the spirit of visual creativity and expression.

5) Spend less time with work and more time at being a better husband and dad. Take the family fishing, go to the beach, escape to the mountains, take a vacation, and in addition to the planned options work on being more spontaneous.

6) Personally, I need to get into an exercise routine. In college and grad school I biked a lot. I think I’d like to do that and need to get into the routine. Somewhat related as a lifestyle issue, I also enjoy gardening and growing heirloom food. That’s the old vegetables and flowers before hybrids. I’ll definitely stay active in the yard with that and produces some different items plus spend time with my family while providing quality food.

Hmm, ambitious but achievable I think.

How about you? What's God calling you/ pulling you/ dragging you toward this year? I hope we all live up to those dreams and take our next steps of faith. The year and our world await our response.

A Rainy Day Off & Renewal of Creativity

I don't know about you, but I start to feel a little beat up by this point in the fall. Too much work, not much time off, and not enough rest and reflection drain my batteries!

It's a rainy day in my part of Georgia which gives a great chance to do NOTHING!! This is a really under utilized activity. After not doing much of anything (except playing with the "new" dog [another story for another day]) I got on the internet for a moment in search of someone to spark my creativity. Isn't it renewing to see the creativity of others to jump start the imagination?

I found http://thesmartestfish.blogspot.com/ today and have really enjoyed the various artistic expressions found there. Check it out for yourself and see if something isn't sparked in you.

This Will Get the Creativity Flowing

Do you know about "Instructables: The World's Biggest Show and Tell?" I found it "by mistake" one night when I was Googling for something. You know how that works sometimes. One thing leads to another and suddenly you find a real curious site. Instructables is a "How to" sort of community where folks send in their great, sometimes strange, often ingenious ideas. It features sections on art, craft, food, games, green, home, kids, life, offbeat, pets, photography, ride, tech, etc. If you need a great idea on some topic in your life or just to get inspired by creative people check out Instructables at http://www.instructables.com/.