Blood on the Lintels

Creation

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:17:00 +0000

Another biblical story. Based loosely on Proverbs 8; Psalms 74, 89, 104; Job 28, 38-41; and Genesis 1-2.

It's entirely possible that there will be a recording of this available on iTunes sometime. (Where it will join this one.)

UPDATE: Audio posted here.

--

The morning stars didn’t always sing. Why would they?

Before there were any cities or buildings or people to build them,
before there were any rocks or trees or iron to build them with,
before there was light to see by, or warmth to enjoy …
before there was seeing or enjoyment at all,
before any of that, there was nothing.

No, not nothing, exactly. No-thing. No thing distinguishable or discernible or defined. The universe was like … rush hour on the subcontinent--all turmoil and tangle and congestion and humidity. Or like the bedroom of a slovenly teenager, maybe--all disarray and rebellion and noise and odor.

Wild, waste, and welter; Leviathan and Behemoth and nothing. No thing.

And in the midst of all of it, Wisdom. And hovering over all of it, God.

And God sought Wisdom.

God parted the No-thing and reached into the recesses of the deep, and extracted Wisdom. While Wisdom watched, God quieted the commotion, constrained the chaos. While Wisdom watched, God sifted through the confusion and separated light from darkness, sea from land, fish from fowl, animal, plant, and mineral one from another. While Wisdom watched, God made humans--male, female, parent, child. Then God withdrew, and rested.

Still there was chaos. Disease and injury and pain. Drought and flood, thorns and thistles and weeds and unruly plants. Dirt and rock and rubble. Still the morning stars remained silent. Still Wisdom watched.

And humans sought the withdrawn God.

Humans observed the world around them. They saw creatures of whimsy and industrious insects, and they created instruments and tools and work and play. And Wisdom watched.

Humans brought order to the rock and rubble and created places to live. They cultivated soil and vegetables and banished weeds from their fields. They created agriculture and science and technology and society and civilization. And Wisdom watched.

Humans delved deep and in the dirt and the dark they found gold and gems, precious metals and stones. They created mining and industry, and Wisdom watched.

Humans stared long into the heavens and wrested from the void language and ritual and meaning. They distinguished sound from noise and movement from motion and in the directionless discovered music and poetry and story and dance and performance. And in the midst of all of it, Wisdom.

And God grew curious and drew near and hovered over all of it, and said, “Good.”

And at dawn each day, the stars sing.

Trees, Vines, Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 22:01:00 +0000

Some pictures for your amusement.

1. Tree and vine on the morning commute

2. Cute dog and, um ...

Another Classy Confluence

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:03:00 +0000

Imagine my surprise, when reading an obit on the Goshen News website, to suddenly hear that George Strait is "here for a good time." The song sounds nice. Not sure an audio ad for it in the obits was the best choice.

And here's the screenshot partial proof.

What ad do you get?

Taking 1 Corinthians 9:22b too far?

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:22:00 +0000

Brent's Kickin' Mango Vinaigrette

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Sun, 29 May 2011 22:42:00 +0000

1 medium-large mango, not quite ripe (if your fingers get sticky when handling it, it's more ripe than the one I used, but that would probably be delicious)
extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, lime juice, sugar, chile powder, and garam masala to taste.

Put everything in a blender and pulse until emulsified.

(Yes, I wish I'd taken better notes while I was concocting this.)

Offer

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:16:00 +0000

A few questions about the "rock-like stick" I was offered yesterday morning:

Define "rock-like." Is this stick created from minerals? Synthetic mineral-like substances?
Is this stick useful for, say, slaying Philistine giants? What about other instances where I would typically use a rock?
It sounds like you expect me to pay for this stick--rocks are free. What advantages does the stick have over the rock in these instances?
What additional things could I do with a rock-like stick that I cannot do with an ordinary stick (which is also free)?
Does the simplicity of having a single rock-like stick over needing both a stick and rock justify the cost of the newer device?
Now that I think about it, wouldn't a truly rock-like stick be neither stick nor rock? Am I not signing up for the worst of both worlds?

I love spam.

Correlation/Causation

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:04:00 +0000

The spouse and I have, over the course of the last couple of years, noticed a disturbing correlation between aggressive driving (speeding up and whipping in to traffic in construction zones, passing then turning left, turning right at no turn on red intersections, weaving from one lane to another) and "In God We Trust" license plates.

Does being an aggressive driver lead one to obtain an "In God We Trust" plate as something of a ward against one's own aggressive driving? Or does professing trust in God lead one to think one's actions on the road will be rendered inert by the deity? Or is there some root cause that leads both to aggressive driving and obtaining an "In God We Trust" plate?

Or maybe I just notice the aggressive driving more because of the presence of the plate? Nah, couldn't be.

Posterity

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:21:00 +0000

"Next time we go to India, I'm going to ..."

"Next time we go to India, we should ..."

Both these sentences were uttered tonight by someone's (my) spouse. I'm just noting this here for posterity.

First Monday

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:07:00 +0000

Essen v. Fressen

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 23:55:00 +0000

Today as I passed Hawthorne Elementary School I noticed the sign: "Sum[mer] Feeding: 11:30 - 1:30."

Apparently poor people are cattle.

Visual proof to come if the camera returns in time.

Related: http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?id=517315

To the driver (part 2) ...

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:39:00 +0000

... of the hearse with Elkhart license plate 736UN, beside whom I parked tonight in the Martin's parking lot, and who waggishly propped in the window of said hearse a mask of an obviously older woman wearing sunglasses: well-played.

To the driver ...

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:53:00 +0000

... of the maroon truck with "In God We Trust" plates whom I followed from Lusher Avenue to the Prairie Street Kroger:

Since your truck appeared to be fairly new, I thought perhaps you hadn't fully familiarized yourself with it's communications equipment. On the left side of the steering column you will likely find a lever. Pushing that down will tell other people that you plan to make a left turn, like when you turned onto Prairie from Lusher. Similarly, you can push the lever up and those around you will know that you plan to make a right turn, like when you turned into Kroger from Prairie.

You'll note that neither of these actions does anything for you personally, except perhaps to increase the goodwill of others toward you.

You're welcome.

Gripe

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:37:00 +0000

You know what I hate about the iTunes U administrator interface? I hate that when you type your username and press tab to go to the password it doesn't always move the cursor to the password box. Instead you start typing your password and end up at some other random part of Apple's iTunes realm.

I hate that.

Disturbed

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:57:00 +0000

I find this list of new sound clips to be just a tad troubling.

Source: soundbible.com

Life Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:23:00 +0000

Things I learned while rewiring parts of my house.

1. Wire hangers are a wondrous invention and plastic hangers are a mockery of all hanger-dom. This is because wire hangers not used for hanging clothes can also be used for creating crooks and hooks that are just the right size and shape to keep the pull twine from fraying against the sharp edge encountered just where the twine and electrical wire enters the basement after making its arduous trek down the wall from the attic.

2. Though one may have a better estimate as to how long something will take as one's spouse has, one will inevitably underestimate considerably.

3. If at first you don't succeed, try again. If at second you don't succeed, try again. If at third you don't succeed, try again. If you've been trying for quite some time (anywhere from 30 minutes to four hours, depending when you started), and if what you're trying to do is find wire in a wall, take a lunch break. Then, after lunch, try again. You'll succeed immediately, and wonder why you didn't take lunch earlier (like 25 minutes or three hours earlier).

4. If you can possibly rewire a house without killing the Internet in the process you'll be loved and adored by all other members of the household. If, on the other hand, you kill the Internet for several hours, you'll be loved and adored when it comes back. It's something of a toss-up, really.

5. Only you will appreciate the finished product enough to take photos.

Disconnect

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:42:00 +0000

Do I need to comment about this?

Another Story

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:33:00 +0000

Another story. This one, "The Winner," a midrash-like story about Jacob.

***

My mother used to tell me the story of the creation of the world. How God made a garden and put everything in its place -- plants, shrubs, animals. How God placed the serpent, the most clever of all creatures, at the top of creation. And then how God created people, and told them to tend the garden and to nurture it. How God told the people that they could eat from any green plant in the garden ... except one. How the serpent convinced them to eat even from that one, and how, as a result, God told the serpent that it and the people would never again get along. The people would crush its head; it would strike their heel.

I've always admired the serpent. The serpent reminds me of ... me. And it's not just that I came out of the womb with my little fingers fast to Esau's heel, though that makes for a good story to tell the grandkids. No, it's more than that.

I think it's the fact that the serpent noticed that it has lost its place at the top of creation and decided to do something about it. That's what I've admired. That willingness to ask whether the rightful order of things things really is right, and the determination to change that order to your advantage. Even when changing that order is not your responsibility. Even when changing that order means challenging your creator.

As a second child, striving constantly to prove myself, I could relate to the serpent. I knew what it was to want to change my lot. So I wrestled with my creator. Not directly, of course. Like the serpent, I wrestled through others.

I, too, have always been more clever than those around me. Not that it's been any great challenge.

Take Esau. Esau is, how can I say this charitably?, Esau is not the greenest oasis in the desert. Certainly, he has skills--he leaps to the chase before I see the quarry. But Esau doesn't think ahead very far. I don't know how often I've watched him return from a hunt, gaunt and haggard, desperate for whatever food he could eat because he had not considered that perhaps, just maybe, he'd need to eat something for the few days he was hunting. So one day when he returned, famished, as usual, I placed myself where he would see me enjoying a hot, hearty lentil stew. And he saw me. And, like a true firstborn, he demanded some. So I told him he could have my bowl in exchange for his birthright. And he accepted. You bet I took his birthright. It's hardly my fault he's dumb, any more than it's my fault he's hairy. Another three steps around the corner of the tent and he could have served himself from the pot. But why should I accept being the second born?

Or take my father, Isaac. Growing up, it was clear to me which of my brother and I our father loved more. Esau could do no wrong. So when father asked for some fresh game for the blessing ceremony, I watched Esau leave for the hunt and I entered the tent offering food far more quickly than any person could have hunted and prepared it. I was barely disguised. Goat skins?! Who's deceived by that?! As it turns out, true believers don't recognize caricature. My father so wanted to believe I was Esau--the hunter hero returned triumphant. It's not hard to use someone's pride and prejudice against them. Why should I accept being the lesser son in my father's eyes?

Or take Laban: after living with his family for just twenty years I had successfully wrested from him most of his flocks, some of his servants, and both of his daughters. Why should I accept his prospering on my back?

I've wrestled all my life, and won every battle I've entered. Except one.

You see, most battles I've fought have been against opponents I knew to be weaker than me. That's how one wins battles--choose a weak opponent and fight them. But on one occasion I got greedy. One night, as I camped near the Jabbok crossing, I challenged my creator directly. I demanded that God appear to me as to my ancestors. And God did. That night, God took human form, and we wrestled. Oh, did we wrestle.

For seven hours we struggled, back and forth, and back and forth, neither gaining the upper hand. Finally, as dawn approached, I knew I was nearly spent. My strength gone, in a desperate move I simply grabbed hold of my opponent. Latched on, and refused to let go until my opponent had given me a blessing and revealed his name.

Well, he gave me a name; but not his. And some blessing.

All my life I refused to accept things as they were. All my life I questioned. All my life I challenged the rightful order of things and won every battle I entered. And then, once, one time, I overreached, and I'm left with this hip. This, and a name that reminds me how I got it. Israel. God-fighter.

I don't wrestle with God, anymore.

Dude

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:37:00 +0000

Tom Swifty

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:15:00 +0000

So here's the Tom Swifty I thought of today when also thinking about Heidegger (long story):

"I sure do enjoy speaking ASL in the 21st century," Tom said digitally.

Definition

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:07:00 +0000

Some of the plaster ceiling in the city building in Elkhart collapsed in September, and traces of lead paint were found in it. According to an article in the paper today,

"[The Mayor] said the city is being proactive to correct the problem."

Now, I'm not an expert on all things linguistic, but doesn't reactive more accurately describe this situation?

My mind turns to The Simpsons (episode 4F12).

Copy Editing Fail

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 15:14:00 +0000

Another oopsie courtesy of the Elkhart Truth:

"These are clearly not racist issues," Moore said. "These issues have to do with principals."

When I was in elementary school, I was pretty sure the principles had too much authority. I'd rather not cede to them any authority over issues to boot.

Kroger

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:29:00 +0000

The Kroger near AMBS has a lovely little "Go Irish" wall of Pepsi products as one enters the store. But due to the angle at which I typically enter the store, the bottom of the "I" is obstructed. Every time I'm there, my first thought is, "Who's Trish?"

September 12, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:11:00 +0000

I don't know about you all, but I'm looking forward to the Fall strawberry season.

I Misspoke?

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:35:00 +0000

A quote from today's Elkhart Truth on Goshen's proposed anti-discrimination law revision to include gays and lesbians:

"We're definitely supportive of folks discriminating. What we're opposed to is the problems of religious liberties that come up in these situations."

- attributed to Ryan McCann of the Indiana Family Institute

I'm just waiting for the "my remarks were taken out of context" response to this one.

(Link)

Riiiiiight

noreply@blogger.com (BMG) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:08:00 +0000

From Inside Higher Ed:

In selling school-color beer cans near colleges and universities, Anheuser-Bush is "only trying to reach college fans who can drink legally and responsibly."

So AB is making special cans to target approximately 1/8 of undergraduates.

Pardon my skepticism.