Transfer of Power

Whatever else any one may think or feel about the recent election, here's something that makes me proud. Quoting a post from Real Clear Politics:

When (George) Washington stepped aside after two terms, his old adversary King George III is supposed to have said, "If he does that, sir, he will be the greatest man in the world."

I am proud that there is a history of over 200 years and 40 peaceful transfers of power between presidents. Let's not take that for granted.

-thanks to Brian at Pixelated Pad and Pen for the link and quote.

the scales of justice

So, after 13 years of eligibility I was eventually summoned for jury duty. Monday morning I showed up at the Alachua County Courthouse not sure what to expect but slightly annoyed and slightly intrigued.

Other than getting a bit behind in InterVarsity work stuff it didn't turn out to be too bad of a day. I was glad I had my computer because I was able to take advantage of the free wireless signal in downtown Gainesville.

The most interesting part by far was the Voir Dire process. I was on the first panel that was interviewed by the state prosecutors and the defense attorney. The crazy thing was watching a couple of the potential jurors who seemed to be answering questions in order to ensure they did not get selected. Seemed pretty immature to me.

The final result? I was selected as part of the jury for a case of "battery" on Thursday.

have we done something wrong?

we have, haven't we?

seeking...?

I've been studying the "Sermon on the Mount" and leaning heavily on John Stott's book/commentary of it this summer. Stott is possibly my favorite teacher of scripture and today I read something that flipped my old thoughts upside-down.

I was reading his treatment of Matthew 6:31-34 regarding seeking first his kingdom and his righteousness. Stott writes:

God's kingdom exists only where Jesus Christ is consciously acknowledged. To be in his kingdom is synonymous with enjoying his salvation. Only the born again have seen and entered the kingdom. And to seek it first is to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

But God's 'righteousness' is (arguably, at least) a wider concept than God's 'kingdom'. It includes that individual and social righteousness to which reference has been made earlier in the Sermon. And God, because he is himself a righteous God, desires righteousness in every human community, not just in every Christian community.

He goes on to say that to 'seek his kingdom and his righteousness' may be said to embrace our Christian evangelistic and social responsibilities. Aside from being a great scriptural summary of those two twin values, this summary may not be earth shattering to you. But what surprised me was that I tend to think of those two terms flipped around with 'kingdom' incorporating social responsibilities and 'righteousness' coming from saving faith through evangelism. But now I am seeing it like Stott and realizing once again that I need to use and think about words more carefully.

Any thoughts?

wishing I had a camera on my phone...

recent life stuff

• Mackeil is growing (but the number of people who can pronounce his name is not)
• Andrew was admitted to the hospital with Nephrotic Syndrome (but he is fine now)

• I made the switch to a Mac
• I think it was a good decision

• I have begun to get really excited about SpendLessGiveMore
• we made our first decision at an IV staff meeting to Spend Less & Give More
  
• a group of us saved $20 by sharing a container of Breyers Ice Cream instead of going to ColdStone
• we will give the savings to Feed the Children
  

shriveled fruit

I had to learn the hard way today that blueberries that sit out too long and begin to shrivel can become quite bitter. Unfortunately, I kept trying to prove myself wrong for too long. Now I can't get the bad taste out of my mouth.

My advice is to only eat them if they are still plump with no evidence of shriveling. Have you had any bad experiences with food and tips to share recently?