This is good news for everyone dealing with spam. The article says this one person was personally responsible for so much spam that computer users probably see a decrease in it now he’s not out there sending it any more. That seems amazing to me. I guess he was extremely good at it!
Man described as a top spammer arrested
Posted in General Conversation | 2 Comments »Today’s local newspaper includes Rev. Lueking’s response to what I wrote last week (The heart of the matter):
Religion: a straitjacket or bright wings?
Here’s part of his response:
Your summary of your last 10 years’ experience – of the stultifying effect of institutionalized Christianity as you experienced it (“I had to turn inwards continually to thank Jesus or ask him for advice”) – is a sad story but true nevertheless. You likened it to having to wear an outfit that did not fit you well, all too constraining, coercive, joyless – the very opposite of freedom.
What you describe is a religious straitjacket, not the garment of beauty, holiness and durability that serves well in all seasons of life and outlasts the vagaries of legalistic religion. Jesus himself had to confront it, and it is the ongoing bane of the church.
Rev. Lueking then went on to share a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins. I love that he did that even though our points of view differ. He’s one of the most eloquent Christians (maybe the most eloquent) I’ve come across. What’s not to like about that?
Posted in Why I don't go to Church Anymore | 14 Comments »Here’s an excerpt from an article about men and grocery shopping. Your thoughts, comments?
Posted in General Conversation | 26 Comments »Help! Grocery store still overwhelming to men
CHICAGO (Reuters) – So, this guy walked into a grocery store … and got completely overwhelmed.
U.S. men are doing more and more grocery shopping, both for themselves and their families, but retailers are still not doing much to make the trip any more enticing, retail consultants and industry experts said.
“Men do represent a large part of grocery shopping dollars and they aren’t being very well accommodated … sales are being lost,” Mandy Putnam, vice president at consulting firm TNS Retail Forward said.
In a recent report titled “Men in Grocery Stores,” Putnam said that men shop inefficiently, which leads to missed sales for retailers.
Many men have difficulty finding items, forego buying rather than risk purchasing a substitute for an item on the grocery list and hesitate to ask for help if they can’t find an item, Putnam said in her report.
“They never ask for help, except maybe from the butcher, but they always say they never had problems finding anything when the cashier at the register asks,” she said.
Benjamin has posted a thoughtful post for Memorial Day called What does it mean to “die for your country”?. I posted a comment on it.
My maternal grandparents were German Jews. They were able to escape Germany shortly before World War II because they had relatives overseas who could help them leave. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t be here. Other Jews were less fortunate.
Whatever I might think about the wars being fought today, I am glad people stood up to Hitler. And whatever I think of war, it doesn’t diminish the bravery of people who have made the choice to give their lives to save others, in war.
And I love the words of this hymn, even though I affirm the right of each person to decide what deserves this type of love. It’s by Cecil Spring-Rice who served in the war office and foreign office. (Words and info taken from here, which also has a not-great rendering of the tune – which is in Holst’s Planet Suite, btw.)
Posted in General Conversation | Comments OffI Vow To Thee, My Country
I vow to thee, my country—all earthly things above—
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago—
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.Cecil Spring-Rice
I really like this
The ChurchRater blog has a video conversation between Jim and Casper on it today.
Posted in General Conversation, Videos | 4 Comments »Benjamin Ady started a new blog, Three Blessings, this week. Here’s why, from his about page
Martin Seligman and co, in the process of developing positive psychology, have done a bunch of double blind randomnized controlled trials of a whole bunch of exercises that are supposed to make you feel happier, and found out which ones actually work long term. One of their most effective finds is a little exercise called three blessings. The way it works is this: each and every day, you write down three things that went well that day, and why they went well. This has been shown to increase happiness long term. So I’m starting up this blog to do just that.
Benjamin’s inviting other people to post their three daily blessings on there too.. (I like the idea but I think it would be unwise for me to add any more blog posting to my own life at present!)
I’m enjoying reading Three Blessings and it’s reminding me to be more intentional about noticing what went well in my day.
Posted in General Conversation | 6 Comments »This is my latest response in the newspaper dialog between me and Rev. Dean Lueking. It’s in the online Wednesday Journal already. I’m not sure whether it’s in the print edition today or not, since some submissions go online before they have room to run them in print.
In his most recent response to me [What shall we do with this cross? Viewpoints, March 27], fittingly published in the run-up to Easter, Rev. Dean Lueking shares what is special to him about the story of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again.
Dean, as I read your thoughts, beautifully articulated as always, I became dissatisfied with my own part in this conversation. I had the feeling “there’s something I’m forgetting to tell Dean.” I sensed it was important – in fact it’s the heart of the matter for me.
I lived in England in the countryside until I was 22. A perfect summer’s day there is sunny and pleasantly warm, the sky a beautiful deep blue. Usually the frequent wet days in between ensure a profusion of color and growth everywhere around. An amazing variety of wildflowers compete for space on unmanaged fields and every small grass verge.
I loved to be outside on those perfect summer days. School was out and my time was my own. I was connected with the world around me in a beautifully simple way. I drank it in and felt happy and free.
There was a simplicity and joy and freedom I had then which I lost along the way as I walked deeper and deeper into institutionalized Christianity. I didn’t realize it was gone until I started to walk away and rediscovered it again.
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Yesterday I found myself defending Southern Baptist practices. I’m not sure exactly why – this post may or may not explain it.
I got in a discussion on Bob Hyatt’s blog based on his post Question for you Southern Baptists out there….
He’s closed comments on that now but has reposted his latest thoughts from that discussion in the new post Hide the beer the (SB) Pastor’s here… which is open for comments.
Amongst other things Bob is objecting to the Southern Baptist rule against drinking alcohol. He says it’s a “ridiculous man-made rule with no basis in Scripture.” Bob points out Colossians 2 where it says “Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial…” (New Living Translation). Bob (I originally said Makeesha but that was a mistake – sorry Makeesha!) also commented that “There is no greater good being served in requiring anyone to abstain from something, be it marriage or alcohol or anything else, that God specifically created for our enjoyment and pleasure. All it serves is a spirit of pharisaism.”
Bob wrote in his latest comment to me “Helen- you are not hearing or misunderstanding the actual question I am asking.”
I don’t know whether I am or not. I understand the principle of not submitting to unnecessary rules. I read the Bible verses given to back it up. But I can’t help that it sounds the same to me as “it’s morally superior to refuse to do anything which personally inconveniences me”. That’s the opposite of what I believe. I’ve yet to see anyone in this discussion prove that their refusal to submit to rules they find ridiculous is not motivated by the simple selfish desire “I want to do what I want to do”. I’m not saying it is. I’m saying “How can you tell the difference?” No-one has explained to me how.
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We went to see this on Saturday. I quite enjoyed it.
I like noticing what movies imply about relationships. In this one Shrek first tries to lecture Artie into doing what he wants and all that produces is arguments. After a while Donkey points out Shrek’s not getting through to Artie, so Shrek goes into some weird ‘street talk’ which he evidently thinks is language Artie will relate to. But that makes no difference – it’s not the words Shrek is using which are failing to connect with Artie, it’s his attitude. Finally Shrek sits down and is kind to Artie. He doesn’t lecture him or use contrived language. He just empathizes and shares a story from his own life that connects with Artie. That’s when their acquaintance turns into a friendship.
Posted in General Conversation | 8 Comments »Last time the 17 year cicadas were here we lived in an apartment downtown. There wasn’t any earth there for cicadas to emerge out of. I heard about them from my co-workers but I didn’t see them myself.
They’re due out by the end of the month – as soon as the soil temperature gets warm enough. This time we’re in a area which will have lots of them. I’m curious but I can’t say I’m expecting it to be ‘fun’.
Here’s an article about them: Swarms of cicadas emerging in Midwest
Posted in General Conversation | 10 Comments »