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I am really impressed at these paintings! They are very well done watercolors. I am thinking of having a couple framed! A couple of them are oil on canvas. I am not an artist at all so it makes me wish I could have known my grandmother more. She was a very influential lady in her day in Connecticut politics.
Grandmother's Watercolor Paintings
She was a talented lady!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Whitney Phipps! and the story behind "Amazing Grace"
Whitney Phipps is an amazing singer! Watch this video as he explains the background of the negro spiritual "Amazing Grace". Oh you didn't know that Amazing Grace was originally a negro spiritual? Watch and see!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfGytXRpfho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfGytXRpfho
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Lost Art of Reading?
This is an insightful article by my boss, Dave Boehi!
I can relate to this phenomenon because I wasn't even able to finish reading this article before I was distracted by an email!
Can you make it through?
Let me know.
Nick
The Lost Art of Reading?
Posted: 19 Aug 2009 08:34 AM PDT
By Dave Boehi
The article by David L. Ulin of the Los Angeles Times begins with a familiar complaint: “Sometime late last year—I don't remember when, exactly—I noticed I was having trouble sitting down to read.”
I’ve read this lament fairly often over the last year. In The Atlantic Monthly, Nicholas Carr wrote:
Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.
Ulin and Carr are part of a growing number of writers, researchers, and thinkers who are looking at the way our Google/Facebook/Twitter culture and asking some important questions like, “How is this affecting us?” and “Is all this good for us?” While the Internet offers many wonderful benefits to our lives, it’s important to consider how our preoccupation with media, the web, and social media is changing the way we interact and communicate and even think.
For obvious reasons, I’ve been particularly interested in how our reading habits are changing. A huge shift is occurring in the way we gather and process information.
In one sense, this is just the latest twist in a story that has been growing for nearly a century. It seems that each new media invention—movies, radio, television, VCRs and DVDs, the Internet—inevitably affects the way people read and reduces the time they devote to it. What feels different about recent trends is that the Web is still so new, and it is evolving so quickly that few people are stepping back to look at how it is changing us.
In his Los Angeles Times article, “The Lost Art of Reading, Ulin says:
Reading is an act of contemplation, perhaps the only act in which we allow ourselves to merge with the consciousness of another human being. We possess the books we read, animating the waiting stillness of their language, but they possess us also, filling us with thoughts and observations, asking us to make them part of ourselves … In order for this to work, however, we need a certain type of silence, an ability to filter out the noise. Such a state is increasingly elusive in our over-networked culture, in which every rumor and mundanity is blogged and tweeted. Today, it seems it is not contemplation we seek but an odd sort of distraction masquerading as being in the know.”
At the end Ulin concludes that reading is “harder than it used to be, but still, I read.” Then I noticed the italicized biographical information on the next line: “Ulin is book editor of The Times.”
This guy reviews books for his job, and he still finds it difficult to force himself to be quiet long enough to do read them? If he has trouble, what does that mean for the rest of us?
I suspect we are becoming a society of people who rarely allow themselves to slow down enough to think and contemplate. It’s difficult to spend time reading a book—or, more important, reading God’s Word—when there are so many other distractions calling for your attention. And when you spend so much time with those distractions that you grow impatient and fidgety after only a few minutes of quiet.
It requires a strong will to force yourself to read something longer than a few hundred words. It requires discipline to study and apply the Scriptures, to talk with God. I suspect that in the coming years, many will come to realize that, without this quiet time, they will feel increasingly empty.
I can relate to this phenomenon because I wasn't even able to finish reading this article before I was distracted by an email!
Can you make it through?
Let me know.
Nick
The Lost Art of Reading?
Posted: 19 Aug 2009 08:34 AM PDT
By Dave Boehi
The article by David L. Ulin of the Los Angeles Times begins with a familiar complaint: “Sometime late last year—I don't remember when, exactly—I noticed I was having trouble sitting down to read.”
I’ve read this lament fairly often over the last year. In The Atlantic Monthly, Nicholas Carr wrote:
Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.
Ulin and Carr are part of a growing number of writers, researchers, and thinkers who are looking at the way our Google/Facebook/Twitter culture and asking some important questions like, “How is this affecting us?” and “Is all this good for us?” While the Internet offers many wonderful benefits to our lives, it’s important to consider how our preoccupation with media, the web, and social media is changing the way we interact and communicate and even think.
For obvious reasons, I’ve been particularly interested in how our reading habits are changing. A huge shift is occurring in the way we gather and process information.
In one sense, this is just the latest twist in a story that has been growing for nearly a century. It seems that each new media invention—movies, radio, television, VCRs and DVDs, the Internet—inevitably affects the way people read and reduces the time they devote to it. What feels different about recent trends is that the Web is still so new, and it is evolving so quickly that few people are stepping back to look at how it is changing us.
In his Los Angeles Times article, “The Lost Art of Reading, Ulin says:
Reading is an act of contemplation, perhaps the only act in which we allow ourselves to merge with the consciousness of another human being. We possess the books we read, animating the waiting stillness of their language, but they possess us also, filling us with thoughts and observations, asking us to make them part of ourselves … In order for this to work, however, we need a certain type of silence, an ability to filter out the noise. Such a state is increasingly elusive in our over-networked culture, in which every rumor and mundanity is blogged and tweeted. Today, it seems it is not contemplation we seek but an odd sort of distraction masquerading as being in the know.”
At the end Ulin concludes that reading is “harder than it used to be, but still, I read.” Then I noticed the italicized biographical information on the next line: “Ulin is book editor of The Times.”
This guy reviews books for his job, and he still finds it difficult to force himself to be quiet long enough to do read them? If he has trouble, what does that mean for the rest of us?
I suspect we are becoming a society of people who rarely allow themselves to slow down enough to think and contemplate. It’s difficult to spend time reading a book—or, more important, reading God’s Word—when there are so many other distractions calling for your attention. And when you spend so much time with those distractions that you grow impatient and fidgety after only a few minutes of quiet.
It requires a strong will to force yourself to read something longer than a few hundred words. It requires discipline to study and apply the Scriptures, to talk with God. I suspect that in the coming years, many will come to realize that, without this quiet time, they will feel increasingly empty.
Monday, August 17, 2009
What He Must Be...
Voddie Baucham is an excellent thinker about family and marriage. This week on FamilyLife Today is a five interview with this excellent guest!
I highly encourage you to listen to this series and get the book he wrote.
Here is a summary that I wrote about this book:
“God has given us a clear picture of the role of the husband/father in the home, and in What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter [the author] breaks this picture down into ten desirable qualities. Not only should parents of young women seek these qualities in a son-in-law, but parents of young men should strive to cultivate these qualities in their sons.” (Back Cover) This book is called the “down-to-earth apologetic of biblical manhood”.
He quietly, but strongly supports courtship as a model for finding a marriage partner. “’Let’s just drive around until something grabs me.’ Unfortunately, most of us treat the search for a spouse the same way this man treated his search for a house… We must find a better way. We must commit ourselves to preparing our children to find suitable mates without relying on the pagan, relativistic mythology that dominates our day.” (Page 49)
He makes an excellent case for marriage as the preferred state for our children in chapter two titled “The Ministry of Marriage”. Parents need to prepare both their sons and daughters for marriage. “We will not give adequate attention to the preparation of young people for marriage unless we view marriage as the preferred state.” (Page 42). To clinch this argument, the author pointed out that Jesus even though single as a man on earth is spending His time in heaven since His ascension preparing for His Bride (the Body of Christ, cf. Revelation 19:7-8 and 21:9). “Jesus is our ultimate model for biblical manhood, and as such he shows us what it looks like for a man to spend his life preparing for marriage.” (Page 45)
I highly encourage you to listen to this series and get the book he wrote.
Here is a summary that I wrote about this book:
“God has given us a clear picture of the role of the husband/father in the home, and in What He Must Be…If He Wants to Marry My Daughter [the author] breaks this picture down into ten desirable qualities. Not only should parents of young women seek these qualities in a son-in-law, but parents of young men should strive to cultivate these qualities in their sons.” (Back Cover) This book is called the “down-to-earth apologetic of biblical manhood”.
He quietly, but strongly supports courtship as a model for finding a marriage partner. “’Let’s just drive around until something grabs me.’ Unfortunately, most of us treat the search for a spouse the same way this man treated his search for a house… We must find a better way. We must commit ourselves to preparing our children to find suitable mates without relying on the pagan, relativistic mythology that dominates our day.” (Page 49)
He makes an excellent case for marriage as the preferred state for our children in chapter two titled “The Ministry of Marriage”. Parents need to prepare both their sons and daughters for marriage. “We will not give adequate attention to the preparation of young people for marriage unless we view marriage as the preferred state.” (Page 42). To clinch this argument, the author pointed out that Jesus even though single as a man on earth is spending His time in heaven since His ascension preparing for His Bride (the Body of Christ, cf. Revelation 19:7-8 and 21:9). “Jesus is our ultimate model for biblical manhood, and as such he shows us what it looks like for a man to spend his life preparing for marriage.” (Page 45)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Marriage in Times of Adversity
I run across articles at times that seem to make sense.
This one makes a point that I wonder if it rings true in your marriage?
- MARRIAGE IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY.....
In Marriage, Worse First Can Mean Better Later Tiffany Sharples Time.Com Aug 8, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/mjn6u9
Just a few months before John Gottman, a leading American marriage researcher and psychologist, was to be married, his father died, leaving Gottman to contend with overwhelming loss during what should have been one of the happiest times of his life. No one would have blamed him for putting the wedding on hold. But in the end, Gottman says, the strain of dealing with his grief made him that much more devoted to his future bride. "My wife helped me through it," he says. "I was able to cope with the loss, and it was really a bonding experience."
Few couples would choose to marry during periods of severe relationship stress, but then, trials come unexpectedly < you can't plan for layoffs, illness or a raging wildfire that forces a change in wedding venue 24 hours before the big event. That bad start, however, can have benefits. While an abundance of research shows that stressful life events often amplify a couple's problems < turning a husband's short temper into abuse, for example < and increase the likelihood of divorce, studies also show that hardship can have an upside. For some couples, it's protective, helping solidify their commitment into an unshakable us-vs.-the-world resolve. Data from the Great Depression suggest, for instance, that economic adversity held many couples together. "Those families who were cohesive before the Depression, they banded together as a team and really became more cohesive in dealing with the economic crisis," says Gottman < surely good news for the untold numbers of newlyweds who have faced job loss or foreclosure in the past year.
Surviving the gauntlet of misfortune early in a relationship can be a valuable litmus test, say counselors. A relationship crisis "smashes the illusion of invulnerability," says William Doherty, a psychologist and marriage researcher who runs the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota. That illusion, he says, "was going to go away anyway, and I don't think there's any great loss to it going away sooner than later."
So what about all those unlucky couples whose early years are marked by nothing but peace and happiness < what is their litmus test? There are two key predictors of a resilient relationship, experts say: mutual support and a willingness to sacrifice. In a recent study of newlyweds who became first-time parents, Gottman found that two-thirds suffered sharp drops in happiness during their child's infancy, under the strain of new parenthood.
But for one-third of couples, the experience was cohesive and increased intimacy. Gottman says he could predict which couples would blossom under
stress: those in whom, years before, he had observed better communication and more mutual support. "Even at the time of the wedding, the men were more respectful of their wives, prouder of them," he says.
Beyond respect and pride < and even love < it may be the willingness to sacrifice that leads to a lasting marriage, according to researchers. In a
2006 study by Scott Stanley, the director of the Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver, and colleagues found that the willingness to forgo personal interests and put a partner's needs ahead of one's own was directly linked to a long-lasting, happy marriage < provided that such sacrifices weren't damaging or one-directional. "If your partner has a really big opportunity to sacrifice because of some crisis in your life, and they don't, that's pretty bad," says Stanley.
But before you go seeking disaster just to test your spouse, remember that resilience evolves over time, as long as couples make it a mutual priority < and that takes patience. Keep in mind also that over the long haul, the health and mental benefits of marriage are countless. Says Diane Sollee, a marriage and family therapist and the founder of SmartMarriages.com:
"You've
got to know that you actually do better if you hang in there."
So my question to you is? When did you have your first adversity in your marriage and how did it affect your marital relationship?
Nick
This one makes a point that I wonder if it rings true in your marriage?
- MARRIAGE IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY.....
In Marriage, Worse First Can Mean Better Later Tiffany Sharples Time.Com Aug 8, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/mjn6u9
Just a few months before John Gottman, a leading American marriage researcher and psychologist, was to be married, his father died, leaving Gottman to contend with overwhelming loss during what should have been one of the happiest times of his life. No one would have blamed him for putting the wedding on hold. But in the end, Gottman says, the strain of dealing with his grief made him that much more devoted to his future bride. "My wife helped me through it," he says. "I was able to cope with the loss, and it was really a bonding experience."
Few couples would choose to marry during periods of severe relationship stress, but then, trials come unexpectedly < you can't plan for layoffs, illness or a raging wildfire that forces a change in wedding venue 24 hours before the big event. That bad start, however, can have benefits. While an abundance of research shows that stressful life events often amplify a couple's problems < turning a husband's short temper into abuse, for example < and increase the likelihood of divorce, studies also show that hardship can have an upside. For some couples, it's protective, helping solidify their commitment into an unshakable us-vs.-the-world resolve. Data from the Great Depression suggest, for instance, that economic adversity held many couples together. "Those families who were cohesive before the Depression, they banded together as a team and really became more cohesive in dealing with the economic crisis," says Gottman < surely good news for the untold numbers of newlyweds who have faced job loss or foreclosure in the past year.
Surviving the gauntlet of misfortune early in a relationship can be a valuable litmus test, say counselors. A relationship crisis "smashes the illusion of invulnerability," says William Doherty, a psychologist and marriage researcher who runs the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the University of Minnesota. That illusion, he says, "was going to go away anyway, and I don't think there's any great loss to it going away sooner than later."
So what about all those unlucky couples whose early years are marked by nothing but peace and happiness < what is their litmus test? There are two key predictors of a resilient relationship, experts say: mutual support and a willingness to sacrifice. In a recent study of newlyweds who became first-time parents, Gottman found that two-thirds suffered sharp drops in happiness during their child's infancy, under the strain of new parenthood.
But for one-third of couples, the experience was cohesive and increased intimacy. Gottman says he could predict which couples would blossom under
stress: those in whom, years before, he had observed better communication and more mutual support. "Even at the time of the wedding, the men were more respectful of their wives, prouder of them," he says.
Beyond respect and pride < and even love < it may be the willingness to sacrifice that leads to a lasting marriage, according to researchers. In a
2006 study by Scott Stanley, the director of the Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver, and colleagues found that the willingness to forgo personal interests and put a partner's needs ahead of one's own was directly linked to a long-lasting, happy marriage < provided that such sacrifices weren't damaging or one-directional. "If your partner has a really big opportunity to sacrifice because of some crisis in your life, and they don't, that's pretty bad," says Stanley.
But before you go seeking disaster just to test your spouse, remember that resilience evolves over time, as long as couples make it a mutual priority < and that takes patience. Keep in mind also that over the long haul, the health and mental benefits of marriage are countless. Says Diane Sollee, a marriage and family therapist and the founder of SmartMarriages.com:
"You've
got to know that you actually do better if you hang in there."
So my question to you is? When did you have your first adversity in your marriage and how did it affect your marital relationship?
Nick
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Richard Dawkins and Ben Stein
I know I am a little slow but I just watched Expelled by Ben Stein.
It was a fascinating piece even though there is much that was not very professional about it.
Now I see the overarching theme of the "documentary" is the freedom of ideas and he does an excellent job of showing how the scientific establishment has squelched any possibility of opposing Darwinism or evolution educationally, politically, or through the media.
Ideas are important and do influence our lives and the society we live in. He made allusion to the current state of the regard for human life (abortion and euthanasia) and its tie to Darwinism and evolution.
But the most shocking thing I found in the whole video is the part where Ben Stein secures an interview with Richard Dawkins. What Richard Dawkins admits in that interview astounds me.
At about 4 minutes into the folllowing clip, Ben Stein aks if Dawkins thinks that ID could have any contributioin to genetics or in evolution.
He is a die hard evolutionist but he admits that Intelligent Design is a possibility to answer the question of origins of this earth. Albeit he is not going to say that any god anywhere has anything to do with it but that is astounding that Richard Dawkins finds ID to be an "a possibility, an intriguing possibility" where he purports that an "earlier civilization ... seeded life onto our planet." So I see Dawkins as believing in aliens and UFOs and such.
So if Dawkins admits this, isn't he admiting that universities should be able to teach ID even if they take the whole god thing out of it? Isn't that all that most ID proponents are asking for?
What do y'all think? Have you seen the video? Have I missed something?
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=fb627ff95e49f546adb0
It was a fascinating piece even though there is much that was not very professional about it.
Now I see the overarching theme of the "documentary" is the freedom of ideas and he does an excellent job of showing how the scientific establishment has squelched any possibility of opposing Darwinism or evolution educationally, politically, or through the media.
Ideas are important and do influence our lives and the society we live in. He made allusion to the current state of the regard for human life (abortion and euthanasia) and its tie to Darwinism and evolution.
But the most shocking thing I found in the whole video is the part where Ben Stein secures an interview with Richard Dawkins. What Richard Dawkins admits in that interview astounds me.
At about 4 minutes into the folllowing clip, Ben Stein aks if Dawkins thinks that ID could have any contributioin to genetics or in evolution.
He is a die hard evolutionist but he admits that Intelligent Design is a possibility to answer the question of origins of this earth. Albeit he is not going to say that any god anywhere has anything to do with it but that is astounding that Richard Dawkins finds ID to be an "a possibility, an intriguing possibility" where he purports that an "earlier civilization ... seeded life onto our planet." So I see Dawkins as believing in aliens and UFOs and such.
So if Dawkins admits this, isn't he admiting that universities should be able to teach ID even if they take the whole god thing out of it? Isn't that all that most ID proponents are asking for?
What do y'all think? Have you seen the video? Have I missed something?
http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=fb627ff95e49f546adb0
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