Fear

“Fear can sometimes be a useful emotion. For instance, let’s say you’re an astronaut on the moon and you fear that your partner has been turned into Dracula. The next time he goes out for the moon pieces, wham!, you just slam the door behind him and blast off. He might call you on the radio and say he’s not Dracula, but you just say, ‘Think again, bat man.’”

Jack Handy

Monday Motivator

We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.
– Sir Winston. Smart.

A great prayer

I just came across this prayer that John Piper asked his church to pray during his sabbatical. I’m sure most people saw it back in April, but it couldn’t hurt to bring it to your attention again: I think every church I’ve been in could stand to pray this together.

O Lord, as you are often accustomed to do, show your great power in Pastor John’s absence. Send a remarkable awakening that results in…

• hundreds of people coming to Christ,
• old animosities being removed,
• marriages being reconciled and renewed,
• wayward children coming home,
• long-standing slavery to sin being conquered,
• spiritual dullness being replaced by vibrant joy,
• weak faith being replaced by bold witness,
• disinterest in prayer being replaced by fervent intercession,
• boring Bible reading being replaced by passion for the Word,
• disinterest in global missions being replaced by energy for Christ’s name among the nations, and
• lukewarm worship being replaced by zeal for the greatness of God’s glory.

Lord, when Gideon had thousands of men you said, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’” (Judges 7:2). You stripped his army to 300, and with that you conquered the peoples of the East who covered the ground like locusts and whose camels were like the sand of sea (Judges 7:12).

O Lord, take the mighty 300 of Bethlehem and bless this church beyond anything we have ever dreamed. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Of course, you’d need to tweak it, but what a great prayer.

Grisham talks old jobs

John Grisham is my favorite quiet day reading. I enjoy his style, it doesn’t require too much effort to read, and it pays off really well.

So, I was quite interested to read about how he got his start. He weaves a good tale (not surprisingly), and really has been through some funny jobs.

I think the most interesting thing about it is his assertion that the hardest work he’s ever done is writing. I don’t think he’s lying. It is hard work. It’s frustrating, but as Grisham points out, something keeps you coming back.

A note from Charles Schultz

I’m reading My Life with Charlie Brown, which is a compilation of select articles and letters that Charles Schultz wrote. It’s pretty fascinating to get an inside look at the life and practices of a man who had a phenomenally successful comic franchise. So far, my favorite quote is:

People also ask me if there’s any message or theme to Peanuts. I suppose it might be that Charlie Brown, in spite of always losing, never gives up. But really, I never think about that. I just think about how I’m going to get two or three more good ideas. I draw from day to day.

Fascinating that in 1995, after many years of writing those characters, he was still just hoping to turn in good comics. I think there’s something in that for every creative endeavour — don’t worry about the big picture of your art or your craft so much. Just turn in good work as you’re working.

An Ode to My Morning Cup of Joy

A Haiku (edit: after review, an edit resulted in this being a near-haiku. oops!)

Coffee tastes great.

It is my first smile of the

day. More caffeine, please.