Mar
30
Easter Poem by George Herbert
Filed Under Easter, Poetry | Leave a Comment
Here is an Easter poem by George Herbert.
Easter
Rise, heart, thy lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delays,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him may’st rise:
That, as his death calcinèd thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and, much more, just.
Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
With all thy art,
The cross taught all wood to resound his name
Who bore the same.
His stretchèd sinews taught all strings what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.
Consort, both heart and lute, and twist a song
Pleasant and long;
Or, since all music is but three parts vied
And multiplied
Oh let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.
George Herbert
Mar
28
Multitasking exposed
Filed Under Christian Living, Culture, Reading | 1 Comment
Or, Animadversions on the Folly of Attempting to Manage the Cacophony of Multiple Digital Devices in the Midst of Accomplishing Other Vital Tasks. The Sweet Dropper has been in high gear with Puritan references and quotes lately, so I thought I would stay in that vein by giving a 17th-century type of title to this post. What’s worth noting here is an article from the 25 March New York Times that relays the results of recent studies by neuroscientists, psychologists and business/management analysts, which suggest that multitasking doesn’t increase your efficiency, but actually decreases your efficiency. From the article:
“Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes,” said David E. Meyer, a cognitive scientist and director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan. “Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information.”
The human brain, with its hundred billion neurons and hundreds of trillions of synaptic connections, is a cognitive powerhouse in many ways. “But a core limitation is an inability to concentrate on two things at once,” said René Marois, a neuroscientist and director of the Human Information Processing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University.
Even in a small town like Kosciusko I see people, especially younger folk, doing this all the time–driving while on the cell phone, talking while texting, listening to an mp3 player while reading, etc. In my study at FPC I find myself trying to multitask a lot–and I’m less and less satisfied with the results. The results of the studies relating to age and the ability to multitask were fascinating as well [Read the article to find out more.]
It is one of the glories of the sovereign Lord that he can multitask. He is attentive to his people at all times. He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. Who has not been overwhelmed at the thought of his ability to hear prayers from believers all over the world simultaneously? Of course, this is all the more remarkable to us because we are neither omniscient nor omnipresent, confined by the whole time-space continuum thing. And maybe that’s the spiritual point in all of this–you and I are creatures. There are limits on our knowledge and presence and abilities. Only God can do all his holy will. He is sovereign. We are not. I think about something Jesus said to his friend Martha: Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed… [Luke 10:41-42].
NOTE: During the composition of this post, I did not try to do anything else–no checking emails, listening to music, answering phone calls, etc.
Mar
27
Facebook for my student?
Filed Under Christian Living, Family, Uncategorized, Youth Ministry | 1 Comment
Parents ask me semi-regularly whether or not they should let their children have a facebook page. In the end this is a decision that parents need to make not based on what other families are doing but rather as what is the best option for their own students. I offer the following remarks as an aid for you to make the best decision for your children.
- The history of facebook. For an excellent overview of facebook, you can take a look at this wikipedia entry.
- It is no small thing. You probably know from your child’s incessant nagging that facebook is not an insignificant fad amongst high-school and college aged students. The current numbers read like this:
- # of Users: 18 million
- # of Page Views Per Month: 30 billion
- # of Pictures Hosted: Over 1 billion
- # of Facebook employees: 200
- Approximate 2006 Revenue: $50 million
- The advent of social networking services provides child predators ample opportunities to contact children they would not have been able to contact without the aid of the Internet. It is important to note that facebook, as a specific on-line social networking service, has several options for their users to choose from in terms of how information about them is shared. Any parent with a child on facebook should review the privacy options available and particularly should review what privacy options their child have enabled on their account. You cannot be too careful. Personal information such as addresses and phone numbers should not be shared outside of your child’s immediate network of friends or not at all. Remember that facebook is designed, in part, to create relationships between people who have not met in person and may never meet in person.
- Facebook is fun. The number of hours that students spend on facebook don’t lie. It is downright fun. You can post silly pictures of yourself. You can talk to friends you haven’t seen in years. You can share inside jokes with your good buddy. You can encourage someone after a sports win or cheer someone up after a bad grade on a test. We, as a nation, and students as a demographic, obviously are not at a loss for something to say. Facebook provides a venue for you to say whatever you want.
- Give facebook a testdrive. Facebook is organized into networks which may be designated by school, job, or geography. Anyone can get a facebook page. If you are a parent, and curious, why not start a facebook page of your own? You can try it out. You can look at all the bells and whistles. Who knows, you may like it. And if you don’t like it, you can always delete your account.
- Two Major Warnings. In addition to the obvious threat of on-line predators, you should be concerned about the following to issues on facebook.
- A lightning rod for sin. Facebook can serve to polarize thoughts in your children that you would rather them not have encouraged. Often, a student will post something derogatory about another student, a teacher, or parents in general. That post then serves as a lightening rod for further derogatory comments. On-line bulletin boards, forums, social networking services, and blogs can serve to enhance sinful attitudes toward others and authority.
- A potty mouth has a potty keyboard. Facebook is only as clean as the members page that you are on. General filth, especially in language, can and does abound on facebook. This is another reason to beware what your student is posting and where they are going.
- There is no such thing as privacy. Personally (and theologically) I don’t believe in privacy for children. If you’re child is going to have a facebook, a myspace, a cell phone, etc, then you should know who they are contacting. Know your child’s facebook password and keep up with their usage. Make spot checks when they are on the computer. If you insist on knowing where they are when they are at a friends house on Friday night, you should insist on knowing where they are on-line.
- You’re child will probably eventually have one. If trends continue, facebook and sites like it will be around for a good long while. If you decide to allow your student to have a facebook site, see it as an opportunity to teach them on-line etiquette, godly conversation, and how to protect themselves from on-line predators and identity fraud. Apparently, these are lessons they will need to learn eventually. Better they learn them from you than their freshman roommate.
- Out of the heart the facebook speaks. As a former youth minister, I’ve seen some really good facebook pages and some very disappointing facebook pages. Students have impressed me and surprised me. What is the determining factor? The determining factor is what is in a student’s heart. They will write about and comment in line with their relationship to Jesus Christ. Plain and simple, facebook will reveal sides of your child you haven’t seen. This may be very encouraging to you or very discouraging to you. But certainly, either way, it should be an opportunity for more conversation with your student and more prayer with your God.
These are just some suggestions. Maybe you were wondering if I had a facebook page. I do. I keep up with college friends. I find out who is getting married and which couples are having babies. It has helped me keep up with former students from my youth ministry who have gone off to college.
Remember though, in the end it is your decision. You have to make it for your student and then you have to take parental responsibility over your decision. Pray about it. Gather all the facts. Talk to parents whose children already have facebook pages. And in all things labor to the glory of God.
Mar
26
A word from our namesake
Filed Under Christian Living, Puritans | Leave a Comment
With men it is confess and have execution, but with God confess and have mercy. We should never lay open our sins but for mercy. So it honors God; and when he is honored, he honors the soul with inward peace and tranquility. We can never have peace in our souls till we have dealt roundly with our sins, and favour them not a whit; till we have ripened our confession to be a thorough confession.
What is the difference between a Christian and another man? Another person slubbers [is careless] over his sins and he thinks if he comes to the congregation, and follows the minister, it will serve the turn [end].
But a Christian knows that religion is another manner of matter, another kind of work than so. He must deal thoroughly and seriously, and lay open his sin as the chief enemy in the world, and labor to raise all the hatred he can against it, and make it the object of his bitter displeasure, as being that that hath done him more hurt than all the world besides;
and so he confess it with all the aggravations of hatred and envy that he can…
That we in our confessions (in our fastings especially) ought to rank ourselves among the rest of sinners. Perhaps we are not guilty of some sins that they have been guilty of. God has been merciful to us and kept us in obedience in some things.
But, alas! There is none of us all but we have had a hand in the sins of the times.
Richard Sibbes, Works 6:188-189
Mar
23
Backyard Bible Lessons - The Fig Tree
Filed Under Fun | Leave a Comment
Matthew 24:32-35 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that the summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Mar
23
Piper on Hearing the Voice of God
Filed Under Bible, Christian Living | 1 Comment
This article by John Piper was too good not to pass along. Make sure you read the whole thing.
The Morning I Heard the Voice of God by John Piper