Wisdom beyond my ears

I am myself again....

2009-08-28T04:43:00.000-07:00

Its been a while - a year to the day, in fact, since I wrote here.

Its funny though, because I think it might be the very thing that I'm struggling with that might be helpful to you also.

I was brought up a Christian, and have absorbed so much of being a Christian, and doing "church", that I did it for so many years, unthinking.

As I grew up, much of what I was taught seemed not to be true, or at least unverifiable. As a scientist, for instance, I look for evidence. There is overwhelming evidence for evolution, for instance, so I buy into almost all of that theory. It makes sense, and still is clearly happening today. Theories of planets, the age of the universe, quantum theory, its all there to be examined.

What of my faith, then? After reading "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins, I probably came as close to being an out-and-out a-theist as ever I have been, but something doesn't ring true there either. Its the certainty of it all. I am not certain there is a God. I am also not certain there isn't. Not because of creation, or miracles, or anything but grace.

What do I mean by grace? I mean the chance happenings of conversations, reminders and things stumbled upon that bring hope, life and direction. They are, like I said a while ago, like the plants growing out of the concrete. Those plants are massive now, and they flourish in desert conditions.

If you are sat alone and no-one has come to visit; if you have prayed for a miracle, and it just didn't come; if the words "if only" ring around your head because of things that could have been, look up - there *is* still hope, there *is* still grace - unmerited favour and provision in this life.

And even if its not from a supreme being, God, it is still worth grasping with all of your heart and mind and soul and strength - if its good, and life-affirming, and if it gives you hope, grab on to it in whatever form it comes, and perhaps share its arrival with others too - maybe on a blog like this - so that they can be encouraged to keep holding on.

God, the weatherman?

2008-08-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

"God was so good to us that the rain stopped when we arrived at the beach, and started up again after a wonderful day out, just as we were getting into the car"...

These were the words I heard. That seemed like such a wonderful thing to report. Then I thought about why was it raining at all, and was it warm enough for them? Did God not grace them with a whole week of sunshine?

And what about Hurricane Katrina that caused so much destruction in the states - Was that God too? You see, if its not OK to say "God sent the Hurricane", its not OK to say "God gave us good weather".

Or, is it the case that God gives good weather and the Evil one stirs up the bad stuff? Perhaps God is no longer playing Chess with the Devil (see "Spanish Train", by CdeB), but is now in a struggle for the climate. As each new weather catastrophe appears, God stamps it out, like some divine game of 'whack-a-mole', spreading rays of sunshine when he's done. You see how silly this is all getting?

So if you're going to credit God with your sunny day, your free parking space, your lottery win, or whatever else, make sure you remember to praise him in church on Sunday for the whole picture, for the cancers, catastrophes and cold snaps.

Credit where credit's due.....

Don't Blame Britney

2008-01-18T05:37:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the recent news that Britney Spears has hit hard times (..again, oops)?
Its upsetting because there are children involved, and its easy to judge when you are at a distance, not knowing the circumstances that have built up to this point..

Like other children that become famous early, theirs is not a normal life. And in some way, we are to blame. If you've bought the single, watched the school-girl-sexual-fantasy-video that was "Hit me baby one more time", or listened / watched to news about Brtiney, then you have, in some way, contributed to her fame, and therefore her problems.

Like Ricky Gervais' criticism of celebrity in the final episode of Extras - we are are to blame, for Britney, for Michael Jackson, for every celebrity that falls down, we have probably had a hand in helping them up there in the first place....

What's the matter?

2007-12-19T00:47:00.000-08:00

I was listening to a recent "In our time" broadcast about anti-matter, and the current thinking about the universe. It seems that anti-matter and matter have this constant battle going, and they exterminate each other, converting to energy. This energy then converts to matter / anti-matter, and the cycle begins again...

..except for one difference. The matter, it seems, is quicker on the draw, and slightly (1 in about 10000000000 times) outguns the anti-matter. This means that there is a little bit of matter "left over" - the walking wounded, so to speak..

And that, aparently, is what all the matter in the universe is - the residue of a monumental war.

So if you were struggling with how insignificant you feel in the scale of the universe, its nothing compared to how all the matter in the whole universe feels - like the scraped-in-the-bin left-overs of a huge Christmas dinner - cold gravy, half-chewed brussle-sprout remains with not even a hint of cranberry sauce...

The warm sun on my face...

2007-10-16T02:26:00.000-07:00

It's time to slow down

Perhaps its a natural reaction to growing old, but I'm starting to try and slow down.

Every day, if I'm not careful, I'll miss those moments that treasured memories are made of - times of tummy-rolling laughter, of a slow walk in the autumn leaves, time spent playing games with my children, big hugs, and gentle words.

I remember when I was 10, feeling the sun's warmth on my face, and just staring at the pavement for what seemed like ages. The cracks on the pavement had formed intricate patterns, dusted in places like a fine artist's strokes.

Now the path is simply a means to get to work, get things done, home again and more things to do.

There's always stuff to do, always..

Now, when I feel the sun on my face, I use its memory from all those years ago to remind me to slow down, relax, and remember to make more of those special moments with friends and family.

What are you waiting for?

2007-09-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

Sit or stand still for a moment - can you feel it?

The earth that we are on is spinning 1000s of miles a second, and yet we feel "still". The truth is, we are all hurtling towards the end of our lives every moment. We live in an illusion that there's time to do everything we want to, always looking forward to the next big thing...

Do you have that constant sense of "something's coming"?

You might be anticipating a birthday, a holiday, a phonecall, a meal or meeting with some friends.

Think of all the times during the day where you find yourself projecting forward to the "next thing"....

Its NOW that requires your full attention. Life isn't about to start, its well underway, even if it feels like you're standing still....

The "lion's share".

2007-06-13T06:52:00.000-07:00

I've heard this phrase about six times in the last couple of weeks. She uses the lion's share of the money, he does the lion's share of the work, etc..

I looked up what it meant on my friend "Wikipedia", and it has its roots in Aesop's fables.

The lion, in this story, ends up getting all of the food, despite sharing the effort to catch it with other animals.

How true this is, in modern life, where overbearing, loud and confident people seem to get on, while others get "the donkey's share" : most of the painful work, with little reward.

Have I got a snippet of humour to lighten your load? A witty comment to make it all seem worthwhile?

Hell, no.

Its Yuri's night - did you know?

2007-04-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

You've heard of Burns night, possibly, but what about Yuri's night?

Yuri's Night is an international celebration held on April 12 every year to commemorate the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, and the first Space Shuttle launch on April 12, 1981.

Why not make a "space" in your busy schedule to "launch" into a new celebration each year?

How about "rocket" and spinach ricotta, a glass of "space wine", and you know what to have for dessert?

"Cream cheese", of course!
(don't forget the crackers!)

http://www.yurisnight.net/2007/

Does your camel have R.S.I.?

2007-04-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of times this week I have heard the phrase "the straw that broke the camel's back", referring to a build up of pressures that finally end in disaster, often culminating with something inconsequential in itself (the "straw").

This pattern is evident in so many aspects of life, in our relationships, our work and our health, to name a few.

We have a good, although not half as poetic, modern-day example of this - "repetitive strain injury", or "R.S.I.".

The antidote to this is actually very simple - take a break, before you break. Regular "time-outs" are a healthy option. Which reminds me of a poem:

What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep, or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies 1871 - 1940

I'm forever blowing bubbles...

2007-03-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

Recent composite photo studies of the observed sky have shown the universe to be an expanding "bubble", an accurate representation of which is below:

Where did it all come from? What's outside the "bubble"? Isn't it strange that we are able to look at all this and begin to get an understanding of it all?

I was struggling with the idea of "Heaven" the other day, after a relative died. It seems so vain to imagine a whole world where you can arrive, and live in a different place or time where there is another "reality". Then I thought about here and now - could you explain to someone that we exist in a bubble of matter, outside of which is unknown, and that inside this worlds and stars and nebulae exist, and that on (probably) just ONE of these there is a thing called "life" where creatures live and die, some huge and ferocious, others that walk and talk and build things.

Can you begin to truly explain how "real" this is, how millions of tiny things called "atoms" stick together in different ways, making a coffee cup, a lid, and a mixture of water and coffee beans that these lifeforms ingest which converts into skin and blood and muscle.....?

When you realise the complexity and improbability of "Earth", "Heaven" doesn't seem quite so incredulous after all, does it?

What's the best thing about your faith?

2007-02-16T02:08:00.000-08:00

I was challenged by a post on a recent blog I read that asked, "What is the best thing about your faith?"

Here's my answer:

My experience of faith in Christ has been a rollercoaster ride. There are times when it all makes sense, clicks, fits and seems the perfect solution to all of life's problems. Then there are the other times... The times when those near and dear to me suffer. Dark days, when all around is crushing and pushing me, and worry is almost constantly on my mind.

In these times, I still pray - maybe more so - and mostly, I don't hear anything.

It's in these times that I truly doubt the very existence of God himself.

Thankfully he knows this response and, little by little, his love and grace break through my darkness. As green shoots of all kinds of plants sprout up from concrete pavements, God's love, life, grace, care and provision find me again. In fact, it's quite possible that they never leave me.

As one psalmist says, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me".

What's the best thing about your faith? Post a comment...

2007-02-12T01:34:00.000-08:00

I keep pestering my friend, Marjorie, to get a blog spot and share her pearly wise words, but no luck so far.. In the meantime, she has relented and allowed me to publish her response to my last post as a "guest blogger". Enjoy!:

Carpe Diem, not a bad philosophy. I think Jesus had a slightly different take, but something similar - "consider the lilies, (and the Buddha's lesson on the Golden Flower sort of echoes the idea), some poetry quotations with echoes:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour. (William Blake)

Flower in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower--but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
I should know what God and man is. (Tennyson)

Shed no tear! O shed no tear!
The flower will bloom another year.
Weep no more! O weep no more!
Young buds sleep in the root's white core.
Shed not tear! O shed no tear!
The flower will bloom another year.
Adieu, adieu--I fly--adieu! (John Keats)

The secret of the flower, which both Jesus and Buddha tried to teach each in their own way, is that the outward life and beauty we find in nature and in ourselves is transitory and fleeting, but real nonetheless.

We cannot hold onto life and beauty by grasping and clutching it to ourselves, that way leads to endless anxiety and bottomless greed. So seize the day, but hold it lightly and gently, it can't last, the only lasting beauty is beauty of the soul, because that's eternal.

Sieze the moment

2007-02-06T01:57:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a great book "12 simple secrets of happiness at work", and its got some great encouraging phrases throughout.

One tickled me this morning, though, and I thought I'd share it with you.

The author, Glenn Van Ekeren, is encouraging us to live in the moment. He says:

"If you let yourself be absorbed completely, if you surrender to the moments as they pass, you live more richly in those moments".

He goes on - "Some people are always preparing to live. Someday their job will be better. Someday theiy will have time for those they love. Someday may never come."

And then the bit that tickled me:

"Life isn't a dress rehersal for the main event. You are living the main event. Live every minute of every day to the fullest.
Seize the moment - Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the desert cart...."

I hope this encourages you in your daily "stuff".

Happy new year.....

2007-01-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

You do it, I do it, it seems that all of us do it and if we didn't someone would cry "Bah, Humbug" at us...

But WHY do we say "Happy new year" to each other?

Is it just a polite greeting?
Would they NOT have one if we didn't say it?

Perhaps then we MUST say it, in case lots of bad things happen to them, Heaven forbid!

But, do we really MEAN that we want our friends to have a happy year ahead? Is the "pursuit of happiness" an unalienable right, as the American Declaration of Independence would have us believe?

The expression "pursuit of happiness" was coined by Dr. Samuel Johnson in his 1759 novel "Rasselas". In the novel, Rasselas observation of other kinds of people eventually leads to the conclusion that there is no easy path to happiness.

Life is difficult. Happiness in life does not come easy. It is during the struggles of life that often we are happiest, even though we may only realise it in restrospect.

So - I do wish you all a Happy new year, one where the path is not always straight, and trouble and pain are not absent.

You may not realise how Happy it really was until this time, next year.....

More about stars....

2007-01-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

I wrote this poem ages ago, but it was along the same train of thought as my recent post about stars... I thought I'd share it. I called it "Mighty Rock":

Mighty Rock

Tall Rock,
Mighty Rock,
You will live forever.
Fixed in place,
Never changing,
Granite god.

Dark glass,
Hidden lifetime,
Underneath the stars.
Born among the heat and torture,
Of Earth and Moon and Mars.

Tall Rock,
Mighty Rock,
In your gaze I quiver,
You will one day be dust too,
Silt within the river.

© Mark Simpson.
March 98

Blendoriffic

2007-01-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

This site cracks me up! I stumbled upon it yesterday in a completely random series of click-throughs :

http://www.willitblend.com

The premise is : what can't you shred into tiny fragments with a blender?

..nothing it seems, as the mad guys on this site blend golf clubs, cassette tapes, matchbox toy cars and mobile phones...!

Check it out, and let me know what you think...
Squire.

Stars

2007-01-04T08:31:00.000-08:00

Do you feel like a star? Probably not. The term conjurs up visions of Holywood, celebs, and all the glamour and glitz that comes with fame and "star-dom". You're missing something though. Perhaps its because very rarely do we "stand and stare" to realise this profound truth:

We are made from material that formed as a star cooled.

You are, I am, the earth and all that's in it.

Next time you are out and about at night time, or perhaps just as you are about to lock up for bedtime, go outside on a clear night (wrap up warm too!), and look up at the stars. Take your time. The longer you stare, the more become visible. See how vast, how many, how endless they are. They seem to be fixed in place, never changing, but they are slowly being born, shining and dying.

Everything is changing, all of the time.

As a new year begins, I am aware of how the people around me are ageing. How the young become their own people and begin to exert influence, how the very old slowly release all control they have on the world (and their waterworks!).

I find it encouraging to think that we are all part of a universal "re-cycling" process. Perhaps its just my way of justifying the increase in landfill my family and I made over the Christmas holidays this year....

One of lifes pure joys...

2006-11-08T03:54:00.000-08:00

You gotta check out Line Rider - a simple shockwave flash game that allows you to draw lines, anywhere, any style, and a little "rider" will ride your creation.

One of my favourites is here: http://www.linerider.org/tracks/aerodynamics2.php

Come back and post a comment, let me know what you think!

The Bus Gauntlet.

2006-10-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

OK - Picture this - you're sitting on a bus, and its just pulled into an estate or small town where most of the passengers will get off. Some have been shopping, some to see friends, and others on their daily commute to / from the office.

Then the bell sounds - someone is getting off. To be courteous, and to avoid heavy breaking, the passenger has signalled in plenty of time to alert the driver to stop at the next stop. Then it begins.

Each passenger it turn gets up and tries their hand at the Bus Gauntlet - the simple task of reaching the exit door, before the driver pulls in and stops. They take a few cautious steps, as the bus lurches towards a roundabout, bags in hand, hobbling and shuffling as best they can, without landing in the lap of someone, or losing much of their dignity.

They hang on to the yellow bar, looking at the next bar which looks near enough to grab. They let go and set out for this promised land of safety and no sooner have they let go than the bus driver, sensing them nearing, turns sharply to the left onto the roundabout, then sharply right around it, as if trying to shake off a vicious dog on the chase.

Grabbing on to the bar, and finding new resolve on the straighter roads, they advance their progress, even skipping a bar in between, but this is their grave mistake for now they enter the "brake zone". This is where the driver, fresh from the goodyear centre for brake pad testing, tries to slow down in the quickest amount of time, seeking to throw the passenger forward at great speed, and possibly floor them.

A quick recovery, several manic padding feet later, and we stop - the passenger relaxes and gets ready to get off, but they've forgotten how fast we were going, and they don't anticipate the sling-back effect that this rapid stopping is about to unleash. Sensing the stop they let go of the bar, begin to walk forward, and WHACK! They are thrown back with the final thrust into the other passengers who have now accumulated behind them, thanks to the g-force assistance provided a moment ago.

Then, after this sting in the tail, a most incredulous thing happens - as each person gets off, most THANK the driver for the ride. WHY? Perhaps they have derived a sense of the meaning of life from this near-death experience?

I would have asked someone, but I didn't have chance - it was my turn to run the bus gauntlet - so I pressed the bell, signalling my readiness.....

Reminded of grace...

2006-09-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen vegetation pushing up through cracks in pavements? Do you ever wonder how it can survive, even flourish, in such seemingly unsuitable conditions?

Near where I walk to work, there is a small lane that is surrounded by concrete buildings. Nothing could be less conducive to plant life, but here there are plants, small shrubs, mosses and even larger trees sprouting from floors, walls, guttering - right up to the top of some of the buildings, coming directly out of the walls. Life finds a way.

So does grace. In my recent "faith crisis", I have stumbled upon small reminders of grace. A book here, a song there, a late night TV program, a conversation, a note written by someone long ago. Grace appears in the most unlikely places.

However bleak things are, however silent God seems when we pray, it seems we just can't get away from His grace.

Wherever we wander, grace finds us...

Perhaps that's what inspired the line :
"I once was lost, but now I'm found".

Did you know?
Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992) was known as "Amazing Grace" because of her outstanding achievement in the computer field. One of her contributions is the invention of COBOL, the first user-friendly business software program, which is still in use today.

Chilie for this time of year...

2006-09-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

Chilies

I love the warmth of chilies in food, especially at this time of year. That tangy, zingy, piquancy gives such a pleasant burning sensation on your tounge.

It reminds me most of the famous Scots square sausage meat. If you ever go to Glasgow, go into a cafe and have a cup of tea and a square sausage sandwich - its one of the joys of the world.

The essential oil in chilies, capsaicin, does not dissolve in water - it is hydrophobic (a bit like cats..?!) You may have heard people say not to drink water when you are eating food with chillies in - there is a reason for this. Because the chilie oil does not dissolve in water, it is instead spread across the surface of the mouth, prolonging and spreading that burning in the mouth!

If you've over-indulged, and are struggling with the heat, eat something that is high in fats and oils, such as milk, bread or butter. The chilie oil will then mix freely with these other fats, and be removed from the mouth.

Cool, eh? (or was that a hot tip?)

(I can feel a chilie Haiku coming on..._

Did you know

Birds are generally not sensitive to chilies, and can quite happily munch through the hottest of chilie peppers as a snack.

A blog is for life, not just for Christmas...

2006-09-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I promise not to dwell too much on my pet subject at the moment - the "real" meaning of Christmas, but for now....

Sun god or Son of God?

The 25th December was a popular Roman day of celebration in honour of the sun god, "Mithras". The festival occurred just after the winter solstice when the days became longer.

Since no-one could quite agree on the day Jesus was born, Pope Julius picked December 25 as THE DAY in AD349. I think the idea was to hi-jack the celebration and convert the Romans. You can just imagine it now in the streets, people giving gifts, hugging and singing together.

"Merry Christmas, and praise be to the son of God", sing the Christians.
"Hail Mithras, and praise be to the sun god", sing the pagans.

I bet Hallmark would have done a selection of cards for both - perhaps reversible?

Did you know.....
"Bethlehem means "house of bread" - bread of life, perhaps?

100 days till Christmas...

2006-09-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or does the western world gear itself around Christmas more and more each year?

I heard someone recently comment about the "real" meaning of Christmas. I got to thinking what that was - why do we do certain things at Chritmas time, and also why do we abandon ourselves to excesses, excusing it with "well, its Christmas.."

I thought it might be interesting to point out some little known things about the origins of this most important event in the Hallmark / retail year...

1. - The birthday of Jesus Christ
For the first three hundred years of the current era, there was no festivity of the birth of Jesus. Some churches celebrated Jesus' birthday in the spring time and some celebrated it on January 6 (Epiphany).

Man Flu Outbreak

2006-09-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to come down with a cold / cough / sore throat thing. Its not serious, but I dont half winge when I feel under the weather...

I call it "man-flu":

"There's nothing wrong with him - just delusions of glandular"

Pomegranate - A haiku

2006-09-20T07:19:00.001-07:00

small glass of juice the

kind pomegranate gives to

ease the heart and mind