Having a "melancholic nerd" moment.

This is one of those times where my wife would roll her eyes at me and tell me to get the kids to bed.

I am wondering if beauty is actually objective, and if the dichotomy between inner and outer beauty is false. If beauty is essentially connected to glory (which, incidentally, is objective), and if that larger concept is the divinely intended gestalt of Creation, does it stand to reason that everything(one) is beautiful due to its (their) Creative Source, and that insofar as an agent or thing operates in its (their) created orderly function, it (they) exhibit(s) beauty? Is it that simple once we peel away the complex layers of fleshly misinformation? If the metacognitive principles of "closure" and "emergence" (the mind's experience of extrasensory phenomena to continue observed regularity) are legitimate, we could be divinely hardwired to even expect beauty. Arguably, our innate desire to experience and exhibit beauty and the ways in which we tend to manufacture it are connected to our sin-separation from God. Would a perfectly redeemed mind regard everything and everyone that functions properly in creation as beautiful irrespective of its sensory impact? And would the possessor of that mind work tirelessly to release the inherent beauty in others where possible? You see where the concept of "inner beauty" falls apart? And where the axiom of beauty being "in the eye of the beholder" unravels? Was I just late for this particular class, and does anyone else already think this? I mean, apart from early 20th century German philosophers?

Hudakguy? (you have to say it out loud)

We could be in for a blue tide.....Tim Hudak might actually mobilize the marginalized SoCons who still live in the Harris era and his irascibility might just endear him to fence sitters who can't see past the borders of their hamlets and townships and who believe that the Premier somehow caused the recession rather than mitigated it by promoting economic diversity. Dear God, please don't let it happen. Scary thing is, Hudak sounds a lot like Harris in that he made no bones about his intentions to take the party to the hard right. He was eerily clear...and they still elected him.

At least it wasn't Frank "Bubba" Klees. Then again, he's less electable (thank God) with his ties to evangelicals. Still, I pessimistically expect hordes of evangelicals to back Hudak as the righteousness candidate. If we elect him in the name of Jesus, we will have more credibility to rebuild.

Few ideas inspire me this much

Saw it as I was scanning Ezra Levant's typical conservative belligerence (amazing how a non-christian is the most articulate mouthpiece for the Christian right).

Someone in the comments suggested that Christopher Hitchens be appointed the next chair of the Canadian Human Rights Council.

Just chew on it for a second.....

...let the cracker dissolve in your mouth...

...delicious isn't it?

It's always a good time

But today it seems especially good to publicly thank the Lord for such a wonderful family. My wife, my boys, and my yet-to-be-unveiled baby make my heart swell to a thousand times its normal size. What a blessed man I am. Thank you, Father.

Semper Ubi Sub Ubi

Always wear underwear.
I know it doesn't translate right, but it's still funny.

The city of Brooksville, Florida has prohibited both "the observable lack of undergarments and exposed undergarments".

So, they don't want to see your gitch.
And....they don't want to....not....see your gitch.

Government.

Little Sam-Sam beats the Bongos

Omar Bongo, president of Gabon for the last 42 years (1967-2009). Second-longest serving head of government after Fidel Castro, and as head of state, outlasted only by (Castro and) the monarchs of Britain and Thailand. He had a grip on power and prestige in the country, even after he was forced to allow political opposition in 1990. He personally benefitted from the oil boom and set up his family in pimped-out Paris penthouses.

He worked really hard to make sure that he did not lose his power or his money to anyone or anything. Someone Important (and divine) once said that anyone who wishes to save his [own] life will lose it.

Omar Bongo died last week at the age of 73. His week-long state funeral, complete with parades and huge crowds, ended two days ago. A final fanfare for a lavish life of luxury. Out with a huge bang.

In very little time, he will be dust.

His family will enjoy the vestiges of wealth, and eventually will merge into mainstream society. His country will continue to exalt other dust-bound elitists while oppressing the poor and ignoring justice, but eventually, democracy will creep in, and the elite class of Gabon wil go the way of the western feudal lord.

On the day President Bongo's big charade saw its final act, my little Sam-Sam turned two years old. His carefree smile dazzled onlookers as usual, and his gleeful squawk greeted my return from work just like most days. It is a daily gift from God that I can never repay.

The fanciest ceremony (or seh-ni-mow-mi-nee as he calls it) that he gets is the marching of his brother's Superman cape to complete the pajama ensemble. It's quite the sight, with me and my paper crown and towel-cape high-stepping down the hall and vocalising a trumpet flourish as we unfurl the 24-inch red cotton garment, affix it to the superman uniform with velcro tabs, salute in unison (or, in Samuel's case, thrust the back of his wrist into his eye), and then conclude with a round of applause. No honour guard, no shrimp and caviar buffet, no limousines, no tuxedos, palaces, crowds, long speeches, chandeliers, banners, gold, jewels, or broadcast media. But little Samuel, who can't eat his birthday cake without wearing half of it, is so much more exalted and honourable (not to mention alive) than Mr. Bongo is or ever was.

This little boy, soon to be a great man of God, bears the still-undefiled image of his joyful and loving Heavenly Father. That is more attractive than a robe and crown.

He is covered by the blood covenant between his earthly father, mother, and Jesus Christ. That is more secure than the safety afforded by all the world's armies, treaties, aliances, and trade partnerships.

His contribution to his family is fun, affection, intrigue, adventure, comfort, and unrestrained LIFE. That's a better deal than having a rich grandfather and a condo on the Seventh Arrondissement.

He constantly hugs and kisses our yet-unborn third child through Mommy's belly. That's a better investment in and protection of the future than stocks and bonds.

He has so much ahead of him, and he has already given so much to everyone who knows him. So, while he still has no problem giving Auntie Arlene a kiss for a candy but still "meaning it", I say that our little Sam should be on the Forbes top-10.

So, as his downright edible cankles start morphing into road-scratched legs used for scootering, running, and (yes) biking, let's all give a totally awkward left-handed salute to young Master Samuel David Lawrence Goodwin, unveiled two years ago Tuesday, on June 16, 2007.

Get a PrayStation! LOL.....+sniff+

It was just too funny to pass up.  I know, it's the first back-to-back post in more than a year.

This story about a fake Christian protest group arranged by a viral marketing firm to "promote" EA's new video game about hell, themed and named after Dante's Inferno, made me laugh and then made me sad.  

I am not upset with EA, with the game (meh), with the (absolutely brilliant) viral marketing firm, or with the paid actors who "protested".  I am upset with us, the evangelical church.  

These people nailed us.  Their grassroots uprising was complete with tacky slogans, a 1990's-style website with terrible autoplay music...and vitriolic hatred for people who are not Christians.  The message was judgement mixed with calls to an ascetic-sounding life that clearly repulses anyone who hears.  They didn't make this up.  It wasn't a far-off parody.  They nailed us.  This is exactly how we come across.  

I would like to put some positive spin on this about clay vessels and about how His power is made perfect in weakness, but really, is this beyond our grasp?  Are we so terrible at branding and basic communication that we can't even be heard through our own stupidity and hatred?

Jesus was right.  Father, forgive us.  We have no clue what we are doing. 

Pens are up 1-0

And I am meditating.  

Trying not to think about how my event in Winnipeg this Friday will suffer if the Wings don't close it out tonight.  Who in Winterpeg is going to go to a concert on the night of Game 7 of the finals?  I am a fan of Sidney Crosby's, and I am generally anti-Detroit, and unless the Habs are winning or the Bruins are losing, I really don't like it when the cup is won on the road - it's so anticlimactic.   Exactly who are you raising the holy grail of hockey for/to/at?  Yes, I just ended a sentence in no less than three prepositions.  

So much for meditating.  

God is good to me and he is healing me on a daily basis from myself and from the effects of this dark world.  He is also preserving and propelling my children to greatness.  Incidentally, for the threes and fours of you who have this blog RSS'ed or email-flagged but who have not heard from me in a while, my quiver is getting fuller.  God has blessed us with a third child whose identity and name have yet to be discovered in late September.  

I am so grateful.  Annette feels like a bus.  New Baby is working at making cells that produce pulmonary surfactants.  Samuel is always wanting to kiss and hug the new baby through Mommy's belly (quite the Kodak moment every time).  Matthew wants to ride his scooter all...the...time.  So cute, so wonderful, all of them.  

So, at one point here I was meditating.  

Struck by how Isaiah 59:20-21 seems to promise that repentance from sin leads to a Divine Promise that our descendants will never cease to be acted on prophetically or be absent from the influence of the Holy Spirit.  Anyone else read it that way?  

End of meditation.  Healing complete.  Yes, there are long pauses between most of the paragraphs on this blog.  

Ummm.......Amen.