How do we make choices? The shortest distance. The right thing to do. The easiest thing to do. The best of two not very good choices.
Or, sometimes just for the fun of it!
Oct 14, 2009
Oct 12, 2009
The beauty of mathematics
This mathematical symmetry is making the email rounds again. Thought you might enjoy puzzling it through, if you can.
I'm not sure I ever thought of math as beautiful before I saw this example. Is it a glimpse into the universe of mathematicians, people who live with these concepts all the time, and love and see them everywhere?
Does it make us think that maybe, just maybe, there is a universal intelligence behind everything we see that shows order, beauty, logic?
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
Brilliant, isn't it? And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321
Oct 11, 2009
Chicago Marathon 2009
Smiling at the end I love my family. Each person is unique of course, but overall they are kind, caring, unselfish, generous.
For example, my brother-in-law has run for several years now in the Chicago Marathon. While he's running, he raises money for the Crisis Center of Southwest Suburbia. This facility shelters victims of domestic violence on a moment's notice. It's a good organization.
He was disappointed in his performance this year because, even though he completed the race, he got worn out at the 20 mile mark, six miles short of the finish line.
To a runner that may be important. To the rest of us, it is simply amazing.
The way I see it, unselfishness counts in that final six-mile push -- even if it isn't a "personal best."
I love the runners' quote from Isaiah,
"Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The forever God who created the ends of the earth doesn’t faint, never wearies? His understanding is so vast, it can’t be search.
He gives power to the faint; to the weary He gives strength. Even the youths faint, and the young men drop in their tracks.
But those who serve the Lord renew their strength; they mount up as though on eagle’s wings. They shall run and not be weary. Those who simply walk will not faint."
Oct 6, 2009
For you dog lovers
For all who have marvelled at the unconditional love of dogs for their people, here's someone who has figured it out and set it to music.
Oct 4, 2009
To make the world a better place...
... start with the man in the mirror.
These lyrics made famous by Michael Jackson are sung by the writer herself.
As Siedah Garrett says, she knows nothing of his personal life, but Jackson's music touched her.
"If you wanna make the world a better place," she wrote, "start with the man in the mirror."
Don't you love the honesty! We can't change the other guy, so why go through that frustration? What we can improve, is ourselves.
What a concept! Taking that earnest desire a step further, especially if we feel that change is going to be tough, we can ask God to help us.
These lyrics made famous by Michael Jackson are sung by the writer herself.
As Siedah Garrett says, she knows nothing of his personal life, but Jackson's music touched her.
"If you wanna make the world a better place," she wrote, "start with the man in the mirror."
Don't you love the honesty! We can't change the other guy, so why go through that frustration? What we can improve, is ourselves.
What a concept! Taking that earnest desire a step further, especially if we feel that change is going to be tough, we can ask God to help us.
Here Siedah sings her song. Her spoken intro speaks of her own character as well.
Oct 2, 2009
God doesn't make junk
Ever felt you've let God down?
In this well-done little skit, God points out that we cannot possibly let God down, because it is God who holds us up. Not the other way around.
How willing are we to let God chisel away the stuff that isn't us?
In this well-done little skit, God points out that we cannot possibly let God down, because it is God who holds us up. Not the other way around.
How willing are we to let God chisel away the stuff that isn't us?
Sep 29, 2009
Our lives -- an open book
This email has been around before; its message is ever timely.
His name is Tim. He has wild hair, wears a crumpled T-shirt, jeans with holes, and flip-flops. This was his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is bright, thoughtful, and a gentle guy.
Across the street from the campus is a well-coifed, very conservative church congregation. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.
Enter Tim, clad in flip flops, jeans, T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Tim starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is packed and he can't find a seat. By now,people are shifting uneasily, but no one says anything, and no one moves over to make a place for him.
Tim gets closer and closer to the pulpit. When he realizes there are no seats up front, he sits down in the aisle. Some smile, but most are uncomfortable with Tim's innocent break with tradition.
The minister sees peripherally, even while he is preaching, way from the back of the church, a deacon slowly making his way toward Tim. This deacon is in his eighties, sports dignified silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit.
He's a godly man, elegant and courtly as he comes down the aisle. Everyone has pretty much tuned out the sermon, and is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and background to understand some college kid perched on the floor?
It takes an eternity for the man to reach the boy. His cane taps rhythmically as all eyes focus on him. The minister clears his throat and waits. And now this elderly Christian drops his cane on the floor. With some difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Tim, smiles at him, and worships with him so he won't be alone.
The congregation is pretty much stunned, embarrassed, silent. Yet everyone begins to breathe again.
The minister sighs deeply, then says, "What I'm preaching today, you will probably not remember. What you have seen today, let's hope you will never forget."
Hmm. What if your life, and mine,
are the only Bible some people will ever read?
His name is Tim. He has wild hair, wears a crumpled T-shirt, jeans with holes, and flip-flops. This was his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is bright, thoughtful, and a gentle guy.
Across the street from the campus is a well-coifed, very conservative church congregation. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how to go about it.
Enter Tim, clad in flip flops, jeans, T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Tim starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is packed and he can't find a seat. By now,people are shifting uneasily, but no one says anything, and no one moves over to make a place for him.
Tim gets closer and closer to the pulpit. When he realizes there are no seats up front, he sits down in the aisle. Some smile, but most are uncomfortable with Tim's innocent break with tradition.
The minister sees peripherally, even while he is preaching, way from the back of the church, a deacon slowly making his way toward Tim. This deacon is in his eighties, sports dignified silver-gray hair, and a three-piece suit.
He's a godly man, elegant and courtly as he comes down the aisle. Everyone has pretty much tuned out the sermon, and is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and background to understand some college kid perched on the floor?
It takes an eternity for the man to reach the boy. His cane taps rhythmically as all eyes focus on him. The minister clears his throat and waits. And now this elderly Christian drops his cane on the floor. With some difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Tim, smiles at him, and worships with him so he won't be alone.
The congregation is pretty much stunned, embarrassed, silent. Yet everyone begins to breathe again.
The minister sighs deeply, then says, "What I'm preaching today, you will probably not remember. What you have seen today, let's hope you will never forget."
Hmm. What if your life, and mine,
are the only Bible some people will ever read?
Sep 22, 2009
Law of the Garbage Truck
This metaphor came in a recent email. Thought it had a good message.
What happens to you may not be your choice. What you do about it is.
American religious leader Mary Baker Eddy, explained it another way, "Love meeting no response, but still remaining love."
One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.
We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car sped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy; and I mean, he was really friendly.
So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? That idiot almost ruined your car and could have sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxidriver taught me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage -- full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they'll dump it on you.
Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.
The taxi driver showed me by example that one key to a stress-free life is to not let garbage trucks determine your happiness.
What happens to you may not be your choice. What you do about it is.
American religious leader Mary Baker Eddy, explained it another way, "Love meeting no response, but still remaining love."
Sep 20, 2009
Hubble finds crowd in empty space
Logic insists on reasons for doing, or not doing, something.
Intuition is not logic. Listening to our intuition can help us avoid danger; can help us be in the right place at the right time to recognize a blessing or to be a blessing; helps us make surrendipitous discoveries.
Intuition is not logic. Listening to our intuition can help us avoid danger; can help us be in the right place at the right time to recognize a blessing or to be a blessing; helps us make surrendipitous discoveries.
Have you ever followed your intuition, even when it went counter to all logic? And were glad you had?
That's what Scientists did with Hubble when they pointed it at a blank area in outer space -- just to see if possibly anything was there.
Dear (Deer) Story
This photo story came in a recent email. It seems that after the time of the fires in southern California, two guys set out to go fishing in the Pacific. They spotted something swimming ahead of them.
Safely ashore, the men released the deer.
Some have seen this as a metaphor. Sometimes the thing nearest right to do doesn't look very promising. For whatever reason, the deer felt it needed to jump into the ocean and start swimming. Somehow these fishermen came to the very spot where the deer needed rescuing.
So sometimes when it looks like we can't swim another 10 yards on a course that seemed the nearest right thing to do, God will rescue us (or send rescue) and set our feet firmly on the ground again.
Yes, is was a deer. 
Nearly exhausted, it offered little resistance to being hauled on board their fishing boat.
Safely ashore, the men released the deer.
Some have seen this as a metaphor. Sometimes the thing nearest right to do doesn't look very promising. For whatever reason, the deer felt it needed to jump into the ocean and start swimming. Somehow these fishermen came to the very spot where the deer needed rescuing.
So sometimes when it looks like we can't swim another 10 yards on a course that seemed the nearest right thing to do, God will rescue us (or send rescue) and set our feet firmly on the ground again.
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