I’ve seen some cool things in Philadelphia that have been on my to-do list for a while. Yet waking back to the hotel after our stroll through some of Philly’s neighborhoods provided a veritable pearl of great price right below my feet at the corner of 12th & Market: a little robot on the crosswalk. Initially I thought it was masking tape. In reality, I think it’s made of crosswalk paint tape (one can’t pause very long to inspect this…
Yesterday I visited an awesome exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. It was fantastic. I got my fill of Biblical antiquities and then some. I was flooded with all kinds of great impressions which will keep me thinking for a while. I was captivated by a coin hoard of Tyrian Shekels discovered under the foundation of a dwelling in Qumran. It contained hundreds of these shekels and would have been worth a fortune. Today…
I’ve always carried a pocket knife. I kind of feel lost without it. This quote got me thinking about the things I love to keep in my pockets.“No, there is no escape. There is no heaven with a little bit of hell in it–no plan to retain this or that of the devil in our hearts or our pockets. Our Satan must go, every hair and feather.”–George MacDonaldI have always been impressed with King Lamoni’s willingness to empty his pockets…
Last time I saw one of these Tiff was in labor with Robyn–18 years ago in Boston. I only left her side for a few minutes to see how dark it got (she hardly missed me thanks to the Nubain). I didn’t see much, but noticed that it got dark. I was too nervous to hang around and rushed back up to Labor & Delivery. This time we made a pinhole camera at Randy & Tara’s which worked like a…
At the risk of belaboring a point . . . Neal A. Maxwell said: “So many of us are kept from eventual consecration because we mistakenly think that, somehow, by letting our will be swallowed up in the will of God, we lose our individuality (see Mosiah 15:7). What we are really worried about, of course, is not giving up self, but selfish things—like our roles, our time, our preeminence, and our possessions. No wonder we are instructed by the Savior to lose ourselves…
Gargoyles from Brataslava, SlovakiaScrewtape & Wormwood The quote from Seneca has had me thinking about the idea of surrendering our will to God. C. S. Lewis is one of the greatest Christian apologists of the modern era, and weighed in on the subject in Mere Christianity: Christ says ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time, and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your…
The Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum) – Rome 2004 In a letter to his young friend Lucilius, Seneca gave some sage advice: “What do I think you should avoid in particular? The crowd! You are not yet capable of entrusting yourself to it with any confidence. At least, I must confess my own weakness: I never return home the same person. Something I’d managed to pacify is disturbed, something I’d driven out comes back.”[1] He was relating his feelings after attending gladiatorial…
I decided to spend a few minutes working on my SS lesson today. Made the mistake of sitting down for a minute and Mochi put a quick end to anything productive–unless naps are somehow productive. Even after a power nap she makes it SO difficult. Still, it’s hard to imagine a more lovable cat.
As we celebrate mothers I’ve been thinking of mine and the 12 years that have gone by so fast since she passed. Spending time with my sister brought back many memories of her. My mom was a about the most kindhearted person I know. The harshest thing I ever heard her say of someone was ‘he’s a real stunned banana’. I would find this SO FUNNY–especially coming from my dear mom. I’d conjure up some slack-jawed goof that was oblivious…
It’s sometimes challenging when we are faced with the unmitigated success of those around us. They seem to have the Midas touch where everything turns to gold. We are sometimes left feeling like an utter failure. For most of these perfect people, things simply aren’t as idyllic as they portray them–they just cover it well. Other’s just need time for their trials to take root. There are weeds in every garden. I love this quote for the flawed man–championed by…