Wednesday, November 29, 2006


Spuirrel Sex

Today I had a lovely lunch with a dear friend of mine. We had great conversation and a healthy repose from our academic endeavors. It was on our return to campus however that I witnessed an event that both shocked and awed me.


We were about to part ways between the Evans Library and History building when a menacing ruckus errupted in the lofty branches of one of the many post oak trees adorning Texas A&M campus. I looked up to spy two squirrels fighting with a passionate hatred which I had rarely seen exhibited in my human brothers. As I watched I commented "Man they're really going at it." I was starting to get excited about the possibility of one of them being thrown from the branches and falling to its death at our feet. The possibility of such a final and fatal result to an impressive display of passionate dislike was incredibly exciting to me.


Then they shocked me. With stunning quickness one of the squirrels pivotted, circled, and then MOUNTED the other one. The mounting squirrel then released a fury of machine gun pelvic thrusts with such speed and determination that it made my eyes widen and my jaw grow heavy. As soon as it began it was over. The furious fueding began anew.


I was and am still utterly impressed with the sexual experience of the spuirrel. Imagine fighting for your life against the one you want to mate with. Fighting in the lofty branches of your native tree, dangling over your own demise. Then with instinctual timing you strike or succumb (depending on gender). The passion of your fury suddenly turns into the throws of passion while still dangling on the verge of a fall that would leave you terminally on the ground. WOW! That sounds awesome. I applaud you squirrels for the courage it must take to pursue your mating practices. I give the thumbs up to the Lord for His originality and artisitic impression when He endowed the squirrel for procreation.



Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Reading

I’ve recently ventured into a spiritual book. Previously I had resolved never again to burden my eyes with the religious ramblings of men I didn’t know and of whom I could not appraise their spirituality myself. Thankfully the Lord has overcome my own mental drivel and delivered me to the encouragement of His gospel. I just finished reading a book about the love of the Father for His children. Towards the end of its pages I read this one quote that almost spoke my name aloud.
“Are you as certain of the triumph of good over evil as the fermentation of doe by yeast? Though on a given day you may be more depressed than anything else, is the general orientation of your life toward peace and joy? Are you diminished by other people’s perception of you or your own definition of yourself? Do you possess that touch of folly to transcend doubt, fear, and self-hatred and accept that you are accepted?
If not, you probably belong to the brotherhood of the bedraggled, beat-up, and burnt-out. You may feel like a charred log in a fireplace, totally drained of energy, and unable to light a fire in yourself. Your personal inner resources appear to be exhausted.
Louis Savary describes the brotherhood this way: ‘Their life is full of demands from others. They seem to be living at least three lives; everyone wants a piece of them; they can’t say no yet they have no time to do what they have already said yes to... They cannot seem to find the necessary clarity and information of which to base decisions... they make an investment in relations and get little gratitude, feedback, or even acknowledgment from others...
The Lord as often exposed to me the reality of my self in such a state. Repeatedly He has brought me to that place. I used to crumble in devastation at my own failure. I have come to embrace though that it is not to be devastated that the Lord brings me to such a place, but only to set me free, to show me that my devastation and failure were part of the bargain all along, and need not be considered. He struck a deal with life on my behalf and delivered me into its ramifications. My Father loved me and paid my rent before I ever returned home, and when he did he shushed my spluttering, fearful explanations and embraced me into his freedom. Many, many times He has baptized me into His peace and freedom only to watch me return to the very land of bondage from which I had fled from, broken and destitute. I long now only to stay at home and enjoy His freedom.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Sunday Sunday Sunday

This past weekend my family gathered for Thanksgiving out at the “farm”, a lovely ranch house that could easily be found in any addition of Southern Living. We celebrated early because that was the only weekend the entire family could get together. My good friend Tim went with me and we had a lovely time and ate more food than a young aggie Christian at a ministry lunch hour “served for the foreign students”. The following Sunday we all celebrated again because one of my younger cousins was being baptized. So, we all went to Central Baptist Church for a Sunday morning service. The service was...ok. the singing was typical choir and full orchestra and the “worship leader” looked like a JCrew Mr Rogers on ecstacy. The sermon went as follows.

The Scripture used: Galatians 4:12-20
12Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all. 13You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. 14And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. 15What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me. 16Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
17They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. 18But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you. 19My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, 20I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

The main points were:
1. You need to be careful who you love.
2. You need to be careful about who you let love you.
3. You should never love anyone in such a way as to expect something in return.
4. You should only love someone to see the growth of Christ in them.
5. The zealots who were misleading Paul’s Galatians were similar to today’s cult in that they target the lonely outcasts and trap them with love to get them to do what they want. His example was the crazy guy in Waco and how he tricked everyone, with love, into letting him sleep with their wives.

My family was pretty impressed with the sermon. “He really knows how to bring it” was heard a number of times at the following lunch at On The Border. I...was rather unenchanted. The preacher’s delivery was stellar, emotional and gripping and stirring. His content...pretty cock-a-mimi in my book.

The “cult” Paul is refering to is actually the Hebrews (or Jews to the laymen) and they were sucking the Galatians back into the Law, not some occult practice that was later burned down in Waco Texas.

Mostly though I have no idea what he was talking about when he preached about Love. I thought Christ wanted us to love everyone...even our ENEMIES (shocked gasp and throw up in brown bag). Be careful with who you love? Be careful who you let love you? If some one wants to love me biblically, as it describes in 1 Corinthians 13 then bring it on, I’ll take all you got to give. If someone asked me to sincerely love them as it describes in 1 Cor 13 I would be deeply moved and of course comply the best I could. Should I stop and consider though the nature of the person’s heart? Should I consider his/her motives, when he/she may not realize their own motives? I remember hearing somewhere that Jesus said to love others as He had loved us. To me that means to love them before they love you, maybe even while they hate you, or quite possibly while they love you poorly in return.

In short I disagree Baptist preacher, with all ten fingers and toes I completely disagree.

This brings to mid another topic that has burrowed its way into my bad side. If there are any women or girls who happen to read this; what the heck does it mean to GUARD ONE’s HEART. I don’t get it and I am constantly banging my large head against this cold stony wall. Can someone please explain?

Urban Sprawl

"Politicians have tried to make this a two sided issue, but what matters is not to decipher whether sprawl is good or bad, because it is neither, but to decide how to best accommodate sprawl.”

Felix Landry: educated citizen

Has anyone out there ever quoted themselves in a academic paper or presentation? If you are required to have eight sources and you quote yourself once or twice to reach those eight sources do you really have eight? I think it's a "legitimate strategy in the face of overwhelming circumstances." (Felix Landry, Honey From the Lion 2006)