Servanthood

PDL page 266: "Thinking like a servant is difficult because it challenges the basic problem of my life: I am, by nature, selfish. I think most about me. That's why humility is a daily struggle, a lesson that I must relearn over and over. The opportunity to be a servant confronts me dozens of times a day, in which I'm given the choice to decide between meeting my needs or the needs of others. Self-denial is the core of servanthood."

I find myself challenged by these sentences from the PDL book that I'm almost done reading (for the 1st time; already planning to read it at least once more).

Thinking most about me. How true is that. Day in and day out. How about thinking more about what GOD wants? There's hope: God has begun a good work, and He's going to complete it! That's a promise to hang onto.

New Seatbelt

Silly little xanga update posted.

Man of the House

Here's a silly but amusing joke that I got in an email:

A man had just finished listening to the audio book "Man of The House" while driving home from work.

Encouraged by what he had heard, when he arrived home he stormed into the house and walked directly up to his wife. Pointing his finger in her face, he said, "From now on I want you to know that I am the man of the house and my word is law! You are to prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, I expect a sumptuous dessert afterward. Then, after dinner, you're going to draw my bath so I can relax. And when I'm finished with my bath, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?"

"The funeral director is my guess," said his wife.

Aerial view of Dayton, OH

Found this picture online. Liked it. One of the nicer shots of Dayton that I've seen.

I unexpectedly got hooked into the Xanga world today. Click. I think these blogs at blogspot look better, and there are definitely more features available for free. But I get the feeling that there is more of a connectedness amongst the xanga readers themselves. Could be wrong. But for now I'll keep updating here.

It feels like I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Work stuff, Christian literature, reading the Bible from The Message translation, publications, etc. I think I need a breather for a couple days! Good thing the weekend's arrived! Have a good one.

The UnHummer & the H3

The UnHummer Cometh: The Smart Car is migrating to US shores, after selling strongly in Europe for awhile. Littler than the Mini Cooper, and just a tad bigger than those Big Wheels that we used to tool around in during our pre-bicycle days. Whew, does that bring back memories! Anyhow, me & my sweetie saw these Smart Cars zipping around everywhere in our Italia trip last fall, and they were pretty sharp little rides, I must admit. Nice feature: these can be parked perpendicular to the curb. But a starting price of $15,000 is just too much for such a tiny thing, ain’t it? 55 miles per gallon, however, is not bad at all, especially for the green thumbers.

And is the puny beast safe, that’s the question!!! Get this: “Built by DaimlerChrysler in France (boo!!!), the Smart car — with what the company calls its "Tridion" safety cell structure — survived brutal crash tests, one of which pitted the little car against a Mercedes-Benz S-class sedan. According to Heidemann, "The passengers in the Smart car came out better than the ones in the S-class." “

Hummer H3: Okay patriots, let’s switch over to a made-in-America car now. The next generation HUMMER comes this spring to dealers, and to my driveway by Christmas 2005 (yeah right!). Really, Sonia wants one!!! (keep dreaming, Benj). Pricing starts around the mid-$30’s. The Hummer behemoths keep getting smaller and smaller, so maybe in about oh 10 years or so, Hummer will have a muscular looking competitor for the Smart Car?

Weak and wounded sinner

Here's a Chris Rice song that has blessed me lately. Downloadable here for just 88cents - Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus).

Verse 1
Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O raise your head for love is passin' by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live

Verse 2
Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain
So sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live

Verse 3
Like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk sometimes we fall
So fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live

Verse 4
Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain
Then cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live

Verse 5
O and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside
Then dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live

Verse 6
And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world good-bye
Then go in peace and laugh on glory's side
And fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live

Finger Dipping Iraqis

Great NY Times article quote:

"When Saddam was first toppled, liberty turned immediately into anarchy. But as Michael Rubin, who has spent much of the past two years in Iraq, observed yesterday in The Wall Street Journal, gradually the habits of moderation have begun to develop - the habits of self-regulating liberty, compromise, tolerance and power-sharing.

And then came Sunday's act of mass heroism. On the Internet and in interviews, Iraqis tried to convey the tactile feel of their new migration to normalcy.

"Every person has realized that he's not fighting alone in this battle," one voter wrote. "I moved to mark my finger with ink. I dipped it deep as if I was poking the eyes of all the world's tyrants."

They proudly described liberating themselves, finally making themselves the initiators of their own lives."