According to this story, urine may be an ideal power source for hydrogen powered cars. Yay science! Also, in case that idea does not totally gross you out/inspire you, how about pee powered batteries?
Just a quick post to say I'm speaking this Sunday at Mennville Church so if anyone wants to pray for me, feel free. I'd really appreciate it!
P.S. My speaking will be somewhat different from Mr. Spurgeon's (at right). Nice pulpit though, wouldn't you agree?
(Click to enlarge)
I thought I would try something different for awhile: ASBO Jesus Fridays. In case you weren't aware, ASBO Jesus is Jon Birch's cartoonist's Blog. A little left of center, his cartoons are sometimes funny, sometimes controversial, but always challenge me in some way. I don't agree with everything he say (or implies!) but I often enjoy his artistic approach to exploring faith issues. As a caveat I will say that I don't support everything he writes but believe I can still learn something from those I disagree with. Enjoy, and feel free to comment on what thoughts and questions the cartoons bring out for you . . .
The Globe and Mail had a short but very interesting article about some research done by Peggy Kleinplatz at the University of Ottawa. Apparently when she put out the call for "great lovers" she was contacted by many older married couples - those who had enjoyed marriage for over 25 years. Kleinplatz found that:
-Several ingredients for “great sex” emerged: being present; connection; deep sexual and erotic intimacy; extraordinary communication; interpersonal risk-taking and exploration; authenticity; vulnerability, and transcendence.
-Optimal sex gets surprisingly better with experience and becomes self-perpetuating.
-Aging may be an asset towards optimal sexual development.
-The findings go against how popular culture portrays fantastic sex, a depiction that stresses performance, technique and novelty. This image of sex sends mixed messages that create unrealistic expectations, anxiety, shame and guilt.
The study brings up an interesting point, what if most of the messages we hear about sex in the media (magazines, TV, movies, internet) are based on untruths? Maybe sex before marriage isn't "normal" or "healthy" and maybe it's not impossible to wait til your wedding? Maybe you don't have to be super skinny/buff/attractive to attract a sexual partner and be able to enjoy great sex? Maybe seeing soft or hard porn actually does affect a person in their heart and mind and will affect their relationships in negative ways? Maybe sex is not only for the young but can actually be better and hotter as you age? I love it when research shows us that our ideas, the ideas we are fed everyday can be wrong, even damaging. Perhaps for us Christ-followers we need to be reminded every now and then that the media isn't the best source for our ideas and info on sexual intimacy . . . and that sometimes we start to believe the lies that we hear - and shouldn't.
This is one of the most unbelievable things I have ever heard of:
Read the story here.
Camp Morton Yurts, Manitoba Review (and suggestions)
This past weekend my family did something new: instead of our usual tent camping at the wilderness area of Camp Morton Provincial Park we accepted the invitation of the illustrious Howe's (a very cool families in our church) and went "yurting" instead. Yurts are modern outdoor tent structures based on the refined designs used for centuries by Mongolian nomads.
Let me just say, for someone who is mostly a wilderness camper staying in a campground (even in yurt) seemed in principle to be a betrayal of my camping philosophy. My philosophy can be summed up like this:
1. Be as far away from other campers/people/civilization as possible.
2. As much as possible, carry all your own gear, be self propelled.
3. Travel light and simply.
All of my philosophy had to be thrown out the window. Instead I tentatively tried what Manitoba parks calls "comfort camping." What does this mean? Basically, you are coddled. Instead of a tent you get a large 16 foot diameter yurt complete with rustic bunk bed, table/chairs, futon, armoir, and coat tree. Not only this, but the yurt has lights, yes that's right, ELECTRICITY. You have dimmable lights, power sockets, a fan, and (I kid you not) an electric heater. A large transparent (and openable) dome in the ceiling lets you see the stars or sky at all times. Outside your door you have a nice covered deck and kitchen area which is great for cooking (no cooking in the yurt). There is also an outside light there. In front of your deck you have your own firepit, a picnic table, and you own personal wagon for transporting your stuff from the car to your site. It was so cushy that it was overwhelming. And I'm ashamed to say that we did, ahem, use the heater when it got a bit cool in the evening. Yes we did and I enjoyed it's toasty warmness. Here's a few pics:
Front of yurt and deck.
An Indian once compared love with a bowl of soup and marriage with the hot plate of a stove and said: "You Westerners put a hot bowl on a cold plate and it grows cold slowly. We put a cold bowl on a hot stove and it warms up slowly."
I liked this quote. It catches the spirit of why arranged marriages can actually work, and often work well. In most Western marriages, couples attempt to experience most of the best parts of marriage before they get married. Sex, cohabitation, domestic sharing, even children. Yet they are not fully committed. Try before you buy. Experiencing and embracing all of these things without the safety and security of a firm marriage commitment is not just anti-Christian, but creates huge emotional/attachment issues. It is no wonder that so many Western marriages end in disillusionment and divorce. Yet their strength is that there is freedom and consent, and often some form of love.
The strength of arranged marriages is their foundation of commitment. Arranged marriages definitely have severe drawbacks (especially when you don't have the enthusiastic consent of both parties). They usually do not start on a foundation of love (or even "like"), which seems to be a foundational necessity. Arranged marriages focus too strongly on the commitment aspect and are weak on love, something that is just as necessary for a marriage to grow and flourish. Although cultural norms do not encourage those in arranged marriages to divorce, many of these relationships are cold and lifeless.
Commitment and love must both be present and in high amounts in order for marriage to survive and thrive. Although it is best and most fulfilling to have these at the start of a serious relationship there is still much hope for those who didn't have one or both of these. And that is why I do what I do . . .
The following is from an article in a newsletter sent out by joint ventures specialist, Robin J. Elliot. Elliot is a businessman (and also a Christian) but I like reading his newsletter for the general feeling of inspiration that I get when I read it:
"I Don't Feel Like It"
How many times have you said, "I don't feel like it", but you go ahead anyway and do it, and you're very happy you did? In life and in business, feelings are not always the ideal indicator, especially when they involve a spot of sloth or discomfort on your part.
Recently, my amazing daughter urged me to go for a ride with her on a wild-looking machine at the fairgrounds that whirled people around upside down, high above the ground. The last time I rode on one of those things, I was a teenager. Now I'm 56, but I agreed to accompany her. I didn't feel like it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it! My wife persuaded me to go to Disney World for the first time. I certainly didn't feel like that, but I did it, and I loved it. After that, we visited Disneyland as well! Yesterday, my two friends suggested we jump off the boat and swim in the cold waters of Howe Sound off Horseshoe Bay. I didn't feel like it, but I dived in, and it was great.
Do you think athletes feel like training for hours every day, in all kinds of weather, enduring constant pain? How about that awful food they eat on their special diets? Don't you thing they feel like gobbling fatty burgers or lining up at the trough for ice cream? How often do they feel like quitting? Those who do quit don't win the gold medals. The same goes for entrepreneurs. Someone once said, "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."
Note, in the above quote, that the author says, "Reached and KEPT" - it's OK to win once, but to keep on winning, you have to discipline your feelings and urges. Ross Perot said, "Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment." Beware - pride comes before the fall.
Lee Iacocca said, "I learned to keep going, even in bad times. I learned not to despair, even when my world was falling apart. I learned that there are no free lunches. And I learned the value of hard work." And Jim Rohn said, "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. One discipline always leads to another discipline." That's good news - doing the right thing instead of the easy thing becomes a good habit.
Small habits that get good results need to be developed and maintained in order to reap long-term rewards. Those who quit easily and seek the fast buck never get anywhere, and they develop a reputation for excuses and for not being reliable. James Allen said, "Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound. The man who does not shrink from self-crucifixion can never fail to accomplish the object upon which his heart is set." That self-discipline to do the right thing in spite of what you feel, is what separates the men from the boys.
Champions don't make excuses, and they fight on, regardless of their feelings, comfort zone, or the opinions of others. When losers tell them, "Don't work too hard, take it easy, rest more, dress down, don't be so aggressive, don't upset people", winners simply go deaf. They associate with other winners and hear only their mentors and coaches. Do the right thing, continuing in good and bad times to do the right thing, in spite of what you feel. Conquer yourself, and you can reach any goal you wish.
Robin J. Elliott
www.DollarMakers.com
