We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls. ~ Mother Teresa…
Month: January 2010
Why we love California
“Growing up in northern California has had a big influence on my love and respect for the outdoors. When I lived in Oakland, we would think nothing of driving to Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz one day and then driving to the foothills of the Sierras the next day.” ~ Tom Hanks Where was…
The miracles of cotton and denim
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ~ Jesus (Matthew 6:25) This pic is not particularly inspiring, but it evokes in…
Art in everyday life
“What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.†~ Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way After weeks of…
Knowing how to use the three sea shells
“How’s that damn three seashell thing work?” ~ Sylvester Stallone as John Spartan in Demolition Man I am always thinking about how to do things smarter and easier. When things irritate me, I think, “how can I avoid this irritation?” That’s why, for instance, I created a whole series of ranting articles on my Pet…
Thoughtful design in everyday things
Design is intelligence made visible. ~ Alina Wheeler I have the opportunity to look at this lock a few times a day, and I noticed a few intriguing things about it. First, it employs one-way screws – you can screw them in, but you can’t take them out! Well, not without special methods, like using…
Like a patient farmer
Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. ~ James 7:5 I previously passed this picturesque tilled field, and now, almost two weeks later, no…
It was a dark and stormy night
Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Well, at least dark. This is just an end of the day pic on my street. The moon looks nice up top. I am a night…
Storms and the beauty of clouds
Clouds and darkness surround us, yet Heaven is just, and the day of triumph will surely come, when justice and truth will be vindicated. ~ Mary Todd Lincoln I love living in California, mostly because of the dry, warm weather. But during the winter, we get lots of rain, and with the rain, sometimes we…
What IS God’s Problem?
My hope in writing the book is certainly not to encourage readers to become agnostic, the path that I took. It is instead to help people think, both about this biggest of all possible questions and about the historically and culturally significant religious responses to it that can be found in the most important book…
The value of (LOL)Cats
“I love cats because I enjoy my home; and little by little, they become its visible soul.†~ Jean Cocteau (1889 – 1963) French poet I am a “cat person” – I mean, I like all animals, including dogs, but I wouldn’t live with other animals. Dogs are for people who like to play and…
Home cooking makes a house a home
“A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.†~ Phillip Moffitt, Buddhist Teacher from Spirit Rock Church One of the things I love about being married, and my wife in particular, is that the house is often filled with the yummy smells of home cooking. Whether it’s home made…
Still demanding more out of my cell phone
From cell phones to computers, quality is improving and costs are shrinking as companies fight to offer the public the best product at the best price. But this philosophy is sadly missing from our health-care insurance system. ~ Arizona Congressman John Shadegg (R) I like my Motorola Droid, I really do. But it has some…
My caffeine addiction
Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised. ~Star Trek: Voyager I admit it – I love my morning coffee. I’ve quit caffeine before, but I always go back. Why? Not enough sleep, the love of the creamy sugary boost, the smell, the taste. This cup is what I have in my car every morning. So…
I hate dirty jobs – actually, most manual labor
“I’m going to cross this off the list and never come back here again.” ~ Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs I hate manual labor. I am not really built for it mentally. Don’t get me wrong, I can do it, but I don’t get the same kind of satisfaction others seem to. And when I…
Simple things make children happy
The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple eauty of nature….
Tule Fog season
Truth is the torch that gleams through the fog without dispelling it. ~ Claude Adrien Helvétius (French Philosopher) What is Tule Fog (prounounced “TOO-lee”)? It’s the thick, daily fog we get in the mornings in the Great Central Valley of California (and it is great, as in large), every winter from about Thanksgiving to Valentine’s…
Some commutes are better than others
“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to it’s liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.” ~ Thomas Jefferson I had to stop on my way in this morning to capture this…
Ever feel like you are being watched from above?
“If I were reincarnated, I’d want to come back a buzzard. Nothing hates him or envies him or wants him or needs him. He is never bothered or in danger, and he can eat anything.†~ William Faulkner As I walked to Starbuck’s for an afternoon passion tea, I felt some beady eyes looking at…
One point twenty-one gigawatts
“The way I see it, if you’re gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?” ~ Dr. Emmett Brown So I was driving home last night kind of fast, when suddenly, lightning struck my car! Right at that moment, my camera took this picture. Wait? What year is…