Monday, September 21, 2009

underlined in green

I have a problem. I have "grammar check" turned on in Microsoft Word. It underlines sentences in green that are too long. Or it will underline the “or” if I begin a sentence with “or” and the “and” if I end a sentence with and. It is quite helpful really. It also underlines all my passive clauses. I try to write actively. It is more powerful.

However, many times when I am writing about the Church or myself I must use a passive voice because it is so often God who is acting when and where we cannot. This is when Microsoft's green grammar police comes out and blows the whistle on me. But I must ignore it. This story about God and His people has a lot of action in it. God is an active God. I and the rest of His Church are being redeemed.

Friday, January 16, 2009

tithes and offerings

Rest and sleep seem to often be considered as one and the same. Maybe this is because our only rest comes in the form of sleep? To be fully awake in mind during rest sounds odd. Yet, I find that in alert resting I hear most clearly my Lord’s voice. Yet, knowing this, I am awed at how sparingly I devote my alert times to restful devotion.

As God’s children, we tithe the first fruits of the blessings he has provided for us, rather than our leftovers. God provides sleep to those he loves. God provides rest to those he loves. Sleep and rest are not wholly synonymous. It seems quite logical that giving God our most alert times for restful study, devotion, and contemplative prayer is akin to offering him our first fruits. May God grant you and I the discipline to improve our tithes and offerings.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

150 logoi (words)

Mark Twain once wrote, “Sorry I have written such a long letter, I did not have time to write a short one.” Choosing words wisely is a tedious task, which requires discipline. Ideas are expressed in many ways. The written word is one of the cardinal mediums of idea communication. Words express ideas. Too few words can leave an idea unexpressed and misunderstood. Too many words can confuse, belabor, or even hide the lack of a clear idea.

I claim no mastery of word concision. Rather, I recognize my natural tendency to use too many words. This is why I have chosen to create this blog and devote it to stretching my ability or inability of communicating ideas through 150 words or less. I hope you and I will find these short blogs enjoyable, edifying, and challenging. This is my first attempt in the blogging universe. I ask for patience.