Disillusionment

There really aren't over 100 words for "snow" in the Inuit language. According to this, there's at most 24, and that's stretching the definition of 'word'.

And the Great Wall of China isn't visible from space. At least not according to NASA.


I love a good, cool bit of trivia, and I tend to hear it and assimilate it straight away, just assuming it's true, trusting liberally. I think I learned the Great Wall of China thing from the movie "The Truman Show", for example.

So yeah, it's disappointing, especially coming from NASA. The snow-word guy even kinda rubs it in our faces by finding 40 English words for different types of snow. Kinda mean.

There's another similar kind of thing that upsets me, too --
For instance, there's this funny dead bunny story I heard this popular teacher tell, claiming it happened to her.... Well, this site says it's an Urban myth, originating in 1989, retold by many since then, each presenting themselves as the dog owner. Is it a weird form of plagiarism -- co-opting someone else's story or joke, presenting it as your own even though it'd be just as funny to just tell properly credited? ?
Or maybe this bizarre sequence of events really did happen to all these people? It's a big world, after all...But then how does it only seem to happen to famous people? And one of the people that told the story after 1989 -- Michael Landon!!! He was Pa!!!! Like I said....disillusionment.

Impressed

I am so thankful that I was allowed to go to a conference the last two days with my church, Lifepoint.
Amazing speakers, powerful ideas, and inspiring stories.

Here's one:
A young women who co-founded Kiva, an organization that 'connects people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty'.
Kiva allows people with at least $25 and an internet connection to become lenders -- they can lend money to entrepreneurs to start their businesses.
They're called 'microloans' -- these entrepreneurs can't access regular banks because of their financial situations.
The average size of the loan is less than $1000, and the loan default rate is less than 2%. (98% of loans are paid back.)

For a small taste, watch this:





She reminded me of a young woman at work whose calling is to help oppressed women (she just doesn't know the details yet).

They are representative of the best parts of this Millennial generation: their idealism, their optimism. It's informed idealism/optimism, too -- it's not like they don't see what's wrong. They just actually believe it's possible to right it.

JoyList!

1. Creation 2009! I'm really looking forward to this!! I've been learning so much in the preparing....it's going to be so much fun...the group we're going with is fantastic.





2. Artomatic 2009! I am really looking forward to this! A co-worker told me about it...I think I can make it on the LAST DAY. I want to buy a print of this: (part of the Eye Project. This one is called 'Laurel'. Artist Mark Shumaker)











3. Lucas!! He's doing really well at TTU! Makes me feel proud of him.

4. I GOT MY LIBRARY CARD!!! Oh, how I love a library. It feels like a sanctuary to me. All the colors of the spines of the books.....programs advertised on bulletin boards....all that possibility just surrounding you.

5. A Wife for Doug...Possibly. SHould we do it? Get a little girl pug puppy, let her grow up and make cute little pug puppies with Doug? I'm considering it....

Last Night As I Was Sleeping (2nd verse)

Last night, as I was sleeping,
I dreamt -- marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

-Antonio Machado

*My friend Shannon knows a lot of Spanish (I'd say she's fluent, but she's probably say she isn't) and she was telling me that translation of poetry includes thinking about the way the words sound, so some of the words aren't direct translations...
"Marvellous error" can also be "blessed illusion"...."Failure" is "Bitternesses, sorrows"
I love either set of words, I love this idea so much.

polamaLOVE

persecution for doing good

The Bible teaches that you're blessed when you are persecuted for His sake. Just eternally? Or eventually in the land of the living, too?

Does "doing the right thing" classifies as "for his sake", or is this just for people persecuted while worshipping, evangelizing, etc.

How do you encourage someone who is in the midst of it? How do you pray for them?

These aren't rhetorical questions. If you have answers, I need them!