bierkergaard

Psalms 103: 15 & 16 (15)"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. (16) For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. " This morning I watched the film "The Big Lebowski" on Netflix "Instant Queue." Last night I read a reference to the movie in a New York Times article : The "Dissertations on His Dudeness." The title piqued my interest as I am a dude working on my dissertation. When I was in college, I used the word dude like Tourette's. My roommate from Carlisle, where "dude" was apparently not part of the local teen lexicon, picked it up from me. Then, his buddy, also from Carlisle, commented about the plethora of times my roommate now used the word dude. Kind of interesting how we pick up words from people we hang out with. When I worked with inner city juvenile delinquents, I had a whole vocab (now almost 25 years old) of hip urban slang th

Proverbs 27:17 "Iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the face of his friend. " Yesterday, in my fulfillment of my present House Husband duties (I have formed HH LLC, House Husband Limited Liability Corporation, to shield me from personal liability due to my dereliction of duties and other mishaps), I made a run down to Savemart to buy some vitamins for my wife to replenish her supply. She is trending towards taking vitamins daily (it has been hit-or-miss for quite some time) so I want to do what I can to encourage this recent development. Savemart is this odd combination of a retail store with all kinds of knick-knacks (and) a supplement megastore that has good prices and a good selection. Once you negotiate the narrow aisles, it is kind of like a video game to find an open lane, and pass all of the crappy food, hygiene products, auto ice scrapers, cheap stuffed animals, half-priced Christmas music, and etc., you arrive at Supplement Shangri-La . They have a Himalayan high s

Isaiah 28:10 " For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. " The word for precept in the Hebrew is a small step, like a brick in building a wall, for the instruction of a child. Here are my Top Ten resolutions for 2010...inspired by the "Baby-Step" concept from the film "What About Bob?" and Letterman's "Top Ten." 10) Don't write as long blogs. Brevity in blogs is better. The only bloggers who can get away from being short are geniuses like Malcolm Gladwell. I have a goal to be a professional writer (at least avocationally). I am blogging to sharpen my skills primarily, to encourage myself, and to provide perhaps some thoughts that help others. I generally take 30 minutes to write a blog. My goal is to get it down to 15 minutes. 9) Eat healthier organic fruits and vegetables. For three out of the four seasons, we will have organic vegetables and fruits to eat

For Christmas, I received an I-Phone. It was perhaps the second most wanted Christmas gift of all time....a very cool combo of tool and toy. The most desired gift of all time was a blue Schwinn banana-set bike with those handlebars that looked like chrome antlers in 1969. I was ready to lock horns all over town. My dad says now that he feared I was going to die if I didn't get this exact bike. Kids, take note on the strategy...act as if you will perish unless you receive that gift! With the gift of salvation, this is truly true. I was so excited...I remember taking the bike out Christmas Day in my jammies in the West Virginia snow to ride. The bike was cool. Kind of both a toy and tool, too--like the I-Phone. It is interesting how a bike to a kid signifies freedom and travel, a loosening of dependence on the parents. The bike was not only functional...it had style. These Smartphones' likewise give us information mobility (and the I-Phone does it best). It is also interesting t

Christmas greetings of good cheer from the wonderful state of California! After barely escaping the wintery wrath of a Pennsylvania blizzard last Saturday, Lina and I have been on a mission to experience California in all of its facets. This translates practically to our consuming copious quantities of Asian food, sleeping, shopping, and chilling with her parents. In regards to food, like a bear before turning in for hibernation, we are eating our fill (and then some). Starvation draws nigh when we return to Pa. The diets begin as soon as we land back in Pa. (with New Years Eve and New Years waivers). The other day we traveled through "Little Saigon" in L.A. which is more than just a little enclave of Vietnamese folk. Instead, it is like a country of mile after mile of Vietnamese stores and people. California's diversity is absolutely astonishing and a beautiful characteristic. Soon, we will return to the nearly Asianless lands of Lancaster. Waaah... Speaking of food...in

Romans 12:1 "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Several years ago I was on a date down in the DC/Baltimore area (everything down there just kind of merges into one area and one huge traffic jam). By the time the night came to a close, it was late and I was tired. On one of the "95'" beltways down there (695, 495, etc.) I went the wrong way and wound up in the early morning close to the Port of Baltimore. Realizing that I had run out of land, I surmised that I had to turn around. As an aside, here in California, the traffic jams are massive. Last night Lina and I went to meet a friend up in L.A. for Korean food. It took us over two hours to get there (but) later in the night, about 50 minutes to get back to her parents place. I am thinking that it might be wise to get one of of those vehicles that tourists sit in that go both on lan

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" Yesterday, as is our custom, we went to Saddleback Church to hear Rick Warren preach. Normally, on a typical Sunday morning, the commute would be a killer. Since we are out in California, the trip to church wasn't too long. Going to Saddleback is only our custom when we are visiting her parents who live in Laguna Niguel--about 30 minutes away from Saddleback's campus. Lina made a comment that Saddleback looks kind of like Disneyland. When we came driving in, parking lot after parking lot was full and we kept getting waved on to a distant lot. Finally, we skirted behind some "No Parking" cones where the lot was almost completely empty. The cones were obvious a remnant from a previous event. Fortuitously, we parked fairly close to the "Overdrive" venue (our goal) where Rock and Roll worship music is served up loud like a Boeing jet engine. Mentioning jets, we bare

A couple of months ago, in a blog posting, pastor and writer Mark Batterson happened to mention that his publisher Multnomah Books was going to give away some free copies of his newest book PRIMAL for bloggers to review. I thought, "Hey, I read, I blog ( Bierkergaard: "Where Theology Collides with Real Life," ) and I am writing a book (tentatively title "On the Edge: Helping Teens Successfully Transition to College ,"... it might be good for me to examine a book more seriously than just as a casual reader. I could learn not only content but also elements of style and structure. Oh yeah, another reason...I like free books. Providentially, I was deemed worthy to be one of the chosen bloggers to review the book. Anyone who knows me, and most who will read this blog posting do not so maybe it is a moot point, knows that I tell it like it is. I am not going to give a "T-Ball" equivalent of a review just to get more free books. I am going to throw this b

Today I mowed the yard. The reasons for doing such were two-fold. One, the grass seed that I had planted before we went out to Montana in September is growing at a faster rate than the other grass around it, creating an uneven appearance in the lawn. Since it has been warm up until recently, this grass has continued to grow. The disparity in height among the blades has become pronounced. Kind of like middle school among the kids... Frankly, I don't really care. But, lawn care in my neighborhood is treated as an art form and it looks bad if I don't behave according the the "Guild of the Grassmen" ethos. My newer grass is also greener. When Scott's came out at the end of September to re-seed the entire yard, the guy had said that the seeds he planted would replace my grass...and it is happening but slowly. I had planted the first round as it sprouted quicker and gave me time to give it about a weeks worth of water before we headed West. I figured that some grass wou

1 Tim 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. Yesterday afternoon, I ate three small Thai peppers. These bad boys, like a welterweight boxing champion--although small is stature--pack a mighty punch. I can often sneak stuff past my mouth but then my stomach goes, "Um, wait a minute! Will you please stop eating the equivalent of hot coals?" These peppers were leftovers from some Thai cooking I made several days ago. I am thinking of making a "Noel Necklace" out of the red and green ones and take it out to California for Christmas which I sure will impress the locals. I was very disappointed when Lina and I last went to Bangkok Wok in Mechanicsburg and they appeared to not honor my request to make my dish mildly hot. The dish had no heat. I wept harsh tears from the loss. They probably thought that since I am a white boy, that I couldn't take it. Not so, I used to work at a Mexican r

I reviewed a J.I. Packer essay on C.S. Lewis from Christianity Today (1998) and cut and pasted the most profound thoughts. Everything below is J.I. Packer...nothing is Eric Bierker. The secret lies in the blend of logic and imagination in Lewis's make-up, each power as strong as the other, and each enormously strong in its own right. The best teachers are always those in whom imagination and logical control combine, so that you receive wisdom from their flights of fancy as well as a human heartbeat from their logical analyses and arguments. This in fact is human communication at its profoundest, for in the sending-receiving process of both lobes of the brain (left for logic, right for imagination) are fully involved, and that gives great depth and strength to what is heard. The teaching of Jesus presents itself as the supreme example here. Because Lewis's mind was so highly developed in both directions, it can truly be said of him that all of his arguments (including his liter

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. Last night I was awake in bed. It was around 12:30. My heart hurt. When I get worried about things, my left knee aches and my heart hurts. These are two physical signs of stress. Sometimes, I am not aware that I am worried about things until my knee and heart hurt. They are like the lights on a car's dashboard. The doctoral study has been on my mind a lot recently. From what I can tell, and from what I have heard from people who have seen what I have done, all signs are pointing to the fact that I have conducted the study excellently thus far. We are all prone to give ourselves higher grades than we deserve. But, when people I trust tell me that they think I have progressed well, then I have to think that I have. The problem thus far has been engagement from the students and parents from my school district. I see the great need to help our students and parents understand college planning better. I have

Last night I was watching a portion of the top 100 songs of the 90's on VH1. It was pretty interesting how many of the songs I had never heard of before. Being that I didn't have cable or listen to "secular" songs for most of the 90's, it is clear that I had some Michael Strahan-like gaps in my musical teeth from that era. One song that I was familiar with was Joan Osborne's "One of Us" which was written by Eric Bazilian from the Philly-based band The Hooters (not the restaurant!). By the year 2000, I had escape from my cultural isolation and went to see Joan Osborne play at the Chameleon among other artists from 2000 on. It was a good show. There is much in the song that moves me musically and lyrically. While I will never agree that Jesus is a "slob like one us," the Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus became "Sin for us." (2 Cor 5:21) . This is not to say that Jesus became a sinner, though (crucial clarification). I fi

1 Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites Solomon was around the age of 18 when he became King of Israel. Most 18 year old you wouldn't want running a Chuck E. Cheese, let alone a country surrounded by enemies. Yet, Solomon prayed for wisdom and God gave it to him, to rule the people. The interesting and ironic thing is that Solomon was a much better king as teenager than when he was older. The wisdom God had given to him, a gift greater than gold, created in Solomon pride. And, pride comes before the fall. Matthew Henry says of this verse and of Solomon: "This chapter begins with as melancholy a "but" as almost any we find in all the Bible. Hitherto we have read nothing of Solomon but what was great and good; but the lustre both of his goodness and of his greatness is here sullied and eclipsed, and his sun sets under a cloud." Praise be to

Revelation 7:3 "Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. " Kermit the Frog sang the song "It's Not That Easy Being Green" decrying the ordinariness of being green. An alternate title for the song could be "I am Blue About Being Green." Being green does help a frog to not be spotted and eaten by a hawk...so it is a question truly of perspective. Yesterday I received an email that I assumed since I have "Green" ecological tendencies on food issues and the environment and affiliate myself to Green organizations and get their emails, that somehow that made me automatically anti-Conservative. The email was a pitch for me to join the cell phone service CREDO Mobile because, unlike ATT and Verizon, CREDO Mobile does not contribute to Conservative candidates or causes. Instead, CREDO Mobile is the leading corporate sponsor of Planned Parenthood. I emailed the Gree

I have been listening a lot to to Linkin Park Valentine's Day (video) . Here are some of the lyrics: My insides all turned to ash, so slow, And blew away as I collapsed, so cold A black wind took them away, from sight, And held the darkness over day, that night And the clouds above move closer, Looking so dissatisfied But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing, I used to be my own protection, but not now Cause my path had lost direction, somehow, A black wind took you away, from sight And held the darkness over day, that night And the clouds above move closer, Looking so dissatisfied And the ground below grew colder, As they put you down inside But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing So now you're gone, and I was wrong, I never knew what it was like, to be alone On a Valentine's Day, on a Valentine's Day, On a Valentine's Day, on a Valentine's Day On a Valentine's Day, on a Valentine's Day, (I used to be my own protection, but not now) Kind of re

1 Thess. 5:14 We entreat you also, Brothers--warn the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, give a helping hand to the weak, and be patient with every one. One aspect of my doctoral work is researching the nature of authority, particularly parental authority. Our culture, as a rule, has ambivalence towards authority. Ever since the landing of the Pilgrims, through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, Vietnam, and now Iraq and Afghanistan, the wars that we have fought have ultimately been questions about authority. When the Founding Fathers essentially and eloquently told King George to stick it, this exhibits the rebellious attitude of Americans that has been a defining characteristic. When Hitler went about executing his 1,000 year Reich demonic vision, Americans stood in the gap and said "Not so fast" and acted as a bulwark and then a bulldozer against Nazi aggression. It can be argued that American rebellion has historically been aligned with righteousness (that American

Genesis 2:7 "And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. " The breath word used (of life) neshama "nesh-aw-maw" (Hebrew) means vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect; a blast, (that) breath(-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit. It is only used in the Bible when human beings are being discussed from what I can discern. I have been considering "The Weight of Glory" essay by C.S. Lewis. I have to admit that there are times in the essay quite often that I get lost in C.S. Lewis' ideas and writing. I was used to having this happen to me in Physics class. But, with writing, this does not happen often. It seemed as if God, through the confluence of circumstances, brought me anew to this piece. The unnerving realization that I have come to is that I thought that I had understood the essay before. Reading it with fresh eyes reveals that there is much learning yet to

Recently I downloaded, for free, several books from Olive Tree. Here is a listing of the free resources for the I-Phone. Free is only on my side of the equation. It cost Olive Tree dollars to place this resources for free in their I-Phone App. and website. One of the books that I downloaded, Pilgrim's Progress , was written by author John Bunyan when he was in prison. So, he most certainly was not free when he penned his classic work. Most of the authors of the "free" works wrote under duress and difficulties many centuries ago. John Calvin wrote the Institutes of the Christian Religion in the midst of an busy household and active, and at times, difficult pastorate in Geneva...not in the confines and quietness of a library. He wrote it primarily for his countrymen, the French. "I labored at the task [writing The Institutes] especially for our Frenchmen, for I saw that many were hungering and thirsting after Christ and yet that only a few had any real knowledg

Posting this essay by C.S. Lewis "Weight of Glory" just seemed appropriate as we celebrate Thanksgiving. I am not one to avoid pontification but when I come across the work of C.S. Lewis, I humbly and reverentially stop typing and let him speak for himself. Who am I to critique and comment about the literary Michelangelo ? I play with crayons in comparison. St. Augustine wrote, "Let your thinks be thanks" or something to that effect. I am thanking God today for C.S. Lewis and how influential and inspirational he was to me as a young Christian and even today. When you have a chance, share which C.S. essay or work had the most impact on you and why.

Matthew 13: 33 "Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. " This morning I went to make some bread from the whole wheat berry (everything from the wheat seed is ground up...even the whole wheat from the store takes out elements). White bread is a bizarre freakazoid "food." Processing takes most of the nutrients out, and the enrichment puts them back in (often lab versions thereof) . Wonder Bread? I wonder what is in it. Me making bread? Yes, when I mentioned that I am now a House Husband making the bread while my wife is making it, I was not exaggerating as a literary device. I am really enjoying the House Husband role. I had made some bread last week from the same organic whole wheat berry flour mix (I buy is from a guy here in Columbia...I am really starting to appreciate interacting with people who run their own businesses as I get to know them

For some people, the word "Theology" reminds them of pipe-smoking blazer tweed-suit with elbow patches middle-aged men posturing about obscure doctrines in the echo chamber of academia. Theological ping-pong as it were where the process of the little white balls going back and forth over the net of debate is primarily for the jollies and amusements of the professors with paddles playing. The ball only has bounce, weight, and the motion of significance, in that dead air. Take the same game outside the walls, the pristine white ping-pong balls blow away when the brisk and strong winds of reality come a blowin'. The professors with paddles retreat back to the dusty and safe room, and get the help to drag the ping-pong table back inside. Or they drag the table back inside and one of him throws out his back and the other rips his boxers. Lina and I have heard two extremely obscure and long-winded sermons in the last few years about Baptism that caused her to go comatose in the

The development of idioms is a fascinating subject to me. Sometimes sayings develop in an era where there is a product, process, or person where everyone knows the specific reference. Such as when people rode horses, telling someone to "Hold your horses" meant literally to keep your horse unmounted and unrode until others could resolve matters at hand. Now, the specific saying has taking on a general meaning "chill-out" and horses themselves, are no longer part of the equation. One time I told a black kid at the Reform School I was working at to "Keep your cotton-picking hands off of that." He looked at me askance and was offended and he should have been. I had never thought about the cultural and historical context of that saying until then. Since then, I have tried to not use it as it is a reference to slavery-era lingo. Don't even get me started about these Bubbas who drive around their pick-up trucks with Confederate Flag license plates. Take your

My old shopping haunt, Redner's in Columbia, is now a Musser's Market. It is much cleaner place now with better food, more help, but less of that biker ambiance that I had come to love about Redner's. Lina didn't like going there because it was kind of icky like a man's bathroom. The old Musser's in Columbia is now a bargain food outlet. It is truly a food chain here. A store moving out, a store moving up, and a store moving in...the ecosystem of food retail. The proprietors of this new bargain food outlet are these two really awesome Indian ladies. One is older and one is younger. Actually, I am not sure who owns the place officially. I think it is a family venture that the ladies work at while their husbands work other jobs to probably keep the store afloat until it is self-sustaining. Fortunately, rent-wise, it is hardly Park Ave, NYC. I stopped by a week or two ago to see what the deal with the new place was...from the outside, there is no indication that i