bierkergaard

I am a bit of a history buff...not esoteric material, but of crucial world events, where the door of destiny hinged on decisions made, both great and what appeared to be inconsequential. How about David spotting Bathsheba bathing, sending for her, committing adultery, then killing her husband Uriah? A brief moment became eternally monumental, and the consequences cascade through history even today. For Israel, as a kingdom, cracked that night. Solomon rose and fell, following his father's sexual proclivity, and quite prodigiously at that. I recently finished watching the impressive John Adams miniseries based on David McCullough's book. Jefferson came across rather poorly in contrast to Adams...what can one say, McCullough is a Yank. All men are sinners, Adams and Jefferson alike. What is remarkable is not that these Founding Fathers were icons of purity and innocence. Instead, as flawed individuals--with their own sins, hypocrisies, and vanities--that the American Revolution ...

Last night I came to a chapter in the book I am reading about the history of the German people and it was the chapter about A.H. One of the people everyone agrees is in Hell (maybe even Rob Bell). I decided to forgo reading it because I was getting ready to go to sleep. I was going to take the book to bed but then thought better of it. Here is why...I try to start and end my day on positive thoughts. Reading about a demonic madman may be instructive and necessary--just like studying Ebola--so we know how to combat the evil. Just not 10:00 at night. I decided to read Mark Batterson's Soul Print instead. A much happier choice.

The other day, I was out a-mowing the estate grounds when suddenly my lawnmower stopped running. My strategies as a mechanically-declined individual were few. I had two before heading to the shop. Check the gas. Hmmm. Plenty of petrol. Maybe it is the spark plug? I happened to have a spare spark plug in the shed so I replaced it. It might not have been the problem, but my lawn mower eventually started back up so I am asking no questions. Great quotes are like spark plugs. They provide a jump start to get us inspired. For certain, we need more than quotes to cut grass, but it gets us off to a roaring start. I am convinced that all of the sermons that I have ever heard can be captured in spirit by a single quote. For instance, a pastor at Lancaster Christian Missionary Alliance Church once said that "You can't unring a bell" and that taught me to be careful about what I say and how I say it. We can't reel words back in. Here are a few quotes that I have around our hou...

I am pretty even-keeled guy. My temperament is one of trying to not over-react to things, take a deep breath, and wait until the initial rush of anger subsides before responding. Good attributes for a school counselor. Can't say I was so tranquil out on the rugby field when I played but otherwise I am chill. Here is an article about revenge from Lifehacker . There is one place where anger sometimes gets the best of me...when I drive and someone does something intentionally dangerous. Like drive less than a car-length from the back of my bumper at a high rate of speed. That p____s me off. I have been hit from the back twice in the last four years and been in two hit-and-run accidents where I was completely and totally innocent. So, I am a little defensive. All of the other drivers acted dangerously intentionally...it was not just a dumb driving mistake where I am inclined to treat it as just one of those things. My automotive anger is actually something I have been praying about...