bierkergaard

Ecc 3:11 It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people's minds. Yet, mortals still can't grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end [of time]. With the ensuing move from my current domicile, I packed away most of my possessions yesterday with the plan to start moving everything pronto. Then, I was informed that the tenant in my future residence has not yet vacated. The month notice, legal in nature and several follow up phone calls, apparently failed to impress the current tenants. Legal action uttered by the Property Manager has unstuck the matter. Thus, I have a garage full of goods, my regular coffee is buried in the rubble. I resorted to Plan B. I bought some already ground Peet's Uzuri African blend yesterday afternoon. Uzuri means beautiful in Swahili as you can read above. For the coffee novices out there, Peet's Coffee, was the inspiration for Starbucks. The characteri...

I have been jettisoning a lot of my possessions in preparation for my impending move. Like a man throwing cargo overboard in the storm, I have discovered a profound sense of freedom. Being in the Digital Age helps. What used to be material is now electrical (Spotify, Kindle, etc).   Moving reminds us of the transitory nature of existence. Our possessions give us the impression of permanence, all the while both they and us are passing away, a little more each day. It can be imperceptible because the interval is small, like the small hand of the clock. Over time, seconds become hours, days, months, years, and a life. A crack becomes an abyss.   I recall my last move when I transported my Desktop computer. With all of the wires, dust, and bulkiness (the monitor itself was the weight of a bowling ball), it was a major operation to unplug, move, and plug everything back in. The wires alone looked like a pasta bowl of tangled strands, with dust bu...

"The Smaller the Love, the Greater the Fear" Martin Luther I came across this quote from Martin Luther, the great German Reformer. It was part of the 95 Theses that he nailed to that door in Wittenberg on Oct 31 many moons ago. It is # 14 to be exact. I really didn't know that it was part of the 95 Theses. The great god of Google had to inform me. Being that Oct 31 is Reformation Day as a result, it seemed wise and good to post. The practice of Indulgences was what Luther was railing and nailing against, as if money could hasten a release of a soul from Purgatory. As if Christ's death was not enough, once and for all. Fear motivated people to give, not faith. For if they had faith, they would not fear. Unless things are done from love, there is always fear at the door. Love is the only thing that overcomes death. It was what caused Jesus to go to the Cross, and to come out three days later. Be wary of guilt-peddlers, promising relief, inst...

1 Cor 15:26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. The sinking of the HMS Bounty and the death of one of the crew members and the presumed death of the Captain, provides an illustration into the nature of tragedy. Although there are no easy theological answers, the Bible does provide illumination in understanding such events. Let us call it a box, four sides. First, we grasp that the world is full of trouble. From beginning to end, the Scriptures are entirely honest about death and destruction. The Bible in many ways is a brutal and beautiful book, it mirrors reality. No Pie in the Sky, its telling of human history is unflichingly honest. God tells us the Truth. Life is hard and harsh at times. More like stars and scars. There is blood in the book, there is blood on the book. Second, some tragedies are of our own doing. The Bounty set sail trying to outrun Hurricane Sandy and got caught instead by it...

I have been writing a book for the last century it seems for students going to college. I am really trying to take an atypical approach. Rather than blather on, I hit the themes of college hard but briefly and trust that the emerging adults are smart enough to get the point so I don't have to pulverize my thoughts into a book like Gerbers strained peas. One principle I emphasize is "No risk equals no reward" and that a good part of the challenge of life is taking good risks. If you are not willing to wager, you won't win type of deal. But, one of the challenges of writing a book is to write something but to do so from the safety of the desk. This evening, I put my word into action and climbed a tree. Below is an excerpt from my book, " On The Edge, Helping Students Transition Imaginatively to College": Mark Batterson shared this in his sermon “Looking Foolish” on December 20, 2006: “A few months ago I was reading the writings of John Muir—the...

  Today, actually yesterday (I have not yet slept) , my buddy and I made a pilgrimage of sorts to Wilmington, Delaware, to the former house of Reggae legend Bob Marley--when he lived in the States, worked for DuPont, and a Chrysler Assembly plant. No fooling. This is me sitting on the steps of the home. I enhanced the photo with a PhotoShop sunburst. I had no idea the picture would turn out so cool. Marley's cousin still lives in the home. We chatted with her briefly, even a little about Frankenstorm.   It is fair to say the house is in the 'hood. Not a whole lot of white boys around walking their Labradoodles, let us put it that way. Although not the inner city, the block looked like it has its share of issues. A neighbor pulled up in 65K Bentley, not something that one can get working at K-Mart. Ironically, it had a handicapped parking tag on it. Drug dealing most likely. Or some activity generating significant amount of Benjamins.   My budd...