bierkergaard

I am a big believer in just doing something rather than nothing. Let me explain. We are told a lot to dream big and have a vision for our lives. While generally good advice, it can also be intimidating. Where do I start, how long is this going to take, will I succeed or fall on my face? Ah, forget it. Let me tidy up my rut rather than try to climb out of it. Dreams demand a lot and wishes weigh heavy. Prayers come at a price. Resolutions can lead to dissolution, then to depression. Maybe it would be better to see goals as moving in the right direction versus some over-arching triumph. For instance, this morning I woke up early at 5:00 am. My body pretty much gets me up around 5 no matter what. Doesn't really matter what time I fall asleep. I wish I could adjust my internal clock like the I-Phone alarm clock for those days of the week where I am not off to work. No such luck. Sometimes I can get to 5:30 which is sleeping in for me. Fortunately, my body cooperates with compensatory...

I found myself circling key ideas and thoughts throughout this book--which is appropriate considering that author Craig Groeschel uses three circles to illustrate his three key principles of "Core Values," "Spiritual Gifts," and "Past Experiences." Visit www.chazown.com for the illustration of these 3 concepts. How does one get into the Chazown Zone? In Logic, where three circles overlap is where all three circles share a common characteristic, so it becomes a major unifying theme. Like a tripod, the revelation, and vision (Chazown is the Hebrew word for such an idea) rests as a camera on these three ideas. Reading this book gives to the reader a panoramic picture of how to go from here (present state) to the Chazown Zone. As such, it should help readers define the three ideas into practical steps. You can get there from here! I like how the book concludes in that Groeschel explains that we are accountable to God in the end how well we worked out what God ...

While out in California, Lina and I watched Oliver Stone's Alexander. The film, suitably epic in its ambition to capture an epic story, fell short. Nearly epic. Yet, it did seem to be an accurate retelling of the rise and fall of Alexander the Great. Stone should have told Angelina Jolie to can the Russian accent. She played Olympias, the diabolical and duplicitous mother of Alexander. Everyone else in the film, except a minor actor in a small role who seemed to be channeling a Scottish accent from Braveheart, spoke in a more or less American accent. But Jolie laid the Russian accent on thick as the Femme Fatale. She sounded like Natasha, Boris' sidekick, from this Rocky and Bullwinkle clip. After watching the film, I went a reading about Alexander. I found that when he had entered Jerusalem he had been shown the prophesy from Daniel about how he was to subdue the East. He took this as a sure sign to proceed. In the aftermath of the battles fought and the victories won, Alexa...

Yesterday, I tried unsuccessfully to write my blog on my I-Phone while heading North on Highway 5. No, I wasn't driving. People really shouldn't blog while driving, especially on these fourteen lane montrosities here in the City of Angels. I got as far to the actually web page "new post" page and that is where it came to an end. For some reason, I couldn't get the keyboard to materialize. I thought it would be cool to do my travelogue in transit, commenting smartly in a stream of traffic consciousness on all things L.A. Just for the heck of it, here is the "Walking in L.A." video from Missing Person's which sounds dated but still strangely hip. Be assured that no one still walks in L.A., although I just read this morning in the L.A. Times that the murder rate is way down. Our host for the day, my buddy Todd (who I know from his earlier incarnation as a Central Pa. resident) typically dials up a creative retinue of events to delight and amaze the tou...

The miracle of Christmas are many and mulitudinous. Yet, how the Almighty places Himself in a position of vulnerability by taking on flesh is truly the most miraculous. The One who is infinitely strong assuming weakness. He was...the God in diapers, worshipped, given gifts, hunted to be killed, hungry and thirsty, precocious, humble, misunderstood, loved, hated, envied, followed, taken advantage of, laughed at and ridiculed, amused, frustrated, angered, popular, on the outs, perplexed, amazed, pleased, disgusted, lonely and afraid, forgotten, bold, forgiving, merciful, confrontational, irritated, patient, a friend, a family member, a teacher, a brother, a son, a leader, ignored, persecuted, betrayed, questioned, a questioner, not just truth, the Truth. Not just a way, the Way. Not just a life, the Life. LOVE. In all ways, just like us, yet without sin. Beaten, mocked, whipped, spit on, crucified, died, and buried. Raised on the third day, who now intercedes for us with the Father. He w...

This Christmas season, I purposed in my heart, I was going to be more mindful of God and not get distracted by all the holiday hoopla. I was going to create a place inside for Christ. Well, my best intentioned plans have been destructed by some other condition inside...what appears to be a viral infection attacking my gastrointestinal track. I have been dashing alright...but not through the snow, but to the nearest john. I will spare you the details. Let us just say that the last five days have been unpleasant. Since September I have been consistently praying to God--among many other issues--that I would not allow my belly, my appetites, to rule me like Caesar's. Primary of these autocratic appetites is the eating of food. I want to appreciate good food yet not be in worship of the god of gluttony. Second, that my periodic episodes of backaches, that come and go--usually when I do something stupid to strain my back--teach me the weakness of my flesh and the folly and futility of t...

The three books that I purchased recently at the Hoboken bookstores are: - Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly ( John Eldredge has basically co-opted and somewhat Christianized Bradshaw's writings). - A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People by Steven Ozment (being 3/4's German, all direct relatives off the boat and on U.S. soil before the rise of Hitler, gives me a personal and familial interest in the work). - For Whom The Bell Tolls by some dude Ernest Hemingway (never heard of him, but I will give a shot). It is the story of the Spanish Civil War and disillusionment..."the tragic death of the ideal" as noted on the back cover. All three books have a strong masculine tilt. Most countries refer that their collective nation as the Motherland...Germany is one that refers to itself as the Fatherland. I am sure that Freud would have had a field day exploring the paternal psycho-sexual reasons for this. I am not sure why I obtained this testostero...