bierkergaard

Last night, I watched a documentary about the rise, fall, and rise again of Christian Hosoi . Called the Jimi Hendrix of skateboarding. The photo is a picture of his Christ move. One of the ironies of being gifted--and developing that gift--is the pride that takes root in a heart. The adulation turns into an idol. And like all idols, they promise more than they can deliver, leaving one empty and broken. A bottle of potential turned to shards. Christian in a YouTube video stated the cliché that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom. Rock bottom, if responded to appropriately, lets us place our gifts on the Rock of Christ and not the shifting and sinking sands of human applause.    I sent a quick Facebook message to Christian where I mentioned a line from my book, On The Edge: Transitioning Imaginatively to College , "Broken Dreams Lead to Better Dreams." He messaged me back, "Amen." And I know he meant it. Gifts must point to t...

“The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we will take this view, life will become one great romance—a glorious opportunity of seeing wonderful things all the time.” – Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest Never have seen the film. It is a compelling title. And one that acknowledges that we are all going from here to eternity, while rolling in the sand making-out or otherwise.  Last night, driving back home from an event at a local gastropub called Hunger & Thirst , I could have rolled into eternity pronto. A young man coming in the opposite direction not only ran a red light, he continued to accelerate through it, totally oblivious for some reason to the red means stop principle. The acceleration was apparent as he approached the light from hundreds of feet away and caused me to pause before turning on my green arrow, sensing that he was blowing through the light with nary a notion th...

    Mom is purging her domicile in Florida of the past. She is forwarding, to the appropriate brother, ancient documents and pictures. Above is my high school senior yearbook picture. Early 80's look...long hair like a rock star. Normal attire was a flannel shirt and Levi blue jeans. Day in, day out. I went to a preppy high school. This was my commentary on all that scene. I was anti-prep, anti-Izod, etc.   I look at the picture and remember the day I walked up to my high school on a Saturday to have the photo taken. I had no car, so walking was my primary mode of transportation. It was a nice Fall day from what I recall. The mile walk to school was peaceful. That year, not so much. Despite outward appearances of the smile, I hated my high school and couldn't wait to leave. Like being paroled from a prison of prep.So, I don't get all sentimental when I look at the yesteryear, wishing somehow that I could be a teenager again. No thanks, once was enoug...

Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" This morning, I have been blessed with the reading of a couple of articles that were posted on Facebook about arty-things. And I am listening to a musician named Neil Finn, who a drummer friend of mine posted a YouTube song and video by. In one of the articles, there was an interview with musician Sam Phillips who used to be one of the darlings of Christian Contemporary Music until real life took over and busted the bubble. A Christian Cheerleader like a little sister of Amy Grant. Sam Phillips mentioned how she goes to art museums for soul sustenance and has been inspired by a book by Raymond Frank Piper. The title of the book is The Hungry Eye: An Introduction to Cosmic Art.  Man, that is a heavy title. I suppose it is by implication an Introduction. Since it is Cosmic it would be impossible t...

Several blogs ago I got into some thoughts about seltzer. Above is the pictorial evidence that seltzer has been functioning as a substitute for beer. Proof is in the pudding, or Record is in the Recycler. I probably should think about getting my own seltzer-making machine so I can save money and cut down on the plastic. For now, it is what it is. For the record, I still drink beer. But, when I am just thirsty and don't want to consume extra calories, I reach for the seltzer. It's got zing. I have given myself permission to drink seltzer, as much as I want, 24-7. At $7 dollars a case for 24 12 ounce bottles, it is like popcorn. Saturday night seltzer.    Some substitutes are awful. How about low fat cream cheese? How is it possible to have something that is supposed to be creamy be low fat? Like an obese person being anorexic. Or how about vegan bacon? Grossity gross. Look, if you are not going to eat the real thing, don't bother. I th...

First, a word from Os Hillman Little by Little TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman Saturday, July 27 2013 "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty" (Prov 14:23 ).     "Is there something you would like to accomplish in life but simply cannot find the hours in the day to get started? Many of us suffer from procrastination. We justify putting our dreams aside because we don't believe we have the time or resources to accomplish the task.   Many times people tell me they believe they are called to write a book. I tell them, "Great, if God has called you to write a book, begin to write it." Sometimes the response is: "But I don't have a publisher." "That has nothing to do with it," I say. "That is not your problem. If God calls you to write a book, you are to begin to write. You may not be writing to get published. You may be writing for other purposes." I went to check out th...

On this day in 1833, as he was dying, British Parliamentarian and Evangelical William Wilberforce heard that the British Parliament had outlawed slavery in the British Empire. It took him 46 years to accomplish his goal. He took on very powerful and wicked commercial interests who profited greatly from the sweat that flowed profusely from the brow of the indentured. And the blood flowing from lashed backs. It is a very good reminder that great causes require great sacrifices. Jesus on the Cross demonstrates this of course. There are soft dreams in life, such as what happens every night when we doze. Then, there are hard dreams, those that God has put in us like a seed but which require much effort and resources to bring to fruition. Rather than be like the wind that blow in and out of consciousness as a breeze gently, these dreams are like nails, piercing our peace. I watched last night, an interview with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates from 1997. Little known...