The orphan clings to Your hand singing the song of how he was found.
And the widow rejoices for her oppressor is silenced now.
You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore.
And where You could just be silent and leave us here to die
Still You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side.
The runaway falls at your feet; You are what he has searched for.
The rich man is broken when he stands beneath a sky full of stars.
You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore.
And where You could just be silent and leave us here to die
Still You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side.
This song, You Are On Our Side, by Bethany Dillon is based on the following scripture:
Psalm 147:2-3 (The Message)
GOD's the one who rebuilds Jerusalem,
who regathers Israel's scattered exiles.
He heals the heartbroken
and bandages their wounds.
He counts the stars
and assigns each a name.
Our Lord is great, with limitless strength;
we'll never comprehend what he knows and does.
GOD puts the fallen on their feet again
and pushes the wicked into the ditch.
Rejoice! For our Savior is born!
I hope you and yours have had a wonderful Christmas holiday.
-Heather Leigh
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Risk Vs. Outcome
Sometimes it is the element of risk that makes the experience meaningful.
That statement is so true. It speaks to the significance of risk, the thrill of the gamble, that moment of suspense where you’re waiting to see what’s going to happen.
However, I wonder how many people would still agree with that statement if the gamble they took, so to speak, ended badly for them. I’ll be honest, when things don’t go my way, I have feelings of regret and disappointment. Sometimes those feelings are combined with rejection, be it perceived or real.
Is the risk still meaningful even if the result is failure?
I can think of one time (in the not so recent past) in which the risk made the experience meaningful, even though things ended badly for me. The temporary shock of rejection quickly gave way to strong revelations about the kind of person I was. Sure it was painful, but I learned important lessons. Like how I should always trust my instincts. That blood really is thicker than water. And how I should (and will) never apologize for who I am.
I learned that just because one person doesn’t like who I am, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m the bad guy.
But let’s be honest: Risk without gain is kinda crappy. Risk that ends in failure IS crappy, even when you factor in valuable lessons learned, if any.
It leads me to this question:
Is it so bad to want to know the outcome before I make the investment and/or take the risk?
Would the investment mean the same thing if I knew, going into it, that it was a sure thing?
I don’t know.
I can tell you the suspense, the not knowing, the hanging around in limbo-land, sucks. It’s awful. You can’t really do anything, so you think. And think some more. And after that, guess what? You think a little bit more. There’s a term my friend and I use to describe this kind of thinking whilst dwelling in limbo-land. We call it mind-fuck.
Harsh. Certainly crass. But very, very true.
As your brain makes its feeble attempts to run through every possibility, every permutation, your emotions and desires unavoidably steer your mind to dwell on the outcome you wish for the most.
Thus begins the mind-fuck cycle.
Wait. Think. Hope. Think. Beg. Think. Promise. Think. Threaten. Think.
None of which has any effect on the outcome because there’s nothing you can actually do.
The funny thing is, if I knew the outcome before I made the investment (or took the risk), hypothetically the hanging-in-suspense part would disappear. It would simply be an inconvenient waiting period before achieving the known outcome.
That brings me back to the question I had earlier: without the suspense, without the risk, without some personal effort, would I still value the outcome? Or is it the blood, sweat, and tears? Is the journey what it’s really about?
I don’t know.
That statement is so true. It speaks to the significance of risk, the thrill of the gamble, that moment of suspense where you’re waiting to see what’s going to happen.
However, I wonder how many people would still agree with that statement if the gamble they took, so to speak, ended badly for them. I’ll be honest, when things don’t go my way, I have feelings of regret and disappointment. Sometimes those feelings are combined with rejection, be it perceived or real.
Is the risk still meaningful even if the result is failure?
I can think of one time (in the not so recent past) in which the risk made the experience meaningful, even though things ended badly for me. The temporary shock of rejection quickly gave way to strong revelations about the kind of person I was. Sure it was painful, but I learned important lessons. Like how I should always trust my instincts. That blood really is thicker than water. And how I should (and will) never apologize for who I am.
I learned that just because one person doesn’t like who I am, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m the bad guy.
But let’s be honest: Risk without gain is kinda crappy. Risk that ends in failure IS crappy, even when you factor in valuable lessons learned, if any.
It leads me to this question:
Is it so bad to want to know the outcome before I make the investment and/or take the risk?
Would the investment mean the same thing if I knew, going into it, that it was a sure thing?
I don’t know.
I can tell you the suspense, the not knowing, the hanging around in limbo-land, sucks. It’s awful. You can’t really do anything, so you think. And think some more. And after that, guess what? You think a little bit more. There’s a term my friend and I use to describe this kind of thinking whilst dwelling in limbo-land. We call it mind-fuck.
Harsh. Certainly crass. But very, very true.
As your brain makes its feeble attempts to run through every possibility, every permutation, your emotions and desires unavoidably steer your mind to dwell on the outcome you wish for the most.
Thus begins the mind-fuck cycle.
Wait. Think. Hope. Think. Beg. Think. Promise. Think. Threaten. Think.
None of which has any effect on the outcome because there’s nothing you can actually do.
The funny thing is, if I knew the outcome before I made the investment (or took the risk), hypothetically the hanging-in-suspense part would disappear. It would simply be an inconvenient waiting period before achieving the known outcome.
That brings me back to the question I had earlier: without the suspense, without the risk, without some personal effort, would I still value the outcome? Or is it the blood, sweat, and tears? Is the journey what it’s really about?
I don’t know.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Things I May or May Not Have Said
“With your looks, your personality should be beaming.”
“I’m ready for my blankie and my baba.”
“Rolling your eyes is NOT an acceptable form of arguing.”
“I hope someone gets eaten by a shark soon.”
"The department of homeland security is making a mockery of the starfleet alert system!"
“My desire to take advantage of this situation is overwhelming.”
“This feels like a test.”
“I miss my pants.”
“Just do your thing. You know, skank it up a bit.”
“Keep your standards highs and your expectations low.”
“I am immune to charm. At least, that’s the official party line.”
"Here in Canada we have a special program to deal with the homeless. It's called 'winter.'"
"We have enough youth. What we need is a fountain of smart."
"I used to feel bad about pirating music, then I watched MTV's Cribs."
"I just need to hit someone."
"Man, you just pushed the geek meter right off the scale with the combined MS bash and LOTR reference."
"I want them to commit seppuki when they lose on Iron Chef."
"You know you're a geek when you run your webcam software to see what you look like instead of going to the bathroom mirror."
"They are my family and I love them. That's why I can't part with them for less than $20."
"Clearly FFX-2 is not a game I'll be able to play with my pants on."
"A alphabetically be in organized sentence should words."
"Intelligence is alcohol soluble."
"Are you sure you like boys?"
"You look a lot different with your clothes on."
"Name six animals which live specifically in the Arctic."
"Two polar bears andthree four seals."
"I use AOL because it's free."
"So is gum stuck to chairs."
"There are two theories when it comes to arguing with women. Neither one works."
While discussing Smokey the Bear commercials:
"If an anthromorphic bear in a pair of jeans and one of those ranger hats comes up and tells me not to set stuff on fire, I probably already did".
"Silence is golden. Duct tape is silver."
"I don't like you. And if I met your mom I probably wouldn't like her either."
"When you pull the pin from Mr. Grenade, he is no longer your friend."
"I love my new computer. More than my girlfriend."
“I’m ready for my blankie and my baba.”
“Rolling your eyes is NOT an acceptable form of arguing.”
“I hope someone gets eaten by a shark soon.”
"The department of homeland security is making a mockery of the starfleet alert system!"
“My desire to take advantage of this situation is overwhelming.”
“This feels like a test.”
“I miss my pants.”
“Just do your thing. You know, skank it up a bit.”
“Keep your standards highs and your expectations low.”
“I am immune to charm. At least, that’s the official party line.”
"Here in Canada we have a special program to deal with the homeless. It's called 'winter.'"
"We have enough youth. What we need is a fountain of smart."
"I used to feel bad about pirating music, then I watched MTV's Cribs."
"I just need to hit someone."
"Man, you just pushed the geek meter right off the scale with the combined MS bash and LOTR reference."
"I want them to commit seppuki when they lose on Iron Chef."
"You know you're a geek when you run your webcam software to see what you look like instead of going to the bathroom mirror."
"They are my family and I love them. That's why I can't part with them for less than $20."
"Clearly FFX-2 is not a game I'll be able to play with my pants on."
"A alphabetically be in organized sentence should words."
"Intelligence is alcohol soluble."
"Are you sure you like boys?"
"You look a lot different with your clothes on."
"Name six animals which live specifically in the Arctic."
"Two polar bears and
"I use AOL because it's free."
"So is gum stuck to chairs."
"There are two theories when it comes to arguing with women. Neither one works."
While discussing Smokey the Bear commercials:
"If an anthromorphic bear in a pair of jeans and one of those ranger hats comes up and tells me not to set stuff on fire, I probably already did".
"Silence is golden. Duct tape is silver."
"I don't like you. And if I met your mom I probably wouldn't like her either."
"When you pull the pin from Mr. Grenade, he is no longer your friend."
"I love my new computer. More than my girlfriend."
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