Experpt From Mind Hacks

Thought I would give you some idea what kinds of infromation is in one of the books I am currently reading. Click on the title and it will take you to a web page that shows a moving waterfall. If you stare at the waterfall for a few minutes and then pause the picture, it appears that the waterfall is moving backward, though it is actually still. This phenomenon is called the motion aftereffect. This happens because "the modules (cells in the brain) responsible for the computation of motion and the computation of location are separate." This same effect happens naturally when a train you are on stops and the platform appears to be moving backward very slowly. This also explains why you can get on a moving ship and adjust to the constant rocking until you get off of the boat and then the rocking begins again. Just some cool, useless information (unless you are a brain/vision specialist or you are visiting one and want to test him). I'm currently on chapter 3 and still looking for "tips and tools" or some practical application. I'll keep you posted.

i am not but i know I AM

Since I spend a great deal of time driving to and from Granbury Middle School, I have begun to enjoy listening to books on cd. The one I have been listening to on and off for the past few weeks is i am not but i know I AM. From a literary standpoint, the book can be repetitive. Author Louie Giglio basically uses various Biblical and personal examples to reiterate the point that I am not...but I know I AM. I am small but the God I serve has an incredibly large story that he beckons me to be a part of. I thought I got it so I returned to my usual schedule of listening to NPR, but one day last week I felt compelled to finish the book. Earlier that morning my thoughts had been consumed by the upcoming reorganization of my school. I agonized over how the language arts classes would be blocked fully and ironically realizing that I am not even going to work there next year. Still, I wanted my way. So when I listened to the last segment, I realized that the book is repitive because it must be. Dying to self and living for the God's story, is a daily decision. I may have gotten it two weeks ago, but I must continue to let this glorious truth sink into my heart on a daily basis. And, to all my worry about things ranging from middle school scheduling to my concern over the weightier problems of my future, His answer is I AM. And I can trust Him fully. After all, i am not... ~A

Tips and Tools for Using Your Brain

This is an interesting book I found while browsing in a Barnes and Noble. Alycia's Aunt/ Uncle/ Cousins family gave it to me for Christmas. Anyway, the first chapter was just informative, but a little boring. Then, the second two chapters were informative, but pretty interesting (especially about how the eyes work). So far, the book isnt' what I expected, mainly because I haven't found any tips or tools yet, but I'm still hopeful I will glean practical/useful information out of it. I will keep you posted on a few tidbits that I learn as I go and give a more definite thumbs up or thumbs down. By the way, if it turns out not to be a "keeper", I won't blame the gift givers, it was on my wish list.

Why I Hate TV

One of the most sane days of my life is when I convinced my roomates in college to keep the TV in the closet and get it out only when we were going to watch it. This stemmed from the frustration that someone would turn it on and when they were finished they would walk away and leave it on. There were a few problems with this habit. One, it was a waste of electricity. Two, it created racket that was distracting. Three, and most importantly, I would inevitably get sucked in like a thread in a new vacuum cleaner. I was no match for it's luring power, the way a piece of Sonic ice is no match for the oversized red straw jutting out of the cup connected to a thirsty football player. I wanted to get rid of the tube completely (you can imagine how that went over in an apartment full of testoterone filled sport fanatics), so keeping it in the closet except on game day was a compromise. My newfound freedom felt incredible. I found time I never knew I had. It was so liberating I vowed a life axiom, "I would live life without the comfort, no, burden of television." When I got engaged, I explained my feelings to my fiance. After very little debate about watching the news, to which I reasoned we could get a subscription to a newspaper or listen to the radio, she eagerly agreed. After two and a half years we have no regrets. Now, I must clarify...we own a television, but we do not watch TV. It is plugged into a DVD/VCR player and we use it when we watch movies. When we are not watching a movie it stays in the closet. Cheating? Splitting hairs? We don't think so. It's not something we are legalistic about. And we know that we don't have a monopoly on "television morals." We just want to get our entertainment in a way in which we set the rules. In other words, we can easily gauge the amount of time we spend in front of a television set, the quality of the entertainment, and do it without greed producing commercials. Broadcast TV is designed to entertain you, and keep you entertained for hours on end. You sit down, zone out for several hours, go to bed, go to work, and then do it all over again the next day. Is TV effective at what it does? You've all heard the statistics: the average american spends 4 HOURS/DAY in front of the TV! Youth spend 900 hours per year in school and and average of 1500 hours per year watching TV. When we tell people that we don't watch TV, (these conversations mainly arise because people assume we are aware of the latest and greatest reality show and want to discuss it) their response is inevitably, "What do you do with your time?" We never know what to say. We usually respond with, "We are so busy, we don't know how we could spend time watching TV!" So, I've tried to account for all the time I would have spent watching TV. One thing we love to do is read (as you can tell if you ever visit this blog). We spend an average of 1.5 to 2 hours per day reading. We TRY to walk to the park every day, although we have been slacking lately. When we go, that usually spends about an hour of our afternoon. We ALWAYS eat supper together at the table. And we spend at least an hour and a half in good conversation every evening (more of course when we go on walks). Contrast that with the average amount of time parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 3.5 MINUTES/DAY! Among other things, our non-TV lifestyle has allowed us to pursue several hobbies: reading, quilting, blogging, training Meisha, cooking, gardening, praying, learning Chinese from a friend, etc. In addition, I attribute a great deal of my relationship with A to this lifestyle. I would like to end my rant with a quote that really hits the nail on the head. This comes from John Piper's book Don't Waste Your Life, which has a section titled Television, the Great Life-Waster.

Television is one of the greatest life-wasters of the modern age. And, of course, the Internet is running to catch up, and may have caught up (editor's note: OUCH!). The main problem with TV is not how much smut is available, though that is a problem. Just the ads are (editor's note: commercials account for 30% of air time) enough to sow fertile seeds of greed and lust, no matter what program you're watching. The greater problem is balanity (editor's note: dull or stale because of overuse). A mind fed daily on TV diminishes. Your mind is made to know and love God. Its facility for this great calling is ruined by excessive TV. The content is so trivial and so shallow that the capacity of the mind to think worthy thoughts withers, and the capacity of the heart to feel deep emotions shrivels.

In conclusion, I did not write this to say, "Look at me, don't I have life all figured out!" But to say that the Lord has graciously given me a more abundant life as a result of being obedient to Him in this area. While not all struggle in this area, I believe there is wonderful deliverance for those wanting to truly make the precious handful of moments we have on this earth count. The Word says that our life is but a vapor. A.C. Nielsen Co. says that Americans will spend 9 years of their life in front of the television. When we stand before the Timeless one, how will we account for each breath we were given?

The Normal Christian Life

This book is second on my list of "must reads" only to Cost of Discipleship by Bonhoeffer. It is basically the best commentary on Romans you will ever read. Nee has an incredible way of illuminating the Scriptures, thus bringing freedom to the reader. It gave balance to many of my narrow-minded doctrines and definition and application to others. He is insightful and practical. I know I've said this before, but I don't say it lightly...this is a must read for every Christian!

Don't Waste Your Life

John Piper begins this book by saying, "The Bible says, 'You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body' (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I have written this book to help you taste those words as sweet instead of bitter or boring."
It is increasingly easy for me to view comfort and material gain as sweet and sacrifice as bitter, so reading this book for the second time has served as a reminder that following the Lord's call is the only way I can hope to avoid wasting my life.
I highly recommend reading this book. You can download a free version of the book or listen/read a sermon by the same title by visiting John Piper's link in the sidebar. -A

Don't Miss This One

"When Chirst calls a man, he bids him come and die." - Diethrich Bonhoeffer. Are these just cute words the author put on paper to sell copies? No, he lived these words...to the death. For more on my favorite author and spiritual giant see his link on this page. I won't beat around the bush, second to the Bible, this is a book every believer should read. I rank it higher than any other book I've ever read, any devotional, any sermon, any day. The first two chapters are a discussion of the difference in cheap grace and costly grace. Do you know? I would say most believers think too lightly of the blood of Christ and His Cross, including myself most of the time. These chapters give you an incredible perspective. The next several chapters of the book deal with the sermon on the mount. The only way I know to explain it is that the sermon on the mount raised the bar well above what the law required. His commentary on this sermon raises the bar well beyond what we currently understand of it to another level! Then the book ends with an incredible exposition about living in community with one another, basically expanding our understanding of 1 John. I can't really do this book enough justice in a review to convince you to read it. Let me just say that I would be happy to purchase the book for any of you who would agree to read it cover-to-cover.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

This was my fall reading. I call it a paper-bound version of a college course on Human History. One review called it "a short history of everything about everybody. The origins of empires, religion, writing, crops, and guns are all here." This Pulitzer Prize winning book has many incredible insights, mainly dealing with the question, how did power come to the societies who now have it? He traces it through a series of primary and secondary factors finally naming geography as the ultimate cause. While it is written from a biologist/anthropologist point of view and the author is unapologetically an evolutionist, there are some incredible insights and evidence that support scripture. For instance, he traces the starting point of agriculture back to the Fertile Crescent and then explains that it was imported second to Egypt. Coincidence? It has many insights into culture for international agriculturists and missionaries. Not an easy or quick read, but one I would reccommend to anyone wanting deeper insight into the international society we live in. Sorry, Mike currently has my copy!