the gospel of ignorance

It is hard to internalize the implications of verses like... "the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." - Mt 7:14

We would much rather be unaware and blissfully oblivious to things which seem vague or beyond our control.

The phrase "No news is good news" comes from the English King, James I; in 1616 he wrote "No newis is bettir than evill newis." (I know, the english language was still in its awkward phase back then). Now, it is a common adage in the business world, in respect to clients... normally the consumer will only reply (send news) if something needs to change or the product is not all they expected it to be.

In the expression, 'no news' is congruent with ignorance - not knowing or wanting to know any news. This interests me because the word for 'good news' in the Bible is "gospel."

So... ignorance is a gospel

Paul says in Gal 1:8 "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!"

True good news is knowing release from sin and the promise of life from the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." Eph 2:8

out with the old in with the new

This weekend we removed most of the carpet in our house. I wish I had taken some before/after pics, but I'll just have to explain it to you... my wife is 'nesting' right now so naturally we are prepping our home for the new arrival. The dingy dark brown carpet that had been trekked on by thousands of precious feet was ready to meet its resting place at the city dump and the (equally-used/ready-for-refurbishing) hardwood floors beneath were itching to be dawned...

After you remove the carpet which is held down by 'tack strips' you gotta get rid of the insulation below it attached to the floor with staples. Then, of course, you can remove the staples and strips.

so the hardwood floors are new to us... though they are far from new to the house... they'll need a good sanding and refinishing. we'll see how much that run$ us. Besides the proverbial '+/- factors' it's always nice to 'turn-over-a-leaf' and it's refreshing to have another go at decorating..

and this is enough to say "it's worth it."

i assume so

If I am learning anything in life, thus far, it is to assume less. There may be a healthy level of assumption in daily matters, but I have found the threshold of such should be kept desperately low.

'I assume' should not be confused with 'I believe,' 'I trust,' or obviously 'I know.'

Assumption is based on inconclusive, often fabricated, half-truth evidence, whereas belief is ordinarily grounded in belabored perception, trust planted in simple faith, and knowledge rooted in truth.

Standing at a bus stop I can assume that a bus will be coming soon.. based on the fact it's a bus stop. Or, I can believe it's coming because I've read the schedule and seen the signs. I can also trust it's on its way because someone told me it was.

But not until I have seen or experienced it coming can I say, 'I know...'

Even after I know something... I am repeatedly challenged to believe and trust to bolster and increase that wisdom. Assumption, however, does nothing to multiply knowledge, and 'flying by the seat of my pants' (as my father would put it) creates no new rationale (except- details on what not to do) and falls painfully short of true understanding.

my lovely wife

It's my wife's birthday today, so I wanted to take a minute to recount a little of what she means to me.

"Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life...

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."

Proverbs 31:11-12,28-30

My wife is truly astounding; She is 7 months pregnant now (as you can tell, this pic was taken a few months ago :) and is handling everything so well!

I have known Jen now for almost 8 years. I still remember the first day I met her. In September, 2001 I walked into a nearly empty classroom at Cal State Fullerton and there she was in the front/center seat with the biggest most beautiful smile I had ever seen... I am not joking or being schmaltzy when i say, it was like a fresh breath of air. It wasn't 'love at first sight, wah wah wah, blah blah blah,' but it was a very real feeling, that I remember to this day.

I fell for her by the end of that school year and knew she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life when I went to England (for 40 days/nights in the summer of 2002) and found out I couldn't live without her. We were married on June 26, 2004 and this year we celebrated our 'Wooden' anniversary.

She has been a sweet inspiration, a genuine friend, a strong helper, a devoted christian, a loving mother, a tireless worker, a determined realist, and, all the while, a trusting partner; she is my loving wife. Happy Birthday, Jenny.

we did nothing. we did everything.

There are no long sprawling green grass yards, no well-watered hardy gardens, no peaceful paths or silent sidewalks, no majestic oak trees or slender fur saplings, no pretty public parks or safe secluded schools...

every house owns a fence,

all the fences - rusty metal,

each fence blocks a driveway,

all the driveways - quikcrete

every driveway holds a car,

all the cars - dusty brown

and every car fits just barely,

and that leaves us just enough space to eat, sleep and move around.

But none of that matters.

When we walk around this neighborhood, we will find one flower, just one... and that will be enough to make my daughter's face brighten like a light bulb... and that has made this life, all the more, worth living!