So there are no more words and all is endedThe time has come for me to put down my pen, say good night, and bid you farewell.
The timbrel is stilled, the clarion laid away
And love with streaming hair goes unattended
Back to the loneliness of yesterday.
(Joseph Auslander)
But I understood at last that God breaketh not all men's hearts alike...I tend to go through these great spans of time in my life where I don’t read my Bible, where I don’t talk to God. I think it’s because I carry around a lot of shame and guilt. And the more I feel those, the more I buy into the sales pitch from the Master Salesman, the less I feel like I have any right to talk to God. It’s especially ridiculous because I know (more so in my head than my heart, I suppose) that God is always there, that there is no condemnation, that He’s waiting for me to just stop trying to do it all myself, to stop crying like the baby I am and talk with Him. It’s almost comical how easy it is to put aside the most important part of who I am. How can I not forget to breathe, but I can forget to talk to the only Person who understands me, cares about me, loves me? I can’t forget to breathe, but I can forget why I breathe. Is it normal to be this stupid?
(Richard Baxtor)
“So man wastes away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths. Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure…
If only you would hide me in the grave and conceal me till your anger has passed! If only you would set me a time and then remember me!...
You will call and I will answer you; you long for the creature your hands have made. Surely then you will count my steps but not keep track of my sin.”
(Job 13:28-14:2, 13, 15-17)
“Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him…”When I think of Job, I realize that I will probably never fully grasp the kind of torment he went through. But I think I always feel like I can relate to what he says because of what we do have in common: pain. There are different severities of pain, I don’t doubt. And on the scale of 1 to 100, the most I’ve probably ever had to deal with is a 1.3. But it’s pain nevertheless, regardless of its severity. And I am constantly aware that the point of pain is humility. I know that that isn’t the physical point—the physical point is to let you know there is a problem, that something is wrong, that you need to fix something. But I think that the spiritual point is humility. It screams, “You are not all-encompassing. You are not invincible. You are not Great, Wonderful, All-Powerful. You are frail, finite, temporary, small.” And there is greatness and wonder in that, I know. And I suppose that’s what humility is--accepting the great in the small, the wonder in the dull, the beauty in the misery, the infinity of the moment. I just feel like I am teetering between a world of anger and hate, and of complete brokenness, of humility, because I remember again what it’s like to be so small, to be alone, to know that I have no ally but God. It’s a scary place to be, because I know that which way I tip is dependent not on God, not on circumstances, not on other people, but on me, on what I choose.
(Job 13:15)
Oh! The Places You will Go!I appreciate all of you sticking with me for as long as you have. God knows, and I know, it hasn’t been easy. But I appreciate it. Probably more than you will ever know.
You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.
You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...
...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't.
Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike
and I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
Yet it is in this loneliness that the deepest activities begin. It is here that you discover act without motion, labor that is profound repose, vision in obscurity, and, beyond all desire, a fulfillment whose limits extend to infinity.
(Thomas Merton)
A thousand times I've failed, still Your mercy remains.
And should I stumble again, I'm caught in Your grace.
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades.
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame.
Your will above all else.
My purpose remains the art of losing myself in bringing You praise.
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades.
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame.
In my heart and my soul, Lord, I give You control.
Consume me from the inside out.
Lord, let justice and praise become my embrace
To love you from the inside out.
(From The Inside Out, Hillsong United)
We're more than carbon and chemicalsOr the words to Music Box:
We are the image of the invisible
Free will is ours and we can't let go
We are the image of the invisible
We can't allow this, the quiet cull
We are the image of the invisible
So we sing out this, our canticle
We are the image of the invisible
We all were lost now we are found
No one can stop us or slow us down
We are the named and we are known
We know that we'll never walk alone
We're more than static and dial tone
We are the image of the invisible
We're emblematic of the unknown
We are the image of the invisible
So raise the banner, bend back your bows
We are the image of the invisible
Remove the cancer, take back your souls
We are the image of the invisible
We are not alone, we feel an unseen love
We are sons and heirs of grace
We are children of a light that never dims
A love that never dies
Keep your chin up child
And wipe the tears from your eye.
IN RESPONSE TO THE "RANDOM FACTS" THAT ARE BEING GENERATED ON THE INTERNETI'm aware of the made up declarations about me that have recently begun to appear on the Internet and in emails as "Chuck Norris facts." I've seen some of them. Some are funny. Some are pretty far out. Being more a student of the Wild West than the wild world of the Internet, I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's quite surprising. I do know that boys will be boys, and I neither take offense nor take these things too seriously. Who knows, maybe these made up one-liners will prompt young people to seek out the real facts as found in my recent autobiographical book, "Against All Odds?" They may even be interested enough to check out my novels set in the Old West, "The Justice Riders," released this month. I'm very proud of these literary efforts.~ Chuck Norris
(http://www.chucknorris.com/html/events.aspx)
No Pants 2K6Also, to see a small clip of No Pants 2002 in action, click here. And for more past special events hosted by Improv Everywhere, click here.
All are invited to participate in the 5th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride. The event will take place at 3:00 PM on Sunday, January 22. Everything you need to know is on this page.
REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION
1) Willing to take pants off on subway
2) Able to keep a straight face about it
---
"...act as you normally would. You do not know any of the other pantless riders. If questioned, tell folks that you “forgot to wear pants” and yes you are “a little cold”. Insist that it is a coincidence that others also forgot their pants. Be nice and friendly and normal."
Cancer Hope Over Breast Gene FindSo. Interesting article. Now, what stood out to me first was the fact that third nipples can look like "freckles or moles". Hypothetically, then, quite a few of those "1 in 18" might not even realize they are a part of this mystical (and elite) team of Third Nipple Warrior Ninjas (rumour has it having extra nipples gives one super-human abilities, which are often exploited by mystical ninja gangs--see Real Ultimate Power for more information on this topic).
The discovery of a gene involved in breast development may help in the fight against cancer, scientists say.
The gene - named Scaramanga after the three-nippled James Bond villain in The Man With The Golden Gun - was found by an Institute of Cancer Research team.
...
When an embryo is developing, the formation of organs is tightly controlled by specific genes. This process controls the development of two breasts in humans, but sometimes something goes wrong and leads to fewer, extra or misplaced breasts and nipples.
One in 18 people has an extra nipple, which can look like freckles or moles.
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4202466.st)
But what stood out to me after closer inspection was that apparently having a third nipple is the least of ones concern. In fact, some people have "fewer, extra or misplaced breasts and nipples". 'Misplaced breasts?' I will never be able to watch the Hunchback of Notre Dame again.