30 Days of Thanks - Day 27 - Google Chrome

For those who do not know, YOU CAN SURF THE WEB WITHOUT INTERNET EXPLORER! So, if you are fed up with that terrible browser that seems to pick up toolbars like a pig's butt picks up flies, come on over and experience the wonder of Chrome! Yes, Firefox is still another option, but I have found Chrome to be more readily accessible, simplified, and classy. Chrome just plain works better for me.

One feature that I am extremely thankful for is the Incognito Mode that allows you to open a window in which you can browse and not leave (much of) a trace on your computer. This is especially useful for shopping for Christmas presents and when you have to visit sites for information and you are not yet sure which sites are safe. I use it as a safety buffer when looking up tech stuff or phone numbers I do not recognize since sometimes those sites can be notorious for malware. I have also found that this is like opening sites in another computer such that I can have two separate Gmail accounts open at once - a trick that helps when writing a blog on your blog account and needing something from your primary e-mail at the same time.

I feel like my experience with Chrome has made browsing safer, easier, and faster.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 26 - Eastern Thought

I am thankful for Eastern thought and how it helps me to better contemplate and explore my own faith. I say 'Eastern thought' as opposed to 'religion' or 'philosophy' because I feel those Western concepts do not adequately incorporate those concepts I am talking about and may neglect to exclude those concepts that I am not talking about. What I do refer to are basic mental concepts such as true natures along with the fluctuations and interdependence of yin and yang.

By the latter (yin and yang), I mean that I recognize that our life is made up of seasons. Seasons of being great and seasons of being small. Seasons for being active and seasons for being passive. Seasons for being flexible and seasons for being immovable. Seasons of forcing and seasons of yielding. Seasons to be the wind and seasons to be the kite.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)

One does not work without the other and excesses of either will ultimately lead to their collapse into the other (often my means which will be painful). I think we need to be open to the lead of the Holy Spirit to guide us through these times. Preoccupation with a 'comfort zone' sets us up for rude transitions, whereas God has walked a path before us so that we can enjoy and make the most of these times - if we will follow it.

I also mentioned that I connect with the concept of true (or inner) nature.

Benjamin Hoff quotes the writings of Chaung-tse in his The Tao of Pooh:

Hui-tse said to Chaung-tse, "I have a large tree which no carpenter can cut into lumber. Its branches and trunk are crooked and tough, covered with bumps and depressions. No builder would turn his head to look at it. Your teachings are the same-useless, without value. Therefore, no one pays attention to them."

"As you know," Chuang-tse replied, "a cat is very skilled at capturing its prey. Crouching low, it can leap in any direction, pursuing whatever it is after. But when its attention is focused on such things, it can be easily caught with a net. On the other hand, a huge yak is not so easily caught or overcome. It stands like a stone, or a cloud in the sky. But for all its strength, it cannot catch a mouse.

"You complain that your tree is not valuable as lumber. But you could make use of the shade it provides, rest under its sheltering branches, and stroll beneath it, admiring its character and appearance. Since it would not be endangered by an axe, what could threaten its existence? It is useless to you only because you want to make it into something else and do not use it in its proper way."

The apostle known as Paul had this to say on inner nature:

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?

- I Corinthians 12:4-30 (NIV)

In essence (no pun intended), we are all gifted with an inner nature - a place to fit and work and contribute - for the Kingdom of God. Part of the work of Christ was to free us from trying to be what we are not so that we can use this inner nature he has given us by working with the Holy Spirit. Part of what is wrong in this world is that we try to (or we insist that others ) function apart from the inner nature that the Father intended for us.

These are just a couple of (horribly brief and underdeveloped here) connections and I am thankful for the alternate perspective that has helped me to understand these important concepts better.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 25 - Minute Physics

I came across this channel on YouTube one day quite by accident. While I do think he over-simplifies certain concepts, I am thankful that someone is bringing these concepts to the masses.

I am especially thankful for the following video because I get tired of explaining this one to people.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 24 - Marriage

There is a lot to say about this one and not much that I have personally experienced . . . yet. I am thankful for the concept of marriage - being not just lovers but also partners for a lifetime. I am also thankful for a certain marriage that happened many years ago today. Happy Anniversary mom and dad!

As I am busy at the moment (anniversary and holiday and all those entail), I will let some YouTubers speak for me. The first is a classic and the others come from a favorite YouTube series called Kids React by The Fine Brothers.

You have to admit the boys had a better grasp on this marriage concept than the girls.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 23 - Perry Noble

I have recently been reading and enjoying a certain blog by a writer who I am beginning to admire. Some of the leaders at church had mentioned his name a few times in conversations about leadership and who's material we like to listen to or read. I decided to check him out and came across his blog pretty quickly. I have been jumping around and reading bits of it.

He made a new post today that caught my attention and I was very thankful for the insight he provided in it. The post, titled "My Wife Had A Bad Experience At Chic-Fil-A!" makes some interesting connections between his initial reactions to the bad experience and the way many people react when the shiny-new gloss of their church wears off for whatever reason. I think he makes some good points as to why we need to stick with the Church despite bad experiences instead of trying to explain the bad experiences away.

The only thing I could add to his post is the importance of not running from or ignoring the problem (or becoming part of the problem). I believe that, when these issues creep up, our noticing the problem may be the first step toward correcting it. True, there are some problems where the correcting actually needs to happen to us and our mindset (such as his example of getting upset if someone does not call you after you have been absent for two weeks), but there are some problems where we need to step up and say, "Hey, that hurt!" Also, going with his example of not liking what the preacher said, there are times where we need to dedicate ourselves to further study to see if there was actually something wrong with what the preacher said. If there is, then we need to talk to them about that concern.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 22 - Stand-Up Comedy

I think my enjoyment of stand-up began somewhere in middle school. It was just nice to hear someone else complaining about those things that irk you but doing so in a way that makes you laugh and feel less perturbed by them. It is all part of that shared human experience/misery loves company thing. It can be empowering and comforting. It can also introduce you to new subjects or new ways of looking at life. As Stephen Hawking is quoted as stating, "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny" [1]. I'll post some clips from YouTube of a few of my favorites.

Brad Stine

Tim Hawkins

Bob Smiley

These last two may not be appropriate for all ages or all tastes.

Rob Paravonian

Taylor Mali

[1] "The Science of Second-Guessing", The New York Times. 12 December 2004.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 21 - The Gustatory Uncertainty in Liking Principle

The Gustatory Uncertainty in Liking Principle (or GULP) is taken as follows:

1. I will not know if I enjoy the item until I have tried it within the present experiment (also known as a 'meal') due, in part, to fluctuations in flavor receptor function, variations in item preparation though item may possess the same or a similar name, and the potential for certain combinations in item formation may induce distinct gustatory experiences that diverge from those present in sub-items or derived from similar formulas.
2. Even upon trying an item, I may not know for certain if I enjoy it due to perceptions of the aforementioned concerns, present environmental circumstances affecting the test results, the emergence of unprecedented sensation, or my own general capriciousness. Such a situation requires further testing.
3. As Clause 1 is axiomatically true and Clause 2 will remain true until repeated testing resolves discrepancies, the suggested course of action (barring revelation of poison or bacterial/viral/unplanned-fungal contamination) is to participate in the experiment (also known as a 'meal') as it is within the best interest of scientific understanding.

I am thankful for this simple scientific principle that not only helps me to experience new foodstuffs, but will also give me a smarter way to tell my kids, "Because I said so," when they ask me why they have to eat the assumed-to-be-yucky dinner.

The Gustatory Uncertainty in Liking Principle (or GULP) is Copyright 2011 by Shannon Nichols.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 20 - Ecclesiastes

It may be one of my favorite books in the Bible due to its sheer honesty about the human condition. An existentialist treatise written millennia before the births of the greats associated with that philosophical label, Ecclesiastes lets us see that the entirety of our lives - our works, struggles, successes, failures, etc. - is meaningless when we work toward self-fulfillment. By self-fulfillment I mean what the Teacher says in 4:4, "And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Our inability to enjoy what we have and have been given robs our lives of beauty and meaning with which they were created. Our greed and covetous ambition makes us like the dog who, seeing the dog with a bone in his reflection in the river, drops his bone to chase after the empty image. It ends with a message far from the expected conclusion of a king. It does not suggest striving for glory or gain or good name or victory but simply . . .

Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the whole duty of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

-Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Because our lives really are pointless unless they are pointing to something else much greater than they.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 19 - Ah-ha! Moments

You know what I am talking about. Those little moments when something just clicks in your head and it makes all of the difference. As someone who taught and still ministers to kids, too, this can be just as rewarding of an experience for the teacher as it is for the student. I think it can be these moments that make God smile when something the Holy Spirit has been trying to get through to us finally resonates in our minds or when we finally notice that nifty connection in Scripture.

I had one of these moments while I was reading in my Bible this past week. Something that happened in John 2 finally hit me on a much deeper level. It was about the miracle at the wedding at Cana in Galilee. No, this is not some revelation that is going to give people another excuse to be drunken idiots - they have already twisted this Scripture enough for that purpose. This involves the jars used.

We are told in John 2:6 that, "Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons." These are the jars chosen to be filled with water which is then turned into wine. I have heard preachers try to argue that changing the water to wine was about making the dirty water into something useful but that is an interpretation that completely overlooks the fact that in verse seven Jesus tells them to fill the jars with water. These are clean jars. These are not jars that were just being used for washing. The water was as clean of water as they had available. The symbolism is not of dirty water being made into clean wine.

Think about it. These were the water jars to be used for ceremonial cleaning - a ritualistic washing that would be undone as time progressed. We also know that wine is later used as a symbol for Christ's blood in the Eucharist. So this ceremonial water, which was not sufficient, is transformed into a symbol for the cleansing blood of Christ that is sufficient. From this, verse ten takes on greater meaning as it describes much more than party provisions by alluding to Grace coming in to fulfill the Law. It also amplifies verse eleven when it says that He was revealing "His glory" and not just "His power".

30 Days of Thanks - Day 18 - The Little Things

Someone holds a door for you instead of letting it slam in your face. Someone helps you pick up that package or paper or whatever you dropped so that you do not have to try and balance the rest of the stack while you get it [1]. Someone refrains from taking the last cookie or soda or appetizer or whatever so that you can try it. Someone waits so that you can pass through even though they had the right of way. Someone picks up or cleans up whatever was lying around - even though it was not their responsibility. Someone calls and says, "Hey, let's go to lunch - my treat." Someone picks something up at the store for you without being asked. You wake up to a sunny day after several rainy messes.

Love is the little things. Thank you!

[1] This has a high failure rate.