Jumping the Shark - 2012 Seth Godin post

This makes more sense (this only makes sense?) in the context of Seth Godin's full post, so you might want to click here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/08/there-isnt-one-shark.html

"...have the empathy not to confuse your shark with the shark of the kind of person you're hoping to delight."

I think there's a healthy "mind your own business" to what he's saying.  ...a helpful, "you're not an expert, so stop giving your expert opinion on everything".  There's a chance I'm fully missing his point.  There's a chance that Seth Godin has jumped the shark.  This blog has jumped the shark.  Happy Days is awesome.

Amazing Ball Skills video

This sucked me in for all 10 minutes...

Presence of something bigger than yourself

"It feels right and good when you are in the presence of something bigger than yourself." Edward Welch (What Do You Think of Me? Why Do I Care?, 119)

On Doing Too Much...

“Beware of anything that competes with your loyalty to Jesus Christ.  The greatest competitor of true devotion to Jesus is the service we do for Him.  It is easier to serve than to pour out our lives completely for Him.  The goal of the call of God is His satisfaction, not simply that we should do something for Him.  We are not sent to do battle for God, but to be used by God in His battles.  Are we more devoted to service than we are to Jesus Christ Himself?” - Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For His Highest, Jan 18)

The great artists steal?

"Good artists copy.  Great artists steal." - Picasso

"If you steal from one person it's plagiarism.  If you steal from five it's research.  If you steal from ten or more, it's sheer creativity.  And, I am a very creative person." - Rick Warren

Musicals and Songs - Sermons and Illustrations

On a documentary-ish video on the Disney Beauty and the Beast DVD (technically BluRay...sorry to be one-of-those-people)...the makers talk about how in a musical when you can't clearly express yourself through the dialog, then, it's time to express yourself through a song. 

And, applied to my job...in a sermon, when you can't clearly express yourself through explanation, then, it's time to express yourself through an illustration.  I'm sure there is overlap to this principle in many different fields. 

Empathy

A while back I read a blog post by someone that described exactly how I felt.  But, they didn't give any good advice on how to fix anything.  But, strangely, just knowing that someone else in the world had felt the same way made me feel better.  I think empathy is key.  And, I think articulating clearly is key as well.

"Abba! Father!" = Daddy???

Here's a quote that sharpens up something that I've heard more than once...

"...we oversentimentalize this word [Abba] when we refer to it as mere baby talk and translate it into English as 'daddy.'  The word Abba appears in certain legal texts of the Mishna as a designation used by grown children in claiming the inheritance of their deceased father.  As a word of address Abba is not so much associated with infancy as it is with intimacy." - Timothy George (Galations, 307)

 And, here's alot more information on the same topic: "FactChecker: Does 'Abba' Mean 'Daddy'?"
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For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
(Romans 8:15 ESV)

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
(Galatians 4:6 ESV)

Laughing

I think that the same nerve endings that offend people can also make them laugh. 

...For good or bad...but, many times for good.

This implies that many times you're walking a tight rope when humor is involved. 

Shackleton Ad Apocryphal???

Shackleton Ad never existed?

"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success."

 http://www.antarctic-circle.org/advert.htm