The Heart of God

The heart of God, what He desires most, is intimacy with Him. That's why we are here.

-God made us to know Him.
-God made each of us different so we would know different aspects of His being.
-God made man an incredibly complex creation, in the likeness of Himself, because He is incredibly complex.

The very worse thing we can do is shun God when He draws near to us. This, more than anything, pains Him and explains the unearthly coldness one feels when one rejects Him. Fortunately, God desires us so much He forgives our cold shoulders and gives us grace. This is why relationships that go awry hurt more than anything else...since we are made in God's image and have an innate desire for intimacy that supersedes all other desires.

Because man is so complex, this does not mean any man should marry any woman. Nor does this mean any Christian man should marry any Christian woman. I suspect God designs us so that there are really only a very few truly compatible people for living their lives together.

If one looks to the animal kingdom, one can see this more clearly. Mountain lions and lynxes, though they live in the same places, eat the same animals, chase the same sheep, and love to sleep 20+ hours a day are simply not made to be together. Granted, mankind is the same species, but this does not mean two Christians are made to be together. God may have different plans for both, though they walk along the same path for some time.

This can be quite difficult for the soul...the emotions...to grasp, and hard as it may be, one must listen to the voice of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will place secret hints and inclinations which, when followed, will keep us from making a wrong decision we would regret during our latter years.

Spelunkering through Life

It is hard to fall in love when you live in a cave. You get used to the silence and safety of the rocky walls and develop a false sense of security. The path of life requires at least some intimacy, which if absent, makes the hard parts of the journey almost unbearably painful. It is during these difficult stages the emotions go numb and we become less human to others. Traveling with another helps when the spirit is weak as the two can help each other. When one travels alone, sometimes the flame of the spirit flickers due to the wind and the weather. With two, one can shield the other and keep both flames lit.

‎"Today you are you, that is truer than true.
There is noone alive who is youer than you."

--the doctor called Suess

♪ ♪ ♫ ♪ Whatever it is I think I see...needs to be washed 27 times by me...♪ ♫ ♫

--anonymous OCD quote

Image

"Every man becomes the image of the God he adores. He whose worship is directed to a dead thing becomes a dead thing.

He who loves corruption rots.

He who loves a shadow becomes, himself, a shadow.

he who loves things that must perish lives in dread of their perishing."

--Thomas Merton in 'No Man is an Island'

It's the Truth

"Man's intelligence, however we may misuse it, is far too keen and too sure to rest for long in error. It may embrace a lie and cling to it stubbornly, believing it to be true: but it cannot find true rest in falsehood. The mind that is in error wears itself out with anxiety, lest its error be discovered for what it is. But the man who loves truth can already find rest in the acknowledgement of his mistakes, for that is the beginning of truth."

--Thomas Merton in 'No Man is an Island'

Knockin' on Heaven's Door.

Male Bonding

(Can't you just feel the luv')...sniff...sniff...

Sticky Stuff

Of all the substances discovered by man to be eaten and spat out, I must say my favorite is chicle with Polyisobutylene a close second.

Atoms

Disregarding what is intuitively obvious means the mind must continually repress the natural order of Life. Over time, this repressing causes the mind to think (against one's better judgement) thoughts that are inconsistent with Reality. So that the end result can be only madness.

When a large enough population in a society represses the intuitively obvious, the logical thing that must happen is a shift in mores and a decline in creativity. The society becomes volatile to the extent that chaos becomes the norm and mediocrity a virtue.

Given a large enough number of people, one can predict what will happen in a manner somewhat analogous to the chemical and physical laws that govern gas particles in a system. And a wise and competent leader will foresee all this and make plans accordingly.

It's true that all people have Free-Will, can make cause-and-effect decisions, as do separate atoms in a closed system. Yet as any chemist or physicist will tell you, atoms by themselves don't do much to their society alone. It takes billions of them to make an impact.

Bolivian Gas

I was not planning to blog tonight, but after drinking the equivalent of 4 cups of coffee with the consistency of Bolivian diesel fuel...and I'm not certain it was not Bolivian diesel fuel (who can tell with all the sugarcane)...I changed my mind.

Coffee is not something I drink much of nowadays. I found myself addicted to it and switched to tea. And anyone who appreciates tea knows the impossibility of getting addicted to tea. Even good tea.

In retrospect, it wasn't so much the taste of coffee I craved-it was the kick. One day after a few too many cups, I went a little crazy and searched E-Bay with the honest-to-goodness intention of importing a colony of jackalopes from Borneo. I thought their presence would make a more than interesting addition to the chemistry lab I work at. Then Reason, that lovely goddess who should really rear her head more often than she does in chemistry labs in this great country of ours, actually did rear her head and tell me to stop the online shopping thing and get back to work.

OK Jason. You've written enough for one night. Let's hope nobody with a good psychologist and telephone number offers you 'Life' advice.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a characteristic of spiritual immaturity.

Randomness in September

Most decisions made by men nowadays are based strictly upon emotional states. Logic and foresight are secondary factors in their day-to-day plans. If you don't believe me go to Kentucky or Southern West Virginia and see for yourself the results of decades upon decades of emotion based choices.

A dream I had: As I went walking through the woods I heard a voice calling, "Whoo?...Whooo?"

I thought it must be the Voice of Wisdom calling me in the form of an angel. Then I saw the feathers, beak, and small rodent in the beak flying overhead and at once my heart lightened with good cheer. I composed a proverb on the spot, "Woe to those who call black white, white black, and gray grey. For they are colorblind and destined to become British. Radical alterations of Reality without foresight lead to simpletonism and the end thereof is a Life of Misery in a cold wretched trailer in Southern Appalachia where there will be weeping and gnashing of gums. Confusion shall be in your right hand and ignorance of proper hygiene in your left. Ye shall be friend to the dogs and have far too many non-regulated chemicals in your bloodstream."

Sometime later I woke from the trance and swore off canned mushrooms from Big Lots with expiration dates from 1984.

Shafted by the elevator

Dropping one's hotel key down the space between the elevator and the hallway...into the nether regions of the building...to be lost forever...except possibly by a guy who vaguely resembles Cornelius from Planet of the Apes..and appears on World's Dirtiest Jobs w/Mike Rowe...is NOT the best way to start the day.

Wrong Rene

Descartes was confused. I AM made me, therefore I think.

Superglue is a Man's Best Fiend

"It is neva a good date when U aksidently superglue your thumb 2 your pinky finger...makes typin' hardt.....

I Miss the Cold War

I always wanted to be a spy.

"If the feet and hands had a will of their own, they could only be in their order in submitting this particular will to the primary will which governs the whole body. Apart from that, they are in disorder and mischief; but in willing only the good of the body, they accomplish their own good." --Blaise Pascal

Help Wanted

I discovered the following ad this morning on Craigslist and felt compelled to reply.


Reanimator (New Orleans)

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Date: 2010-06-24, 1:58PM CDT
Reply to: xxxxxxxxxxxxx@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

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I am seeking a scientist interested in "re-animation technology". I want to create zombies in order to kill them. Or to keep them as pets. Not sure which yet. To do so, you must be familiar with the CNS and how death affects its functioning. I have some basic ideas on how to create a zombie but fresh ideas are always welcome.


Location: New Orleans
Compensation: Depends on zombie creating ability
Telecommuting is ok.
This is a part-time job

My Response:

Good Morning,

I saw your recent ad in Craigslist and think I have the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to re-animate previously dead...and almost dead...creatures. While my success rate has not been the greatest in recent years, I think re-animation is what I have designed to do in Life-as-we-know-it.

Some of my past projects have involved grasshoppers, bees, a former boss, neighborhood cats, and two old men by the local Amtrak station.

The first man resembled a mannequin; the second resembled the first man but talked even less. Neither got invited to many parties, had wooden personalities, and enjoyed watching old Hee-Haw re-runs for hours on end with nary so much as moving a finger. I discovered, quite by accident, that the electric fence I had built around my cubicle could be adjusted to shoot a bolt of electricity towards the two tv watchers. Generally speaking, their response was limited to either, "yup...yup...yup or u-huh...u-huh."

Enclosed you will find my current resume along with a link to my Paypal account.

Perhaps we can arrange a telephone interview?

Regards,

Jason M. Parrish

5 July 2010. The Odyssey Continues

According to my calendar, I have not posted anything of much substantialness in a really long time. I must confess I've been spending time on Facebook mindlessly checking the minutia of people I haven't seen in ages. It's starting to become an addiction...sort of like I had to watch G.I. Joe everyday when in grade school.

I promise to post more often here soon...just as soon as I check my status updates.