The Rabbit Hole

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues." -Abraham Lincoln

Really? Don't we Christians spend our lives trying to get rid of our vices? Maybe Mr. Lincoln is wrong. Or maybe we're missing the point.

So, we have two startling ideas

1. Robin's premise that worldliness is setting rules and ignoring God's grace. It has nothing to do with so-called morality.
2. Lincoln's assertion that no vices means very little virtue.

What then? Should we sin that grace may abound? No way, as Paul rightly answers.

We do need to carefully digest what God really wants. We need to realize that God does not care much for rules. That he doesn't care much about our little vices. He does care that we believe in him and live for him and live in a relationship with him. That's so much better, yet so much scarier. It's easier to ignore God and follow rules. When we have a relationship with God we actually have to treat him like a person. We need to let him into our lives. We need to be intimate with God, share with him and allow him to share with us. We need to know him and so know ourselves.

It's like the choice Morpheus offers Neo. Take the red pill. Find out the real truth. Experience how deep the rabbit hole of God's love is. Bend our minds around how different our lives will become. Or take the blue pill. Just follow the rules and fit in. Be religious, anal, bland and safe. Impress friends and neighbors with how good of Christians we are.

Red pill anyone?

Worldliness is not what you think it is

Robin has a great post about worldliness. I've had thoughts like this for a while, but as usual he has a very complete biblical point-of-view and expressed it much more clearly than I could.

Tesla in production

These two videos show a sports car accelerating from a stop. They show fantastic acceleration. But there's also something wrong -- do you notice it? Hint: make sure your computer sound is on.








Did you notice? No engine roar! This is the new electric sports car from Tesla Motors. Tesla claims 0-60 in under 4 seconds, and Motor Trend, AutoWeek and Road & Track seem to agree. Since it's electric there's no gasoline roar and full torque at zero rpm. Awesome!

Allyson Felix again

This LA Times article gives another reason to applaud Allyson Felix.

Athlete

Some awesome technology from JPL.



Also check out this article on space.com.

More Josh Billings

As a result of reading wikipedia about Josh Billings while writing my last post I found another quote I really like. "As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand."

Jesus said we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. The problem is we religiously avoid truth. The Gospel of John makes this clear when it talks about light and darkness.

Uniformed

"If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. " Mark Twain

Mostly I chose to be uniformed. Maybe I just want to stay happy.

Josh Billings, a humorist who was second in popularity to Twain during the back half of the 19th century, has a quote that is one of my all-time favorites and I have in my office. "The trouble with most folks isn't so much their ignorance. It's know'n so many things that ain't so."

Put these two quotes together and you know why I rarely read the newspaper or listen to any other form of so-called news.

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For the record: I looked at the wikipedia article on Josh Billings and learned something about him. I also saw many other good quotes. My favorite quote was there, but it was phrased this way: "It's not ignorance does so much damage; it's knowin' so derned much that ain't so." Not sure what's right but they say the same thing -- perhaps he said it both ways.