Gotennis's Xanga

Monday, March 30, 2009

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:22:53 GMT

Manifleshted

From - to manifest
Definition - abbreviation of the phrase "manifested in the flesh"
Synonym - incarnation
Origin - tangled tongue moment in a morning message on March 29, 2009 in Cortland, NY

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:52:58 GMT

It puzzles me why, with the Bible saying so much about doing good,
Professing Christians would use the term "do gooders"
As an epithet of scorn.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 01:20:49 GMT

Murray passed Federer in the Semi-Finals
at Indian Wells.
Meets Nadal in the Finals.
Murry is now 6-2 against Federer.
The guy's got a grand slam victory in his future.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:28:58 GMT

NEXT BOOKS

I've finished St. Clair's book and hope to hear him speak tomorrow morning at the William George Agency near here. Now I'm more than half way through Andrew Bridge's memoir - "Hope's Boy" as well as Leonard Sax' book "Boys Adrift." Not sure why I'm reading these. They are challenging, gripping, maddening and motivating - but I feel largely helpless to act on anything I'm learning and significantly unmotivational when I try to talk about them. Sigh.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:53:52 GMT

A fascinating book with a two-pronged application.

I am nearly finished reading Chip St. Clair's book "The Butterfly Garden." I have to warn that the book contains some very foul language. The subject explains the reason. The book is St. Clair's personal memoir of the extreme abuse which he experienced in his childhood and the traumatic discovery, as an adult, of the perilous situation in which he lived.

The first application has to do with an awareness of just how vulnerable youngsters are to abuse and why they will often avoid the very things which could help. Testimonials like these help to explain why government officials who become genuinely concerned about child abuse will sometimes flip to the other extreme in efforts to discover and prevent it. They also raise a challenge to those of us in the Christian community with regard to our head-in-the-sand attitude toward the issue. And, these testimonials help us to realize just how "good" abusers are at winning the support of the very people who should be challenging them.

The second application has to do with our understanding of the fatherhood of God. It is essential that we be very clear about the biblical presentation of God's grace to sinners and his anger toward those who would violate others. It is also important that we understand that the rule of Law differs from the rule of Grace and that fear is designed to drive us to God and be replaced with awe (godliness) and ultimately the atmosphere of love. Satan enjoys depicting God as the bully when it is, in fact, he who masquerades as our benefactor and beats us to a pulp in the process.

I'm hoping to hear Mr. St. Clair speak in a few days. You can catch some of his story by typing in his name on YouTube.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:40:46 GMT

ANDY MURRAY IS IN ROUND FOUR !!

GO SCOTLAND !

Friday, January 23, 2009

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:09:16 GMT

Repentance

Many times repentance means little more than making a 360 degree turn.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:08:55 GMT

AUSTRALIAN OPEN REPORT
From someone who doesn't get to watch it. Sigh.

Andy Murray has advanced to the third round. I'm liking a lot that I'm seeing and hearing about Andy. Personally, I'm hoping that he takes this tournament trophy home with him.

So also have Nadal, Federer, Roddick, Gasquet and Ancic. Why do I mention Ancic? I had the privilege of watching him play at the RCA tournament in Indianapolis a few years ago. Ancic is unique among professional tennis players in that he took time out to get a college degree.

Australian Open

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:39:01 GMT

This is called a very unpredictable Australian Open events. Four names contend for victor status - # 1 place Rafael Nadal, # 2 place Roger Federer, # 3 place Novak Djokovic, and # 4 place Andy Murray. If these are, indeed, the four who will make it the farthest the semi finals would look like this:

Nadal vs. Murray
Federer vs. Djokovic

I am wondering, though. There is a hint of uncertainty with regard to Nadal and a hint of confidence from the Roddick camp. 7th seed Roddick could meet Djokovic in the quarter finals. Would he have the steam to upset him? Gasquet, even though he's ranked 24th, could bring an upset against Nadal if the first place seed's spirits are low. Where Federer is in this remains to be seen. I'm in a bit of a quandry in that I like both Nadal and Murray. As they go into the tournament, Murray is showing an up beat spirit which bodes well for him. He seems relaxed but intense and confident. I kind of hope he can keep smiling all the way through. And, of course, there's always the possibility that someone we're not even looking at will surprise everyone.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:12:37 GMT

GHOSTS

A very wise friend asked this question recently: "Can a 'ghost writer' be Spirit filled?"

That led me to think about the problems which Ms. Winfrey is facing as the ghost of a past interview has returned to haunt her. Are we watching a twenty-first century version of "The Phantom of the Oprah"?