10/21/2005

Too busy not to multi-task

Dan Edelen at Cerulean Sanctum has a very thoughtful post on the rat race. When did our culture drive us to such an insane pace of life, and why did we let it? Do we really like being stressed and stretched way out of shape?

On the other hand, I have to ask if there are still people in America that take a slower pace. I'm not just talking about the Amish, but about plain, simple folk. If we step out of our suburban, corporate world, who will we meet? Will we run across people who still do one thing at a time and do it well? Or has this disease spread through the whole of society and infected us all?

For those who feel like they just can't handle any more, Jesus has some good words. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." There is so much more grace available than most of us make use of. Is it time for you to find rest in Jesus?

12:22 Posted in About Life , Faith , Something Greater | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this

09/20/2005

Any duck in a storm

Brad Mercer of Dallas was one of those who went to the aid of the hurricane victims. Taking a Duck (amphibious vehicle) all the way to New Orleans, he and an old college roomate set out to do what they could. His tale is broken into three parts: What We Did; What We Saw; What I Felt.

From What We Did:

Each person was allowed to bring one bag with them. Men in the group handed bags and toddlers to me from the side of the duck. I sat them all down, lowered the ladder on the back of the boat, and then helped the people up, some of whom were old or sick. Then we received a report of an old lady trapped in an attic 18 blocks away. We apologized to the 25 people we had, knowing they were tired, some of them sick, all of them eager to get back to the freeway where big helicopters would take them to the New Orleans airport, from where busses would take them to refugee centers in other cities and states. They emphatically agreed, though, that we had to go look for the old lady in the attic.


From What We Saw:

I’ve seen giant cargo or tanker ships in the Mississippi River pushed up at a 45 degree angle against the shore. I’ve seen big, fancy yachts tossed completely out of the marina and set down, apparently undamaged, in parking lots and out on the shoulder of the nearby freeway. I’ve seen a marina where boats were tossed together like a child’s toy box. Growing up in tornado alley, I’m used to seeing the relatively narrow swath of utter destruction that a tornado can cause. But this week, I rode through that kind of destruction for hours. Between New Orleans and Biloxi is a forest that now looks like a game of Pickup Sticks. The limbs are stripped bare, and big, strong, healthy trees are snapped near the base like dry twigs.


From What I Felt:

One of the most remarkable emotional experiences was just the spirit of the workers. We must have seen agencies from 20 states represented. We saw every possible law enforcement and military agency from every possible level of government, as well as countless private organizations like us. It could have been a bureaucratic nightmare, but every leader we encountered, no matter how harried and overworked, was kind and willing to help and be helped. Every one of them offered to share their food and drink (but not their gasoline), and looked for ways to keep structure and coordination intact while still incorporating unexpected offers of help. Every one of them was working as hard as they could to make it work and get the job done. One Louisiana Parks & Wildlife leader snapped dismissively at us when we pulled up and tried to ask a question, but I spoke to him affirmingly and encouragingly and sympathetically for no more than two minutes before he was nearly in tears, talking about the challenges that he faced, offering us food and drink and a place to park our duck. That was probably the first moment in our adventure when I actually felt useful and valuable. I couldn’t captain the boat and I wasn’t a mechanic, but I could reflect to people their own value in a way that made it possible for them to work with us.



Read all three. They're worth the time.

21:25 Posted in Current Events , Faith , Something Greater | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

07/08/2005

Rule Britannia... or Cool Britannia?

James Lileks, in that oh-so-subtle Lileks Manner, ponders the past, the present, and the future of Britannia. Long may she live.

[Warning: Lileks subtlety can sometimes be graphic.]

Be sure to listen to the music clips. They're worth the time.

We all need to take time, especially now, but always, to look for that which transcends.

My post about the personal significance of July 8th might be a little late...

15:00 Posted in Blog , GWOT , Something Greater | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this