On Ignorance And The "Laredo Accent"

Laredo Day 1: today I learned that "Mier Street" (the street our church is located) is not pronounced "My-er" but "Mi-er." This has revealed 6 months of ignorant pronunciation. Hopefully I soon will gain a Laredo accent (a Spanish accent) and gain some street cred.

On Suffering, Sovereignty And Worship

In heaven will we sing songs about suffering and pain? Piper argues that suffering and sovereignty are at the very essence of worship because they are at the very essence of the cross. Therefore, indeed, there will songs about suffering and pain -especially in heaven.

"Good Friday did not happen to be forgotten..."

- John Piper, "The Supremacy of Christ in Suffering" May 8, 2010

On Suffering, Sovereignty, And Glory

"If the leaves had not been let go to fall and wither, if the tree had not consented to be a skeleton for many months, there would be no new life rising, no bud, no flower, no fruit, no seed, no new generation"

- Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity (Grand Rapids: Flemming H. Revell, 2002).

On Reality Checks, Detachment, And Snitches

"Well thank you for that. I saw all your hard drives and guess what? You're not a photographer. And you definitely can't fit into a size two. Darryl, man, you're on Facebook. Why you been telling people you not on Facebook? People want to be your friend man. Alright? And you, this guy, you're the one who told the press. You wrote an email to an editor; I saw it. And I also saw a quicktime movie of your little printer file test on your hard drive. but this guys the snitch -he's the snitch. So, that's it. Check it out."

- Nick the IT guy, The Office, Season 6, Ep. 26.

On Modern "Expectations"

Cher! You're being another woman behind my back…. Spare me the lame excuses. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but when a girl dates a straight man who impersonates her on stage for mostly gay audiences -she has certain expectations. Fidelity, Paul, it's not just the name of a bank that sued me.

- Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock, Season 4: Ep. 22.

On The Logician, Myopic Intellectual Pride And Poetry

The general fact is simple. Poetry is sane because it floats easily in an infinite sea; reason seeks to cross the infinite sea, and so make it finite. The result is mental exhaustion, like the physical exhaustion of Mr. Holbein. To accept everything is an exercise, to understand everything a strain. The poet only desires exaltation and expansion, a world to stretch himself in. The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head. And it is his head that splits.

- G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1936).

On Holiness, Glory And The Trinity

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,

Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,

Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;

Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,

Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

- Reginald Heber, "Holy, Holy, Holy," 1826.