Reading and thinking: two quotes
August 31, 2006
One of the few devotional periodicals worth reading is Tabletalk from Ligonier Ministries. This month’s issue is about “Proud Mediocrity: Facing the addiction of our culture.” But never mind. All I want to do is to pass on a couple of striking (to me, for obvious reasons,) quotations to those who collect such things.
The majority, though they are sometimes frequent readers, do not set much store by reading. They turn to it as a last resource. They abandon it with alacrity as soon as any alternate pastime turns up. It is kept for railway journeys, illnesses, odd moments of enforced solitude, or for the process called readiing oneself to sleep. …but literary people are always looking for leisure and silence in which to read and do so with their whole attention. –C.S. Lewis in An Experiment in Criticism
And then there was this gem from the acerbic pen of G.K. Chesterton:
The great intellectual tradition that comes down to us from the past was never interrupted or lost through such trifles as the sack of Rome, the triumph of Attila, or all the barbarian invasions of the Dark Ages. It was lost after the introduction of printing, the discovery of America, the coming of the marvels of technology, the establishment of universal education, and all the enlightenment of the modern world. It was there, if anywhere, that there was lost or impatiently snapped the long thin delicate thread that had descended from distant antiquity; the thread of that unusual human hobby: the habit of thinking.
Dave, hanging on by a thread.
WCPE-FM: A business model that works
August 30, 2006
I keep my eye open for unique businesses that thrive when most would say that they can’t. A few years ago, my love of classical music (which balances out my love for Country music) led me to The Classical Station in Wake Forest, NC. The General Manager is Deborah S. Proctor, and she often talks about their business model in her mailings.
Their quarterly publication is Quarter Notes, and its masthead says this about WCPE:
Great Classical Music is FREE from The Classical Station, WCPE,
- A commercial-free, 24-hour classical music service for cable systems, satellite services and radio stations. Available without cost or obligation via C-band and Ku-band satellite.
- Hear our Free-to-Air DVB signal on … .
- Hear our unscrambled signal on Satellite Galaxy 14, … .
- Listen online at TheClassicalStation.org.
How do they do it? Believe it or not, they are dependent 100% on listener support, almost half of which comes from people like me listening to their online stream. While off-air classical music is disappearing all over the country, WCPE is tapping into a national, even global, online market of classical listeners. Like me, many others must think that a few bucks a month is a reasonable donation to support 24-hour classical music.
The cost of providing these services is mind-boggling, and I still have trouble believing they can do it, but they do it year after year, and with on-air fund drives only twice a year. Deborah and the WCPE team: a tip of the Orlop hat to you, and may you continue to prosper!
Dave, which he loves Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Sacred music on Sunday mornings, and… .
Philippians 2:6-11
August 27, 2006
2:610 who though he existed in the form of God
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
2:7 but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave,
by looking like other men,
and by sharing in human nature.
2:8 He humbled himself,
by becoming obedient to the point of death
–even death on a cross!
2:9 As a result God exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
2:10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow
–in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
2:11 and every tongue confess
to the glory of God the Father
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
These verses are usually considered poetry, as Paul contemplates the risen Christ. It gives us a beautiful snapshot of the first two Persons of the Trinity. I eagerly look forward to that day when every knee will bow before Jesus. Maranatha! -sdg-
Cook, slut, & butler
August 26, 2006
This was a common English name for a person who does all the turns of work in a house. A common American expression is, “Smile when you say that, pardner,” but I doubt that wives will accept a smile, since smiles are sometimes not easily distinguished from smirks, but your mileage may vary.
To change the subject, St. Martha is the patron saint of housewives. Gervase Markham’s The English Housewife (1615) offered a comprehensive profile of the ideal English housekeeper. This mythical creature’s “general virtues” included that she “must be of chaste thought, stout courage, patient, untiring, watchful, diligent, witty, pleasant, constant in friendship, full of good neighborhood, wise in discourse but not frequent therein, sharp and quick of speech, but not bitter or talkative, secret in her affairs, comfortable in her counsels, and generally skillful in all worthy knowledge which do belong to her vocation.”
Dave, thinking maybe he has said too much already.
The broom man II
August 24, 2006
You remember a post about a year ago about the broom man? Since I walk past his front door often, and when the weather is good he is sometimes out sweeping his curb gutters, we always wave and he always holds out his broom and asks me to sweep for a while.
A few days ago, I finally decided I ought to introduce myself and at least learn his name. He was sweeping away under 95-degree sunshine (neither of us have enough sense to stay by the air conditioner). I shook his hand and asked his name. He said, “You know the name Costello? Well, that ain’t me. I’m Abbot. Ha-ha-ha.” He is Kenneth Abbot, an 83-year-old retired steamfitter whose wife died two years ago. I could say he lives alone, but that might be misleading.
Without prompting, Ken asked, “You know why I sweep out the gutters in front of my house? Well, sir, it’s because I get satisfaction from it. And I meet all sorts of wierd people.” That’s good enough for me. We stood there under the broiling sun and talked some more. I told him I was an Ayers, not a Lew Ayers, nor from the Ayers Oil Company, just Dave Ayers. I think he was a bit disappointed. When I told him I was a founder of Quintron Corporation, he shot right back, “Then how about a loan?” and cracked up. After he got his laugh out, he wheezed a bit and said that he just loves kidding people and told me a few stories about the people he meets as he goes to stores around town, mostly about exchanging hugs with young ladies. “Before I go out, I take a shower and put on some deoderant so they will say that I smell pretty.”
Ken is just one cheerful, likable guy. He stays active, chats up neighbors and walkers, and enjoys life, even if his knees don’t work quite like they used to. As we parted, he said he enjoyed our talk, and he’ll always be ready to talk back and forth with me, “15 minutes for me and 5 minutes for you. Ha-ha-ha.”
Dave, whose day was better for having met Ken Abbot.
A flippercanorious walk
August 23, 2006
It was indeed! As August begins to run out of steam, the walking is getting better. The other morning the air was fresh and not so moisture-laden; it was still in the seventies, and the deep green foliage was guarding me from any more skin cancers. Life was good.
The walk also showed me that the weekly trash pickup monster moves along exactly at my walking pace, which ruined the solitude for a quarter mile or so, but as Owen Parry’s Major Abel Jones would say, let that bide. (If you haven’t read any Owen Parry, you should.)
Oh, yes. Flippercanorious. You already have guessed where I found the word, and it means “elegant.” The source is Maurice Weseen’s A Dictionary of American Slang, 1934. I must have read it when I was 3 years old. Or more likely found it in my Forgotten English Calendar. Who gave that to me, anyway?
Dave, so busy with new church website that he has been shirking his duty on the Orlop.
Philippians 2:1-5
August 20, 2006
Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility
2:1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, 2:2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose. 2:3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 2:4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. 2:5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
It all sounds so simple. I want to live a righteous life and God has provided a perfect example in the life of his Son. So just emulate Him, right? Wrong! This sin-stained soul will never be able to hack it. In the next poetic passage, Paul talks about the perfect example Himself.
The unhappy reality of my struggle against selfishness is more than counter-balanced by the hope I have in Jesus Christ. I know from Scripture that the tension between who I naturally am and who I spiritually will be is a normal part of the life hid with Christ in God and will not go away this side of the grave. -sdg-
The easy A
August 16, 2006
If you are interested in how colleges educate our kids, here are some interesting thoughts:
EconLog, College Customers vs. Suppliers, Arnold Kling: Library of Economics and Liberty
The easy A course doesn’t compete well with the unmeasurable tough course that really teaches something. In my college (ancient) days, the World War II vets around were mature enough to go for the tough stuff that would help them get on with their lives. I hope that there are still many college students who don’t take a myopic view and at least sometimes pass up the easy A for more substantive stuff. But then, what do I know?
Dave, still trying to complete his education at the University of Life.
Boomers reach 60
August 13, 2006
It’s hard to believe, but our children, the oldest ones at least, are Boomers, and some of their generation are starting to retire. For one viewpoint about what this means, see this article from The Economist.
The World In 2006 | Boomers reach 60
Time for the pushiest of generations to redefine old age, says Paul Wallace
So there’s your challenge, pushy ones, and I’m eagerly awaiting your redefinition.
Politicians will need to pluck up their courage and raise the state-pension age. It is absurd that this generally remains stuck at 65, an age set when life expectancy was far lower. A higher state-pension age is the surest way to keep older people at work. Crucially, this should not be a one-off reform. Instead, the state-pension age should be linked to life expectancy, so that it rises automatically with increasing longevity.
Most important of all, individuals must change their attitudes and behaviour in a cultural revolution that will redefine the meaning of age, in the light of sharply increased longevity and improvements in health. The baby-boomers have rightly insisted that middle age is no longer what it used to be. Now this pushiest of generations must do the same for old age.
Click here to hear a discussion on redefining old age with Paul Wallace, British economy correspondent, The Economist.
Dave, wondering what will come of all this.
Philippians 1:27-30
August 13, 2006
1:27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that–whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent–I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 1:28 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of their destruction, but of your salvation–a sign which is from God. 1:29 For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him, 1:30 since you are encountering the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing.
The big challenge always for me as a Christian is to conduct myself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, both in church and without. Paul advises that I am to “stand firm in one spirit, with one mind,” and not to let myself be intimidated by the opposition. Sounds reasonable enough.
But not so simple. I know my own weaknesses only too well! Personal integrity is the name of the game, and it is a difficult game, indeed. At least for me. I can get pretty devious at times. As for not being intimidated, I wonder how often I even recognize the opposition, let alone stand up to it.
At least I know the standard to which I must aspire, and I trust God to keep chipping away at my rough edges until one glorious day I will “graduate” and stand in the company of my Lord. -sdg-
