bread&tea

I graduated today! Below is a F.A.Q. I created to help with crowd control.... the idea was that if there were more people than I could talk at once coming in the door, then some could just read the faq instead. But mostly I just wanted to make a faq. :-) Also, I'm going to be a counselor for a summer camp, the same as last year's. I'm hoping to get a post or two in on the weekends, but don't expect more than four, tops. Sorry. Still, the sidebar archive contains over a hundred and thirty posts... (not bragging, just sayin'!) so if you want to, there's probably something you haven't read in there. Those helpful little links even color code for which ones you've clicked on or not. On to the graduation faq!                                                 ...

Wanted to share a quick inspirational bolt. It's short, unpolished, and lacks a cohesive feeling, but it could be made into something pretty amazing Titled, "And That Is It" spending time that I don't have wandering a world that I can't see sharing a heart that breaks my back speaking a truth that few believe running a race that rests my feet fighting a war that's already beat claiming a world that's already claimed freeing those that have been chained warming hearts that have been chilled igniting souls that before were nil clearing dead eyes that were so quizzical showing a strength that goes beyond physical now this rhyme is becoming to material the reason including far to much criteria-l ending feels like slamming down a bludgeon the truth is without Christ, you'll never even get 'well done'. And that is it.

This is one of those rare movies I recommend, that I didn't enjoy watching. I believe The Passion is best viewed with some prior knowledge of Christ's sacrifice, but extensive knowledge isn't necessary. On the contrary, knowing every step of the way is one of things that I felt kept the film from impacting me as deeply as I had hoped it would. The Passion is extremely accurate. Historical locations, the populace's garb, accents. Make sure to enable english subtitles, as everything is in the aramaic language. I'm doing bullet points because their isn't really humor or drama or romance or technology or anything else like that, that I can expand upon with my own words. The Passion is simply a brutally realistic portrayal of the true events of Christ's crucifixion. The movie did play around a little with a visible representation of Satan, who tormented Jesus during this time. Or actually his whole life really. While this is certainly in the bible, it alm...

The soul is often referred to as a fire. Sometimes as "flickering" or "blazing" or "almost out" or whatever. Just different ways to describe the level of passion someone is portraying. This "fire of the soul", could also be described as a love tank, or self-esteem level that is maintained in part by compliments, and our perception of other people caring about us. Encouragement is one source of fuel for that fire. Compliments are included in the category of encouragement, and I believe our perception of how others think about us also translates to encouragement, or discouragement, depending on that said perception. That said, I've been mulling over encouragement primarily in its form of spoken and written word. What got me started was encouragement from an unexpected source. For a while I didn't think anything of it, until I realized I was still thinking.... of it. See, if the soul is a fire, and encouragement fuels that fire, encour...

I don't have much today. Since last summer I've been reading through the bible, and I'm nearly finished with the old testament. I've learned a ton, but here is one thing that I thought I'd share. Early old testament, during the exodus and afterwards, God always talks to the Israelites (us) through Moses. Leviticus 5:14, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying ...." Leviticus 6:8, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying..." Leviticus 12:1, "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying..." Numbers 5:1, "The Lord spoke to Moses, saying..." And so on and so forth over and over again. It's not subtle. And it's not unintentional. As of yet, I don't know the significance of that though, so I'd love any comments. I believe it has something to do with God pointing out the relationship triangle between God, Man, and Law. Something along the lines of how much people were separated from God at this point. Then it all changes. After Levitic...

Yes, I just posted yesterday, and yes, that's unheard of for me. Today though, all I wanted to do was share some linkage with you. I'll write a short description about each for you, so you can just check out the ones that might interest you. They aren't in a particular order. Sticker Guy! Simple awesomeness. You can order pre-made stickers, but the real deal is being able to send your own design in. And, the price is quite affordable. Young Writers Society (YWS) . I believe this is hands-down the best site for young writers. Of course there are many wonderful writing sites out there that serious writers should definitely utilize as well, but YWS is excellent for anyone wanting a community of critique-ers and encouragement. Pandora. The single most useful music discovery tool I've ever encountered. I love Pandora. The basic premise: enter the name of a band you love, and the site tries to play music similar to them. This is achieved by having every song on their ...

Due to excessive busyness (note, not necessarily industrious busyness) I find that once again, I haven't posted for about a week. Argh!   More posts mean more views. More views means I post more. The outcome and result is either a symbiotic relationship where I regularly post and regularly get read, or a vicious circle where I don't post and no one knows the blog exists anymore. There's no way I post for views, for that would be like seeking the praise of man, but it's undeniable that posting something that no one will read is a waste of time. I can write in a notebook and achieve much more self-improvement than I can writing a post. Views, are not the reason I post, even though they are a lot of my motivation. So if views motivate me, why don't I tell anyone about the blog? What is the likelihood of someone randomly thinking, "Hey, I wonder if Benjamin has a blog?" And then actually finding it amongst a gazillion other blogs? And a bajillion-millio...