I saw the Conquerors riding by
With cruel lip and face wan:
Musing on kingdoms sacked and burned
There rode the Mongol Genghis Khan;
And Alexander, like a God,
Who sought to weld the world in one:
And Caesar with his laurel wreath;
And like a thing from hell, the Hun;
And leading, like a star the van,
Heedless of upstretched arm and groan,
Inscrutable Napoleon went
Dreaming of Empire and alone…
Then all perished from the earth
As fleeting shadows from a glass,
And, conquering down the centuries,
Came Christ, the Swordless, on an ass.
I’m going to try to follow this simple message for Holy Week:
Be still and know that I am God.
Henri Nouwen, in his book With Burning Hearts, meditates on many lessons from the story of the two travelers on the road to Emmaus. This paragraph practically shouted at me:
“Foolish people,” [Jesus] said. “So slow to believe.” These words go straight to the hearts of the two men. “Foolish” is a harsh word, a word that offends us and makes us defensive. But it can also crack open a cover of fear and self-consciousness and lead to a whole new knowledge of being human. It is a wake-up call, a ripping off of blindfolds, a tearing down of useless protective devices. You foolish people, don’t you see—don’t you hear—don’t you know? You have been looking at a little bush not realizing that you are on the top of a mountain that offers you a worldwide view. You have been staring at an obstacle not willing to consider that the obstacle was put there to show you the right path. You have been complaining about your losses, not realizing that these losses are there to enable you to receive the gift of life.
In other words, slow to trust. “Slow to believe; slow to trust in the larger scheme of things; slow to jump over their many complaints and discover the wide spectrum of new opportunities; slow to move beyond the pains of the moment and see them as part of a much larger healing process.” Slow to trust in the Father.
From a toxic chemical alert (via Anders):
Dihydrogen monoxide is an colorless, odorless, tasteless chemical that can be deadly if accidentally inhaled.
Oh great! Some other chemical we need to be worried about. Here are just some of the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO), also known as hydroxyl acid:
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major component of acid rain
-
contributes to the “greenhouse effect”
-
contributes to the erosion of natural landscapes
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accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals
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may cause electrical failures
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decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes
Worse, it is still legal for companies to dump this stuff in our rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Learn more at DHMO.org and Coalition to Ban DHMO. More at Google and Yahoo.
So much for, “Better living through chemistry.” 😉
The most destructive habit . . . . . . . . . . . . . Worry
The greatest Joy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giving
The greatest loss . . . . . . . . . . Loss of self-respect
The most satisfying work. . . . . . . . . . Helping others
The ugliest personality trait. . . . . . . . . Selfishness
The most endangered species. . . . . . . Dedicated leaders
Our greatest natural resource. . . . . . . . . . Our youth
The greatest “shot in the arm” . . . . . . . Encouragement
The greatest problem to overcome. . . . . . . . . . . Fear
The most effective sleeping pill . . . . . . Peace of mind
The most crippling failure disease . . . . . . . . Excuses
The most powerful force in life . . . . . . . . . . . Love
The most dangerous pariah . . . . . . . . . . . A gossiper
The world
