Not all builds are meant to be carried downstairs and outside…
Thankfully this was on the return voyage.
Disaster Strikes
St. Louis Skyline
Welcome to the Gateway to the West!
(Click for higher resolution images.) For the background I used STL Skyline 2007 by CillanXC at English Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Continue reading “St. Louis Skyline”
My Own Pet Flim
I got up one day
I got up, I say.
I stood on my head,
Looked under the bed.
I saw a dust bunny,
And a piece of money,
I saw a crooked pin,
And –oh! – a yellow fin!
I got to my feet,
Looking very sweet.
“Come on, little one,
Come out, let’s have fun!”
He wriggled.
He sniggered.
He sniffled.
He giggled.
Conquering Math
So there I was, trying to drill some smattering of math into this obsessed child. “Leon!” I called. “Leon! Stop playing conquistador and come back to your studies! Look here, see this problem? You got it all wrong! 68 out of 88 is not 110%!”
“But ma’am, you have always told me to give 110%! When I am older, that is what I will demand from my soldiers! Why would I put 77%?”
“And there you go again! What is this soldier thing? We are doing math! Math is precise and exact…”
“So will my soldiers be,” Leon interrupted in a very definite tone. “They will be precise! There will be no disregarding my orders. Everything will be exact! No one out of line. No one a minute late!”
“Then look! Before you can command, you must be able to obey. See, I am telling you. You must divide…”
Poverty Part II: The Biblical Diagnosis
What is the worst state in which a man can be found? Is it a state of material destitution? Or is there something more devastating, more horrible – a state that affects him not only now, but forever? As we know from Scripture, the “light affliction” of this life “is but for a moment” (II Corinthians 4:17). For this reason, we “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (ibid 4:18). With this sort of worldview, it is not surprising that the Biblical answer to material destitution – poverty – is far different from all others. While modern humanism elevates poverty and defines it as inequality, the Bible recognizes it as a result of sin – a fundamental brokenness often expressing itself in material need – a view which leads to help that is radically different and truly helpful.
Continue reading “Poverty Part II: The Biblical Diagnosis”
Flame
Close on the heels of Zap comes another dragon, this one sporting a red and brown color-scheme with singed black wings!
Zap
Roarrrrrrr! Better not get on this beast’s bad side, because he has some claws! Zap, my second attempt at a dragon, features extensive poseability, a wingspan well over 1′, and a rider’s seat decked out with a personalized flag!
Poverty Part I: The Modern Diagnosis
Who are the poor? In Western society today, material goods are often emphasized with little regard to other essential components of a truly happy life. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that poverty has been re-defined to mean those who have less, rather than those who have not. Time was when poor people lived in a one-room house with a dirt floor and were doing good to eat two meals a day; now they can have indoor plumbing and a TV in their living room. What criteria satisfy the modern definition of poverty? Based on those criteria, what is the modern solution? Does it work?
