Doug – Page 16 – Random Thoughts

The Faith of Abraham

The letter that Paul wrote to the Roman church is unique in that most epistles (letters) written to churches addressed one or more problems in that church. The letter to the Romans does not. Instead, Romans is a theological treatise and full expression of apostolic doctrine. It is, in one letter, what Christianity is all about. In it, he makes an important observation about Abraham and his relationship with God.

Abrahan Chapter 4 is a pivotal point which addresses faith verses Law. This is important because some Jews who converted to Christianity were insisting that followers of Jesus also keep certain points of the Law of Moses: among these was circumcision. Jews point to Abraham as being the father of their nation and the origination of the rite of circumcision as a sign of righteousness before God. There is also a modern correlation in present-day churches that put ritual ahead of faith. Continue reading “The Faith of Abraham”

Power Outages Are Just Part of Rural Life

Power outages are nothing new to rural residents. But new technologies have helped reduce the number of outages and reduce the length of those that can not be prevented.

Is There a Good Time for Power Outages?

You would think the least problematic time for a power outage would be in the middle of the night; no lights are on, no one is watching TV or listening to a radio or using a computer – everyone is sleeping. In fact you’d think that a power outage at night would go completely unnoticed. Not so. The small soft noises that a home makes get so ingrained in our subconscious that when they suddenly go away, it tends to wake us up.

Power outages in the evenings are inconvenient; this is when we are likely using computers, listening to the radio, lights are on and needed. Maybe we’re fixing the evening meal in our all-electric kitchen. This turned into a good thing once. Continue reading “Power Outages Are Just Part of Rural Life”

Each Day is a Sentence

each day is a sentence Each day in our life is important and it’s a shame that we waste so many of them. I’m guilty too, we all are. Occasionally I read about some extraordinary person who claims to live every day to its fullest, wasting nothing. The most successful people around claim to wring the most out of every hour.

I don’t know that it’s necessary for everyone to be one of these Ultra-A Types, but we do need to be aware that each day of life is important. Each day becomes part of the foundation upon which our tomorrows are built. Each day we add another piece to the structure. We choose whether the day will be one of regrets, accomplishment, or sloth. As we build, we shape the eventual outcome. Continue reading “Each Day is a Sentence”

Difficult Does Not Mean Impossible

Difficult does not mean impossible All too many times we look at a situation or task and say, “That’s impossible”, but what we really mean to say is “that’s too difficult for me” because there have been many times that the impossible only remained impossible until someone did it.

At one time, the “experts” insisted that man could not fly. Then others invented the hot air balloon and the airplane. Then the experts insisted that the airplane would never fly faster than the speed of sound. Then others developed sleeker plane bodies and stronger materials, and now jet fighters routinely fly faster than sound. There are so many examples where greater understanding made the impossible possible. But someone had to believe it was possible and work hard to find the way.

I know a couple of fellas: Dan Netherland and his son Chad who hold numerous Guinness World Records for feats of strength and doing what others could not. Both will tell you that they accomplished this through training and perseverance. Hard work.

J.K. Rowling (an author you may be aware of) gave a commencement speech at Harvard University in 2008 in which she lauded the benefits of failure and hard work. In case you missed it:

You and I may not be revolutionary aircraft designers, or superhuman, or billionaire authors (yet), in fact we may often look at the road ahead and lament, “Oh, this is impossible!” But, we can look around and see that the impossible is done on a regular basis. Doing the impossible — even when it’s a matter of being so for me, given my circumstances and skills — doesn’t mean it can’t be done: just that it takes more work than would something easier.

If it is really important, don’t give up. Don’t get sidetracked. Don’t allow set-backs to dissuade you. Thomas Edison is quoted, in regards to the light bulb, as saying, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Eventually, he found a way that did work and accomplished the impossible. So can we.

Cable vs. Fiber Optic for Internet

cable vs fiber Our electrical utilities company just sent out a survey form to fill out and return to them. The survey is about our Internet service: if we have it, do we feel it’s important to our home, do we like what we have, what we do/don’t like most. That sort of thing. The reason for the survey is that they are considering installing fiber-optic cabling for internet. Our current ISP is our cable TV company. I was curious about cable vs. fiber for Internet: is one better than the other?

Our only other choice (besides dial-up) is satellite, and reports state that satellite internet is terrible in areas with lots of trees and atmospheric moisture. We live in a forest in The Great Smoky Mountains: so named because of the clouds that lift off from the mountains each morning. Satellite has never been a viable option for us.

I went looking for answers on the cable vs. fiber question. I found several articles, this one was most helpful, so I re-blogged it here, with my appreciation to The Tech Guy for making it simple and clear.

Cable vs. Fiber

Continue reading “Cable vs. Fiber Optic for Internet”

Famous Author Trivia

Want to have a little fun with literature? Here are 6 bits of trivia about authors, see if you can guess who each famous author is. (Answers at the end, but don’t peek)

1) What name is this author better known by?

This author was born in 1904 in Springfield MA. He graduated from Dartmouth College and went to Oxford University in England to get a PhD in Literature. In 1954 his publisher read an article in Life magazine detailing reading troubles children were having in the US. He asked this author to write a book that would engage young children and encourage them to read. In 1960, this author was challenged to write an entire book using only 50 words. He successfully accomplished both of these tasks. This author was born Theodore Geisel. By what name is he better known? Continue reading “Famous Author Trivia”

The Apostles of Jesus: What Do We Know?

Those who follow Jesus are known by two terms: disciples of Jesus and apostles of Jesus.

In Greek the word for disciple is “mathetes” meaning a “learner” or “follower” and refers to the accepting and following the views and practices of a teacher.

In Greek the word for apostle is “apostolos” meaning “one who is sent out with a special commission as a fully authorized representative of the sender”, like an agent or ambassador.

Early in His ministry Jesus chose twelve men as He encountered them in their lives. The list of His inner circle is mentioned in Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:13-16 and Acts 1:13. These twelve men were hand picked for special training to carry on His ministry and spread the Gospel after He ascended back into Heaven.

In this bible study we will list the names and meaning of these apostles of Jesus, their occupations, and relationships. At least, as much as is known. Continue reading “The Apostles of Jesus: What Do We Know?”

The Self-Balancing Unicycle

Are you hankering for a compact, ecologically smart form of transportation that requires less work and hassle than a bicycle? Do you want something that can be maneuvered easily and parked anywhere – even in your living room, or entry hall? Remember George Jetson’s sky car that folded up into a briefcase? This self-balancing unicycle is almost as good.

Focus Designs, maker of the Segway, has come up with an electrically powered vehicle that fills all these requirements and is only half as dorky as a Segway.

Self-Balancing Unicycle — Self Balancing Unicycle (SBU)This self balancing unicycle (both it’s name and what it does – very practical!) uses three gyroscopes to maintain an upright condition and a battery powered accelerometer motor tucked away in the hub of the wheel to produce a light weight, highly maneuverable and totally non-polluting personal transportation device.

Putting the motor in the hub means no troublesome drive chains and a lowered center of gravity over the Version 1 model, and the power as been increased from 350 watts to 1,000 watts so it has the power to easily climb hills.

Sophisticated algorithms and three gyroscopes wired to the wheel help the rider stay upright. To go faster, lean forward a little, to slow down or stop, lean back; it’s just that simple. It usually takes only about 20 minutes for a new rider to learn to control the SBU. Continue reading “The Self-Balancing Unicycle”

Marketing a Book – Where to Start

Originally published 03/27/2011 by WritingHood.

Below is an excerpt from my book “Writing for Profit or Pleasure: Where to Publish Your Work”. It is just a few paragraphs about marketing a book from Chapter 11, which is about publishing through a traditional book publisher. I’m posting this in response to a discussion I had earlier today with Jillian Peery who is finishing up a novel and asked, “what now?”

Before you go shopping for an agent there are some things you ought to do that will ease the task and help good agents take you seriously.

You need to have a completed and polished manuscript. Did you catch the “polished” part? If need be, hire an editor to go over your manuscript with you to be certain it is the best work you can do. You do not want an agent to read your manuscript and think, “This writer has potential; but needs a lot of work”. If you’re writing fiction, be sure your first 30 pages are especially compelling; an agent will need to know that you can set up a story to make it exciting to the reader.

Few agents are in the business as philanthropists; they’re trying to earn a living and will weigh the amount of effort they will have to put into an author against what they will make from their commissions. If you’re going to stick a foot in their door, make sure it’s your best looking foot. Continue reading “Marketing a Book – Where to Start”

You Can’t Have That

Marie drove our truck to work, as usual, but I needed some stuff so I borrowed Mom’s car. I wasn’t going to be hauling lumber or anything.

I wanted a surge-suppressor, power strip for my new desk. I’d found one on Amazon: a Belkin model with 8 outlets spaced so at least one will work with a power brick and not cover another plug and it has a 90° wall-plug so it will allow the desk to sit closer to the wall. Good price too, but will take a week or so to get here and I have to pay shipping unless I order $35.00 worth of stuff to get the free shipping. I didn’t need $35 worth of stuff and it really rankles me to pay $6.00 shipping on a $9.00 item.

I looked on the (cringe) Wal-Mart web site. It showed a 6 outlet model of the same brand. It was on sale (being closed out, quantity limited) but it showed the Newport store carried it and had some in stock.

Wal-Mart was my first stop. Continue reading “You Can’t Have That”