Now Batting for the Red Sox, Snoop Dogg

The Boston Globe has a hysterical little slideshow (click on the link at their main page) of their fantasy cast for next year's Red Sox blockbuster film, "2004 Boston Red Sox: Magic of the Mullet". Great laughs if you know this team well.

Road Trip

I'm exhausted, but at least I smell nice. That wasn't the case an hour ago, when my sister and I dragged our unwilling, sore, aching legs up the three flights of stairs to our flat. My muscles are letting me know that they're done for the week, even though they aren't in much pain. By contrast, but butt is in pain.

Me, Kez, Kevin and Mark set out on a motley assortment of bicycles on Tuesday at noon with a bunch of maps, not enough clothing, and some food money. By the time our train pulled in at South Station today under the watchful eye of our friend Jim T., we had lost a man, spent all the money, and all the clothes were pungent like woodsmoke (except our riding gear, which was pungent with sweat and exhaust). In between leaving and coming home, there was an awful lot of pedaling, to the tune of 180 miles. I won't bore you with the details but it went basically: Providence-Bristol-Newport-Portsmouth, Portsmouth-Fall River-Middleboro-Wareham-Sagamore-Sandwich-Barnstable-Brewster, Brewster-Yarmouth-Hyannis- Sandwich-Sagamore-Plymouth. The last stretch to Plymouth we did at a dead sprint in order to catch the 2:25 train - 17 miles in one hour, with full baggage and very tired. We pulled into Plymouth Station just as the 2:25 left the platform.

On the upside, it's cheering to hear that during our absence the Red Sox not only won two games, but they didn't even allow a run.

Guest Post: Dubya

Much has been said, taught, discussed, argued, and thought about on the issue of marriage from a Biblical/Christian perspective. After being quoted, misquoted and misinterpreted, I want to present my perspective on the issue of marriage as best I can. I Corinthians 6:20 states:

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

The words of the apostle Paul ring out loud and clear, and I think the issue of marriage is best approached from the perspective of this truth. As a Christian, your life is not your own, your desires are not your own, your thoughts are not your own, your will is not your own, your emotions are not your own, your career is not your own, your spirit is not your own, you are not your own! In the King James Version, the same verse says, “Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

Jesus said:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple…. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?" (Luke 14:26-27,34)

A disciple is a follower. As Christians, we have been called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. This call means we have to be willing to give up everything of our own for the sake of the call of Jesus. We follow in Jesus’ example when on the cross he gave up everything that was his for us.

For some, this concept may be difficult to accept or understand. It involves complete surrender. But herein lies the biggest issue we deal with our desire for marriage or a significant other. For in this crucial issue, we would prefer to have it done our way.

When I was quoted as saying, “When you stop looking for/desiring a girlfriend (or future spouse or whatever) that's usually the time God will bless you with one.” I was alluding to our selfish desire to see relationships happen our way.

Paul said:

“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs--how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife-- and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world--how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.” – II Timothy 4:6-7

Paul more than any other knew the importance of staying undividedly focused on God. Paul writes Timothy, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

I know I want my life to be poured out for the glory of Jesus Christ! Therefore, I will gladly surrender my desires for a spouse to the Lord trusting that me knows what is best for me. Psalm 139 says, “(Lord) you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down… All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!”

God knows my thoughts and desires, and He knows the plans He has for my life. As I run the race and seek to help the kingdom of God expand on earth, I seek to follow in the footsteps of Christ with undivided attention, confident in this promise from Jesus:

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” - Matthew 7:11

I know my heavenly Father gives good gifts to his children! If I am willing to surrender my will and desires to Him, I can be sure that he will give me in abundance every good gift that I need in order to successfully complete the race He has marked out for me.

During this segment of the race (being single), I do not want to be veering from the inner track to chase after who I think might be the right one. No, I wait patiently for the day when love will be awakened. Instead of worrying about who, what, where, when, why, and how, I am confident that God will guide my steps and show me when to step out in faith into the relationship He may have for me. That romance will be second only to the ultimate romance, my relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ.

“Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” - Song of Solomon 8:4

“Teach me your way, O LORD , and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” - Psalm 86:11

Beautiful

In the annals of traffic ticket evasion attempts, this New Zealander deserves a place of high honor. Beautiful, simply beautiful.

Guest Post: Dubya

This post was sent to me in an email from Dubya in response to my "Devil's Advocate". For your consideration:

OK, now normaly I don't have to post a huge reply to everything said about me and I want to keep this short. First of all, what I really said was, "When you stop looking for or desiring a boyfriend, that's usually when you find a girlfriend." I'd like to make clear that I wasn't trying to say something about scripture, but rather about the importance of sexual orientation in finding a spouse.

However, I fully understand that Chops' post was in response to the statement he wrote, so I'll respond to that as well. Lemme break it down for you all. Lemme bring the Word: In the beginning, the Word was with God, and the Word was "Let there be light". That's actually more than one Word, if you want to be technical. Anyway, after practicing on rocks and aminals and such, God created man and woman. Now, the Bible says a few things that are relevant to this topic:
(1) It is better to marry than to burn with passion. Could we all rise and sing: "It's getting hot in here"?
(2) Paul says that marriage is troubling, but this is contradictory with Song of Songs, which doesn't trouble me at all. In fact... never mind, see point (1).
(3) Once you're married do not deprive each other of... never mind, see point (1).
In short, I'm right and Chops is wrong. I hope this clears things up.

Amen. -Dubya

Jose, Jose quite Contreras, how does your slider throw?

I doubt that I'm alone when I say that, as a Boston fan, I've been befuddled by the hype surrounding Jose Contreras. I mean honestly, isn't he just another #4 starter, who would be a #4 starter not only in the Evil Empire but almost anywhere in the league (except Boston, where he'd be #5)? He's been downright terrible every time we've seen him, and I find myself wondering if George III has lost his touch.

Apparently, here's why: the Smokin' Cuban Cigar is 0-3 with an 18.00 career ERA against the Red Sox. His ERA against the rest of the league? A #1 starteresque 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA. So maybe this pitcher does have some value, though he got beaten up by the other Sox (from Chicago) in between his two very short starts against Boston. And don't tell me his poor showing against Boston is just a function of this year's strugglings - he's succeeded in bringing his ERA down six points after two appearances at Fenway last year.

The End of History

I'm halfway through Francis Fukuyama's book "The End of History & The Last Man", and it's quite an interesting read. A good primer for anyone casually interested in political philosophy (like me), because he writes in a well-paced, accessible style, and cites a bevy of sources, defining his views in terms of those of Locke, Hobbes, Socrates, Kant, Marx and especially Hegel, whom he worships a bit. It's made me think an awful lot about the nature of human social organization and the underlying causes of modern forms of government. Really the book is just one long essay. He sets forth his hypothesis in the first few chapters, and then proceeds by a long logical road to arrive at that conclusion (presumably; I haven't gotten there yet). I shy away from writing substantive comments, because I really can't say much in response, and my meagre understanding of political philosophy is woefully insufficient to attack all but the most salient of his points. Anyway, for a book that is unpopular with the liberal establishment, it's pretty good.

Character over Career

As my regular readers know, I was turned down last month from six excellent graduate schools where I had applied to pursue a Ph.D. in Economics. I'm ok with that, really. I think Rural America put it best when she said, "God tends to close the door hard on you." My nose is a little sore, but I'm confident that He has my best interests in mind.

The upshot is that I've completed my last final exam, and I'm still looking for work. I have a good lead in D.C., but we'll see where that goes.

In not only looking for a job but deciding on a meaningful, medium-term career or continuing education path, I have been seeking God's guidance. Early on, He made it clear that, in the words of a sermon I heard not too long ago, "God is more interested in your character than your career." This had a serious shock-value impact on me; I've always been good at the big decisions and bad at the small ones - which are really what comprise character.

Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that I can't pray about my career or seek guidance very much. It seems whenever I sit down in the living room or go up to my roof to pray, my prayers quickly get 'sidetracked' onto character issues, even though I arrived with the purpose of praying about jobs or for guidance. I end up praying long and strong that God would form the image of Christ in me, which seems so absent, even foreign. In prayer, I compare my own heart to I Corinthians 13, the great Love passage. My life reflects a lot of virtue for the sake of pride: I do (and don't do) many things because I know that's what is expected by society at large and my church subculture in particular. Beyond that, I have virtue for the sake of virtue - I'm very conscientious at work and I feel guilty if I'm not working fast because I have personal - prideful - standards that include work ethic. This is partly just personal pride and partly a desire to be good because I know God expects it of me. While there may be some 'good' in this, legalistic virtue is nothing to bring up before the throne of God. So I ask, If He doesn't want socially motivated virtue, and He doesn't want virtue for virtue's sake, what does He want? And I think the answer is there in chapter 13. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Do I consider others above myself? Never. While I place a high value on loyalty and commitment, I rarely think of friendship as something I would ever invest in or continue for the other person's sake, unless it's someone whom I explicitly "pity", in which case friendship becomes a "virtuous sacrifice". The idea of thinking automatically of another person's needs is really rather foreign; as an economist, I'm a champion of knowing how my own "enlightened self-interest" intersects with that of others and of society. But to act independent of my own interest? I can't think of a single instance.

Looks real ugly in zeroes and ones, doesn't it?

God thinks character is more important than career. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that He's nudging me to pray about the really important stuff then.

"Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?' or "What shall we drink?' or "What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:31-33

Done

I am done being an undergraduate. Took me half a decade. I went to school for free, yet somehow I feel like I lost something in this bargain.

Devil's Advocate

I heard through the rumor mill that Dubya said very wise words at a party last night. The words, as I received them, were: "When you stop looking for/desiring a girlfiend (or future spouse or whatever) that's usually the time God will bless you with one." For the sake of argument, let's agree that the quote is correct and that I'm playing devil's advocate.

I agree with most of the presuppositions implicit in the statement - that God exists and has an active providential role in human affairs, that romantic relationships are intended to lead to marriage, etc. We're also looking at this from a specifically male point of view, both of us having a Y chromosome.

My main problem with Dubya's pithy theological cliche is that it doesn't actually work that way. My parents are the one couple I know who were just minding their own business and suddenly fell in love and got married within a year. For most people - for most guys - it's an active, risky process that must be accompanied by initiative and angst. Desire is a key element of the beginning and advancement of most successful romances (Christian and otherwise), as is intentionality. I understand that the statement relates primarily to the initiation of relationships, but from what I've seen, most successful relationships were initiated by men who were actively, intentionally seeking a desired relationship with a specific girl, and open action was normally preceded by prayerful consideration and preparatory social reconnaisance.

What I certainly agree is that idolatry can seriously get in the way of relationships. God will often force/allow a Christian to deal with an idolatrous view of relationships (i.e. the relationship has become a god to him) before bringing him into a successful romance. There are a number of logical reasons for this, foremost that idolatry puts pressure on a relationship because of unmeetable expectations and the oft-accompanying lack of submission to God in other areas of the relationship.

However, idolatry is not the same thing as desire or intentionality. In fact, as I blogged a few months ago, a current "theology shift" has many Christian leaders encouraging young people to be more intentional in friendships and more active in looking for a spouse. The merits of this approach aside, I think that there is shown here a clear distinction between idolatry and desire/intentionality. Furthermore, while I think God may often delay success in romance for those for whom it is an idol, I think that the evidence shows that He largely allows us to be desirous or intentional without correlated lack of romance or success therein.

Introducing: Beth's PatSox

Cheers to Bambino's Curse for the link to another excellent Red Sox (and Patriots) fan blog. Author Beth has an engaging writing style and good, caustic Boston anger. That's what I like to see in a woman! Here are a few excerpts:

I think ultimately Joe Spurr put it best when he said affectionately of Manny: "He's like a little autistic kid running around." That's my new take on Manny--he's kind of a hitting savant...And hey, I can relate to that. "They are freaking out at nyyfans.com," one poster to BC said today. So I cruised on over and checked it out. "...it's a 4 game series in April for whatever that's worth, glad it was us that won the 3 though..." That was posted by gehrig38. And we all know who that is. Shouldn't there be some rule about fraternizing--nay, even reassuring--the enemy?

Go on over y'self and check out her latest post, "Fear and Loathing" - I can't do it justice in bits and pieces.

Veep-o-matic

Laydeeeez an gennelmin! Step right up and try your hand at the illustrious veep-o-matic! It's the only online quiz that will ever be president of the Senate, debate Dick Cheney, or live in an undisclosed location. My result was Wesley Clark, which is right in line with who I think Kerry would need to win the election.

My Job

I've been working part time at a downtown investment firm. It's an interesting job. For instance, I have memorized the CUSIP (stock market symbol) for the High Income Opportunity Fund. It's "HIO". Furthermore, I can seamlessly take a sheaf of randomly stacked statements, label and order them by number, then match them with other corresponding numerically ordered statements and re-sort them alphabetically. Ok, so "seamlessly" may be an exaggeration.

In any case, today was very exciting. I'd been wanting to do this for a week or two, and I finally executed today: I used the purple pen. I hope my boss doesn't read this.

Trivial Pursuits

Had a great night - after a 3+ hour nap this afternoon, I woke up just in time to clean up and go down to Our House East, NU's most popular beer drinkery. Sunday nights feature a trivia game and $1 burgers, which were consumed by 10pm. The beer kept flowing, of course, and me, Adam, J.T., Trisha, her friend Jen, Huskey, Dave from the Wilson House, Joel and Amanda from Simmons all had a terrific evening. The trivia went particularly well. We had to split into two teams per the rules, and my team ("Hugenberger", named for the Park Street Church pastor) edged Joel-Huskey-Dave-Amanda ("Three Blind Mice and the Farmer's Wife") for first place. Our prize was a CD boombox, and they took a $10 gift certificate. We all got to share the 3rd place prize - a pitcher of watery Miller Lite - which the 3rd place winners ("Wicked Smaht") were wise enough to pass on. After a Sam Adams, the lite stuff tasted like dirty tapwater.

The best part: the weekend's not over. Thursday night was a potluck Agape dinner followed by a Tom Cruise movie at 650. Friday night was a dinner at Danielle's followed by a late night walk down at the Harbor. Saturday night was a dinner with Meredith et al in the North End, followed by a walk AND a Tom Cruise movie at 650. Sunday was a great sermon, followed by a relaxing picnic, followed by a long nap, followed by Beer-Burger-Trivia night. Now I'll get some shuteye and head over to Calumet for a double-birthday barbeque bash, followed by a game of capture the flag in the Arnold Arboretum. And graduation parties haven't even begun yet!

It's amazing what nice weather does to Bostonians.

On a philosophical note (speaking of notes, note that I've had a few drinks and it may be best to stop reading now), these are trivial pursuits in more than a pun-intended sense. Adam and I chatted on the way home from the bar, and we both feel like our social times as Christians should have a lot more meaning than they do. I also felt the same way after the picnic: why don't we discuss the sermon? What stood out, and more importantly, what are we each going to apply to our lives? As much fun as Sunday afternoons have been this entire year, from tackle football games, to the Pats' championship run, to hearty Momma Hill lunches, to pool and chill time at my place, to it's-finally-warm-so-lets-have-a-picnic, I fear that the after-party has begun to eclipse church in its importance to some of us. Not in our commitment; that's a cerebral decision that we've been well-indoctrinated to get right. However, we "move on" from the service a lot faster than we would if we really considered it the word of God with the power to change our lives.

More pressingly, I feel, general "Christian hangout times" lack purpose. If we're growing closer and building one another up, that's good. But Adam and I agreed that in Agape, hangout times are far too often cliquey and closed, especially to non-believers. Jen was the token non-Christian (she's Jewish) tonight, and over the festivities of the wicked long weekend (for some of us), I've spent zero quality time with non-Christians, and I can only think of 2 non-Christians from the entire time off the top of my head.

I don't know if this is just my problem; it may well be that most IR readers and most of my friends have more and better contact with members of other faiths and non-believers. If that is the case, though, it's not apparent, and I would appreciate any tips that you can give me on how to better broaden my life in that regard.

Advertisement

Next week I'll be auditioning for a speaking role in a new Dodge Trucks commercial! Don't spread this around, but the basic plotline is as follows: Two Dodge Ram drivers pull up to a city intersection at a red light after impressively powering down the last stretch of road. One driver rolls down his window and calls across to the other, "Is that a Hemi?" As he's speaking, a bicyclist pulls up between them and answers the first driver's question by giving his own spandex-clad hindquarters a loud smack and saying, "Dang straight it is!".

You can guess which part I'm going out for.

Quasi-Playoff Game 1

The Red Sox are playing 143 regular season games this year. In addition, they play 19 quasi-playoff games, and an conditionally determined number of recognized playoff games. The semi-playoff games, known in the vernacular as "Yankees Suck Games" began today with the first real encounter of the Bronx Bombers and the Boston Dirt Dogs since my life fell apart last October. It ended gloriously, with a solid win for the good guys, an in-your-face bottom line louder than any flyover sign.

The vaunted Yankees lineup - their 8th hitter was Bernie Williams, and only their 9th batter has never been an all-star - was held to 5 hits and 6 walks and left 9 on base. The Red Sox, sans Nomar and Trot, collected 9 hits, 5 walks, and a few free baserunners on the Yank's horrible fielding and left just 6 men on, picking up 4 more runs than the visitors. The crowd figured strongly into the game, obviously getting to Pay-Rod early. He was so distracted in his first at-bat, which was an uneventful, low-pressure situation, that he flipped the crowd off after grounding out. Lowe, who could have experience "fan hangover" from his October gopher ball was lent courage by the rousing crowd: "It really meant a lot'' to hear the fans cheer, Wakefield said. "They've really opened their arms and embraced me like a second son."

Selected Statistics:
Yankees hitters #2-5: 2 for 14, 3 BB, 0 R, 0 RBI
Red Sox hitters #2-5: 5 for 15, 1 BB, 2 R, 3 RBI
Yankees relievers: 2.2 innings, 0 H, 4 BB, 0 R
Red Sox relievers: 2 innings, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 R
NY starters now batting over .250: 1 (Sheffield)
BOS starters now batting over .250: 4 (Millar, Damon, Manny, Mirabelli)
Record of defending World Champion Marlins: 8-2, best in the big leagues

Ob-la-di ob-la-da

Life goes on - and I'm just about done being a student at Northeastern University. I attended my last two classes this morning, and I'm prepared for 3 final exams before it's all over. I don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I did get good news today, which is that my job will let me stay on part time after May 1st, giving me a little more cushion in the job search. God's in control!

Sockless

This poem is courtesy of guest writer 'Sistine' from Florida. She makes some mean brownies as well as being an excellent writer. Just don't ask her for directions.

A thatch of golden hair
Eyes blue as the sky
Quite the pair
On this tall, thin guy
His appearance is not rough
When he stands
The hem hides enough
He perches on a chair
And my eyes attract
To the ankle bare
With a small amount of tact
The crescent of unclad skin
On this ankle lean
Proceeds the foot in
A shoe of size thirteen
This young fellow
Devoid of socks
May still grow
To his mother's shock
He is but twenty
The boyish twinkle in his eye
And impish grin has he
Will remain as time goes by
***
He now wears loafers
High tops and laces gone
Reading the morning paper
As he waters the lawn
Once a sockless dude
Now a sockless man
Ankles still nude
Have kept that slight tan.

Softball

Bush met Sharon in the formal surroundings of state, far more formal than his time with Mubarak in Crawford TX. However, the tone was probably a lot less formal during the meeting and the statement was a lot less meaningful when the Bush-Sharon meeting was over. Sure, I could read into the details of it and search for nuanced changes of policy. In reality, though, Bush's policy remains unchanged, and he is obviously not going to challenge Israel unless and until it becomes an absolute necessity for maintaining the peace.

The most important issue in this meeting was the Israeli wall, of which Bush said:

The barrier being erected by Israel as a part of that security effort should, as your government has stated, be a security, rather than political, barrier. It should be temporary rather than permanent, and, therefore, not prejudice any final status issues, including final borders. And its route should take into account, consistent with security needs, its impact on Palestinians not engaged in terrorist activities.

I guess if you're looking for policy alteration, this might tickle your fancy:

In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli population centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949.

It's not really new as much as it is newly admitted on a high stage. He uses the date 1949 to mean 1967, because that way it tricks people who aren't thinking hard about it and it sounds more out-of-date and archaic, and less contradictory of the UN and everyone else. It's not like Sharon needed to have carte blanche to act like it - the only thing that is ever going to stop this man is death - but I don't think it's very helpful to publically give him such a fawning endorsement.

My philosophy on the peace process now is pray hard, hope not too many people get killed, and wait for Sharon and Arafat to die.

The Blogs of Summer Are Back

Boston Dirt Dogs are in full swing, feeding the rumor mill and taking a magnifying glass to every Red Sox flaw and every Yankee gloat. There's also a new game in town, Soxaholix. Check out their "about" page for an intro to the characters and concept. Quite a nice idea, if I say so myself. Go Red Sox!

Exit Strategery

It's good policy and possibly bad politics: get out of Iraq. Bush made it clear that, while U.S. troops will remain to keep the peace, Iraqis will start taking control of their own country on June 30th.

We have set a deadline of June 30th. It is important that we meet that deadline....Were the coalition to step back from the June 30th pledge, many Iraqis would question our intentions and feel their hopes betrayed....We will not step back from our pledge. On June 30th, Iraqi sovereignty will be placed in Iraqi hands...On June 30th, when the flag of a free Iraq is raised, Iraqi officials will assume full responsibility for the ministries of government.

Bush wants people to remember the date June 30th. They will. However, many of us also read into this a boldfaced subtext: "We'll leave Iraq on June 30th no matter what the conditions are". Bush wouldn't make this speech unless he'd counted the costs, and calculated (with the help of Karl Rove, no doubt) that the cost of staying there was higher than the cost of throwing the Iraqi Governing Council to the sharks.

Of course, U.S. troops will remain until Rumsfeld deems Iraq capable of controlling potential factions, fundamentalists, and rebels. When that will be, no one knows. And whether the U.S. would respect the request of a sovereign Iraqi government to pack up and go home before that time is also unknown. What is known is that Bush is in it for the long haul, and he's staked his reelection to the popularity and perception of success of a difficult foreign war.

United We Stand

Presidents Bush and Mubarak presented a magnificently united front after informal talks in Crawford today. Israel has been acting unilaterally an awful lot of late, and InstantReplay opines that Sharon thinks he can get away with murder (literally) while Bush has his hands tied in the Iraq war. Israel has begun the "Wall", which effectively steals Palestinian land, has decided to withdraw from most settlements in Gaza, and has declared an open season on Arafat. Reacting to all of this, Bush and Mubarak agreed that:

- "Any withdrawal from the occupied territory is very highly appreciated" (Hosni)
- The withdrawal "doesn't replace the path toward the establishment of a Palestinian state" (Dubya)
- "Our objective in the Middle East must be true peace, not just a pause between wars." (Dubya)
- "I would like the withdrawal to coincide with the road map" (Hosni)
- "It is our conviction that reviving the hopes of peace, through our determined efforts to put the peace process back on track is central to enhancing the prospects of reform and the prosperity in the region" (Hosni)
- "President Mubarak is going to wonder, 'is the press corps totally out of control here in America?'" (Dubya)

Unfortunately, I don't know that Bush can do what his highly intelligent advisors know America needs to do to become a political (not just military and economic) force in the Arab world. Mrs. Hill thinks I should have a job advising the President; I think it's being done quite well already.

Calibrated Cowardice

The Powell Doctrine is dead. Rather than taking a firm stance in fighting a battle we could always win in Falluja, the American administration in Iraq has waffled and wavered, and ultimately has negotiated with terrorists. This type of battle - "calibrated warfare" - will weaken our force's morale and strengthen that of the opposition.

I'm no proponent of civilian casualties, but I really think we have to make an example of the resistance in Falluja. We easily have the military strength to put the city under siege until the sheiks finally cave in and kick the militia out. We should stop all non-food commerce in and out of the city, prevent anyone from moving in or out, and basically lock them down for as long as it takes. Now, I'm no expert in Iraqi society or the cohesion between Falluja and other towns, but I'll wager we can get a lot further by defeating and disarming the enemy than we can by trying to placate and coopt them.

Easter Sunday: He Is Risen!

John 20:1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" 14"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." 16Jesus said to her, "Mary."

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " 18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

Good Friday: Burial of Hope

38Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.40Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Good Friday: Death

John 19:28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

Good Friday: The Crucixion

John 19:12 But the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar." 13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. 15But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

16Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

17So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." 22Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Good Friday: Trial

John 19:4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him." 7The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God." 8When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin." 12From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free.

Good Friday: Early Morning

John 18:28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?" 30"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you." 31Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." 32"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

33Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" 34"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?" 35"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

36Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." 37"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." 38"What is truth?" Pilate asked.

With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. 39But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?" 40They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

19:1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

Good Friday: Before Sunrise

John 18:19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20"I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said."

22When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby struck him in the face. "Is this the way you answer the high priest?" he demanded. 23"If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?" 24Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.

25As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, "You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it, saying, "I am not."

26One of the high priest's servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, "Didn't I see you with him in the olive grove?" 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Good Friday: Apprehension and Arrest

John 18:1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.

2Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. 4Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" 5"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. 6"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)

When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.

7Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." 8"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me." 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.) 11Jesus commanded Peter, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"

12Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it would be good if one man died for the people.

15Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, 16but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in. 17"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, "I am not."

18It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

Maundy Thursday: Midnight Prayer

John 17:1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 2"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

6"I have revealed you[1] to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify[2] them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

Maundy Thursday: Last Words of Instruction

18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'

26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

16:1"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you."

5"Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[1] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

16"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

17Some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 18They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying."

19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, "Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me'? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

25"Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." 29Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God."

31"You believe at last!"[2] Jesus answered. 32"But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Maundy Thursday: Walking In A Vineyard

John 15:1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other. "

Maundy Thursday: Discourse

John 13:31 When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him,[3] God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

36Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?"

Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." 37Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." 38Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

8Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. 15If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

22Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" 23Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 28You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, 31but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

Come now; let us leave.

Maundy Thursday: The Last Supper

John 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

2The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" 10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." 11For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. 13"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

18"I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' 19"I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." 21After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me."

22His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, "Ask him which one he means." 25Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" 26Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. 27As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. 28"What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor. 30As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out.

And it was night.

Pardon the Interruption

Having been nicknamed, "The Grammar Fairy", I felt a compulsion to take this quizzie:


You are a GRAMMAR GOD!

If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!

How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hat tip to Irene.

Maundy Thursday: Introduction

The Passover week Jesus spent in Jerusalem teaching and becoming a highly visible public figure, going so far as to beat Jewish merchants out of the Temple's Court of the Gentiles. Despite all His words, however, the narrative leading up to Maundy Thursday ends thus:

John 12:37 Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: "Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 39For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: 40"He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them." 41Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him. 42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved praise from men more than praise from God. 44Then Jesus cried out, "When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me. 46I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. 47"As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. 49For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say."

Maundy Thursday: Preface

Jesus said, “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos ut et vos diligatis invicem in hoc cognoscent omnes quia mei discipuli estis si dilectionem habueritis ad invicem.” This ‘mandatum novum’ – or ‘new commandment’ – has become the basis for Christianity, and we remember the commandment in the very name of the day on which Christ gave it: Maundy Thursday.

In English, John 13:34-35 reads: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Maundy Thursday is the day on which our Lord showed His love for us, by giving Himself to us in love. He began the evening by washing his disciples feet, then He ate with them and taught them the way of love, even as He knew that one was going to betray Him and another deny Him. Then He proceeded to pray eloquently for them, and for us – His church through the ages. Then, as we all saw in “The Passion”, He is captured, beaten, mocked, and abandoned to spend the night of Maundy Thursday alone in a cell.

This Holy Week, I will attempt to post passages from the book of John as they occured in parallel time. It will be far from perfect, but let us honor this time by meditating on the sacrifice of Christ for our sins.

Newsflash!

I had to post this now, because I don't think I'll ever have another chance: with every team having played at least 2 games, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are in first place in the AL East. I hope they don't plan on getting too comfortable up there. On the other hand, they're welcome to pound out runs against the Yankees for all 19 games - the Yanks need all the losing they can get, just to help them find some balance in their lives. Of course, by that logic the D-Rays need two or three world championships...nah, nagunnahappen.

Champions of the World

If you must be a fish, be a big fish. And if you can't be a big fish, be a big fish in a small pond. That could be Northeastern's motto, as regards the Model Arab League. We're a big fish now - we have strong representation in the National MAL secretariat, and we just took home an Outstanding Delegation Award, tied for first place with Brigham Young University.

A number of our delegates scored awards, which are determined by a vote of their peers, the opinions of judges, and the approval of the chair. Bill Clinton (the jackass who stood on his chair and yelled with Al-Jazeera in the room) got an Outstanding Delegate Award, but not until he'd watched as his much prettier partner hauled in her Honorable Mention. In other committees, Bill's girlfriend (don't ask about the pretty partner now) nabbed an Outstanding, our ace reporter Michelle "Gumshoe" Moninghoff got an award for her work in the press, and Jackie from my committee scored an Outstanding for being the voice of (Syrian) reason. Yours truly was selected for the only honor available to a chair - Outstanding Chair - by the faculty advisors. That was a really affirming honor to receive, and my delegates underscored it by giving me the only standing ovation (I think).

Model Arab League is a small pond, but we sure are a big fish within it!

Jameson

The only thing more incongruent than finding a liter bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey on my Dad's desk is finding one that's three quarters empty.

Reality Blurred

This week I have been participating in the National University Model Arab League, the highest simulation of its kind. We pretend to represent Arab nations in a simulated Arab League summit. This week, however, the line between simulation and model became blurred. This began with the opening plenary ceremony when Arab League Ambassador to the U.S.Hussein Hassouna told the body that when our resolutions are read by the actual Arab League members (as a measure of U.S. perception of the Arab world), they have actually lifted phrases from our resolutions to use in their own when the perfect compromise had proven erstwhile elusive. The reality kicked into high gear with the arrival of cameramen and reporters from Arab news network Al-Jazeera, who decided after coming on the second day to upgrade their 10-minute news spot to a 60-minute feature.

Today, Al-Jazeera and an entourage of 8 observers showed up to my committee - the controversial Palestinian Affairs Council - and began filming. They had us on tape for a long, tense hour, and were locked in our increasingly claustrophobic chamber for voting procedures as delegates debated tersely over the role of the Arab states in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. After the vote - Libya's resolution failed - the camera left, and we all breathed. Secretary General Dan Quintal relieved me, and a relief it was. However, no sooner had I stepped out of the room for a breather than the reporters requested an interview. After moving to an appropriate location, I spent 10 minutes looking into the intimidating eye of a camera and speaking into an outstretched microphone. At the end of the interview, I stepped away and nearly collapsed on one of the techies.

The model is held (courtesy of ample oil wealth) at Washington's top hotel, the Swisshotel Watergate, in the politically fabled Watergate complex. Politicians still live in the complex, and when SecGen Dan saw men in black suits with earpieces, it took only a few steps walking behind them to put two and two together. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that the object of the secret servicemen's protection was Condoleeza Rice, who poked her head into the Environmental Affairs Committee for a few seconds to see the action. Earlier in the day, delegates had watched Bush and Cheney drive by in a guarded motorcade. Delegates waved -- and Cheney waved back!

On a more serious note, the crisis situation this year was not the result of creative thinking by the Secretariat. Rather, news broke at lunch that Israel had invaded the Al-Aqsa mosque complex with tear gas, stun grenades and plastic bullets. Many committees addressed it, including mine, where tempers flared until the end of the day, leaving us all drained.