Did the Japanese Mafia Cause Katrina?

I had to share this. It gave me a good laugh and then left me wondering if it could be true. Scott Stevens, a real meteorologist, believes that the Japanese mafia has a weather machine created by Russia during the Cold War and that they have used this machine to create Hurricane Katrina as well as many other weather phenomena. He left his day job yesterday to pursue research on his weather theories full-time. Read more here and here.

The Night

The night used to hold such mystery. I remember getting out of bed one night after I’d been tucked in and finding my older sister eating a green Popsicle (the best flavor, as everyone knows, yet apparently the toughest to make since they would only put one or two in a box). I had always guessed that I was missing out on good things by going to bed and this just confirmed my belief. I can also remember nights I would wake up after everyone in the house was in bed and asleep. It was so silent. I would lie in bed and wonder if every house was this silent or if there were people up and about at this hour. In college, I stayed up many nights with friends, sometimes late enough to watch the sun rise. We had the whole Fresno State campus to ourselves. We would walk around, play games, and just generally waste the night away. I would go back to my dorm and everyone would be just waking up for another dull day. Finally I was on the other side! They had missed out on fun all night and I hadn’t! I had finally captured some of what I knew the night had to offer! But my grades suffered and I returned, more or less, to the discipline of sleeping at night. And I still felt I was missing out. Now, many years later, I often find myself up late at night or in the very early hours of the morn. But there are no games, no friends, no Popsicles. My nights now are for sleeping when I can and taking care of little ones’ needs when I must. I no longer wonder about, fear, nor desire the night. It’s really a lot like the day, only darker and quieter. The night used to hold such mystery.

Taking Aim

As I promised a few weeks ago, I have thought about how I would like to live the next ten years of my life. I had a lot of thoughts go through my mind and was finally able to organize them. I believe that God created each one of us with both general and specific purposes. I believe that true fulfillment for each person comes through worshiping and serving God but how we carry those out will differ greatly from person to person and, I guess, from time to time. So this is for me, for now:

Worship -

I want to see and savor the beauty in life. God reveals his glory in so many ways and I think I miss it most of the time. I hope to see more by keeping my eye open for beauty: beauty in nature, beauty in people, beauty in circumstances.

I want to worship God through songs I write. Ever since I decided to make a concerted effort to write songs, I have spent less and less time doing it. I want to make songwriting a more regular part of my life.

Serve -

I want to get over myself. I've realized that there are two things that keep me from doing things I should do... and they're both me. 1) I get so concerned about what other people will think of me that sometimes I don't do what God wants me to. 2) I think that if I take a step of faith, I might not have what it takes to take the second or third steps. But the thing is: It's not about me. Who cares if someone dislikes me along the way because I'm doing God's work. It's not really my problem, but God's. And I won't have what it takes to move forward--God provides that, not me. Again, God's problem, not mine. I've got to get this into my brain so that I can serve Him better. And I know the best way to do it is to just jump in!

I want to live each day with fervor. I don't want to "give up" in life. I refuse to settle for a life of mediocrity, but instead choose to passionately pursue a life of meaning.

I want to encourage thought and study among Christians. I recently read a book I've mentioned here before called Love Your God With All Your Mind. It made me see how important it is for those in the church to be developing our minds. I want to actively be developing my mind and encouraging others to do the same. I also want to read more during this decade of my life than in the previous three combined.

So there you have it. My goals for the next ten years. Some of the details may change over time, but it's good to have a place to start and something to strive for. This has been a good exercise and I challenge you to do the same for your next five or ten or twenty years. And I'd love to hear what you come up with!