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In this edition of Words to Live By, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite scriptures from the Bible dealing with responsibility. So many people in the world seem to shirk responsibilities. People don’t want to accept responsibilities, or they try to pass their responsibilities off on others. This can be seen in the general spirit of apathy present in the world today. Back in the day, long before my time, people in general wouldn’t be content to stand by and watch while other people suffered. Today, most people fail to act when they see others in need.
“Do not hold back good from those to whom it is owing, when it happens to be in the power of your hand to do [it].”-Proverbs 3:27
“Therefore, if one knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.”-James 4:17
This scripture takes it a step further, saying that failing to do what is right, isn’t just failing to do what is right, but is actually doing something wrong. In other words, lack of positive action isn’t just a lack of action, but can in itself be negative action.
I think it’s very important for each of us to personally shoulder our own responsibilities and to look out for the welfare of others. That’s a principle that I really cherish, and one that has had a profound impact on my life and my outlook. It hasn’t always had the degree of influence on my life that I’d like it to have, but I continue trying to apply it every day.
What do you think about the scriptures mentioned above? Have they had any influence on how you view responsibilities? Are there any scriptures that have especially touched your life?
I saw these videos on YouTube the other day, and thought I would share them. A dice manufacturer at GenCon, the biggest gaming convention in the US, explains how dice are made, along with an interesting scientific explanation of so-called "lucky" and "cursed" dice. Ever wonder why you can only roll 9s and 12s all evening, and then when you pick up a different die to roll with you get a 20? Watch the videos below to find out why. Total running time of videos is about 20 minutes.
I had the pleasure of attending a costume party last Sunday evening. It was put on by Joshua and Hannah Frye. The occasion was that Josh is moving to the Miami area, and he wanted one last party with a bunch of his friends. Josh and I used to be good friends when we were around 10-12 years old. Since then we’d grown apart as our interests changed. I hadn’t done anything with him or his family in years, but it was nice of him to think of me on this occasion, and it was cool to hang out with them again.
So, first, the costumes: I went as some kind of medieval nobleman/warrior. Heather went as a medieval forest-ranger/archer. We didn’t exactly plan it that way, but our costumes matched really well. Hannah was Marie Antoinette. Josh was… something. His costume consisted of all black clothing, a black London Fog-style coat, and spiky, gray hair. When pressed for an answer as to who or what he was supposed to be, he finally answered with “Myself, 2 million years from now, when my powers have fully developed.” The rest of the costumes of the 20-or-so guests covered a wide range of characters including Don Quixote, the Invisible Man, a couple of evil clown minions, and a Zombie Caesar.
The evening was never boring, as the Fryes had 3 activities for us to do. The first activity was a Lego building contest. The party guests split into 2 groups. Each group got a bucket of Legos and 10 minutes to build something. 3 judges compared the creations for creativeness, etc. My team won, though it had little to do with me. ^_^
The second activity was an elaborate treasure hunt, which featured several well-written and well-hidden clues. The Fryes definitely have a knack for theatrics. They placed CD players in trees and on roofs playing creepy music to add mood to the night-time, out-door treasure hunt. Some of the clues were pretty challenging to find and to follow. I was very close to actually finding the treasure, but in the end, someone else beat me to it. The treasure turned out to be a wooden chest full of candy. The victors were kind enough to share. Yum!
The third activity was a costume contest. Everyone had gotten the chance to admire each others’ costumes over the course of the evening, and towards the end we all voted on which one we thought was best. Hannah won for her big, fluffy dress, and her elaborate hairdo. It was really well done. Josh told me afterwards that I was the runner-up.
(“Runner-up! I’m the runner-up!”)Somewhere in there, there was another “activity” of sorts. While everyone was just standing around chatting, Josh suddenly put the lights out, there was a scream, and when the lights came back on one of the guests was lying on the floor pretending to be dead. Josh then moved around the room, accusing various people of the murder in an inspector-like fashion, until one of the other guests finally admitted to the murder in a dramatic/comical way. I’m not sure if all of this was staged ahead of time (the “culprit” was in on it), or if the idea was to just toss accusations around until someone came up with a funny improv confession. I really don’t know. I should probably ask. But as I write this it gives me the idea to write some simple rules for playing out such a scenario as a rules-light role-playing game. Hmm… Interesting possibilities.
Well, that’s that. It was a fun evening. I hope everything goes well for Josh in Miami, and hopefully I’ll have even more chances to cosplay in the future.
It’s been a while ago now, but I wanted to share some quick thoughts about my most recent trip to Keystone Heights, Florida. On November 8th, I went with about 20 brothers and sisters to help the congregation there cover some of their seldom-worked territory in the recent tract campaign.
Aaron and I worked with Dena O’Brian and a couple of other local sisters in rugged, rural territory. The roads were crazy! We actually had to go up and down hills in Florida! Some of the roads were only made of very loose sand, so Dena had to kick in the 4-wheel drive to get through. When the SUV started fishtailing in the sand it felt like the “Dinosaur” ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It was fun. I didn’t have much success in the territory (I got to speak to a couple of Russellites, which was interesting but unproductive.), but Aaron had a good call on a man with whom he placed a tract, magazines, and a Bible Teach book.
Around noon time, the whole group met back at the O’Brians’ place and had a picknick lunch together. While the rest of the group began the 2-hour drive back to Lake Mary, Aaron and I continued in service for another few hours and then spent the night at Brian and Dena’s place. After attending their meeting the next day and going out for lunch, we headed back home. All-in-all, it was a good weekend.
Yotsuba is a very lovable character. She's very zany, and absurdly naive. A swing is a foreign object to her, and she is quickly confused by an explanation of air conditioners and their impact on global warming. What's adorable is how much joy she finds in the simplest things, like rain.
It’s like her dad says about her: "She can find happiness in everything. Nothing in this world can get her down. Nothing."
Exploring the world through the eyes of such a positive character makes for an uplifting read.