paul life law

Re News

2008-06-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

On Paul's behalf:

All news of Paul and Petra in Ethiopia may be accessed with a click of your mouse. See the link at right.

cheers!
the caretaker.

Evoluntionary Origins?

2008-04-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

Evolution is the idea that nobody plus nothing equals everything.
-John MacArthur

reading Rev.

2008-03-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

I’m not an expert on Bible prophesy, but I recently decided to take a hard look at Revelation. A lot of it matches up with Daniel, and is old hat to most SDA’s. However, the seven churches, seals, trumpets, and bowls are not as clear. Here are a few of my initial conclusions. I may end up changing my mind on some of the following, but here is some food for thought.

The seven churches, seals, trumpets, and bowls all end at about the same time. Like Daniel’s dreams, they each tell the story with increasing focus on the events just prior to the second coming. Here is the proof: compare Rev. 4:5, 8:5, 11:19, and 16:18. These passages each come after one of the seven’s and all appear to be describing the same thing. Taken together, it is pretty clear that they are describing what happens in heaven and on earth right before Christ comes back.

The trumpets don’t happen until the sealing of the 144K. This should be pretty obvious, but somehow I hadn’t heard it before. Rev. 7:3-4 says the earth, sea, and trees won’t be hurt until the 144K are sealed. Rev. 8: 7-8 describes the first two trumpets as destroying 1/3 of the earth, sea, and trees, so they must be after the sealing of the 144K.

The people who have had a chance to learn about God will either be sealed or get the mark of the beast before the most of calamities depicted in Revelation take place. See 1 Peter 4:17, “judgment starts with the house of God.” These are the 144K who have not been defiled with women (Babylon), are first fruits, and seem to have Christ like perfected characters—Rev. 14:4.

After the 144K are sealed, the trumpets start happening, the angel’s messages in Rev. 14:8-9 and 18:4 are proclaimed, and the group described in Rev. 7:9 comes out and are sealed. These can’t be part of the 144K because they were defiled with Babylon. After they join the 144K, the seven bowls are poured out and the second coming happens. I have heard that the 144K are those who will be living at the second coming, but this can’t be right as the 144K are first fruits and we know that the dead, not the living, will rise first.

This is relevant to those who are part of God’s house, because they won’t get any warning before the sealing—hence the frequent thief in the night metaphor. God’s house doesn’t get a second bite at the apple after the trumpet’s start happening.

I may be wrong about much of the above, but I think these issues deserve our thought and prayer. After all, the hereafter may depend on it.

Trivia Game Bible Donation Project

2008-02-07T08:59:00.001-08:00

I am starting an online trivia game which will spread Bibles around the globe. I need your prayers, love, and support. For more information or to get involved, please visit the relevant link on the top right of this this page or copy as paste the following into your browser. http://groups.google.com/group/trivia-games--bible-donation-project and get involved.

Fire and Ice

2008-01-05T18:39:00.000-08:00

Petra and Paul had a Merry Christmas. They skied, skated, ski skated, insulated, and painted. But most of all, Paul was cooled by Petra, and Petra was warmed by Paul.

Pumpkin Pie Soup

2007-12-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

A while back, Petra and I found a volunteer pumpkin patch on the banks of Antietam creek. One of the fruit made its way to our home. We added it to onion soup. Consumption of the end product required mastery of gag reflexes, a talent acquired in the third world. At Thanksgiving, we were the recipients a pumpkin of blue ribbon fair proportions. Last week fugitive mice were privileged to the following conversation.

Parsimonious Paul: “We need to eat that pumpkin.”
Winsome Wife: “Let’s make it into pumpkin pie.”
Parsimonious Paul: “But I don’t like pie crust.”
Winsome Wife: “That’s ok, pie crust isn’t very healthy anyway. We’ll just make a bunch of filling.”

Plans proceeded accordingly. The pumpkin proved obdurate and Petra was unable to penetrate its tank-like hide. I fetched a saw and reduced it to a heap of mangled chunks. Petra piled these onto every baking dish in the house and the oven kindly stretched itself to accommodate.
Sometime later, after reducing the chunks to three gallons of orange mash, Petra discovered that we lacked several critical ingredients, most notably sugar. Fugitive mice heard something like this:

Winsome Wife: (in deep distress) “We don’t have any sugar, or A, or B, or C, or … X, or Y, or Z.”
Parsimonious Paul: (spoken sadly) “Well, I guess we could go buy some of that.”
Winsome Wife: (Cheerfully) “Nevermind. Sugar doesn’t have nutritional value anyway. And it’s not healthy! Why should we pay for it?”
Parsimonious Paul: (dubiously) ok…

It doesn’t taste like pie, but it’s far better than the onion flavored brew we choked down last month. We only have 1.4 gallons to go…

Recent Events

2007-12-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

Waiting for our house of gold

2007-11-14T05:13:00.000-08:00

People steal, they cheat and lie
For wealth and what it will buy
Don't they know on the judgment day
That their gold and silver will melt away

I'd rather be in a deep, dark grave
And know that my poor soul was saved
Than to live in this world in a house of gold
And deny my God and lose my soul

What good is gold and silver, too
When your heart's not good and true
Sinner hear me when I say
Fall down on your knees and pray

I'd rather be a deep, dark grave
And to know that my poor soul was saved
Than to live in this world in a house of gold
And deny my God and lose my soul
And deny my God and lose my soul...

-Hank Williams Jr.

Aside from the lack of knowledge in the grave, I think this song is pretty much on point.

Luther and Tom Sawyer

2007-10-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

On this day in 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. Wittenberg was relatively free from direct papal subjugation, but Luther’s message was meant for Rome. Europe responded to his nearly suicidal courage by widely disseminating his scathing critique of political and religious authority, changing the old world forever.
Some 490 years later, ruling powers are more insidious, but no less corrupt. We live in relative peace and safety, but such words have no application in Darfur or the Congo, not to mention most of the Middle East.
Where is Luther? More to the point, where is the culture that mass marketed the theses?
Like the converse of Tom Sawyer’s whitewash techniques, freedom of speech has dulled our response to injustice. New York Times v. Sullivan gives Americans the right to trash talk authority, but there aren’t many modern Luther’s, few are listening, and very few are acting on what they hear.
This inaction is not conscionable or sustainable. Sooner or later, someone will fill the gap. What are you waiting for?

chaperone

2007-10-22T05:17:00.000-07:00

Robby decided to pay Martina a surprise visit. Petra and I were supposed to keep them out of trouble. We hiked a section of the AT, canoed parts of the Maury River and Antietam creek, swam at Panther falls in the dark, and fleeced Goodwill. We lived off the land, munching Paw Paws, wild grapes, and some volunteer pumpkin.
Petra and I rather enjoy chaperoning. Next break we hope to supervise a group from Southern…

bread

2007-09-27T07:30:00.001-07:00

Petra and I baked bread last night. It’s simple—mainly whole-wheat flour, corn meal, and olive oil, with a bit of barley, white flour and salt—but it’s mighty toothsome. Eating physical bread reminded me of metaphysical bread, so I opened up the Gospel of John to have a feed. I read the story of the Samaritan women at Jacob’s well.
After the women left her water pot at the well and bee-lined it back to tell her lovers that she’d met the Messiah, the disciples offer Jesus food. Jesus turned them down, saying he’d already eaten. That puzzled the disciples, because they were all out of munchables—in fact, He’d just sent them into the city to stock up.
Then Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.” (John 4:35). TV preachers often talk about “breaking the bread of life” for their listeners, and most Christians think that the Bible is the “bread of life” (see Matthew 4:4) but Jesus’ statement shows that there is more to eating the bread of life than reading the story of the woman at Jacob’s well. Spiritual meditation and/or reading sacred writings seems to result in access to the bread of life. But actually chewing and swallowing involves doing God’s will—i.e. meeting folks’ physical and spiritual needs. (See Matthew 25: 31-46).
This is where most of America has missed the boat. There are plenty of Bible thumpers who never give world hunger a second thought and plenty of altruistic humanitarians, but these aren’t getting the metaphysical nourishment any more than window shoppers at a bakery or air-swallowers at a burping contest. Most Americans are trying to get through the glass wall to happiness or choking on their own hot air.
Maybe it isn’t that simple. On the other hand, the potential benefits are so great that only idiots would refuse to try…

weekend photo log

2007-09-11T05:04:00.001-07:00

2007-08-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

camping at whaleboat

2007-08-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

after surviving the post below, we arrived at whaleboat island. most of us slept under the canopy. good food and fine songs were enjoyed by all. Petra and I created island art. Per and Ali caught up on their reading

sailing

2007-08-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

baxter

2007-08-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

getting wet

2007-07-08T13:51:00.001-07:00

law firm life is keeping me busy, but I'm still finding time to get wet. exploding juice and and wakeboarding crashes are keeping me humble.

summer at tumbledown

2007-07-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

some things (like Petra and Tumbledown) grow sweeter with time...

sailing

2007-07-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

our sailboats have been much more active than my blog. these pictures were taken during an weekend trip to Whaleboat island and a day sail past Raspberry island. photos involving the International 14 and Laser are lacking, as I couldn't justify jeopardizing my camera's good health to a "more probable than not" chance of capsize.

Tied the Knot

2007-06-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

A solo venture--hopefully my last

2007-04-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

Watching helmeted and wetsuited "experts" capsize their specialized whitewater canoes in rapids that I'd just paddled up (in a beat up oldtown) was quite satisfying. The solitude and physical exertion helped me forget final exams.
But I wished for a bow paddler, someone to carry the backpack while I portaged the canoe, someone to appreciate my effort and laugh at my mistakes, someone to share the adventure.
Happily, I have just 21 days to wait...

Pictures of Petra

2007-04-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

much more attractive than my hair cut debacle

Hair Cut

2007-04-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Balancing Rocks

2007-03-26T03:57:00.000-07:00

T R on Lawyers

2007-03-24T20:30:00.000-07:00

“Now the shyster, the barratrously inclined, the ambulance chase, the member of the Bar with a system of runners, pursue their nefarious methods with no check save the sand rope of moral suasion.”

Lewis v Howe

2007-03-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

C.S. Lewis once stated:

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up save in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

That sounds sweet, but I disagree.

If we have truly died to self there is nothing left to be vulnerable.

Soup

2007-02-26T04:34:00.000-08:00

ingredients
one or two mid sized red cabbages
one or two cans of Fri Chik
one or two onions
a small number of carrots
a large amount of peanut butter
generous hand with the red pepper
salt (varied according to blood pressure)
enough water to prevent fire

directions (for February)
turn on stove and warm hands in front of the glow. This should restore enough function to permit chopping. turn off the stove (to save on the electric bill). put everything on a large chopping board. hum "Nearer my God to Thee" in French, going up a half step after each time through. this step allows time for the ingredients to right their wrongs, write their wills, and perform last rites. when the entire piece is in falsetto, switch to "God rest ye merry gentlemen" (whistled with Texas accent) and flail savagely at the ingredients with a large knife. continue this process until your heart rate is over 120. stop chopping and dump all ingredients into a large kettle. turn on the stove, put on the kettle, and start listening to Rutter's Requiem. stir between movements. start eating as soon as the cooked cabbage smell trumps the peanut butter smell.

Ice Storm

2007-02-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

Petra spent last week visiting me in Lexington. We experienced a serious icestorm last Tuesday night. School was delayed Wednesday morning, so we drove up part of the Blue Ridge Parkway to survey the situation. Fallen limbs obstructed the road and eventually blocked our passage. We continued on foot. The wind come up suddenly, with gusts reaching 60 miles per hour. Trees starting falling. After a close shave with a mean spirited tree top, Petra and I ran for the car. It felt like we were under fire. Gettysburg itself could scarcely have been louder.

Rice and Light

2007-01-30T03:55:00.000-08:00

Greens are good for the body. I'm too poor to purchase them regularly, so I've taken to sprouting cast off rice. My first attempts involved sticking the rice in a dark cupboard. It didn't do very well. At Dad's advice, I tried putting it on the window sill. It perked up nicely, and I've been feeding on it ever since.
Christ is the Light of the world. We can't do anything apart from the power He provided through His death. Focusing on Christ's sacrifice at Calvary will give us the perspective to make the sacrifices that He asks of us. It wouldn't do to take up the wrong cross.
Sadly, we rarely consider the Cross. The Beatitudes are a more frequent sermon topic than Golgotha, and when Christ's last hours are mentioned, we often spend more time considering Peter's sin than the Cross. Christ gave us communion so we'd remember His death, but we only celebrate it once in 13 weeks. What's so special about 13? It seems foolish (not to mention unlucky) to relegate communion to the sidelines. When we do go through with it, we don't share the cup, pair off instead of washing everyones feet, and keep on all our fancy duds instead of donning simple towels.
Our public failings are often a reflection of personal emptiness. EGW says that the cross should be the focal point of our devotions, but we usually read a few parables, a Psalm, or the prayer of Jabaz and leave the Cross for Easter weekend.
Like my rice, we're supposed to die, but we can't expect our sacrifice to produce anything unless we are looking to the Light of Christ's sacrifice. Let's get out of the cupboard and start growing.

sacrificial evangelism

2007-01-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

As Christians, we are to love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbors as ourselves. We love God by showing kindness to those in need. See Matt. 25: 34-46. Masochists aside, we want food and shelter, but we usually pretend that “needy neighbors” don’t exist outside our circle of friends.
Thanks to globalization, we are all each other’s neighbors. The Good Samaritan crossed ethnic, social, and political boundaries to patch up a wounded Jew. How dare we turn a blind eye to Sudan and the Congo?
Our offerings are often measured by the amount we have to spare. We act like a two-week mission trip with a weekend at the beach is what Jesus meant by “going the second mile”. Will God hold us guiltless if our brothers and sisters starve while we buy cars, computers, and Ipods?
There are two ways to motivate people, promise them more toys or ask them to sacrifice for a greater cause. As good politicians know, the latter is more effective. Would we still remember Churchill if he’d said, “I offer you warmth, comfort, joy, and peace” instead of “blood, toil, tears, and sweat”? What if Kennedy had said, “don’t worry about your country, it’s supposed to meet your needs”?
Like “Someone” in my last post, we usually witness by telling folks about our blessings and trying to persuade them that they’d be better off if they were more like us. What happened to those crosses we were supposed to pick up? Are we following the wrong Jesus?
Sacrifice creates growth—just look at suicide bombers and the proliferation of Islam. Are we ready to die for what we believe? Most of us haven’t even gone hungry for it.
God told us to spread His Word by loving our neighbors. Isn’t it about time to start?

call to arms

2007-01-16T04:25:00.000-08:00

Last Sabbath, I heard a heard a rather important and well known SDA someone speak about a meeting he'd recently attended. The keynote speaker, a methodist turned baptist, had focused on "making the gospel relevant". The central theme, as regurgitated by "Someone", was "people are tired of hearing about God and the Bible and are only interested in our personal experience". "Someone" then stated that the methodist/baptist had used the just mentioned strategy to turn a 25 member wheelchair and cane congregation into a vibrant 400 member youth Church. "Someone" next urged us to follow suit, then publically prayed that we would do so.
God calls us to be faithful, not successful. When Jesus won the victory on Calvary, everyone deserted Him. Noah preached for 120 years and saw no tangible results. The number and age of Benchwarmers is not a relevant measure of God's blessing, and it should never be our goal to increase this crowd. Our job is to lead the people to the water of life, not persuade them to drink by dumping in kool aide.
Personal experience can be a useful evangelistic tool, but each person's life walk is different. Without the Bible as a common denominator our experience has limited utility. More to the point, how can a true Christian share their experience without spending the whole time talking about God and the Bible? If self is dead, what else is there to talk about?
SDA's have a special God given message. Nothing against our Baptist and Methodist brothers and sisters, but God has given us a unique light. Why should the pilot ask a member of the ground crew to teach him how to land the plane?
The Devil is alive and well, and I fear he's working on the sly to dilute the power of our message. He is a defeated foe, but we can't even resist unless we recognize what he is doing.
If we are connected to God, we will talk about what He has done for us, but we must avoid sharing the results without the power. BMW's are beautiful cars, but they can't move without gas. We aren't doing people a favor if we show them a religion that looks and feels comfy and grand but will leave them on the ground at the second coming.

2007-01-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Poor Paul is presently plunged in piles of perturbing preoccupations,
forthwith fiendishly finagling his fiancee into fending the fort for his fans. He
blames his busy-ness on books and bequeaths the blogging to bystanders:
meaning myself. He maintains that he may
materialize when his mobs of mental marauders have
abated their attack. After that awaited anticipation, he'll arrive anew and
script something significantly superior to this silly, sorry,
pretty pathetic post. -Petra

While you were at GYC...

2007-01-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

I was climbing Tumbledown with Petra. (Yes Christy, I do exist). As we left home, I informed Petra that my infallible sense of intuition warned of approaching doom. The drive to the trailhead was rather boring--until we reached the final dirt road. A half-inch of freezing rain had fallen over night, followed by several inches of snow. I could have skated the last three miles. The steel studs on the tires of the family van worked wonders, but the success of our traverse trembled in the balance on many a hairpin turn and steep hill. The mercury philandered between 10 and 25 degrees, but a sharp west wind made up for any inconsistencies and necessitated two sets of long johns. The trail proved as slick as the road, and Petra and I rapidly acquired a rainbow of bruises (admired late that night in the hot tub). All went reasonably badly until the final pitch--usually an easy scramble assisted by iron rungs. This time, the rungs were hidden in a frozen waterfall. In prior winter climbs, I'd tied a rock to the end of my rope, tossed it around a tree at the top of the pitch, and so secured assent. But a considerable amount of water was flowing down the face, and the rope rapidly took on the character of rebar. in the end, I took a rock and bashed a series of steps into the ice. Next time I'm bringing an ice ax...
We managed to get off the steepest section before sunset, but we still faced a long plod in the dark. Just before reaching the car, I was forced to follow Nature's call, and ended up frozen to a birch log. Suffice it to say that I was rather chilled when I finally unlocked the van. At which point I realized that Petra's doubts of my intuition's veracity were groundless. I had left the headlights on (by mistake!). We were about 6 miles from the nearest habitation. We'd been the first car on the dirt road that morning, and it looked like only one other hardy soul had passed that way. I was tossing the bullet between building a bonfire starting the long jog when a pair of headlights appeared in the distance.

I realized that I don't have photo’s to back up the ice climb section of this post, but Petra's hands were too cold to work the camera, and mine were far too busy.

Seriously, I did plan to attend GYC. I've always been blessed by attending in the past. But with relations hounding us for wedding plans, and little time for relationship building, I took an extra dose of Petra's TLC instead. I hope you'll forgive me and believe that I exist...

Introducing Three Tramps

2006-12-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Three Tramps specializes in synergizing the traditional forms of classical and bluegrass with interpretive dance, creative culinary delights, and dramatic readings of great literature.

Martine plays oboe, viola, and chopsticks. Petra plays violin, piano, and French Horn. Paul makes up for his general lack of musical talent by a dent of hard work and sheer creative genius

Christmas Light

2006-12-20T12:23:00.001-08:00

Christmas is supposed to be a season of gladness and joy, but it can be marked by fear, depression, and loneliness. The Spirit of Christmas may get lost in the Santa suits and tinsel. When the wrapping paper is in the trash, and the credit card bills are in the mail, we sometimes feel more tired and stressed then ever. The lights of Christmas are frequently followed by greater darkness.
Tonight, we grieve with the families of the climbers who were lost on Mt Hood, and those of the thousands of soldiers and civilians who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq. As we celebrate Christmas, much of Africa is starving and naked. Yes, darkness settles deeply over some parts of our world, and it’s cold fingers touch us through death or illness of friends or family, or through the invidious doubts and fears John Bunyan called “the giant Despair”

My mother loves hunting for good out of print books. One of her greatest finds was “Just David”. David’s mother died when he was four, and his father, a world famous violinist, took David to an isolated mountain hut. Over the next six years, far from the corrupting influences of wealth and power, David became a brilliant violinist. Father and son lived in peaceful secrecy to avoid the public eye. In fact, David never learned his father’s name. Then David’s father became deathly ill. He tried to take David back to civilization and the musical world they had left, but died in a remote village. Before he passed on, he gave David a large amount of money and wrote a note to David’s relations, and signed his name. The villagers were familiar with the name, but failed to associate it with the sick man’s illegible signature. An indebted farmer took pity on David and gave him bed and board in exchange for David’s daily labor. Months passed. Weeding and stacking wood left little time for the violin, and the villagers mocked David’s music. David dreamed of escaping the village and using his father’ money to start a musical career. Then the mortgage on the farm came due. Not knowing the value of money, David used all his father’s money to redeem the farm. As winter approached, David seemed doomed to spend his life cutting wood . One day, David happened upon an old sundial. Its face contained this inscription: “I count no hours but unclouded ones”. David stopped counting clouded hours and started living for light.
Focusing on sunny times and sunny people brings us light and happiness. I remember watching Petra during orchestra rehearsals. At first, it was just an occasional sidelong glance. By the semester’s end I was having trouble reading my music. Two years ago last Thursday, Petra agreed to accompany me to a concert at the Kennedy center. I spent most of that Christmas break weaving her a basket and making plans. February 14 found me waiting for her to go to Greek class, sneaking into her dorm room, and writing my name in glow-in-the-dark stars above her bed. Several canoe trips, dozens of fruit smoothies, and a series of duct tape notes later, she agreed to be my girlfriend. Last summer, sometime between June 3 and 4, I asked her to marry me. She said yes. It was the happiest moment of my life.
Christmas should be the happiest time of year, but sometimes it’s so full of junk that we don’t have time to look for light. What does Santa have to do with baby Jesus? What does black Friday have to do with the stable? Why do we limit our gifts to those who reply in kind? God gave His Son to us, knowing that we could never repay or understand the sacrifice. Shouldn’t we spend part of this Christmas feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for homeless, and visiting those in prison?
David didn’t keep the sundials wisdom to himself. He couldn’t. His newfound joy infected the village, and shadows of wealth and pride gave way to the light of kindness and love.
This hasn’t been an easy year. My grandfather was nearly crippled by a bungled back surgery, my grandmother died in September, and law school has eaten my best time, energy, and most of my hair. I’m sure that each one of you has suffered as well. Looking to the light can be difficult. Sometimes everything seems dark.
We often lack the time to meet our needs, never mind reaching those of others.
David’s hours were mostly cloudy, and he had plenty of sorrows without bothering about those of the people around him. But he chose to live for light, and carried its joy to the rest of the village.
It is my hope and prayer that during this Christmas season, we, like the Wise Men of old, will look for light, look to the Christ child, the source of all light and warmth, and reflect His love and care to those less fortunate then we.

God Is

2006-12-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

Even during exams

Thanksgiving Tumbledown

2006-11-28T04:10:00.000-08:00

Several years ago, John and I started a turkey day tradition. Thanksgiving dinner invariably degenerates into orgy of chow, so we figured we'd balance it with a savaged pre dinner hike. Tumbledown Mountain is accessible, steep, and offers great views, so it was the natural choice. This year, John is in Peru, but Barry and I carried on in his honor. We were joined by my cousin Mark, Elissa, Julie, Jenny, and Wayne--a very convivial group. We followed our trademark route, an unused trail blocked by a rockslide. Mark introduced us to a more technical style of belaying. Barry and Wayne provided common sense. We played on the partly frozen summit pond and pondered the view. The return journey was marred by Mark and Jenny's constant efforts to tempt the more abstemious members with snacks. They were creative, but we held out for the feast.
After dinner, Mark and I inaugurated a new tradition, a post dinner swim in the ocean, followed by a soak in the hot tub.

What I was trying to say in the last post...

2006-11-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

Life is like an LSAT problem—tricky, complex, and never enough time to figure it out. We survive by making assumptions and taking risks. We assume that the primary ingredient in our breakfast cereal is wheat, not arsenic; we assume that smiles are not death threats, and we (sometimes wrongly) assume that the other cars will stop at red lights, and go at green ones. Society moves too fast to require strict proof. It hasn’t always been this way.
Aquinas explained life by “proving” God’s existence in painful detail, but he never managed to account for the unmoved mover. Descartes famous “I think, therefore I am” proved some level of human rationality, but suddenly weakened in its explanation of God. Kierkegaard made a blind leap of faith away from logic and towards an unknown and unknowable God, but his ethereal explanation was notably detached from the verifiable observations which grounded Aquinas and Descartes. Jefferson left philosophical perambulations to continentals, and adopted a world view that fit the world he viewed. He assumed rationality, made careful note of the world around him, and plugged in various explanations until he found one that fit.
In our post Jeffersonian world, we seldom bother to make fully informed choices. We assume, observe, and act—unless of course, we’re talking about God. Suddenly, every warrant is subject to strict scrutiny. Full explanation is required, and Christianity is held to a standard that Aquinas could not have surmounted. Given enough time and energy, it’s possible to figure out what’s in those Cheerios, and green or red, it’s always smart to look both ways. But as Kierkegaard would argue, God isn’t susceptible to this type of proof. Jefferson’s deistic beliefs seem quaint in light of current science, but that doesn’t mean his methods were flawed.
Like an LSAT problem, life is a high stakes game. Pascal’s Wager shows that the odds favor a belief in God. Why don’t we leave complete proof to Aquinas, apply Occam’s Razor, and look for a God that would explain our world?

Solving for God

2006-11-20T09:56:00.001-08:00

"Plugging in the numbers" is one of the best ways to solve complex algebra problems and logic games. This morning, while solving some Evidence problems, I wondered if it might be a good way to solve for God.
Assume God's existance, then evaluate the corollaries. Assume Atheism, then evaluate the corollaries. Compare the corollaries. Occam's Razer is one place to start. The second law of thermodynamics is another.
Thomas Jefferson and a host of likeminded deists followed this logic to a belief in a distant higher power, but this is as foolish as settling for a workable plugged in number without solving the rest of the problem. IF God existance is a simpler and better explaination for life (observable sociology) then Atheism, the next step is to plug in different values for God's character and reapply Occam's Razer. Which God explains life in the clearest terms?

Inspirational distraction

2006-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Relationships take time and money. I’m desperately short of both, but, as this photo demonstrates, my time with Petra has been, is, and will continue to be, the best investment I’ve ever made. Unlike most girls, Petra is smarter than me:-)--and more stubborn. I win most of our verbal skirmishes, but somehow we usually end up doing what she wants—which often talismanically translates into what I want. Maybe it all comes back to the photo—I end up following her lead because I’m trying to keep her in view:-)...

Candle Making

2006-11-16T08:06:00.000-08:00

Candles bring warmth and light. I burn them all the time. Usually, I'm left with a pool of unburned wax. As the following photos indicate, I consolidated these fragments into a small glass jar, suspended a strip of sacrificed tee shirt from the top, and put the whole rube goldburg in the oven. Half an hour later, I took it out, let it cool, then lit it up. My candle burned like a torch—for the first five minutes, than went out. My homegrown wick had tipped over due to vibrations from my imaginary jump rope routine. A couple of matches later, the flame was rekindled. It’s been burning steadily ever since—between breaks for my classes.

Bank robbers and unborn children

2006-11-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

Fortunately, my trip to Norway meant that I missed the abortion section of my Constitutional law class. Unfortunately, I've had to review the material as I prepare for the exam.
My disagreement with Roe and Casey's guarantee of a limited fundamental right to abortion has been grounded in the Pentateuch, not legal precendent. The Bible is my rule of life, but it doesn't carry much weight in the classroom. I have been challenged to support my beliefs with current law and logic.
The Supreme Court has refused to say when life begins, so it's dodged the conflict between the right to privacy and the right to life, but it's current jurisprudence (in the abortion context) favors the former. Oddly enough, Tort law has been expanding, and now recognizes a limited duty of care towards unborn children.
Torts law is based on the duty of care. Basically, everyone has a duty to exercise reasonable good sense in all their actions. Banks can lock and bar their doors, and even put up electrified barbed wire fences (if they post obvious warning signs), but can't set up hidden traps that kill bank robbers the moment they step into the safe. Butchers keep dogs from getting into their shops and gobbling the meat, but can't let them in, cut off their heads, and add them to the salable goods.
Tort law applies a higher standard of care in fiduciary relationships involving disproportionate power, information, or bargaining power, such as Dr. Patient, Attorney Client, and day care child.
If Banks have a duty of care towards bank robbers, and butchers have a duty of care toward marauding dogs, why don't mom's and dad's have a duty of care towards their unborn children?
If Attorney's are supposed to be extra careful with their legally helpless clients, why shouldn't mom's and dad's have to be extra careful with their unborn kids?
Abortion proponents often use cases of rape, incest, or likely death of the mother to justify current law, but this extremism has scant legal foundation. Willfully killing another person is murder or wrongful death--unless you are acting in self defense. Grabbing a stranger, pounding their chest, and going lip to lip is assault and battery--unless they aren't breathing and you are doing CPR. Civil and criminal law impose no duties or requirements in these areas, leaving them solely to the conscience of the individual. Abortions should be illegal, with appropriate exceptions for personal morality.

beyond donkey and elephant

2006-11-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

It's election day. What is America voting for? In 1950, Republicans were the people's party. They stood for civil rights and big Federal Government. LBJ railroaded a role reversal and tried to create "Great Society". Republicans gave lip service to small government, but when they elected B moviestar Ronald, they created national debt instead. Promises and policy seldom match. Clinton was a model Republican President. dubya has expanded the Federal Government beyond LBJ's wildest dreams. Politicians want more power--regardless of party principles. Voters want safe and peaceful lives--regardless of the party in power. No wonder they are confused. This race isn't about parties, it's about people. Who does America trust?

kind in laws

2006-11-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

Once again, I am humbled and blessed by my future in laws kindness and generosity. My washcloth week was an adventure, but it's nice to be getting back to the brush and paste.

Dental care

2006-10-30T05:05:00.000-08:00

My toothbrush is shot and my toothpaste is short. Bad brushes hurt gums and bad breath hurts grades. Law school is shattering my person finances but reaffirming my Scottish roots. Damp washcloths work better then brushes. Toothpaste is a marketing scam. My teeth are gleaming, but my washcloth is wearing thin...

Baking Bread

2006-10-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

Marriage may mean baking the bread, not just winning it, so I decided to practice. Besides, I couldn't face another helping of cheap skates hard times wonder brew (philosophy of construction available upon request). Measuring is the bane of true baking, so I mixed materials as inspired by Gil Shaham's rendition of Saint Saens violin concerto No. 3. Like Shaham's playing, the bread turned out exquisite, powerful, and charmingly simple--the virtuoso product of genius.

hiking in Jotunheimen Norway: The People

2006-10-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hiking in Jotunheimen Norway: The view

2006-10-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

50 k hike in Norway

2006-10-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

These are a few photos of our 50 k hike--taken by Robby. We arrived at midnight and laid a tarp on the tundra. It was incredibly cold. Petra slept between Martina and I, so she stayed warm and got some sleep. Robby and Erin froze. The sun didn't come up until 8:00 a.m., but we got up long before then and huddled around a fire (Robby brought wood from home). We feasted with shaking hands, then hit the trail. Hiking brought warmth and sore feet. The views were incredible, and lured us further into the wilds. All too soon, darkness arrived. Headlamps were turned on--and grew dim as the hours past. I saved mine for the last hour--a slick decent on a closed trail. We ended the hike at 11:00 p.m. The three hour return drive was a nightmare. Petra was sick, Robby went to sleep, and I drove through rain and thick fog. Martina managed to come alive for the final round, and kept us awake with impassioned dental care speeches.

This morning, Petra, Martina, Robby, and myself managed a 10 k jog in pitch dark. Good times..

actually, photos are on the way...

Contract Formation

2006-10-17T03:38:00.000-07:00

I have accepted an offer of legal employment from Verrill and Dana, LLP, and Petra has accepted an offer of marriage from me.

please direct congratulations to us, and inquires to our parents.

given the chance, always skip school and go to Norway.

hiking with rollo (photos by julie)

2006-10-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

Petra

2006-10-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

when the bee stings

2006-10-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

2006-10-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

starting out

2006-10-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

I'm really too busy to do this, but I got religion. Paul is now online.