A recent news (Justin Bieber's "belieber" remark at Amsterdam) prompted me to take a closer look at Anne Frank, 15-year old holocaust victim, whose fame began with her posthumous diary preserved and published by her surviving father. So I will have to read the book: The Diary of a Young Girl AKA The Diary of Anne Frank.
Yesterday, my wife and I went to the concert at Carnegie Hall(Weill Recital Hall) with her "trainee", whose teacher's (Elena Rossman) organization AADGT (The American Association for Development of the Gifted and Talented) hosted. I couldn't find much info on the AADGT, except that there are a few good performances on youtube under that keyword.
There about 34 performers, ordered by the youngest first, I think. Their skills were all remarkable. I favored the younger group. Subsequently, I learned a few new pieces that I might want to try: A. Bazzini's La Ronde Des Lutins Scherzo Fantastique, Op. 25 and maybe Kreisler's Praeludium and Allegro. Both are violin pieces. As for the piano pieces, I'll
scan a copy of it below.
I wish I can pick up piano again. Getting trained professionally, but part time...perhaps once or twice a month lesson.
ALMA's ability to construct images out of radio frequencies is very impressive. I do not know how it is achieved.
My father recently sent me a video link to a "magic" show based on the missing square puzzle concept.
I noticed the misaligned cut but couldn't figure out exactly how that is something wrong.
Finally, with the help of the youtube video below, I learned that it's as simple as not a perfectly straight triangle.
Not long ago, Kathy Keller, wife of famous pastor Timothy Keller, wrote an article despising church shopping: "...high on my list of odious phrases.".
I cannot disagree that this phrase could be treated as a concept of consumerism. Finding the perfect church.
However, her article failed to provide an alternative means of finding a suitable church: "It is therefore important that any prospective new member of a local church (or even a fully assimilated long-time member, for that matter) be cognizant of the core values of the body with which they are affiliating/ed.", which was as much as she could say.
Perhaps I can make a new phrase for this. A proper one. Church testing? Church examining? Church finding?
One needs not look at the Bible, but an old fable: The fox and the grapes, for correction.
Since the world is not a better place, there is no God.
"Since the grapes cannot be reached, the grapes must be sour."
If the grapes are sweet, shouldn't everything about the grapes be easy and sweet.
As founder of the Cornwall Alliance (co-signed by the likes of James Dobson, Charles Colson, RC Sproul, etc.), which deals with exaggerated accusation by today's environmentalists, Calvin Beisner declared Rachel Carson's Silent Spring a very bad science on Mefferd's show.
Janet Mefferd interviewed Dr. Douglas Groothuis on Ken Wilber, who was a big impact to the emergent church and its major key player, Rob Bell.
Wilber read into Eastern literatures, such as Laozi's Dao De Jing. Admirable, for a Westerner. His influence is why it is not surprising that many Chinese Christians today like to mix Laozi or some Buddhism/Hinduism into Christianity.
Ultimately, the doctrine is Wilber's integral theory. Simply put: everyone is right in some way, don't be judgmental. Dualism is just too....evil and therefore cannot achieve peace.
This type of New Age influence, some Christians are still sensitive enough to realize the faults it bring. However, they are too naive about the harm it could bring. Hence, they have forgotten our Lord's warning..."there is no fellowship between light and darkness". This is an issue of drawing a clear line of non-association.
How to draw this line? That is the question I would ask.
There have been many even within the Christian community that try to justify suicide.
I was reminded of this, after hearing the sad news of Matthew Warren, 27-year old son of Rick Warren, committing suicide due to the so called mental illness.
Since then, there have been many consolations and revived criticisms on Pastor Warren's works.
Last Sunday, during the sermon on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24), I thought of one way impossible for anyone to claim any justification for doing suicide.
If one had been so depressed by Christ's death in those days and committed suicide, would one be justified for that? Let's add in a few more hypothetical spices. Let's say that one follower of Christ was being insulted to a deep shame during the crucifixion of Christ, without being clear about the coming resurrection, one decided to end all shame and insult, whether it can be called as ending the shame of the name of our Lord or just the embarrassment of oneself, I do not see much point. Now, after the resurrection, what would one's afterlife spirit feel about the news? Should one rejoice or be in denial? If one rejoices truly, then one must also regret. Regret for committing suicide and thus not able to take part in the glory of Christ before, as others have. Others who may have suffered more shame before yet did not commit suicide.
So it is clear, that there is no reason that can justify suicide. Since Christ, did not commit suicide, we cannot say our shame is greater than that of Christ's. To do that, is pride. To do that, is godlessness. And to have an excuse for suicide for the welfare of others, even Christ, is to claim oneself better than Christ who did not commit suicide for our benefit. Such thing can only be done to scorn at the power of God.
