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Showing posts from December, 2014

Gold like glass?

I've always thought this description it was odd: ‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭18‬ ESV "The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass."        http://bible.com/59/rev.21.18.esv But maybe the Romans understood the concept.  And if this kind of cup was used to detect purity – or warn of impurities that are present in what it contains – then the whole metaphor starts to get really interesting: http://blogs.transparent.com/latin/ancient-roman-nanotechnology-improving-the-future/ Just an idea; not going to start a new denomination over it.  :)

Against universalism

If I were the kind of person to grab random Old Testament verses to proof-text what I'd like to argue Christ's relationship to mankind means – can you tell I'm not that kind of person? – this would be a good one.  As long as nobody thinks to read into Malachi chapter 3 were God talks about his plan for reconciliation, and parks at the end of chapter 2 where he says he's not interested in people who advocate for "evil" people, it would be a challenging argument. ‭Malachi‬ ‭2‬:‭17‬ NIV "You have wearied the Lord with your words. "How have we wearied him?" you ask. By saying, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord, and he is pleased with them" or "Where is the God of justice?"" See it at Bible.com : http://bible.com/111/mal.2.17.niv

Reconciliation vs. Condemnation

I have a hard time placing this verse in the context of a Phelps-like "ministry of condemnation"; I wonder what Fred would say if he were still alive? If you rest on Paul's writing in Romans that God has "given them over" then what purpose do these verses in Corinthians serve or to whom were they written? ‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭18-20‬ ESV "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." See it at Bible.com : http://bible.com/59/2co.5.18-20.esv

Sorting the opportunities...

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I'm not going to set a $10m standard like Tim Ferris does, but as I'm listening to Internet Business Mastery Podcast (IBM 255) on Opportunity Cost) it's interesting to ponder how I could evaluate and narrow down my vast variety of interests, perhaps with a dollar amount.  Or... not. :) http://traffic.libsyn.com/ibm/IBM255.mp3 The Ultimate Focus Guide for New Entrepreneurs - Download our new action guide on how to stay focused and motivated even if you have no idea what you should be focusing on.

Unknown unknowns

I think a role of a consultant (or friend or any advisor) is to help turn your "unknown unknowns" into "known unknowns". They might not have the answers, but can give you the questions you need to ask and make you aware of blind spots...

Do NOT pray peace?!?

It looks like nothing is safe or easy. A couple of years ago I encountered a teaching that said we can and should pray "peace" into the lives of people around us -- that it was an all-purpose Christian responses regardless of who they are or what they were doing. (The argument is that if they were doing something to earn God's disapproval, peace would come as they were Led away from that.) Looks like I forgot about John: https://www.bible.com/bible/68/2jn.1.gnt 10So then, if some come to you who do not bring this teaching, do not welcome them in your homes; do not even say, "Peace be with you." 11For anyone who wishes them peace becomes their partner in the evil things they do. Argh.

Coping as a scanner...

I just encountered the podcast episode "ForeverJobless Podcast w/ Billy Murphy | Serial Entrepreneur and Blogger - The Wisdom of Life Consists in the Elimination of Non-Essentials. Episode 188: http://foreverjobless.com/the-wisdom-of-life-consists-in-the-elimination-of-non-essentials-episode-188/ " ...which is pretty convicting, since it describes my eclectic interests... But then I remembered " Reinventure Me (026 Do your many interests hinder your next great beginning?): http://reinventure.me/026-many-interests-hinder-next-great-beginning/ "Are you feeling pressure to nail down that ONE THING you're supposed to be good at? Maybe you're meant to follow the path of a horizontal master instead. " Time for me to re-listen...

Why call out women?

‭"The God women love" -- is this explanation from the Amplified the correct one?  It's an odd phrase... Daniel‬ ‭11‬:‭37‬ AMP "He shall not regard the gods of his fathers or Him [to Whom] women desire [to give birth–the Messiah] or any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all." See it at Bible.com : http://bible.com/8/dan.11.37.amp

Random quote

"Society is living in a collective delusion of confirmation-bias."

Curation, Cultivation, Communication

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What was a throwaway line from Leary Gates has really, really struck me. It's about 8 minutes from the end. More to come... Listening to Reinventure Me (044 The art of self-promotion): http://reinventure.me/044-art-self-promotion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=044-art-self-promotion Have you ever struggled with the idea of self-promotion? You know you need to put yourself out there, but you don't want to be one of those guys. This episode will help you develop the art of healthy self promotion. This week's Inspire Me quote is from Sir Isaac Newton: "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. " In last week's episode, Leary and Armin had the opportunity to interview sales guru Stephan Schiffman. Stephan made the point that selling is actually an act of service, whether you are selling a product or selling yourself. When you look out for the interest of others saying, "I have someth...