By an Unknown Confederate Soldier

I didn't find this one on my own, but from a friend.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do great things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for...but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

"The Privileged Planet"

This documentary offers a scientific look into just how small a chance it is there there should be a world like our own that can sustain complex life. It is not explicitly for or against any particular creation theory, but simply looks at the facts and the chances of our existence as a planet. I've never really thought about this aspect of my life before, and it is very moving...sort of makes one feel like their life hangs in the balance all the time, but then he remembers that he has successfully defied the odds thus far. Despite a certain number of high thinking persons, it does disprove the theory of a disordered universe in chaos making such things as the cosmos by chance. Can such a thing logically and possibly come about merely by chance? I personally think that any person who holds this view is something of an idiot, but you'll have to check it out for yourself. ;-)




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Part 5



Part 6

An 80s child remembers when...

I saw this and just had to post it, it is such a riot! Acapella is a great art form, and these students from the University of Wisconsin Madison Campus have done an excellent job. If you were an 80s kid, you might actually remember this and get a kick out of it. Ah, memories.

Importance of history

I've always been interested in history because it is very interesting to know from whence you came, to see how people lived, how the times changed, why they changed, etc. I only recently realized the extent to which it affects me: who I am, where I came from, what my goals and aspirations are, what my education and culture consist of, and what my faith is. It is a reality that I didn't know was there. Prof. Gaston gave an example today in class of how he used to bring a random tool in to class, an unusual one, and pass it around. The students would puzzle over it, and pass it back, not having figured out what it was. Gaston would then tell them "this is an X and it is used to K" and suddenly, they would realize what it was for and they would be amazed; you know, respond with "Oh! Cool!" The reality was sitting there infront of them, staring them in the face, but they never knew it. One cannot understand what a tool is for without knowing what it was used to do in the past. You cannot understand what is infront of you without knowing your past. Always living and seeing what is around you, how to do things, why to do certain actions and why not to do others. Knowing one's history causes the person to look at the present world with new eyes, or, rather, not with new eyes, but actually knowing how to look with their eyes, to focus on things so that one can see the depth in them.