Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Try Thinking...

I believe that "thinking" has become a thing of years gone by. Seems like people don't do a lot of thinking anymore.

We have become a nation of TA...Thinker's Anonymous.

The following story illustrates what I'm talking about.



HEAVY THINKING...

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.

I began to think alone - "to relax," I told myself - but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself.

I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?

"Things weren't going so great at home either. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker. One day the boss called me in. He said, "Skippy, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job." This gave me a lot to think about.

I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, "I've been thinking..."

"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"

"But honey, surely it's not that serious."

"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking we won't have any money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and she began to cry. I'd had enough. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door.

I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche, with a PBS station on the radio. I roared into the parking lot and ran up to the big glass doors...they didn't open. The library was closed!

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night.

As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked. You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinker's Anonymous poster.

Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Dumb and Dumber." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting.

I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just seemed...easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking.

MikeysFunnies.com
*********************
Try a little "thinking" today. You'll be surprised at the high it will give you. All addictions aren't bad!

Peace to your household...

27 comments:

Queenie said...

Ooooo! I'm a big thinker, sometimes a good thing sometimes not. Good post, MADE ME THINK!!!!!!

Dennis said...

Well I've never been accused of thinking!

Jackie said...

Queenie: Did it make your head hurt? (lol)

kscowboy: Actually, I've never been accused of thinking either!! It makes my head hurt!!

All kidding aside, we (as supposedly 'informed' people) need to start thinking more and being "persuaded" less.

Y'all have a good day!

Anonymous said...

"Finally, brethen, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worth of praise, THINK on these things." Phil.4:8
That is a lot to think about!!! My head hurts.

That Janie Girl said...

Miss Wilma's not lost her sense of humor, I'm THINKING....

Tapline said...

inspired, That is one thing I have not been accused of, to date that is. Makes one think though. stay well...

crabby old man said...

when I get to thinking, I HAVE A TENDENCY TO BE TEMPTED. AND AS OSCAR WILDE SAID 'I can resist anything except temptation"

Anonymous said...

My Husband has never had an original serious thought of his own.
Crabby's Boss

Jackie said...

Wilma: Seems like we DO have a LOT to think about nowadays! No wonder we go around all the time with the complaint of "My head hurts"!

Janie: You THINK right! She's usually "full of it"!

Tap: Hey! Good to have you back. Are you home for the winter? No one has to accuse YOU of thinking because you're "thinking" all the time! It's apparent in your blog...

crabby: read Wilma's comment! (LOL)

crabby's boss: I can relate to that. I don't have many original thoughts myself! (though I do get serious on occasion.)

Anonymous said...

I had a thought one time.
E.T. REDNECK

Jackie said...

E.T. Redneck: I'm afraid to ask!!

MarmiteToasty said...

Sometimes I think to much lol.... my head is ALWAYS buzzing with thinking about things... it is never still....

x

Anonymous said...

I think there for I am

I work because I can





west Texas dirt dauber

Anonymous said...

Thinking About Sin
By: Mark Brown - October 18, 2007
Mormonism takes a remarkably relaxed and lenient view of sin.

Go ahead and laugh if you must, but it would be foolish of you to lightly brush off the opinion of a man who is an expert, with many years of experience in the field. My understanding of our religion holds that sin occurs when we make an informed choice to reject God. Just as it is impossible for us to be saved in ignorance, it is also impossible for us to sin in ignorance. Since accountability is the result of knowledge, we may look with approbation upon a man drinking vodka straight from a bottle, but we believe that God will hold him accountable only to the extent he is acting against the light he has previously received. Our doctrine of sin is also closely tied to covenant making. An action which may not be bad in itself becomes bad when we see it as breaking a promise. This explains why the church usually imposes stricter discipline upon people who have been to the temple, and also why a Mormon who wants to take a walk on the wild side can do so by drinking a cup of tea.

Over the years, I’ve engaged in hundreds of discussions in Sunday classes where doctrinal hairs were split as we tried to make a distinction between sin and transgression, and hundreds more where the commission/omission fallacy was fully explored. But something I have never heard discussed



old south paw

Anonymous said...

thinking is a sin...

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Sunday, September 7, 2008
naive idealism
The following lines are a coversation between Micheal Corleane and Kay Adams from the movie Godfather.


Micheal : My father is no different from any other powerful man, any man who is responsible for other people, like a senator or a president.
Kay : Do you know how naive you sound?
Micheal: Why?
Kay: Senators and presidents don't have men killed.
--pause--
He looks at her for some time and says, "Ohh, who is being naive Kay?"


That pretty much sums up politics for me, we want to believe that our leaders are idealistic and we are naive in thinking so, I am not blaming the politicians I am blaming us, I think it is unreasonable to expect politics to be clean and idealistic. Life would be much simple if we accept that politics are dirty.


Now this brings us to an important question, Why do we believe/want politics to be idealist? This is mostly because we think pretty much our entire life in terms of idealism. Most of us want to be idealistic, it is a very romantic and tempting idea. But we believe in idealism mostly because its simple to understand. There is nothing complicated about idealism, the rules are written, they are not simple but atlest the rules are know, and this gives us an odd comfort and familiarity.


The temptation of idealism is no where more evident than when you see a guy in love, every one in love thinks his/her is the most romantic story ever written and in a few years he will be one of those couples if ever he ends up marrying the girl of his dreams. The story always sounds same, and yet they felt special. I am not saying that idealism and perfection does not exits they do but only in morsels. Einstein mind did not produce a new theory every second it occasionally did. The same with every thing else, and once it repeats constantly it is not special it is ordinary.


People know this but they still want to search for happiness, love and all the stuff dreams are made of, yes you can be happy, you can be in love but not through out your life. This is because humans are inherently imperfect( it does not mean they are not perfect ever, they do attain perfection in certain moments). And of course society played a big role in this eternal quest, so what is my solution, segregate love and marriage, they are different concepts and are meant for different needs, and by removing the required link we make it a less idealistic world and more bearable to live in. Now why am I am talking about marriage and love, for it is the most cherished ideal, unless idealism is gone about it we cannot really accept we live in a imperfect world.

Anonymous said...

I HOPE THAT THIS MAKES
EVERYONE THINK

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: McCain, Obama on 'gay rights' - 10/17/2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--This is the sixth in a series of stories focusing on one specific national issue and detailing where the two major presidential candidates stand. Called "In Their Own Words," the stories avoid commentary and instead present the candidates' views as they have stated them in the past -- either in interviews, speeches, debates or on their campaign websites. "I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman."
--John McCain
Baptist Press in recent weeks has spotlighted the issues of abortion, Iraq the Supreme Court, the energy crisis and immigration reform. Today, BP takes a look at the candidates' positions on "gay rights." JOHN MCCAIN -- McCain on the definition of marriage: "The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation" (JohnMcCain.com). "I oppose the divisive and discriminatory efforts to amend the California Constitution.... I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country"
-- Barack Obama
-- McCain on the California Supreme Court's May ruling legalizing "gay marriage": "I believe they were wrong, and I strongly support preserving the unique status of marriage between man and woman. And I'm a federalist. I believe that states should make those decisions" (Saddleback presidential forum, Aug. 16, 2008). -- McCain on the proposed California marriage amendment (Proposition 8), which would overturn the state Supreme Court's ruling legalizing "gay marriage": "I support the efforts of the people of California to recognize marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman, just as we did in my home state of Arizona. I do not believe judges should be making these decisions" (McCain statement to ProtectMarriage.com). -- McCain on the Federal Defense of Marriage Act, which gives states the option of not recognizing another state's "gay marriage" licenses and prevents the federal government from recognizing "gay marriage": "I supported the Defense of Marriage Act adopted by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. DOMA provides states an exemption from the 'full faith and credit' clause so that each state would be able to decide for itself whether to recognize same-sex marriage. The law neither compels a state to recognize a same-sex marriage from another state, nor does it prohibit states from recognizing such marriages ...
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Barack Obama & John McCain on immigration, border security - 10/10/2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--This is the fifth in a series of stories focusing on one specific national issue and detailing where the two major presidential candidates stand.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: John McCain & Barack Obama on the energy crisis - 10/3/2008

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Obama & McCain on the Supreme Court, judicial philosophy - 9/26/2008

Anonymous said...

Now I remember I just thought I had a thought ,It was just gas.
E.T. REDNECK

Jackie said...

To Anonymous with unsigned comments: Where on the internet have you been?

Jackie said...

WTDD: You work because it's your passion!!

Jackie said...

OSP: If you had had more time to kill before the arrival of "the boss" you might have dirged up some real controversial comments.

No one can EVER accuse you of not thinking!

Jackie said...

E.T. Redneck: That comes under the category of TMI (too much information) LOL!!

Jackie said...

Marmite: Sometimes it's best to give your mind a short rest and not think about anything!! Saves you from short-circuiting! (LOL)

Gayle said...

I think... and I am about ready to short circuit! There is far too much to think about these days. One thing to think about is voters who don't think. ARGHH! That one makes my head hurt!

Cute post though. :)

Jackie said...

Gayle: I know. Don't know how you keep it all together. But I'm glad you do...

Anonymous said...

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The thoughts, musings, and comments of Frank Sansone. Anything written here, while hopefully thoughtful and helpful, are my personal opinions and should not be construed to be anything more than that.
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About Me

Frank Sansone
I serve as Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church - An Independent Fundamental Baptist Church in Salisbury, Maryland (formerly known as Messiah Baptist Fellowship).
View my complete profile

Friday, October 10, 2008
Fellowship Baptist Church to Celebrate 10th Anniversary this Sunday, October 12
If you live in the Salisbury, Maryland area,Fellowship Baptist Church of Salisbury, Maryland would love to invite you to join us as we celebrate our 10th Anniversary on Sunday, October 12, 2008.

Ten years ago a small group of believers began to meet in a home and eventually formed what became Messiah Baptist Fellowship. Pastor Steve Wagner served as Pastor of this small group of believers and they were soon able to secure a meeting place next to the Red Door Sub Shop on South Salisbury Boulevard. Over the next five-plus years, this little church remained faithful to the Word of God under Pastor Wagner's leadership and was privileged to see some folks come to Christ for salvation and some other believers who were looking for a good church come and join Messiah Baptist Fellowship.

Sensing the Lord's leading into full-time Jewish missions, Pastor Wagner and his wife relocated to South Carolina where he continues to serve with Messiah Ministries. Dr. William Woodhall, who had faithfully served as Pastor of First Baptist Church of Lewes, Delaware for 33 years served as the Interim Pastor of Messiah Baptist Fellowship for most of 2004 and provided needed stability to this small flock during this time without a full-time Pastor.

In October 2004, Messiah Baptist Fellowship called Frank Sansone to serve as Pastor and Pastor Sansone and his family officially started on December 5, 2004. The last few years we have rejoiced in God's continued working in our church. Over these last few years, we have seen the Lord add to His church and we have seen growth in the people of God. In the Spring of 2006, the Lord provided us with a building at 1308 Robins Avenue and we changed our name to Fellowship Baptist Church. Since then, we have also rejoiced as this new building has allowed us to have the addition of Sunday School for all ages, some youth activities, and the excitement of Vacation Bible School in the summer. We have also rejoiced in Baptisms in the Nanticoke River and at a neighboring church, and the recent provision of a handicap-accessible van in specific answer to prayer.

For our 10th Anniversary, we invite you to join us for a very special Sunday. We would like to extend a special invitation to any of our friends who have been part of the ministry here over the years to "come home" for this Sunday. We also invite our neighbors and friends from the Salisbury area to join us for this Special Anniversary Sunday. All of the men who have served as Pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church will be preaching. Dr. Woodhall will be preaching during the Sunday School hour at 10:00 a.m., Pastor Sansone will preach the morning service at 11:00 a.m. and Pastor Wagner will preach the afternoon service at 2:00 p.m. We will also be have a special lunch at the church between the morning and afternoon service, complete with good food prepared by the folks at Fellowship.

If you would like more information or have any questions, please feel free to call the church at 410-341-7100.

Just my thought of invitation,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 12:02 AM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: Church, Fellowship Baptist Church


Friday, August 01, 2008
Internet Resources for Pastors
Many of you contributed ideas last year when I asked this question and I hope to hear some feedback this year, as well.

Earlier this week I was asked about updating the information I provided last year regarding internet resources and blogs for Pastors at the Annual Conference of the Fellowship of Fundamental Bible Churches at Tri-State Bible Camp in Montague, New Jersey. As this week has been pretty busy with Vacation Bible School (and with trying to make a final decision regarding homeschooling this school year), I have not yet had much time to put a lot of thought into this.

So... I am asking for help.

My previous suggestions are found here:

Internet Resources for Pastors

Recommended Blogs for Pastors

I know that I missed some big ones in the area of Internet Resources, especially. (E.g. I failed to list SermonAudio.com)

So, as I attempt to update these lists (before Monday at 11 a.m.), I would love to have some suggestions.

Thank you for your thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 6:41 PM 2 comments Links to this post

Labels: Please Help, Resources


Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Homeschooling
My wife and I have often thought about homeschooling, but have always "chickened out." Well, as the school year approaches, we are again thinking about homeschooling. We like the current school where our children attend, so it is not something against them, but we are thinking of making the switch this year.

We have a 6th grader, 4th grader, and a 4 year old. We are thinking of using the BJU Hard Drive Distance Learning option for this year, but are still thinking. I recognize that some hardcore homeschooling families will probably think this is a cop-out, but in our situation we are thinking this may be a way to see how we like educating them at home without overwhelming us. It looks Missy will still have to work some - even with not having the expense of Christian School - so I would be involved with this as well. (Of course, I would still like to be involved even if the Lord somehow provided in such a way that Missy did not have to work at all.)

Anyway, I am not looking for a big debate about homeschooling. I am aware of many positives and negatives from having worked with a number of homeschooling families over the years. I am more interested in hearing about the following things:

1. Is anyone familiar enough with the BJU Hard Drive system to offer some thoughts regarding it? (Also, we have heard that you can get a good deal by going to one of the "hotel meetings." The closest one to us is about three hours away - are the deals enough to make such a trip worth it?)

2. Any thoughts or advice for a family thinking of making the move in our situation?

3. One of the reasons we are considering this move is to give some more focused attention to one of our children who is struggling academically. In doing so, we are also trying to decide if it is a better option to have her stay in the grade she would be in if she stayed at the school and work extra with her to shore up the weak areas or if we should have her repeat the grade she just completed.

4. At Hardingville, we had a large church with a number of opportunities outside of school for the children to have interaction with others. I believe the homeschoolers at HBC who were involved with King's Kids and Youth Group got "the best of both worlds" in regards to time at home and interaction. Our little church does not yet have these options. Should this be a concern?

Anyway, I would love to hear some input.

Thanks,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 11:58 PM 9 comments Links to this post

Labels: Education, Family, Homeschooling


Wednesday, July 16, 2008
A Great Week at The Wilds
Last week, we had the privilege of taking a group of teens and juniors down from Fellowship Baptist Church of Salisbury to camp at The Wilds Christian Camp in Rosman, North Carolina.

The Wilds is a great camp that focuses on doing all things excellent for Jesus Christ. The camp verse is 1 Corinthians 10:31 and is not just a verse put on a sign and forgotten about, but serves as a driving force behind all that is done at the camp - "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

The speakers for the week were Evangelist Will Galkin for the teens and Evangelist Ed Dunlop for the juniors. I was pleasantly surprised at how generally low-key the invitations were from both men.

To the parents, thank you for giving us the opportunity to take your young person to camp. Pray for and with your children. Talk to them not only about the fun adventures at camp, but also about what God taught them through His Word.

To the teens and juniors, thank you for a great week. You were a joy to take down to The Wilds. Don't allow the distractions of the world to draw your focus away from Christ and "continue thou in the things thou hast learned." (2 Timothy 3:14)

To the others in the church. Thank you for praying for the young people and praying for our safety. Thank you, as well, for giving generously to help offset some of the expenses.

Just my thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 10:24 PM 2 comments Links to this post

Labels: Christianity, Fellowship Baptist Church, Personal, Youth


Saturday, July 05, 2008
Some Belated Independence Day thoughts
While my ultimate citizenship is in Heaven (Phil 3:20), I also greatly appreciate the country in which God has allowed me to be born and raised. America has its faults, but America is a great country.

It is alleged that Alexis de Tocqueville (the author of Democracy in America) stated:


I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerc - and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution - and it vas not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.

Sometimes with the encroaching liberalism and ungodliness that is rampant in areas, I wonder how long it will be when we have to finally say that "America has ceased to be good", but the idea of America is a great idea. While the great freedom in our land allows for the ungodliness to run rampant, it is that same freedom that allows Christians in America to have relatively few restrictions when it comes to being able to exercise our faith with little fear of imprisonment or punishment.

One of the great traditions we have in celebrating Independence Day here in the United States is the small town parade. Complete with firetrucks, clowns, marching bands, and floats by local groups and candy thrown out to watching children, small town parades represent an American spirit that says "take some time off, be with folks you don't know and celebrate something great."

Yesterday, I had the privilege of visiting the parade in Pitman, New Jersey with my children. While we did not see a lot of the parade, it was a great chance to catch up with a few friends from Hardingville and have a little visit "back home." The parade is proceeded by a 4-mile race and I noticed a number of folks I know still had their numbers on from having run in the race. One of these days, I hope to show up and run the race myself - it has been far too many years since I ran any kind of race. (I think my last road race was when I was on staff at BJU back in the early 1990s.)

For those looking for quotes regarding America or Independence Day, I have a few posted at my "Daily Quotes and Illustrations" Blog - http://dailyquotesandillustrations.blogspot.com/ (click the label for America or Patriotic or Independence Day.

Just my thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 2:22 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: Freedom, Patriotic, Personal, Quotes


Father's Day Cards banned in Scottish Schools
Since Father's Day has already past, this story may be a little outdated, but as I only saw the article recently, I could not comment on it any earlier :).

It seems as though a number of schools in Scotland banned the children from making cards for Father's Day.

The Telegraph reports:


Thousands of primary pupils were prevented from making Father's Day cards at school for fear of embarrassing classmates who live with single mothers and lesbians.

The politically correct policy was quietly adopted at schools "in the interests of sensitivity" over the growing number of lone-parent and same-sex households.

The Telegraph article is located here.

Another article about this is found here.

While I understand the desire to be sensitive to children, this seems to be a little overboard.

Just my thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 1:58 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: Culture War, Current Issues, Family


Saturday, June 21, 2008
Good thougths about change in worship
If you are like me, when you hear the words "change" and "worship" together, it likely puts up a "red flare," since most who advocated a change in worship are generally advocating adapting the worship of God towards the appetites of the world.

However, Pastor Matt Jury has written a good article entitled A Village Re-Elects a Dead Mayor: Some Thoughts on Worship at his new blog - Life is Worship.

Matt has been gracious over the last two years in arranging accommodations for me during the National Leadership Conference in Lansdale and is eager to get going in this new adventure in blogging. He is off to a good start, check him out.

Just my thoughts on his thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 1:18 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: Links, Worship


Thursday, June 12, 2008
What do missionaries do all day?
I have had similar questions over the years regarding "What does a Pastor do all day?" Missionary David Hosaflook in the Balkans provides a humorous answer in this post.

And, if you want something of a more serious fare, read his previous post - A Strategy of Saturation for Syncritistic Peoples

Just his thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 1:41 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: Humor, Links, Missions


Tuesday, June 10, 2008
What does a teacher make?
In most of the United States, school is out or is getting out very soon. With the end of the school year comes a lot of excitement, some sadness, a sense of relief on the part of some and sense of dread on the part of others.

One of the time-honored traditions regarding the end of the school year is to get a gift to thank the teacher for their work with your children during the school year. It is a shame that this is often the only time that the teacher gets such recognition, but it is hopeful that most teachers at least get some type of recognition during this time of year.

Over on IVMan's Blaque, I found this item that I thought was fitting in thinking about the impact of teachers.



What does a teacher make?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?”

He went on to tell the other dinner guests that he thought it was true what they say about teachers - “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

To corroborate his statements, he said to another guest, “You’re a teacher, Susan. What do you make?”

Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, “You want to know what I make?”

“I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like the Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best.”

“I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.”

“I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home.”

“You want to know what I make?”

“I make kids wonder.”

“I make them question.”

“I make them think critically.”

“I make them apologize and mean it.”

“I make them write.”

“I make them read, read, read.”

“I make them spell “definitely and beautiful” over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again.”

“I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English.”

“I make them experience music and art and the joy in performance, so their lives are rich, full of kindness and culture, and they take pride in themselves and their accomplishments.”

“I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart … and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention.”

“You want to know what I make? - I make a difference.”

“Now, what do you make?”


Just some borrowed thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 2:41 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Labels: Education, Leadership


Thursday, June 05, 2008
May is over
In May, I gave challenged myself to "30 days of blogging" in which my goal was to write a blog post every day.

I did not quite accomplish my goal of blogging every day (at least if you count only A Thinking Man's Thoughts - I think I may have posted every day on one of my side blogs - Daily Quotes and Illustrations,but it is much easier to maintain and a weak attempt to make some aspect of computers pay for itself) but this will be my 27th post since I started what I hoped to be "30 days of blogging" - so 90% is not too bad.

I learned a few things during the process that I hope will help me in the future (and had some things reinforced.)

1. I do still enjoy blogging, so I probably will keep doing it. (Besides, as my recent post indicated, Blogging is good for you.)

2. I am probably not an "every day" blogger. There are too many things in real life that necessitate attention to commit to posting every single day. (And, besides that, see number 6 below.)

3. I am long-winded (although I do not know if that is the right terminology when used in connection with writing instead of talking). I admire the skill of guys like Chris Anderson to get their point across succinctly. This will have to be one of the things that I seek to develop.

4. Blogging is much more fun when it is interactive - which is probably why a forum like SI tills appeals to me (even if it can be frustrating at times). Posts that receive comments and feedback seem to be more enjoyable, even if they are posts that are not as "deep" or involved - or even if they do not get as many hits as other posts.

5. People who come here looking for specific information from a search engine tend to only look at that information and move on (for instance, I still get a lot of hits of people looking for information on Pastor Jim Schettler - but most of the people who come to the site looking for him don't hang around and look at other pages).

6. Very few people pay attention to blogs (or at least, my blog) during the weekends. (I think the same is true of other, larger blogs - like SI - on the weekend as well.) This tells me that posting a lot on the weekend would be a waste of time.

7. Posting at least somewhat regularly is good for readership.

Just a few thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 11:49 AM 2 comments Links to this post

Labels: Blogging, Personal


Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Some Good Thoughts at Stray Thoughts
Barbara over at Stray Thoughts has probably one of the best blogs for Christian ladies that you can find on the internet. Even though I am not her target audience, she has a regular place on my bloglines and she writes well. While there are a lot of posts that are specifically geared towards women, she is also very purposeful about being a testimony and representing Christ well on her blog.

Her post on June 3rd is aptly titled, "OK, I've had about enough". In it, she takes on the blasphemous and frustratingly common expression "O my God." The prevalence of this expression has reached epidemic proportions and I appreciate her words on the subject.

Just my thoughts,

Frank


Posted by Frank Sansone at 1:26 PM 2 comments Links to this post

Labels: Blasphemy, Christianity, Links


Pickering Books Available for Free Downloadng
Dr. Ernest Pickering was one of the outstanding spokesmen for Fundamentalism in former days. He was instrumental in helping many have a better understanding of the doctrine of separation and had such a knowledge of Scripture and love for the ministry, that even after he became blind, he continued to preach at churches and conferences.

Dr. Pickering wrote a number of books and it has been great that Regular Baptist Press has been active in putting many of these books back into print recently. I picked up an updated copy of Charismatic Confusion at the National Leadership Conference in Lansdale, Pennsylvania earlier this year, and I am especially looking forward to holding in my hands one of the new, updated copies of Pickering's classic - Biblical Separation: The Struggle for a Pure Church which has been updated recently by Dr. Myron Houghton of Faith Baptist Theological Seminary.

I noticed today (HT: SI) that Regular Baptist Press is providing a couple of Pickering's booklets as Free .pdf downloads from their site - here.

The first of these books is The Fruit of Compromise: The New and Young Evangelicals. (link to .pdf). This book was written by Dr. Pickering in 1980 and it should be an interesting read. I don't think I have ever read it, so it will be interesting to read it in light of the current state of evangelicalism.

Looking over the table of contents, I notice that the last section of this short, 44 page book gives "Direction for Fundamental Christians" and gives some great sub-headings that I will hopefully read soon for the meat - "Courageous Leadership is Needed", "Proper, Balanced Instruction Must Be Given", "Enlightening Information Must Be Made Available", and "Decisive Action Must Be Taken".

The second of the books is The Theology of Evangelism (link to .pdf).
Regular Baptist Press describes this book by saying that this 68 page booklet

Anonymous said...

Are you thinking yet?


thinkingwomen is a discussion and networking group of over 750 members promoting the achievements and progression of women in society, politics and the workplace. It is open to all women who want to make an impact in their working lives and beyond, through sharing knowledge and ideas.

Anonymous said...

What's It Like To Be A Thinking Woman?

What's it like when the world expects you to be one way, and you're just the opposite? What's it like to often surprise people, or shock them? What's it like to be a Thinking woman?

Growing up, you identify with boys and men.
Do you know a little girl who pals around with a gang of boys? She's probably a T. Many T women said that when they were young, they played with the boys. "I was considered one of the guys," says Julie, ESTJ. And the guys were the ones I did heavy-duty sharing with, not as feelings, but more as 'What do you think about such and such?'"

Even if they didn't play with boys, Thinking girls usually enjoyed imagining themselves in the positions of men. "Even when I played with the girls, I gave myself the role of the father or the doctor," says Madeline, INTP. And because they identified so strongly with the masculine role, their fathers were especially important figures in their lives. "It was pretty clear that the people who were out there using their T were men," says Jean, INTP. "I valued my father's role much more than my mothers."

You don't identify with girls and women.
"I never got along with my sister, who was sweet, lovable, and innocent - mama's pet," says Julie, ESTJ. "I teased the hell out of her and we fought all the time."

Thinking girls, like Thinking boys, prefer competitive play and learning about how things work. But Thinking girls, unlike Thinking boys, often find themselves in the company of Feeling girls, where the talk and the play is non-competitive and concerned with how people work. And they don't like it.

"I didn't like 'girl talk' about movie stars and periods," says Jan, ISTP. "And even 'women's talk' struck me as strange. I'd listen to my mother and aunts talk about how they dealt with problems with their husbands and families and I'd think, 'That's so dumb, why would you do it that way?'"

"I thought the girls were kind of flitty," says Julie, ESTJ. "When people tell me things, I take it as a truth, but things were always changing with them, and I'd realize that they were talking about one of their feelings rather than a fact."

You get criticized for being tactless and hard-hearted.
"Thinking is wonderful for work and study, for power and achievement," says Madeline, INTP. "But for any kind of affiliation, it's not always helpful. I frequently got into trouble for putting truth over tact."

"I gave riding lessons when I was young," says Jan, ISTP. "Once, one of the girls in my class asked me for help getting her stirrup fixed, and I told her to do it herself because I really wanted her to learn. 'Don't you think you were kind of hard on her?' a friend said to me later. Now my son is taking violin lessons from an ISTP woman. I'm real satisfied with her, but I had to laugh when one of the other mothers said she dropped her because 'she was just mean.'"

When a boy is tactless, parents can comfort themselves with "Well, what do you expect from a boy?" When a girl is tactless, there is no such comfort. Thinking girls are likely to feel the full brunt of their parents' embarrassment at their remarks, or their parents' hurt if the criticism is directed at them. Fortunately, most T girls have pretty strong defenses against people's opinions of them.

Thinking girls tend to concern themselves about people's feelings in their adulthood, when they can see a good reason to do so.

You don't date much in adolescence.
Thinking girls may not be popular with the opposite sex in the early dating years. The boys are unsure of themselves at that time and look for girls who will make them feel manly. Thinking girls, even when they are very good-looking and interested in dating, give boys the impression that they are going to be judged on their abilities and intelligence. Thinking girls usually have to wait until boys have more confidence in themselves to get asked out.

"I tended to intimidate the boys in high school," says Janice, ESTP. "Some of them told me later that they had been afraid to ask me out because I seemed aloof, like I thought I was too good for them."

If they wanted to date in high school, Thinking girls usually hid their Thinking side. "I never talked about anything intellectual when I was dating," says Kim, ENTJ. "I let the boys talk about themselves. I just needed to be loved and I liked the feeling of someone holding me."

You can feel right at home with a T husband.
Marrying a Thinking man can be very liberating for a Thinking woman. In her own home, at least, she doesn't have to feel like an oddball. But it can be good for her spouse, as well. Ruth Sherman did a study of 167 couples in 1981 and found that Thinking men living with Thinking women reported fewer problems in their marriages, and Feeling women living with Feeling men reported fewer problems.

"In my senior year, I met someone I really liked and I've been with him ever since," says Julie, ESTJ. "He was an ISTJ, and he allowed me to be me. He liked my thought patterns and I heard him when he talked."

"There are only certain men that can get along with me," says Kim, ENTJ. 'My husband (also a T) is one of them. He's never intimidated by me and we have some terrific sparring on an intellectual level. Sometimes the two of us come home and think 'Are we the only people in the world who are sane?'"

But even with a Thinking man, there is still the possibility that the T woman may become so engaged in a career that her husband feels that he is secondary, and although women are prepared to feel that way in a marriage, men are not.

But you can learn a lot from an F husband.
Thinking women and Feeling men have the same conflicts as Ts and Fs everywhere. "I'm married to an INFJ," says Karen, ENTP, "and we have problems helping each other when we're down. When I'm down, he tries to tell me nice things to make me feel better about myself, like 'You're sweet.' I don't want to hear that. I want him to ask me questions and listen to me until I can figure out how to solve the problem. Then, when he's down, I try to address his problems when all he really wants is warm assurance that he's a valuable person."

Besides the usual problems between Ts and Fs, Thinking women married to Feeling men may have a few more because of the confusion of their roles in the family. No matter how informed we may be about people and their differences, we all still have ideas of what our spouses "should" do for us.

"I get very resentful when he won't be assertive," says Karen, ENTP. "There are times when we reverse roles," says Sue, ISTJ. "For example, when we moved, my husband panicked and wanted to call an electrician in to hang the light fixtures. But I got out the ladder and the tools and put them all on with dimmers. I know our role reversals would bother me more if I didn't know type."

There are many times when Thinking women married to Feeling men think they are both better off because of the way they balance each other. "I'm very career oriented," says Dawn, INTJ, "and I think that if I were married to a T we'd be like two ships passing in the night. But my ESFP husband keeps calling me back to our relationship. For my psychological health, I know I need relatedness, so I welcome his demands."

You tend to compare yourself to Fs in motherhood.
Thinking women have an edge in motherhood about half the time, because about half the time children need an adult who can detach themselves from the emotions of the moment and look at things objectively.

"I really like the kind of mother I am," says Jan, ISTP. "I talk to the children in a respectful way. I'm fair, honest, and consistent about enforcing the rules. I can help them analyze their problems and see the consequences of what they do. If I went down a list of what makes a good parent, I could check most of them."

"Listening has always been my strong point as a mother," says Lucille, ENTP. "I made a point to drop what I was doing and listen when my children needed to talk. I was good at helping them analyze their problems, and view them in a more positive light. And when they would get angry at me, I wouldn't get angry back. I could stay calm and give them an opportunity to explain why they were upset."

Even though Thinking and Feeling women have the same amount of natural talents for motherhood, nowhere is the temptation to compare yourself to Feeling women stronger than in the role of mother. Probably the biggest problem for Thinking mothers who work outside the home is the temptation to give so much to their careers that there isn't enough left for their personal life. Finding a balance between work and family is especially tricky for them.

You find the greatest satisfaction in the work world.
In her work, the Thinking woman can point to actual products that she has created, to objective evidence of her skills. She can attach a dollar amount to her value. In fact, in an article published in volume 13 of The Journal of Psychological Type, on type and gender, Jean Stokes points out that without such healthy outlets for Thinking, it can become "nagging, nit-picking, critical in extreme."

"It wasn't until my children were grown and I entered the business world that I really discovered my strength," says Lucille, ENTP. "I could finally let go and be analytical and objective and not always have to be thinking 'Will this offend someone?'"

"There's no question in my mind that it's more difficult to be a woman, even a Thinking woman, in the work world," says Madeline, INTP. "There's an assumption that a woman is emotional, unreliable, fuzzy-thinking.

And in maturity, you realize you didn't get such a bad deal.
In maturity, we hope that people will come to accept themselves for what they are. "I've become more comfortable about being a T woman since I've been able to put a name on it and recognize that I'm a minority," says Virginia, INTJ.

In maturity, we hope that people will have increased understanding and tolerance of the people who are different from them. "I've come full circle with Feeling women and feel a sisterhood with them now," says Jan, ISTP. "I can understand and value the way they make decisions when I used to think they were dumb."

In maturity, we hope that people will begin to develop the sides of their personalities that they didn't develop in youth. In maturity, we hope that people will pass on what they have learned to the young, and by their example make it easier for the next generation.

In maturity, we hope that people will bring peace to some of the wars within themselves. In the case of Thinking women, that they will be able to see that perhaps they have had richer lives because they were "different."



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