Randy Pausch: RIP

Carnegie-Mellon University professor Randy Pausch has ended his battle with pancreatic cancer. In his now famous "final lecture" to students last year, he promoted a very uplifting philosophy. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette offers the story of this remarkable individual's life. The wonderfully talented PittGirl offers perspective as well.

Check out his lecture, Achieving Your Childhood Dreams:



The tissues are on the table.

Giving Thanks

Michael Yon brings us a tale of thanksgiving.
Nothing I can write would match his visual and literal eloquence.
Enjoy the holiday.

Seeing the little sparks

The Anchoress offers a wonderful essay/homily on the art of listening.
Depart from here and go straight to her post. It's one of those quick read, long think epistles.

People of Good Will

The Anchoress is back at the keyboard, much to the delight of many. Her latest post, Dave Gorman and Men of Goodwill is a particularly timely missive. This passage, in particular caught my eye: “People of Good Will are the people who take another person at face-value, who do not immediately label, categorize, and quickly shelve those they encounter based on their perceived income, politics, philosophy, or appearance. People of Goodwill give the other guy the benefit of a doubt, they choose to receive another person with the expectation that that person is someone worthy of respectful attention and friendly regard - until that person proves otherwise.”
Read the entire article over at her site.

Remembering 1986

One of my favorite TV shows in the 1980s was "Moonlighting" starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis.
This dream sequence featuring a Billy Joel tune is a rare example of quality network TV.

Would you like fries with that?

These thoughts come as a result of the happy outcome of the request for prayers over at The Anchoress.
How often do we hear people bemoan that they have prayed for something but that God did not respond? It seems we often take up prayer in much the same we we place an order at the take out window, expecting a specific response. There's the story of the man trapped on the roof of his house during a flood. He prays to God that he might be saved. Shortly, some men approach in a boat and offer his rescue. He says to them, "No thanks, God will rescue me."
Later a helicopter hovers overhead, offering a lift to safety, and again the man shoos them off saying. No thanks, God will rescue me." Finally, as the flood waters are about to engulf the very top of the roof and sweep the man away, the clouds part and a pure white light shines down on the man. "Oh God, my prayers are answered. You have come to rescue me." The Lord replies, "Actually no. I wanted to see why you refused the both the boat and the helicopter I sent in response to your plea."
The bottom line here is that God does answer our prayers, but not in the manner nor the response we expect.

Asking for directions

On road trips, I am often called upon to serve as navigator. One colleague recently asked, “Do you have a GPS in your head?” My ability is much more low tech; I can read a map. In years past, the publication of the annual Rand McNally Road Atlas provided me with hours of entertainment and education, as I traveled vicariously across the United States and Canada. These days, Google Maps and Google Earth have replaced the paper maps, giving me the opportunity to explore the world. In practical terms, these electronic maps allow me to study primary and alternate routs of travel, identify landmarks, and otherwise help me avoid the dreaded need to stop and ask for directions.

My journey in faith has been a bit more complicated, and on a number of occasions, the (often unsolicited) assistance in navigation by others has helped me find my way toward the right direction. Recently, I discovered a most insightful blog that has offered such insight and direction. The Anchoress is a wise and wonderful human being, evidenced by this post on her blog. She asks your help, not for her, but for another family in dire need. She says this family needs the help of angels. I would suggest one is already on the job.

(Still trying to figure out Trackback. Bear with me.)

http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/06/26/a-family-in-crisis-and-in-need-of-prayers/trackback/