The Dream Factory

Blastoff for fun, information, and potential profit!

From My Facebook Page:

Tom Sims I have already posted this, but I am doing so again because you don't want to miss this. It is a very fun site and is potentially profitable for you. There is great information and it is worthy of being your own personal home page - games - shopping - news - video. it is all here!

Are you ready to Blastoff?

I just joined the Blastoff Network. It's a fun, free and easy way to save and make money! You can have a Blast with your own customizable homepage with the best music, video, news and games. You can Save ...

I Hate Truth ... sometimes

Sometimes I hate truth ...

    sometimes ...

But only the way a kid hates his parents for a flash of a moment when they yank his chain and put a lid on his poor choices. The hate is really love lashing out at the boundaries.

Example: I don't want to go online and look at my bank balance ... mainly because it tells me the truth and I am not sure I want to know it ...

But I need to know it if I am going to do anything about it.

Sometimes I can't do anything now, so I don't want to look. Yet, still I need to know.

It is the shock that I really want to avoid.

But the shock does not last forever and the information goes into a pot on low heat and eventually will combine with other ingredients and produce a creative stew of possibilities.

That will only happen if I am willing to look at the truth.

That is why I just checked my online bank statement.

Ouch! I need to turn up the heat a notch. 

I really don't hate truth at all. I love truth ... I think.

Happy Birthday - I miss a few

I miss some birthdays along the way - especially on Facebook and almost always on Twitter. All one has to do is walk away from the computer for a day or two and news and information passes one by.

It is gone and there is no catching up.

So, I wish us all joy. You on your birthday and every day - whenever it may fall.

Since a new day dawns daily, every day can be your birthday and it is never late.

Today, I wish you JOY!

For you! 

 

Happy Birthday! Happy Every day!

Getting Unstuck

Since I need a little advice here, I think I will give it to myself.

I get stuck sometimes.

It is not usually an absence of options, but a plethora of them.

One gets stuck in the process of choosing and then shuts down.

I have decided the explore the nature of being STUCK and then I can work backwards to UNSTUCK. I have no idea what i am going to write. Join me:

S = Stymied. That implies being thwarted by some outside force. Certainly outside forces influence us negatively or positively, but the reality is that most of the stymieing comes from within. The backwards step is to identify the cause and dis-empower it. However one need not over-identify, for analysis of paralysis can lead to even more paralysis. Just acknowledge the force standing guard to prevent your progress and relieve it of duty. It is at your command and, if there is a real problem, it can be dealt with at some other time. Confront the stymies with the supremacy of your own will over whatever resistance lies within you. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control. THE CURE FOR THE STYMIES IS SUPREMACY. 

T = Timidity. We are afraid. We are afraid of the shame, embarrassment, and disappointment that failure will bring and the increased responsibility of success. Therefore, we are timid, tenuous, and terrorized by and decisions we might make or actions we might take. After all, we might make a mistake. We might produce mediocre work. We might open a keg of worms. Our "mights" take away our might. To extrapolate and combine two verses, we are taught to take our thoughts captive and giving them to the the One who has not given us a spirit of timidity. We are also instructed to think on things that are wholesome, beautiful, and good. So, we talk to ourselves or, as we used to say, "We give ourselves a good talking-to." THE CURE FOR TIMIDITY IS TALK.

U = Under the Circumstances. Being UNDER the circumstances means that we surrender to chance, coincidence, and happening. This, by the way, is the root meaning of "happy," to be subject to chance or fortune. That is why it is utter foolishness to place our happiness above all else in life. We cannot control our happiness. We can always choose it, but it is better to choose joy. "Joy," in the Greek, is from the same root word as "grace." Grace is a gift freely given and always available. We can receive it and choose to continue to live in it. It allows us to "go with the flow" and grow in the process. It gives us permission to fail and try again. It transcends happiness and happenstance. When we choose to live by grace and gratitude, we take whatever is given us and utilize it for good. We incorporate our pain as well as our pleasure into our goals and dreams. We use the cards we are dealt to win. We utilize our resources to live above the circumstances. THE CURE FOR "UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES" IS UTILIZATION.

C = Crisis. Something "comes up" and we freeze. We put our plans on hold and break our pattern of discipline. We get discouraged. The origins of the word, "crisis" are found in the ideas of judgment and the turning point of a disease. it can be either good or bad. Statistically, positive and negative events in our lives create similar levels of stress that can affect mental and physical health. Change is stressful. Sometimes in a crisis, we remain as we are, but that does not mean we freeze. It means we continue to "keep on keeping on."  One potential benefit of crisis is confrontation. It is an opportunity for bringing our ideas and practices into account, for evaluation, and for improvement. In the crisis, we must confront all the negative forces and choose that which will move us forward toward our God given dreams and goals. We must do so honestly and hopefully. See crisis as an opportunity to grow. THE CURE FOR CRISIS IS CONFRONTATION.

K = Knowledge.But isn't knowledge a good thing? It is, but Dad always said, "Son, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." It is an old question and debating point. In the Garden of Eden, it was not "The Tree of Knowledge" that threw humanity into a tailspin. It was the fruit of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." It was the knowledge that distorts wisdom. It obscures truth by filtering it through a haze of negative options. Knowledge is always filtered. We are always gazing through a screen of presupposition and experience. How we see the world is as much a matter of choice as the choice to eat forbidden fruit. We choose our biases either consciously or unconsciously. We could not be fully human without the choices we were given in the very beginning. When we are stuck, there is something wrong with our beliefs and understanding of reality. To get unstuck, we have to believe differently and expand our thinking to include a larger reality of unexplored knowledge. When Adam and Eve ate from the pretty tree, they were choosing to turn their back on all then other unlimited options for knowledge and growth. The knowledge they chose was extremely limited and futile. We need to grow in our thinking and think bigger more mature thoughts. We know enough to be dangerous, discouraged, and desperate, but not enough to be dominant over our lethargy and apathy. We need more knowledge. THE CURE FOR KNOWLEDGE IS KNOWLEDGE.

We can insert the "UN" in front of "STUCK" by grace through faith because these are ...

U = Universal principles. They work because they are based upon truth that is enduring and preeminent. Truth is truth in anyone's hands. When activated it takes on a life of its own.

N = Neutral. They do not require anything but application to be operative. Whatever your faith system or affiliation, you can begin to put them into practice and they will help you get unstuck. However, an experience with the author of the principles will enable you to exercise greater confidence in them and fully realize all the benefits that are yours in relationship with Him: grace, mercy, forgiveness, significance, purpose, and eternal life. Click here and on the other links to explore more about that larger reality.

Here is a little inspiration about turning up the heat:

Discerning Your Church's Call to Ministry - EdStetzer.com

Discerning Your Church's Call to Ministry

via blogs.lifeway.com

This is a must read for pastors and missiologists.

Prayer for the Opening of Court on October 19, 2009 « Confessions of a Small-Church Pastor

Chuck Warnock wrote: I have been asked to offer the prayer for a new session of court, which opens Monday, October 19.  The courtroom and anterooms of our 156-year old courthouse have also been renovated, and this is the first day court sessions will be held in the refreshed space.  Here’s the prayer I will offer:

via chuckwarnockblog.wordpress.com

What follows is an informative and inspiring example of a pastor as priest in the public arena speaking truth to power and exercising the believer's power to bless and be a blessing.

Well done.

Rogueware fake antivirus turns into ransomeware - Security Bytes

Oct 13 2009   2:01PM GMT

Rogueware fake antivirus turns into ransomeware

via itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com

Christianity Today Movies Blog: 'The Great Divorce' to Get Movie Treatment

'The Great Divorce' to Get Movie Treatment

Film rights to C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy secured by Beloved Pictures

by Mark Moring

Heaven has been depicted on the big screen before, but never quite like this -- as the most beautiful landscape you've ever seen, but every blade of grass is so hard it actually hurts your feet to walk on them, and a single leaf so heavy you can't lift it.

Such is the creative depiction of heaven by C. S. Lewis in The Great Divorce--great fodder for a filmmaker with a rich imagination and a love for the work. And now it appears that the story has found just that.

via blog.christianitytoday.com

I have long cherished "The Great Divorce" as one of C.S. Lewis' finest and most thought provoking works.

In it, he deals with eternal choices with finesse and a depth of understanding that few of us attain in explaining the issues of heaven, hell, and judgment.

I would love to see the movie even though I cannot imagine how one could capture it nuances on film.

I can only hope that it would not suffer the same fate as the less spiritually significant "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." I wondered how those images could be adequately depicted on the screen ... and they were not.

I am hopeful here.

God Who Is

"In the beginning..."

Genesis 1 takes us back to the inconceivable to create an encounter with the incomprehensible by imagining the unimaginable in a universe of formless, chaotic, darkness.

God created heavens, earth, everything and out of the vast everything came all the individual somethings that continue to mystify the heart and capture the curiosity of the mind.

For certain, the cosmos is neither formless, void, nor dark (thought dark matter may exist in greater proportion than what we can see and know). There is a logos/logic to what is and the message of sacred scripture is that behind it all and in the midst of it all, God is.

To the man or woman on the street: Complete the sentence, "God is ..."

To many, the answer is "God is not."

So the first place to begin is the beginning, presupposing nothing in the belief system of another, assuming no establishment of faith, and asking for no nods.

We start at the beginning and build.

I believe that God is, that God acts, speaks, and relates. I further believe that the answer to the question, "Who cares?" is "I do and you might consider caring as well."

I care because if God truly is, then my significance is wrapped up in that reality around which I cannot wrap my own mind.

If God is, than my neighbor is significant. So is this world. So are our current affairs as part of a much larger whole of history. If God is, everything is significant and nothing escapes divine notice.

If God acts, then it is within time which I can notice and outside of time which is beyond my capacity to fully grasp. It is then only as God speaks that I can see some correlation between time and eternity and begin to visualize some form, order, and light.

If God speaks, I want to somehow hear and know.

The biblical witness is that God speaks and relates. It is that I and my fellow participants in the drama of humanity are like a reflective pond of God's image into which God can gaze and see reflections of His character, creativity, and love. This God walks in my garden and asks me questions. This God wants me to trust Him and know Him and that is a lifetime journey.

That is why I care, but I cannot assume that everyone I meet cares. So, I must raise the question and bear witness in respectful dialog. I must go to the edge with people and look over. And having been to the edge, I must return and take others along to see the view.

It is at the edge we encounter the larger view and are transformed.

Tweet Week

CLICK: Tweets for 9/19/09 - 10/11/09

These are records of my tweets ( http://twitter.com/tomsims ), mainly for my own use. However, you might find an interesting link here as well. I know I did. Browse them here.

Click back to THE DREAM FACTORY

These are records of my tweets ( http://twitter.com/tomsims ), mainly for my own use. However, you might find an interesting link here as well. I know I did. Browse them here.

Pennies from Heaven in the Landfills of America

I just swept a small mountain - well maybe a molehill, but you know how we make them grow - of pennies off my desk, into my hand, and into my pocket.

What surprised me was my level of annoyance at the bother of it all.

That is especially surprising since it was in July that I last posted "Lessons from a Penny."

Then I wondered and, since it has been days since I have blogged (I was BOGGED down - Now I want to get BLOGGED down), I thought I would post my wonderment:

I WONDER HOW MANY PENNIES THERE ARE IN AMERICAN LANDFILLS.

I was amazed to discover that this subject is no stranger to the world of Google nor to Snopes  where one observer named BlueScale noted "I suspect that this is one of the 16% of stats that is made up on the spot. " From there, I was referred to a discussion of investing in copper pennies as bullion. 

Ten years ago, Time Magazine revisited Ben Franklin's adage, "A penny saved is a penny earned." It is food for thought and you can keep the change - not to mix metaphors - at least not a primary purpose. It is there that we discover the source of the much maligned quote.

"James Benfield of the Coin Coalition, a lobby group for eliminating the penny, figures that 25% of annual penny production ends up in landfills." 

Not mine, James! Mine ends up in my two year old granddaughter's mouth or my three and a half year old grandson's collection if I can't get to them first and secure them safely in a can or other container.

Then, when I am really, really broke, I scrounge for enough of them to buy a cup of coffee.

It will take fewer of them on January 3 when I turn 55 and celebrate by going to McDonalds for a senior coffee and spend the entire morning getting refills and reading a book.

In fact, I think I financed two such mornings by cleaning my desk this morning. 

Maybe I'll join one of those old guy clubs that meets at 6:00 A.M. every morning for tall-tale-telling and post-achievement bragging.

Just how many pennies are there in the U.S.?

Estimates range from 115 billion to 200 billion. 

So, send them to me and I will take care of them. I think for 2 billion dollars I can afford a warehouse and a staff to count and catalog them. Pennies for Tom - 12638 Cumorah Dr. Clovis, CA. 93619.

No need to thank me. I just want to do my part to save the landfills of our great nation.

Do you ever check page 10 of a Google search? I did and found that we had started to degenerate into discussions of metaphorical pennies, like this excellent article of saving them and saving the environment. I will call it The Article. It is worth a look.

Finally, as I jiggle the pennies in my pocket, I want to congratulate this blogger who is saving them and giving the earth a shot in the arm. Here is a shout out to Amy Dunbar and a quote, "Not only am I saving pennies, but I am keeping a few things out of the local landfills. Go me!"

Of course, this all inspired me to a song and dance:

So Save all your pennies and watch an inspiring video called "Eat That Frog."

Marek Edelman, Commander in Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Dies at 90 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com

From the New York Times by MICHAEL T. KAUFMAN  Published: October 3, 2009

Marek Edelman, a cardiologist who was the last surviving commander of the 1943 Warsaw ghetto uprising against the Germans, died Friday in Warsaw. He was 90.

(Photo: Pawel Kula/European Pressphoto Agency, 2006 Marek Edelman at the Warsaw Ghetto Heroes memorial)

A friend, Paula Sawicka, told The Associated Press that Dr. Edelman had died “among friends, among his close people,” at her home, where he had lived for the past two years. For many years he lived in Lodz, Poland’s second largest city.

Dr. Edelman was one of a handful of young leaders who in April 1943 led a force of 220 poorly armed young Jewish men and women in a desperate and hopeless struggle against the Germans. READ MORE:  www.nytimes.com

An amazing story I have somehow missed through the years comes to my attention because of the death of its principle character.

Dr. Marek Edelman made choices no one should have to make in a time of bitter darkness. He led a stand against barbarism, tyranny, and evil with a handful of fighters and a strong will to survive.

He had the belief that he was in a race against God, where God was blowing out a flame and he and his resistance fighters were trying to save as many lives as possible before the fire went out.

Whether or not that expressed his theology, it drove his resolve. Like many who have to make tough choices in tough times, he was hard on himself in later years.

The Tantalizing Tease - Jesus, A Loud Woman, and a Big Faith

(21) Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.(2)And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.(23) But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.(24) But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.(25) Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.(26) But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.(27) And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.(28) Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. - Matthew 15:21-28

The Canaanite woman only wanted help for her daughter. She avoided the niceties of traditional greetings and came with desperation to Jesus blurting out the problem and request. Since she was not in the demographic of His initial mission, it was TARGETED strategy to at first ignore her. She persisted and it was TRUTH He spoke when He said He had come to shepherd Israel. Then it was possibly a TEASE when He said that it was not right to give the children's food to dogs - an example of the twinkle in His eye and His bantering humor. She agreed and the upshot was that she passed the TEST of faith with flying colors in front of all the onlookers. Her request was granted and the mission of Jesus to the whole world was foreshadowed.

TARGET - We have to narrow our focus in life and ministry if anything is going to be accomplished. The strategy of Jesus was attuned to the purpose of God for the entire world. However, the baseline and starting place was with the Covenant people. He had come to fulfill what had begun and there was not skipping steps. This was not Jesus' only positive contact with Gentiles, but it was the only one where He appeared rude and unresponsive. She was loud, rude, and pushy and He tried to ignore her. But, in the end, it becomes impossible to ignore those who persist.

You have to admire her. At first she was met with silence and many of you feel you have been met with the utter silence of God. Some of us give up and that point, but not the Canaanite woman!  Then He excluded her. He told her that His ministry at that point was not for her. Some of us who hung on after the silence would have slipped away dejected and offended then. Many have left churches for far less. Finally, He insulted her. Calling her daughter a dog might do that for many. This may have been humor, but she agreed and was ready with a comeback. She didn't want anything other than a few scraps. Jesus' words and her response were would not quit. You have to give her a high five for that.

TRUTH - Jesus was not lying when He explained that He was not called to spread Himself too thin during His earthly ministry. He had come for the lost sheep of  the house of Israel. i wonder if some of the Pharisees caught that subtle jibe. After all, wasn't it the Canaanites who were the lost and they were the included? You can find lost folks everywhere - even in church.

TEASE - I think Jesus was teasing this woman along. In the tease, He was teaching her and everyone else - including us - about persistence and the largeness of God's mission to the world. In Merriam Webster the fifth definition of " to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it." He was certainly doing that and she was certainly exercising the third definition, " to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or provoking especially in a petty or mischievous way b : to annoy with petty persistent requests : pester; also : to obtain by repeated coaxing c : to persuade to acquiesce especially by persistent small efforts : coax d : to manipulate or influence ..." What is Jesus teasing out of you today? In what ways is He challenging and tantalizing your DESIRE for more of what He has to offer? How are you responding?

TEST - In the end, it was a test and she passed. In any sort of training including sports and military, there is a time of initiation and what you might call harassment. During that time, those without desire to succeed (among other things) are eliminated, and those who persevere move on. The time of testing produced elimination or confirmation. In faith, we can come back when we are ready, but we will not move on without deep desire and perseverance through obstacles. Jesus will not do us the disservice of removing the requirement of personal and spiritual development from our lives. He is more interested in us becoming all that we can be than in anything else for us.

This is not about a dislike of Gentiles. He came to draw all men and women to Himself and He certainly remembered Grandma Tamar, Grandma Rahab, and Grandma Ruth, his Gentile ancestors. It is about identifying a target, respecting the truth, teasing out faith, and passing the big test of great faith. In the end, that was the message. She had great faith and that faith transcended any "accident" of her birth and heritage. it was her faith that saved the day. It was her faith that both Matthew and Mark hold up as an example to the rest of us who would otherwise be excluded from promises of God apart from grace.

God grant us great and persistent faith through every trial of life.

Unemployment Rate Rises To 9.8 Percent : NPR

October 2, 2009

Fears that the weak labor market could undermine the economic recovery deepened Friday after the government announced that the U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 9.8 percent in September — the highest in 26 years.

The Labor Department said U.S. employers cut 263,000 jobs last month, meaning payrolls have now dropped for 21 consecutive months. Experts had not expected such massive cuts, especially on the heels of a revised report showing 201,000 job losses in August. Last month's unemployment rate was 9.7 percent.

READ MORE AT

www.npr.org

These are days of peril and opportunity. These are times of uncertainty and hope. We live in crisis and that can be good news or bad news. How we respond to crisis with creativity and compassion will determine the outcomes. Many of us will suffer. Some will rise from the ashes stronger and better. When we stumble in the dark, the only eyes with which we can see are the eyes of faith.

"Yea though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art WITH me."

The most neglected words in this familiar verse are the prepositions, "through" and "with."

The second speaks to the companionship, guidance, and protection of God.

The first speaks to the duration of the crisis, which is temporary.

The wounds we sustain in the valley may last, but the lessons we learn and the character we develop through our choices will also endure.

The crisis is a journey, not a destination. We pass through it, perhaps camping along the way, but we keep going until we arrive elsewhere.

As we walk, we are not alone.

The message of the church is two-fold to the anxious masses:

1) Keep walking, putting one foot in front of the other and making good decisions for the future. Don't stop except to catch your breath and nourish yourself. Don't quit.

AND ...

2) You are not alone. Don't be afraid. Fear can cripple you. Trust the One who walks alongside you.

Beyond that, we may be called to walk alongside as well, to offer tangible encouragement, and visible, priestly evidence of God's compassion. We are also called upon to exercise faith in our own personal lives and ministries where things are precarious. We are fellow travelers with the masses.

We are all going through this and none of us is alone.

Remembering Fred Rogers

A Facebook Friend, called Fred Rogers to my recollection today and that made me think of this very deep yet simple man, his profound faith, his insight into child development, and his compassionate concern for people.

Mr. Rogers loves people and saw the value in each person. His apparent naivete disguised a sophisticated understanding of theology and human psychology.

I recommend Amy Hollingsworth's book that reflects on her own friendship with Mr. Rogers and their correspondence through the years. As he did with many, Fred Rogers befriended her and her family. As with many, that friendship was enriching. Fred Rogers teaches us to value people and value into their lives.

The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor (Hardcover) FIND IT AT:www.amazon.com

A March, 2000 interview with Fred Rogers in Christianity Today is a wonderful introduction to the thinking of this great man. READ IT AT:

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

At the center of Mister Rogers's cheery songs and smiles lies a God-ordained mission to children - by Wendy Murray Zoba | posted 3/06/2000 12:00AM

Civilized debate on life’s biggest matter | williamlobdell.com

Civilized debate on life’s biggest matter

April 6th, 2009

It seemed more like a rock concert last night than a debate about the existence of God. The gym at Biola University in La Mirada featured a sold-out crowd that buzzed with excitement at the introductions of atheist Christopher Hitchens and Christian apologist Professor William Lane Craig.

And for two-and-a-half hours, the pair put on quite a show. Craig, a gifted speaker, mostly stuck to his five, well-researched bullet points meant to prove that the God of Christianity was real. Hitchens, as is his style, was more freewheeling with his arguments, mixing in humor and biting sarcasism to make his points.

via williamlobdell.com

The blogger is not a theist, but he gives a positive review to a civilized debate.

The lesson? It is not necessary to be mean, confrontational, or obnoxious in order to make our points, even about the most vital issues of all.

Today

Today is now.

Now it is today.

Tomorrow is not yet, but when it is, will be today.

Then today will be yesterday.

And we will start over.

So, if you are going to do anything at all, do it today.

For each today will pass away until they are all used up.

What is not done today will never get done.