Jetsam: Praying constantly

We just returned, Vicki and I, from the fourth study with a fine young
couple, with two kids, presenting the gospel to them. We're praying all
along that the Lord will keep Satan from choking the word in their
hearts. They are searching, they seem to have found friends and a home
already in the church here. We do hope the Lord will grant them
repentance.

• I translated a song of The Missus' into English at the suggestion of the guy who apparently runs the site where a couple of my songs have been posted. He's a very helpful soul. When I mentioned offhand that she liked the music program he recommended to me and that she'd been writing some lyrics, he was interested in what she wrote. Except that it was in Portuguese. And he asked for translation. I asked her to see her lyrics, and worked today on the translation. She seemed pleased with the outcome. We'll let it set until tomorrow, do a final draft, then send it on to the tune guy.

• Took the Portuguese mag up to a copy shop near the university to see if they might give me a decent price as I contemplate lower numbers with the next issue. Until now, I've been printing larger numbers and giving copies away, in hopes of encouraging people to subscribe. We're actually starting over with this issue. But I can't keep that up forever, so now it's time to scale back. Tomorrow I should get an estimate, and we'll see if this will be an option or not. They print our regional Urbanova paper and do a nice job of it.

God of mercy, place your hand on me,
Let grace come down and touch me lovingly,
Give peace to smooth the brow and rest the mind,
Make strength and faith and courage grow entwined.
Where human eyes can never penetrate,
May hands hold firm, and feet step ever straight.

Monday morning review: Getting Things Done

Following my recent use of the Getting Things Done (GTD) approach, with the free TiddlyWiki using Simon Baird's makeover, I'm in the middle of a weekly review of my progress. I started, what?, Thursday of last week, but I can tell a difference. This week promises to be exciting, if I can keep it up.

I've not read the book on which this system is based. I'm tempted to try to get by without it. Give me a few weeks and I'll decide on this one.

I'd seen Baird's offering before, and it looked complicated. This time, however, it seemed to call out to me, "Try me, you'll like it, you'll ramp up your efficiency." So far so good.

SOCIAL NETWORK. From Friendica, it's now possible to post to WordPress, Twitter, Facebook (this one not on the installation I use), identi.ca, Tumblr, and, now, Posterous. From Twitter I post automatically to Facebook, so I'm good there. From Posterous, I can post automatically to Blogspot, MyOpera, and others. This is an exciting development.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. The weekend was a good one. A heavy meeting on Saturday, which went as well as one could expect. Low attendance Sunday morning, 100% Sunday afternoon. Then pizza with friends last night (see pic in previous Friendica post). I got out a bulletin, first time in a while, and a handout for the Sunday morning study.

MORE GTD. One good result of the review: to see where you've been and feel your way forward to the next steps. One blessing of the GTD approach is to get all the details, tasks, and information out of your head and down in an organized form. That clears the mind to focus on the task at hand.

When I'd make notes in my agenda, after a week or so, the information or task would get lost. Not now. Every morning the next activity is there waiting for me, until I do it or delegate it or delete it.

Baird had to rename his adaptation of the GTD system. Lawyers told him he couldn't use the name or abbreviation. Since he built it on top of an application he called monkey something, he changed it to Monkey Getting Stuff Done, I think. mGSD. But as God's people, we're not just getting "things" or "stuff" done. We're doing the will of God.

So how about we rename our use of it. WDGW? Wisely Doing God's Will. Is that too much of a mouthful?

FINALLY. Coming up: Yesterday, Jorge cited Luke 9.62 in his sermon at Taubaté. That triggered a thought, then a five-line poem stanza, and this morning, three more stanzas. I'll send it later this week to the closed Cloudburst Syndicated Poetry list. I think it's one of my best. (But, like sermons, people don't always agree with the poet or preacher's assessment.) If you have any spiritual interest, I guarantee you'll like it. Working title: "My Hand Is on the Plow." If you want to read it, you'll have to — sorry — sign up to the list.
via Friendica

On spiritual and bodily functions, sex, poetry, and fried chicken - TFR

Taking a cue from the poetry and hymns of Scripture, I see my poetry, in part, as an evangelistic effort. Entering the midst of worldly people, even in order to bless, one hears and sees what one would rather not. I imagine our Lord Jesus had to tolerate some unpleasantness from the publicans and prostitutes he worked with. Not to mention from the religionists and his own disciples. So I’ve joined a social-networking poetry site with some unsavory pieces there and, for example, a segment on erotica. Here’s where I’d appreciate your feedback.

via fellowshiproom.org

A tad longer piece than usual on TFR, but I trust you'll find some nugget to adorn your faith.

ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ | A Body's In Trouble

I sometimes think there are two kinds of people: those that think there are two kinds of people and those that don’t that agree with Socrates (like me) and those that just like to get on with life without any need for introspection (the eponymous protagonist of Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel Zorba the Greek , with his zest for life and distaste for navel-gazing springs to mind).

Perhaps the same justification could be put forward for poetry (at least some forms of poetry), not that it needs any.

via abodysintrouble.wordpress.com

My interest in the quote is the reference to poetry, which the author sees as getting its justification, if it needs such, from the principle of introspection. I doubt he'd see that as an exclusive one, but much poetry indeed does look inward.

Perhaps that's one reason why poetry finds such a happy place in Christianity, with such great emphasis upon the mind, motivations, and the evaluation of the inner life. "Examine yourselves," urges the apostle Paul (2Cor. 13.5).

Poetry serves wonderfully as a tool for such analysis, if the utilitarians among us need a rationale for the time and energy spent on its writing and reading. Then, again, maybe poetry was a pasttime of Zorba the Greek, too.

Sin's Deceit, a hymn by John Newton: Saw the bait, but not the hook

Often thus, through sin’s deceit,
Grief, and shame, and loss I meet,
Like a fish, my soul mistook,
Saw the bait, but not the hook.
via challies.com

After I posted an article on the deceitfulness of sin, by Eugene Adkins, on Bulletin Digest, through a search I found this, above. Click to read the whole hymn. Oh, the article:

http://bulletin-digest.com/2011/10/12/land-of-spoiled-milk-venom/