tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post7310811882232814626..comments2024-02-13T08:49:07.287-04:00Comments on 'Thought & Humor!': How Is It? Professor Howdyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-6156926144548231052008-05-30T11:46:00.000-03:002008-05-30T11:46:00.000-03:00“Barack Obama was speaking to a Jewish group, and ...“Barack Obama was speaking to a<BR/> Jewish group, and he told them that<BR/> his name Barack is the same as the<BR/> Jewish word ‘baruch,’ which means<BR/> one who’s blessed. Obama had a<BR/> harder time explaining his middle<BR/> name, Hussein. Things got quiet<BR/> there.” —Conan O’BrienAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-6624616611079566112008-05-30T11:44:00.000-03:002008-05-30T11:44:00.000-03:00... When speaking in Montana, Barack Obama got a s...... When speaking in Montana, <BR/>Barack Obama got a standing <BR/>ovation when he said, “It is <BR/>time to take back the country.” <BR/>The bad news: he was on an Indian<BR/> reservation at the time. <BR/><BR/>Jay LenoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-31526134198962518232008-05-30T11:41:00.000-03:002008-05-30T11:41:00.000-03:00"I like to listen," said Ernest Hemingway. "I hav..."I like to listen," said Ernest Hemingway. "I have learned a great deal<BR/>from listening carefully." Hemingway speaks of a significant virtue,<BR/>lamenting accurately, "Most people never listen." But I wonder if he<BR/>would feel differently if it were his books to which people were<BR/>listening. <BR/><BR/>The popularity of audio books is redefining the notion of reading, and<BR/>some authors--and readers--are unhappy about it. "Deep reading really<BR/>demands the inner ear as well as the outer ear," says literary critic<BR/>Harold Bloom. "You need the whole cognitive process, that part of you<BR/>which is open to wisdom. You need the text in front of you." Others who<BR/>doggedly defend the entire experience of reading--the feel of a book in<BR/>their hands, the smell of its pages, the single-minded escape of delving<BR/>into a story--find listening to a book something along the lines of<BR/>cheating. "You didn't read it," they contest. "You only listened<BR/>to it," as if this somehow means they took in a different story. For<BR/>those who love the written word and printed page, for those who are elated<BR/>at the sight of a bookstore, not only is listening to Hamlet or<BR/>The Count of Monte Cristo like picking up the cliff notes, but<BR/>e-books are a trend that will clearly never last. There is no substitute<BR/>for books, no surrogate for reading. <BR/><BR/>I agree. And so, it is probably for this reason that I find myself<BR/>responding to the question, "Have you read such and such?" with a<BR/>similar admittance of guilt: "Well, I listened to it" (usually accompanied<BR/>with a comment about Atlanta traffic). And yet, I am becoming more and<BR/>more convinced that audio books definitely have their place in<BR/>learning--with or without traffic. Auditory processing is vital to any<BR/>learning. Listening carefully is a vital skill to keep sharp. <BR/> <BR/>I find that I pick up different facets when I listen to a paragraph than I<BR/>might have gleaned from reading that same paragraph. C.S. Lewis's Mere<BR/>Christianity is a book I have read many times. Recently, I bought the<BR/>book on CD and found listening to the work an entirely different,<BR/>altogether helpful experience. Interestingly, Mere Christianity<BR/>began as a series of lectures on the radio. Some words are powerfully<BR/>heard whether silent or aloud. <BR/><BR/>Of course, much of Scripture has a similar origin, resonating powerfully<BR/>in both oral and written traditions. The importance of memorization and<BR/>oral tradition in Israelite culture played a significant role in bringing<BR/>the collected works of Scripture into being. Listening to narratives,<BR/>songs, and the Torah read aloud was an integral part of keeping the name<BR/>of God and the history of his presence before them. Throughout the Old<BR/>Testament, the people of Israel are charged with the command to remember: <BR/>"Hear O Israel the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). <BR/>Listening carefully was imperative to remembering the God among them. <BR/><BR/>And it still is. In homes where we are not put to death for owning a<BR/>Bible, it is easy to forget the wonder of a God who speaks. As countless<BR/>translations continue to emerge and divide us, it is easy to be distracted<BR/>from the authority of words that never fade, but come into new generations<BR/>and changing cultures with new influence. The words of Scripture are<BR/>living and active, the Spirit leading us to the person of Christ within<BR/>the pages. Read aloud or studied silently, God is speaking, crying out<BR/>for ears to hear and hearts to search. <BR/><BR/>As Ezra read the words of the Law before a generation who had forgotten,<BR/>the people wept in the presence of the LORD and immediately fell down in<BR/>worship. When the apostle Paul's letter was read aloud to the Roman<BR/>church, the words resounded similarly among the crowd: "Consequently,<BR/>faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the<BR/>word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). The voice of God is still speaking! The<BR/>kingdom is among us! Who among us will listen?<BR/><BR/>Jill Carattini is senior associate writer at Ravi Zacharias<BR/>International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.<BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>-------------------------------------------------------------------<BR/>Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)<BR/>"A Slice of Infinity" is aimed at reaching into the culture with words of<BR/>challenge, words of truth, and words of hope. If you know of others who<BR/>would enjoy receiving "A Slice of Infinity" in their email box each day,<BR/>tell them they can sign up on our website at<BR/>http://www.rzim.org/slice/slice.php. If they do not have access to the<BR/>World Wide Web, please call 1-877-88SLICE (1-877-887-5423).<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.yoursforlife.net/alpha/" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.needhim.org/" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/> <BR/> <BR/>Wist u dat de God van u houdt?<BR/>Avez-vous su que Dieu vous aime ?<BR/>Wußten Sie, daß Gott Sie liebt?<BR/>Avete saputo che il dio li ama?<BR/>Você soube que o deus o ama?<BR/>¿Usted sabía que el dios le ama?<BR/><BR/>http://everystudent.com/menus/intl.html<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://everystudent.com/menus/intl.html" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.everystudent.com/videoroom.php" REL="nofollow"><B>Click Here</B></A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437964542052755799.post-5406992971647978352008-05-30T11:28:00.000-03:002008-05-30T11:28:00.000-03:00While attending a convention in Chapel Hill, three...While attending a convention in Chapel Hill, three psychiatrists<BR/>take a walk.<BR/><BR/>"People are always coming to us with their guilt and fears,"<BR/>one says, "but we have no one to go to with our own problems."<BR/><BR/>"Since we're all professionals," another suggests, "why don't<BR/>we hear each other out right now?"<BR/><BR/>They agreed this is a good idea. The first psychiatrist confesses,<BR/>"I'm a compulsive shopper and deeply in debt, so I usually overbill<BR/>my patients as often as I can."<BR/><BR/>The second admits, "I have a drug problem that's out of control,<BR/>and I frequently pressure my patients into buying illegal drugs for<BR/>me."<BR/><BR/>The third psychiatrist says, "I know it's wrong, but no matter<BR/>how hard I try, I just can't keep a secret."Professor Howdyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12189934292678757335noreply@blogger.com