NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Where Does Power Come From – God?

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We use things we can't fully understand (the brain) to figure out things we can.

Use The Power You Have
To Become The Thing You Must

To say God has all power is to say what we can easily understand, not because we have experienced it but because we, through rational thought, can reach this conclusion logically.

Obviously, I don’t have to prove there is power. It’s a no-brainer. Scientifically we have identified many different forms of power.

It is all around us, very available and is presented mostly in manageable forms. We derive much benefit from power – we couldn’t live without it – but the bottom line is we cannot create it. If it wasn’t freely supplied we wouldn’t have it.

We have learned ways to harness it effectively and to convert it from one non-useable form to a more useable one but, again, we cannot create it. In fact, one well established principle of physics reminds us that…

Energy can be converted from one form to another but it cannot be created or destroyed.

At least not by us.

Even the power we manage is presented to us in a controlled state. If it wasn’t we would be out of luck. Sunshine, rain and wind are all forms of power that can become quite destructive if supplied in excessive amounts. [Read more…] about Where Does Power Come From – God?

Shwe Shwe – Traditional African Fabric

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When I began my second quilting class, for intermediates, I wanted to use the traditional African fabric that is readily available here in South Africa, known as Shwe Shwe (Shway Shway).

The original brand, Three Cats, is only available in the traditional indigo blue, red and brown. I chose to use only the red and blue for my quilt. When South Africans see this quilt they usually think, “Oh, red, white and blue, for America.” But, other than the colors it is more African than American.

In this class we learned many new blocks and techniques such as:

  • Dresden Plate
  • Kaleidoscope
  • Drunkard’s Path
  • Log Cabin
  • Folded Bow Tie
  • Churn Dash
  • Maple Leaf
  • Folded Star technique
  • Appliqué
  • Stained Glass
  • Seminole Strips
  • Friendship Braid
  • Paper Piecing
  • Flying Geese Trees
  • And Schoolhouse Block to name a few.

All of these blocks, with the exception of Dresdan Plate, were used in the quilt shown in this post. [Read more…] about Shwe Shwe – Traditional African Fabric

Review: Jungle Warfare – A Basic Field Manual For Christians In Sales

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In Jungle Warfare, Christopher Cunningham takes cues from a military field manual written by his grandfather to put together a series of devotions for Christians in sales.

A salesman himself, Christopher knows first hand the difficulties facing those who make a living moving products, through sales, from manufacturer to end user and that makes him particularly suited to write this material. Additionally: he has a long history of relating to Christ and spiritual truth, having become a Christian at an early age and he grew up under the influence of parents and grandparents who encouraged his spiritual growth.

Part one of the book has 22 devotions based on familiar verses of Scripture along with anecdotes from his life and others. [Read more…] about Review: Jungle Warfare – A Basic Field Manual For Christians In Sales

Indecency Doesn’t Diminish Cause

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Jesse Jackson is the kind of man that many people love to hate and he thrives on it. He is a bigger than life personality (a nuisance to some) who will not go away or be silenced. Even his failures, and they have mounted up in recent years, haven’t stopped his train, although they have slowed him down a bit.

Born in the deep south to a single mother when race relations were very poor (1941) there wasn’t a lot of impetus to catapult Jesse into international recognition. To say he was suppressed would be an understatement. In those days he couldn’t even choose which part of the bus to ride on. Water fountains, loos and restaurants were constant reminders that he was black and therefore scorned by the white culture that surrounded him.

Not one to be kowtowed or brow beaten Jesse fought back and he is one tenacious fellow. Naturally endowed with a strong sense of confidence, he never comfortably wore the “Uncle Tom” suit and he didn’t get along very well with those who could. He has a long history of gravitating to social injustice, particularly of the racial kind, bulldozing anyone who happens to be in the way and making lots of noise until everyone takes notice. Jesse epitomizes the old adage, “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” It is not a pleasant job but he seems well suited for it and, as they say, someone has to do it. [Read more…] about Indecency Doesn’t Diminish Cause

Quilting – We Are All Individuals

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So, about my first quilting class. We had six sessions, one every two weeks.

Each week we were taught a new block or technique. We used the class time to make one or two blocks and then we were to use the time between lessons to practice making more of the same block.

This picture shows the assortment of blocks we made. It was great fun! I learned a lot and really enjoyed the classes.

I am the type person that learns best by observing and then trying something for myself. I usually prefer to do it alone, and by trial and error, so taking a class was a really big step for me. [Read more…] about Quilting – We Are All Individuals