The Islamic State and Spreading Ebola Virus Crises: Natural Outcomes of our Insistence on Multi-Culturalism and Drive Toward Globalism?

During our vacation I have been reading the classic The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. Although I cannot agree with everything he says, Merton writes marvelously. Practically every word explodes with meaning. Although portions of this book are dated, the timeliness of other sections invite one to reflect on their relevancy for today.

With regard to the paragraphs I have copied below, for example, I wonder how Merton would feel about the Islamic State and Ebola Virus epidemic crises (as well as Russia/Ukraine, Israel/Gaza and other current hot spots in the world). Specifically, would he feel that they are logical consequences of our post-modern ways of thinking?

“For that was to be 1939, the year when the war that everybody had been fearing finally began to teach us with its inexorable logic that the dread of war is not enough. If you don’t want the effect, do something to remove the causes. There is no use loving the cause and fearing the effect and being surprised when the effect inevitably follows the cause…” (p. 256)

“There was something else in my own mind—the recognition: “I myself am responsible for this. My sins have done this. Hitler is not the only one who has started this war: I have my share in it too… It was a very sobering thought, and yet its deep and probing light by its very truth eased my soul a little…" (p. 272)

What do you think he would say? And would you agree or disagree?

Andy Stanley on Leading a Team Meeting

I’m not in any sort of leadership capacity at present, but I still enjoy reading and listening to leadership-related materials. Last night I was catching up with an Andy Stanley Leadership podcast from last April 4. Here are two nuggets I took from his discussion:

1. “When we get together (in our leadership team meeting to discuss the future and progress)... It's great to have a number two person, it's even better to have five number 2 people, or ten number 2 people... To find that man or woman who can carry an enormous amount of responsiblity--they don't feel the need to be #1, but they want to influence their own destiny. And most of us in leadership, especially when you get past 40-- I don't have to be #1, but I want to be in the meeting that determines my destiny in this organization. And so the leadership team allows me to have a large group of extraordinary people anyone of which can be #2 in this organization...”

2. “The leader isn't so much leading the meeting as he is excavating... getting it all out.... There are going to be conflicting opinions (but they all need to be heard)... Why is it so important that everyone be heard? Everyone listening to this podcast, me included, can probably think back to decisions that were made with which we didn't agree with, and it was difficult for us to fully engage. Because first of all we didn't think it was the right decision. But most leaders can move beyond that. What's really difficult is to ask me to engage with something that I don't agree with when I never feel like my opinion was heard. Most mature people if they feel like OK, I've  been heard, their opinion was factored it in, they just didn't agree. Mature people can move past that. The idea that a decsion was made  and my opinion was not even factored in, now a mature leader can move past that as well, but if I've got everyone in the room and I've got the right people in the room there's no reason for everyone not to be heard.... “

Looking forward to some of his more recent podcasts (and maybe start listening to his weekly message?). The leadership podcasts seem more substantial than some of other podcasts I’ve been listening to recently.

Ollie and Gabi

Be honest—how intelligent do the dogs below look to you on a scale of 1-10?If you were being generous, maybe you rated them 1.5 or maybe even a 2.   Even though 土狗 (according to yahoo, “Formosan mountain dog”, a breed native to Taiwan) are FAR from bright they’re very low-maintenance – and good pets most of the time. When we go for our weekly hikes they’ll run straight from their doghouses to the car without a leash (though today getting them both back into the car after the hike was a bit more of a challenge).

Today during our Saturday afternoon hike something I have long feared happened. The ever-reckless and playful Gabi (coffee-colored dog) pushed Ollie off the path and down a very steep embankment while the two dogs were in a full run. I barely managed to climb down and lift him out--- at first I was a little worried I wouldn't even be able to climb back out myself. I didn’t notice the nasty cuts and scratches and cuts up and down my right triceps until several hours afterward.

A half hour later when we reached the peak I recorded the slightly more controlled rampage below.

dogs enjoy their weekly hike with me

The (not so bright) dogs remained blissfully ignorant of Ollie’s brush with death  and immediately  continued their torrid rampage. Makes me wonder how incognizant we may sometimes be whenever God intervenes to rescue us from dangerous circumstances.

Taiwan Barbet 五色鳥

On 3/14/2014, this beautiful little bird known here as the Taiwan Barbet or in Chinese as the 五色鳥 "Five-Colored Bird" apparently flew into a window at my wife’s family’s restaurant here in Guanziling 關子嶺 and was temporarily incapacitated. Fortunately, after recovering for an hour or so, it recovered from its stupor and safely continued along its way.

For More Information:
English:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Barbet
Chinese: http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%94%E8%89%B2%E9%B3%A5

Moth Caterpillar

This rather large caterpillar (as long and fatter than any of my fingers) looks like a little stick with lots of small plants growing out of it. He greeted me as I opened the car door to go to work this morning. It'll probably turn into one of those large moths (as big as a hand) we sometimes see around here.