Samantha Pierce

We've been reading through 1 and 2 Corinthians for the last several months. Some time back we went through 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. The passages from the 1 Corinthians NIV application commentary on these verses have stuck with me. Here are some excerpts for you to discuss amongst yourselves. The Lord's supper, designed precisely to foster Christian unity, not only divided the Corinthians but has divided believers ever since. Early and medieval Roman Catholicism developed elaborate doctrines of transubstantiation (the bread and wine literally, though invisibly, turn into Christ's body and blood) and incomplete sacrifice (the Eucharist or mass completes the atoning work that Christ left incomplete), which went far beyond and even contradicted the explicit teaching of Scripture. Whereas the Protestant Reformers sharply broke with many Catholic practices, Lutheran and Anglican traditions at least remained quite similar with respect to Communion. Luther's doctrine of consubs...

What Famous Leader Are You? personality tests by similarminds.com (Via Wesley Blog .) You Should Get a MBA (Masters of Business Administration) You're a self starter with a drive for success. You'd make a great entrepreneur. What Advanced Degree Should You Get? (Via Keer "unplugged" .)

On NPR this morning: What's Triggering Your Migraine? Morning Edition, April 27, 2006 · There are a lot of prescription painkillers that relieve migraine headaches. But neurologist David Buchholz of Johns Hopkins University takes his headache patients off the drugs. "I tell people to use the power they have in their own hands to control their headaches," says Buchholz. Many headache doctors advise their patients to avoid certain foods and beverages. Caffeine, MSG and chocolate are usually at the top of the list. But Buchholz' list includes many more food products. Read/listen to the whole thing.

Today I am thankful for/that: Hubby replaced the broken bits of my computer and put it back together. Having to use the computer in his office was really putting cramp in my style. Now I can blog from the couch in front of the television in my pajamas and keep an eye on the kids all at the same time. Isaiah seems to be learning some boundaries. When I take the kids out to the backyard to play he actually stays in the backyard most of the time. When he manages to make a break for it he only goes running down the side walk. No trying to cross the street. I don't know what he would do if he ever got to the corner though. The corner is more than 10 houses away from our house in either direction. Which means that I've got plenty of time to catch up to Isaiah before he gets to a corner even if he has a good head start. Spring time rain and sunshine. What are you thankful for?

Gas prices are going up and politicians are casting blame like people throw rice at weddings. Some silly folk are looking to the government to do something about the rising gas prices. The ugly truth is that, short of rationing or giving gasoline away for free, there's nothing the government can do to lower high gas prices now . Taxing the profits of oil companies (I presume that would be part of "get tough on big oil", note to self ask my good senator Charles Schumer how he intends to do that) will do nothing for us. As anyone who has spent about 5 minutes in a highschool economics class should be able to tell you, companies don't pay taxes. Their customers do. How do you suppose oil companies would recoup their losses if they were suddenly slapped with new taxes? Drilling in ANWR won't help either. It will be years before one drop of oil is squeezed out of the tundra. The same problem holds for building more refineries. By the time they're done (and by the t...

Sources: Tony Snow to Be Named White House Press Secretary I may start watching White House press briefings again.

" For the evil that can come, from the heart of a man Must be answered in kind 'til it disappears And we're safe " Icarus II Kansas Those words have been playing in my head over and over again as the world turns around me. As Iran rattles its nuclear saber . As the government of Nepal disintegrates . As the government of Mexico happily foists its citizens upon the US. As we do battle in Iraq. As the Sudanese country side and its citizens are laid to waste . As the Sudanese conflict bleeds over into Chad (literally and figuratively). As Chinese citizens struggle under the oppression of their government. (Do I really need to give you a link for this? The way people are treated in China is legend, here's one any way.) All of the above is, as the saying goes, just the tip of the iceberg. I wonder sometimes if anyone understands that if we want peace we have to fight (and I don't mean metaphorically) long and hard for it? Do we understand that it may not co...

While I fully understand the frustration with the current situation along the US Mexico border that led to the demand for a border fence I find the idea a bit disturbing. I spent several years getting a degree in environmental biology so my first thought upon hearing about building fences is, yeah it will stop the drug traffickers and the human traffickers and various other unsavory types who currently take advantage of our open border. But it will also stop the creatures that live in the area from moving freely in the their natural habitat. Granted said habitat and its native inhabitants is already stressed by the thousands of people tramping through the desert to enter the US illegally. I suppose that if our government is unwilling to secure the US border then a border fence will just have to do. It's unfortunate that secure border may have to come at the expense of natural habitats. Border fence plan runs into a barrier Border Fence Project.com Technorati Tags Illegal immigrati...

We've seen the masses in the streets protesting immigration reform. We've seen the organizers of these protests try to correct their initial misstep by insisting that protestors carry American flags rather than Mexican ones. We've heard the arguments that illegal immigrants (no "undocumented" or "migrant" workers euphemisms here) should be allowed to stay in the US and receive US citizenship. We've heard the unconvincing (to my ears) lip service paid to the fact that to do so would be immensely unfair and unjust to those who have been tangled in the bureaucratic red tape hell that is the road to legal immigration and US citizenship. We've heard the arguments that illegals take jobs that Americans won't do (as if creating another subservient class in the US is our only salvation, did we learn nothing from that whole slavery episode in American history?). It all made me think of the people who would sit down at segregated lunch counters in the ...

The main problem with my computer appears to be my screen. So we've got a monitor hooked up to my computer until we find a fix for the problem (either get a new part or a new computer altogether). In the mean time, enjoy the silliness below. ************************************************************************** Strangely enough, I've actually heard of this guy. (Via Memento Moron .) Which Historical Lunatic Are You? From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey. Made Bishop of Agagni by Pope Formosus, you became Pope yourself in 896 by putting your immediate predecessor, Boniface VI, to death. Your reign lasted all of fourteen months. However, you firmly assured your place in history by putting the rotting corpse of the aforementioned Formosus on trial in the splendidly named Synod Horrenda. Naturally, Formosus was clad in full papal vestments. Having dug up the stinking remains once already, you proceeded to have them found guilty, reburied, re-exhumed, relieved of the three fin...

My computer fell apart in my hands this evening. I suppose I was living on borrowed time after having accidentally knocked it off of a kitchen counter last week. Ironically I was trying to keep the kids from messing with it. Tonight I was in the middle of doing research for another post (about liquid natural gas terminals if you must know) when several parts fell off of my computer. I've been going through computer withdrawal all night. Hubby and I will be sharing a computer until he figures out how to fix mine or if it can be fixed. Sharing computers has never gone down well in the past. It's going to be interesting. I'll be without email for the time being so don't expect any response if you email me.

Today I'm thankful for: Warm weather. There's still a bit of a chill on the breeze but it's bright and sunny. Flowers, especially scented ones. Taxes are done. I'm never going back to the old pen and paper method again! No matter how badly we screw up God is still in control of all things. What are you thankful for?

Hybrid cars are seen as the solution to American dependence on oil and a boon for the environment. New York state has a host of tax incentives for people who own hybrid cars. The only problem is that the cost of hybrid cars puts them out of the reach of people who are hit hardest by rising fuel prices. "Hybrid cars cost an average of $2,500 to $3,000 more than comparably equipped gasoline vehicles." A hybrid Honda Accord costs about $3,800 more than the comparable non-hybrid version, including purchase, maintenance and insurance costs. Over five years, assuming 15,000 miles of driving per year, you'll make up that cost in gasoline money if the price of gas goes up immediately to $9.20 a gallon and averages that for the whole period. When you're already cinching your belt a little tighter and pinching pennies to pay the mortgage/rent, pay the energy bills, and keep the kids clothed, fed, and educated that's a pretty steep price to pay. Most energy saving and envi...

Christine of Welcome to my brain on worship : " Now, for the glory and honor of our Lord ... MORE COW BELL!! " Go on, go read the rest .

Movies about 9/11 are being made . Some claim that it is too soon. Some claim that we don't need to see the horror of that day on the movie screen. I think we can't afford to hide our collective heads in the sand and try to forget what happened that day. I intend to see United 93 (about the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania). I'll cry like a baby. The passengers and crew of United Airlines flight 93 chose to fight back on September 11, 2001 rather than remain victims once they understood what was at stake. The rest of us would do well to heed the example that they set on that day. Thanks to Baldilocks for reminding me that I wanted to say this.

I've been playing hooky from my usual responsibilities while the boys were off from school. They start school again tomorrow. I've been doing laundry and cleaning all weekend trying to catch up with my work. Blogging should resume shortly.

Today I am thankful for/that: Peace and quiet. The house is still mostly clean most of the time. Spring flowers in bloom (unfortunately the neighbourhood weirdo who likes to whack the heads off of some of my flowers is back). Spring showers. Redemption. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16 What are you thankful for?

Whenever I encounter someone arguing that autism is caused by mercury, particularly mercury in childhood vaccines, I tend to back away slowly making no sudden moves rather than engage them and alert them to the presence of an unbeliever. Finding a post at a blog that I regularly read that seems to jump on the mercury causes autism bandwagon threw me for enough of a loop that I attempted to engage in a discussion about it. It seems to be that time of year again when people start making the claim the mercury causes autism. There is an extensive body of work by researchers, scientists, doctors, bloggers, and parents that states otherwise. I'm not going to reiterate all of the arguments here. If you're really interested you can go read them for yourself. http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/03/the_geiers_go_dumpsterdiving_y_1.php http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/03/good_math.php http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/03/mercury_and_autism_foreordaine.php http://scienceblog...

So Hugo Chavez thinks that the US cares enough about his little dictatorship to invade Venezuela. Venezuela Prepares Military for the Possibility of a U.S. Invasion by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro Morning Edition, April 3, 2006 Venezuela has begun to train military reservists based on lessons from the war in Iraq. President Hugo Chavez has been warning Venezuelans that there is a possibility the United States will invade their country. U.S. officials have repeatedly tried to dismiss these fears. A lot of people are probably going to die in Venezuela and it won't be because the US invades. I expect people will start disappearing soon because they were believed to be US sympathizers or spies (if it hasn't been happening already). It's interesting that Chavez claims to be training his citizens in the tactics that have been so successful against the US in Iraq. Everybody knows those "insurgents" are kicking our butts all over the desert. We hear it on the news every day....

For years now I've been saying that one of the best ways to help revitalize Syracuse's downtown is to build a grocery store there. Well it seems like the people with the money finally listened. Solving the Downtown Grocery Challenge by Matt Hackworth Morning Edition, March 31, 2006 One major challenge facing cities hoping to bring residents back to their downtowns is the lack of a grocery store. One Syracuse developer, and former Walt Disney executive, just opened an upscale urban grocery. He thinks that he has the solution for making money in an unproven market. Matt Hackworth of member station WAER reports. This is a much better idea than building the super mall that's been in the works since before I came to this city more than 10 years ago. Now if they could just work out the parking situation, correct the traffic flow problems (several blocks of one way streets all going one way in the same direction just is not conducive to bringing people downtown), and get some r...