I have to admit, I love watching movies and documentaries on Netflix. Depending on my mood, I will watching anything from a foreign suspense or foreign action movie to a documentary on the Middle East, to documentaries on different types of animals. And, of course, I will watch various cartoons with my kids.
I am the kind of person who loves to learn new things. Whether it is reading a book, watching a movie based on actual events, reading articles about something on the Internet, etc., I seek to learn more about the world that I live in. And, as I learn more, I seek to pass it on to others.
I have found some fascinating programs on Netflix over the last few years to learn more about the world in which we live. In the last year, I have watched several documentaries on ancient Egypt and WWII Europe, just to name a couple. Each of these programs have brought to me different pieces to the puzzles of "what really happened" at that time. Some of the 'pieces' were familiar, some not so much. And there were some that I seriously questioned as to whether they were true or not. But, they were still an interesting piece to examine.
I can't remember if I have share this in a previous blog or not. But, my ancestors on my biological mother's side were ethnic Germans who had originally emigrated to what was Southern Russia (now the Ukraine) in the 1700-1800's. This mass migration of (mostly Polish and Germans) was initiated under Catherine the Great (One map can be found here, and my ancestors came from the Odessa region), but was ended during the 're-Russification' during the late 1800's. (Another brief article, in English, can be found here and another one can be found here.) This particular documentary was called 'Empire of the Tzars' and done in three parts. I was a little disappointed in the fact that there was not more mentioned about Czarina Catherine the Great inviting Germans to settle in southern Russia. But, at least it was mentioned, though in passing. The series did give me a better understanding as to all of the issues going on at the time.
Growing up, I was an avid reader. Though I would often prefer fiction action/adventure or Sci-Fi, I would also spend lots of time reading encyclopedias and various books to learn more about things. These easily ranged from biology, ancient history, information on various religious, to the supernatural, etc. Because of the different things that I learned over the years, my friends would jokingly saw that "I had memorized the who encyclopedia!" While that wasn't quite the fact, the broad knowledge that I had, people would often come to me with questions. Yes, I considered all of that a compliment.
Thankfully, I have not lost that love for learning. In the last few years, I have extended my interest from theology, ancient history, WW II era, etc., to also include genealogy. Although I am interested in both sides of my biological family, so far I have focused most on my biological mother's side. Unfortunately, though, I have not had much time this past year in order to work on this. Working long hours at the prison, having work on the side for the Guard, and taking care of a family definitely does eat up a lot of my time. Oh, well, as some things settle down, I hope to do some more.
I encourage each of you out there to develop and nurture a love for learning. It helps you to grow as a person. Even if it's something that you don't agree with, learning more from another person's perspective can help you in many ways. And, the more you learn about other beliefs and histories, the better you can understand your person beliefs and experiences. The more you learn, the healthier you will keep your brain.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Monday, January 16, 2017
Just Some Thoughts
Well, it has bwen a while sine I have been able to sit down and write something. Actually, that isn't totally tru. There have been several occassions where I felt like writing something. But, either did not have the time or the energy to do so. Been frustrating, really.
life goes on, though. I noticed that over the last few weeks, several people have checked out my blog. That was definitely encouraging. Helped to inspire me to sit down and write some thoughts during my weekend.
Christmas with the family was very enjoyable. My Mother-in-Law stayed with us for a few weeks. The kids got lots of interesting toys. My wife, who is Irish, got several Irish themed gifts from me. I got a NCIS t-shirt and mug with Gibb's rules, a lot of coffee, and a compass that one can wear on your wrist that had been my Grandfather's when he was in Germany during World War II.
Life goes on... For those who don't know, our church building (Syracuse United Methodist Church) burned down several years ago. This past Sunday, they voted to approve the plans for a new church and to move forward with its construction. I am not convinced that it is the wisest thing to do right now, for a variety of reasons. But, it is their choice so I will prayerfully help them as much as I can.
Work goes on. Recently, they had an opening as Religious Coordinator at the prison that I work at. Needless to say, I applied for it. Although I did pretty good in the interview, I did not get it. Yeah, I am disappointed. Being a Religious Coordinator is a much better fit for me then being Custody Staff. But, evidently I am where God wants me to be. At least for now.
Because of the weather, I will not be leading a Bible Study tonight. A little disappointing to me because it is something that I really look forward to each week. But, because the rain/freezing rain has made driving dangerous, it is the right decision. In case I forgot to mention, we have switch from studying the 'Minor Letters' (shorter letters in the New Testament), to studying the Heidelberg Catechism (You can look at it here, here, or here.) One of the marked differences between the Methodist Church and many of the Reformed denominations (like Presbyterian) is that Methodists rarely use church historical documents like the Westminster Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, Bremen Declaration, etc. Where as, growing up Presbyterian and having go to seminary, I am familiar with them. Like many people, I am more familiar with some church historical documents than others. But, they are all important.
From a Christian standpoint, Scripture alone tells us who God is, what His requirements are for us, etc. (Sola Scriptura). However, things like the Westminster Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, etc., show us how to apply Scripture to our lives. Such church documents (written to address an issue of some sort in history) explains not just what a Christian believes, but explains why it is important, how Scripture supports it, and how to challenge other (unbiblical/heretical) beliefs. It is always to be tempered with love and gentleness. But, such church documents help us to better understand our beliefs. That, in turn, helps us to explain what we believe and why.
Well, I will try to write more either later today or tomorrow. Like usual, I do have a lot of things that I need to do. While writing blog entries are important to me, it is not as high of a priority as other things.
life goes on, though. I noticed that over the last few weeks, several people have checked out my blog. That was definitely encouraging. Helped to inspire me to sit down and write some thoughts during my weekend.
Christmas with the family was very enjoyable. My Mother-in-Law stayed with us for a few weeks. The kids got lots of interesting toys. My wife, who is Irish, got several Irish themed gifts from me. I got a NCIS t-shirt and mug with Gibb's rules, a lot of coffee, and a compass that one can wear on your wrist that had been my Grandfather's when he was in Germany during World War II.
Life goes on... For those who don't know, our church building (Syracuse United Methodist Church) burned down several years ago. This past Sunday, they voted to approve the plans for a new church and to move forward with its construction. I am not convinced that it is the wisest thing to do right now, for a variety of reasons. But, it is their choice so I will prayerfully help them as much as I can.
Work goes on. Recently, they had an opening as Religious Coordinator at the prison that I work at. Needless to say, I applied for it. Although I did pretty good in the interview, I did not get it. Yeah, I am disappointed. Being a Religious Coordinator is a much better fit for me then being Custody Staff. But, evidently I am where God wants me to be. At least for now.
Because of the weather, I will not be leading a Bible Study tonight. A little disappointing to me because it is something that I really look forward to each week. But, because the rain/freezing rain has made driving dangerous, it is the right decision. In case I forgot to mention, we have switch from studying the 'Minor Letters' (shorter letters in the New Testament), to studying the Heidelberg Catechism (You can look at it here, here, or here.) One of the marked differences between the Methodist Church and many of the Reformed denominations (like Presbyterian) is that Methodists rarely use church historical documents like the Westminster Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, Bremen Declaration, etc. Where as, growing up Presbyterian and having go to seminary, I am familiar with them. Like many people, I am more familiar with some church historical documents than others. But, they are all important.
From a Christian standpoint, Scripture alone tells us who God is, what His requirements are for us, etc. (Sola Scriptura). However, things like the Westminster Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, etc., show us how to apply Scripture to our lives. Such church documents (written to address an issue of some sort in history) explains not just what a Christian believes, but explains why it is important, how Scripture supports it, and how to challenge other (unbiblical/heretical) beliefs. It is always to be tempered with love and gentleness. But, such church documents help us to better understand our beliefs. That, in turn, helps us to explain what we believe and why.
Well, I will try to write more either later today or tomorrow. Like usual, I do have a lot of things that I need to do. While writing blog entries are important to me, it is not as high of a priority as other things.
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