Ghetto and Good

Because I dabble in philosophical questions, I sometimes make comments that don't go down very well at parties: I suggested that I thought human beings are naturally evil.  There was some disagreement, and then all conversation, as it always does, turned to Donald Trump. There's quite a bit of evidence that human beings are...

Why Poland?

When we told people that we were going to Poland for our holiday this summer, they invariably asked, "Poland? Why Poland?" The main reason we wanted to go to Poland, I suppose, was because it's in Europe. My wife, Dani, and I love Europe. We love European history and culture,...

Why, in Africa, take-out is more expensive than eat-in.

In Africa, Take-Out is more expensive than Eating-In. Well, at least it is Yaoundé, Cameroon. My wife and I had just picked up some Take-Out Sushi. We were discussing if the tipping percentage should be different for Take-Out than for Eating-In. She then recalled that she always paid more for...

A Case for Infant Baptism (2)

I want to move from the scriptural support for the practice of infant baptism to some that is worldview related.  Mixed with these are some personal, perhaps even sentimental, considerations as to why I remain a paedobaptist. Believer baptism puts the offer of God's promises with the acceptance of same; infant baptism separates the offer...

The Case For Infant Baptism (1)

Lately, I've been having a lot conversations about baptism. Some of these have been with credobaptists who wonder about the scriptural justification for infant baptism. Some with those who were baptized as infants, but now attend a church that adheres to believer baptism, and are required to be re-baptized in...

I Love Audio Books

This past year I've been listening to audio books. I like listening to audio when I climb up my local mountain. I looked into Audible Books, but at $14.95USD it was too expensive. They did offer a free book if you gave them a try. Being a cheap Dutchman, I...

From Routine to Ritual: Classroom Attendance

So I was thinking of a routine I might turn into a ritual, as per my last post.  I figured I'd allow the brushing of teeth to remain a routine for now. Attendance!  In every class, I take attendance.  This routine is so routine, there's probably no one who doesn't...

Turning Routines into Rituals

Both routines and rituals involve a regular repetition of some action. But they are very different. Routines will flatten our lives, but rituals can thicken them. Routines are like ordinary time and rituals are linked with "higher times." With a routine there is a clear, linear connection between the act and...

Poop Packages

Am I missing something, or are people complete idiots? We have decided that we don't want to have dog poop all over our community.  To this end we expect pet owners to bag the feces of their beloved canine, and dispose of it in a convenient garbage can.  If there is no...

There’s Meaning in the Mug

Do you choose to drink your morning coffee out of a Styrofoam cup? To cure the feeling that are lives are in some ways "flattened" we need a dose of objective Reality. We have this idea that meaning is in the mind--the individual mind. The logic being: It has to be, because it...