Think This // After Hours

“There are two things that I do not talk about, politics and religion!” - is a common response of anyone who has an aversion to either of these topics. At Think This // blog we do not share such distaste for either. No, I am not fond of religion and what it stands for. “Religion” is a loaded term. It has many bad connotations that I do not like to be associated with. Rather than “religion,“ I prefer talking about “faith” or a relationship with God. Religion does not help, God does. Religion does not save, Jesus does. Often, religion spreads hate and promotes weird ideas; Jesus offers love and promotes grace.

Politics - I like to talk and discuss politics from time to time, and hope to mention some political topics right here on this blog. With the presidential elections coming up, this will provide lots of interesting takes.

That’s all for this post. Your feedback in comment section is appreciated.4

The producer of the movie Titanic, James Cameron made a movie about to be released. With the help of his director Simcha Jacobovici, they are claiming that they found a tomb with the remains of Jesus Christ and his family. In the movie, they are preach that Jesus Christ did not resurrect but his body was buried in the family tomb in Talpiyot, Israel along with 9 of his family members.

They claim DNA evidence to prove their case. DNA evidence?! Then their case must be solid as a rock and should be case closed. Well, not so fast. What does the DNA evidence mean here? Did they find in one of the bodies a God gene? Or did they compare this DNA to the DNA on Shroud of Turin? For DNA evidence to have any weight in establishing identity you need another sampling from a sure source. For example a criminal suspect’s DNA sampling compared with a DNA sampling found on his victims body proves that he is the perpetrator. You need two sources of DNA to make a conclusive comparison. In this case DNA testing may reveal that all 9 people are related to each other. Well, chances are that they are related since they are buried together. So what? Read the rest of this entry »

Rule over me this day, O God, leading me on the path of righteousness. Put your Word in my mind and your Truth in my heart, that this day I neither think nor feel anything except what is good and honest. Protect me from all lies and falsehood, helping me to discern deception wherever I meet it. Let my eyes look straight ahead on the road you wish me to tread, that I might not be tempted by any distraction. And make my eyes pure, that no false desire may be awakened within me.

- Jakob Böhme (1575-1624) was a humble German shoemaker whose writings influenced Christians across Europe. He composed a set of simple, direct prayers to be used through the day.

Today is “Fat Tuesday.” What is Fat Tuesday? It is Mardi Gras in French. It is the festival New Orleans, Louisiana is known for.

The annual festivities start on January 6, the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany, when the three kings are supposed to have visited the Christ Child, and build to a climax on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which always occurs on the day before Ash Wednesday. The parties and parades will continue until Lent begins at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday.

Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in New Orleans. It is scheduled to occur 46 days before Easter. Since the actual date Easter occurs on changes yearly, Mardi Gras can happen on any Tuesday between February 3 and March 9. For two centuries it has been an annual event in New Orleans, except during the two World Wars. (holidayinsights.com)

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been tagged in the game of blog-tag by Jeff Larche, author of the Digital Solid blog. As part of the 18th generation of recipients of this playful meme*, I’ve been challenged to tell you a few, fun personal details and then pass on the challenge to others. This game was started by Jeff Pulver.

1. I was born in the same month the musical Hair premiered on Broadway and my dad was not allowed in the delivery room.
2. I grew up in Bielsk Podlaski, Poland. Yes, I am Polish, and no, English is not our native language, as I’m sure you can tell by reading my posts. I left Poland while she was still communist.
3. I love sailing and last year along with 3 other guys we sailed 600 miles in 7 days on the Great Lakes from Detroit, MI to Milwaukee, WI. I love music and enjoy messing around on my bass guitar. I like to travel and thanks to my wife who works as a flight attendant with Midwest Airlines, we get to do it often.
4. I am married to the most incredible woman in the world for almost 17 years! We have 2 daughters.
5. I believe in God, the creator of everything, and Jesus Christ the Savior, His atoning death and resurrection, His second coming, the Heaven and the Hell. I believe in 6 day creation, Noah and his ark with all the animals, the global flood, Jonah in the belly of the fish, dinosaurs, and the young Earth. I believe in the intelligent design from the Universe to the smallest strands of DNA.

*So what’s a meme?
The term was coined in 1976 by the zoologist and evolutionist Richard Dawkins, refers to a unit of cultural information transferable from one mind to another.

I am passing the challenge to these next 5 bloggers. Can’t wait to hear your stories.

Juan Irming
Susie Palmer
Scott Yanoff
Daniel Banna
Alex Hardin (sorry Alex for messing up your last name in the original post)

Lets see who does it first!

The top picture is me playing in the sand. Boy, I had a big head.
The bottom picture taken in 1928 is my grandfather Pawel (Paul) as the Polish Army private.

Yesterday Colts beat the Bears in the 41st Super Bowl. Congratulations Colts, well done! What was interesting and noteworthy was the fact that both coaches who took part in the game were not only African American, but Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith are committed and outspoken Christians.

They coached together at Tampa Bay. But they also are bound together by something deeper and more profound than a love of football. Each of them, in his own way, is driven by a love of Jesus Christ.

You can read their stories on BeyondTheUltimate.com.

On the lighter note: we watched the Super Bowl at Tim’s who is our friend. He happens to have an outdoor hot tub. Since it was -10 F last night it was a perfect opportunity for some hot tubbing and rolling in the snow. It was great! This is a unique opportunity that you can have only in the northern states. Here are some pictures to prove it.

1. Nate, Tim and I :: 2. Tim in the snow. I did that too!

Faith matters. We all have faith in something. I will touch on the subject of faith from time to time, as it is important to me.

Today I attended men’s conference called “No Regrets” at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI. Close t0 5,000 men gathering to learn how to be better men, husbands, fathers, and overall better contributors to the society. The keynote speaker was Dr. Gordon MacDonald, author, speaker and a pastor. He challenged us to examine our thinking.

The race is always won or lost first in your mind

In addition there were several seminars to choose. “Guarding Your Heart and Mind,” “How to Love Your Wife,” and “Being a Christian in a Cynical World” are the ones I attended. Here are couple of thoughts and news I picked up:

Sex is good, but only within a confines what God has prescribed. Our generation is being over-sexed by the so called “adult industry” which rapes in $12 billion annually! And here is the shocking part –> it is more than Hollywood, NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball combined!

On cynical world:

The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don’t have it. - George Bernard Shaw

Our challenge is to be more authentic and to have integrity.

There were many more good thoughts and ideas presented. I hope that I will be able to apply some in my life.