Java Polis

Who are you?

2006-07-26T14:13:00.000-04:00

Mileposts

2005-10-17T16:37:00.000-04:00

In the course of the past two weeks, I've dealt with at least two of life's greatest mileposts. Unfortunately, the first was death, the demise of our beloved Maximillian the mutt. Our beloved protector met his doom about here. Buried near the other dog we've lost this year, Charlie. So far, we've lost 50% of our dogs. Now, the two remaining of two pairs of brothers will be brothers to each other. Both have lost, both have mourned in their own particular way, which breaks the heart even deeper.

The second was this Saturday, the marriage of one of my wife's cousins. Just 8 years, 4 months and 15 days previous, I was standing in that sanctuary, pledging my vow to the love of my life, mother of our children, keeper of our home. My hat is off to her, an amazing woman. Watching another couple in the same place wed, brought back a flood of memories. For instance, seeing the bride appear at the back of the sanctuary automatically took my breath away, for then I was transported back to that same moment at 2:00 PM, the last of May, three years before the end of the twentieth century. Seeing her, emerge up out of the stairwell, my breath was taken away, tears welling into my eyes, realizing the magnitude of the moment and her beauty. I pray that those two who were wed this Saturday past will have as much joy as have we.

Solo Deo Gloria,
jason

Mileposts

2005-10-17T16:35:00.000-04:00

Test 3

2005-10-06T14:15:00.000-04:00

New Template...

tohu va vohu

Test post 2

2005-10-05T11:51:00.000-04:00

This is another test post...

for the 'read on' feature'

Test Post

2005-10-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

Testing the function of the ESV plugin I have.

Genesis 1-3
tohu va vohu

Coffee and Global Recognition

2005-07-20T15:43:00.000-04:00

I recently saw a photo essay documenting a trip some coffee execs took to Ethiopia (I think) to tell the farmers their coffee won a prestigious competition.

Seeing the grass huts in which the farmers lived reminds me, once again, of the great gulf, as it were, between the developed world and others. And, even with Fair Trade Certified beans, Certified Organic, Coffee Kid, etc, it never seems that much makes it all the way to the bottom. But, on the other hand, one doesn't need material possessions for contentment and joy. And there did seem to be genuine joy in the faces of the folks in this village.

I'll get the particulars later. I may have significant errors here. Sorry, but it was still beautiful to look at!

Paix,
java polis

Not Java, But Public Faith

2004-11-04T14:33:00.000-05:00

I just caught this article titled "Should Democrats Get Religion?" This, to me, is a significant statement, and a total miss at the same time. First, I will have to commend the Senator from Arkansas, Sen. Blanche Lincoln who stated "I don't hesitate to stand up in a crowd and express how important faith is in my life. It is important to be able to express that in a way that is believable, and Democrats have to get comfortable doing that." That is a significant reason many people are such strong supporters of President Bush; it's also why so many oppose him so vehemently.

But there is a difference between what I see as the President's faith, and what the Senator mentioned above. What stuck out to me in Sen. Lincoln's statement was the small "my". What we need to move away from in America is the personalization of faith. True, there is a personal element, but it is not simply my faith. Faith expressed publicly should be transformative. This, however, is not what I think our Democratic friends have in mind.

Pandering, anyone?

Java Out

Proto-Post

2004-09-28T08:21:00.000-04:00

This is my second blog which I hope to focus on Coffee and the body Politic, both in relation to Java and independent of it. I will, upfront, ally myself as a Conservative, but not necessarily a Republican. I, however, would self-assign the moniker 'republican', which is historically distinct from the current political party. I am becoming more aware of my cross-current political ideas as I am reading Eugene Genovese's The Southern Tradition and various works by Wendell Berry. In some way, I don't feel I fit in modernity, which is a great irony since I have been working in IT for the past six years.

Java Out