I didn’t have it in me tonight (time, topic, or motivation) to write any kind of extended reflection, but I wanted to post at least something.  I realize that this is a dangerous combination.  But here are a number of quite disconnected thoughts either from various recent experiences or that simply jumped to mind as I sat here.  I hope that some might be encouraging or thought-provoking in a good way.

I get the impression that God means us to be greatly humbled every time we hear a language that we cannot understand.

It is fascinating how much people will compromise to make other people laugh.

If you started memorizing one verse per day tomorrow, you would memorize the entire New Testament in 22 years.  I would have the New Testament stored away in my mind at the age of 49.  I could cut out at least 5 years with the verses that I already know well.  That gives me the New Testament at age 44.

If you started memorizing one chapter per week tomorrow, you could memorize the entire New Testament in 5 years — by the spring of 2013.  This would only be 4-5 verses per day.

Perhaps more amazing than the previous two statistics is how few of us will actually do (or even try to do) something like this.

Maturity comes from small consistent choices over the long haul.  It cannot be microwaved.

I think that faith and faithfulness are the best responses when stuck in the valley of indecision.

When you feel lonely, discouraged, introspective, unknown, and out of sorts, you will probably feel like being alone, but it would be better for you to be around good people who love Jesus.

It takes great humility to pursue community when lonely.  Selfishness thrives in privacy and introspection but is exposed in community and relationship.

I always feel badly for extreme sports performers because none of us can even begin to appreciate what they do.  Like single mothers or missionaries to unreached tribes or parents with mentally handicapped children, most of us have little context for relating (and appreciating).

In general, I would suggest that the more time you spend on Facebook and MySpace, the more socially destitute you probably are.  If this is true, it is not a good sign for my generation.

You must prepare for the biggest tests in life before you know what they are, which means that you should be very diligent now.  You will not usually get the chance to prepare once the test is upon you.

Self-pity is a lie from the devil to keep us from serving others.

It is foolish to dichotomize too strictly between preparation and real life.  All of life is preparation and all of life is real.

It’s important to do what you know to be right even when you get made fun of for it.

I’ve concluded that homeless beggars must see an incredible amount of guilt through the eyes of passersby.  This must give them tremendous insight into the heart of man.

There are so many ways to slander someone.

There are many who love to point out that children have a refreshing sense of wonder that adults have lost, but few who work to recover it.

As we grow older, it is not that maintaining a sense of wonder is impossible.  It just takes more work.

Busyness makes us forget that small expressions of love are meaningful.

Sometimes in close communities like The Master’s College, it can helpful to hear the relentless phrase “How are you?” as a question expressing greeting instead of a question inviting introspection.

We learn by imitation; imitation begins with watching; what are you watching?

One way to bless people is to think of the question that they probably get asked the most and to avoid asking it.

Personal passivity may seem like a natural progression but it is actually a moral choice.

Moral erosion does not happen in leaps and bounds.

We may never know how much television and video games have emaciated our souls and how ashamed so many young men will be that they spent the years of their strength mastering Halo.

It is utterly astounding that Jesus never sinned.