Hilko Blok has done it again: passing along another hilarious World Cup image -- made all the more funny by his politically-incorrect-but-still-quite-humorous caption: "Derp Derp Football Derp." Here it is:

As I've continued watching the World Cup, I've realized that the game of football (soccer) really can be something enjoyable for an American like me. It seems like I get this realization with every major international tournament (i.e. World Cup, European Cup) -- but then, for some reason, it never really translates into an appreciation for the regular European leagues. Maybe this time it will really stick. We'll see...

In the meantime, here are a couple of random thoughts for adapting the game of football (soccer) for an American audience:

• Instant replay - I'm not suggesting that the entire game be mechanized, but certainly when it comes to disputable goals some degree of replay/review could be a wise thing. Both of yesterday's games could have been changed dramatically by using instant replay (but as it was, they both ended up in blow-outs). I have to admit that there's something to the endless arguments that can come from a blown call -- creating a sort of mythology and mystique about the game that allows it to still be discussed (at length) years, and even decades, into the future... But there's also something very dissatisfying about a team being unfairly bounced from the tournament because a referee wasn't in the right spot. In my way of imagining things, given the amount of shots that actually come into doubt, there would be just a handful of "disruptions" to the game at most. To me, it would be worth it.
• Secondarily, it would help me a lot to get noun-verb agreement stuff figured out. The way I see it, a country or a team is a single entity: thus some natural headlines for today might be "Chile Eyes Upset Against Brazil" or "Holland Is Focused on Winning." But apparently, international sports writers tend to think about each country being a number of individuals -- a pural entity. So the actual headlines for today read: "Chile Eye Upset Against Brazil" and "Holland Are Focused on Winning." Doesn't that just sound wrong (at least to an American set of ears)?!? I was asking an Englishman about this last night, and he admitted that it didn't actually make any sense to him either, at least not gramatically-speaking. So I would wish for some adaptation to the sport's language, if it's ever going to get more coverage in American media sources.
• Finally, I think we all just need to admit that football (soccer) has some issues with play-acting. It really does seem to be a part of the game -- a strategic way to saddle the other team with penalties and set yourself up for better field position. I understand, of course, that on a stage as big as a stadium, you'll never get the calls unless the player makes it abundantly obvious that he's been fouled. But naturally, this means that there's a lot of theatrics that happen in the midst of a game. I understand this and have come to accept this. But no European will ever admit to the theatrics! For the doubters, I submit the following video clip as an example of football's most egregious acting issues:

Can I get an "Amen" on any of these points of consideration? Please feel free to convince me otherwise... but that's how I see it right now.

Anyway... today is the next step on Holland's road to glory: the early game, this afternoon, against Slovakia. The remainder of the road is still challenging (most notably a quarter-final match-up with the winner of the Brazil - Chile match)... but I would love to see the Dutch team pull it out. If the Dutch were to somehow pull it off and come home with the World Cup, they would join a very exclusive club of only seven other countries who have ever won the World Cup (which seems just crazy to me). Here's to hope...

For the past several weeks, we've been trying to build up anticipation for a special ministry event happening this upcoming Sunday:  Amsterdam50's Meeting of the Mighty Men.  We've been announcing it at our Sunday worship gatherings, through personal conversations, and through our church e-mail list -- but it occurred to me today that it might also be good to give the event something of a web presence.

So hear me now:  As long as you have a Y-chromosome (which means as long as you’re a man), and you have some level of involvement in our church (even if it’s just been for the last couple of weeks or so), I want to make sure that you are invited to be a part of this event!  We’re calling it a Meeting of the Mighty Men -- based on the Old Testament descriptions of David and his most trusted, most powerful circle of warriors.  We’ve realized that there’s a need to support each other, strengthen each other, challenge each other, and encourage each other... so we decided to organize this event.  We’re going to do it in “modules,” so even if you can’t join us for the whole experience, you’ll still be able to be a part of things as much as possible.  So here’s the rough plan for next Sunday:

• 10:00 – Sports on the Museumplein
• 13:00 – Meeting at the H88 (talking about “man stuff,” with an emphasis on Bible study and interactive discussion)
• 16:00 – Worship Gathering here at the H88 (women are also welcome to join us at that time, of course)
• 20:00 – Watching the World Cup on the big screen at the H88:  Argentina against Mexico (And just in case you were worried, we know for a fact that Oranje will not be playing on that day, so you won't have to miss any of the action if you come along for these activities!)

So men:  Are you with me?  Are you ready for a Meeting of the Mighty Men?  I'll see you on Sunday.

Women and out-of-towners, you can certainly be praying for us in the meantime.

After seven and a half years of living here in the Netherlands, I ought to have a good feeling for Dutch gezelligheid -- that special sort of familial warmth, comfort, and comradery that is not quite translatable into American understanding.  And, of course, I do generally understand it and appreciate it:  knowing, for instance, that a dinner reservation does not just mean an hour or two (as it might be understood in American contexts) but rather an entire evening of occupation... But still, every time I experience a prolonged evening of gezelligheid among a crowd of Dutch people in their element, I am newly impressed -- newly reminded of how clueless I can be about gezelligheid.

Yesterday evening, I got to share a dinner with the Medezeggenschaps Raad (MR) of the school which our children attend, and it was just such a reminder of how it really works around here.

The MR is something between an American Board of Education and a Parent-Teacher Organization, I think -- but whatever it is, I've been serving as a part of this advisory board for the last two years.  Every year in the spring (towards the end of the school year), the school pays for the MR to go out for a nice meal.  But this isn't anything like how it would be done in America:  usually something business-casual, at a place like Applebee's or Red Lobster or the Olive Garden, main entree fully covered by the school, but any extras (and particularly any alcoholic beverages) covered by the individuals, maybe a two-and-a-half hour affair if everyone is really having a good time... In this case, though, the setting is considered extremely important, the drinks and appetizers and meals and extras are totally covered by the school, and it goes for about four hours before all is said and done.

Yesterday evening, we met at an Italian restaurant in the neighborhood, with a table out on the sidewalk terrace, underneath a trellis covered by grapevines.  A bottle of rosé was immediately ordered, and glasses were filled generously until everyone raised their glasses in a toast to the school.  Two of the teachers who also sit on the MR started working their way through a pack of Lucky Strikes, while everyone looked through the menu and caught up on chit-chat.  Eventually, a round of appetizers was ordered -- one of just about every item on the menu -- and we all passed the plates around and enjoyed delicious mouthfuls of bruschette, carpaccio, calimari, dalmast... It was a lot of food.  By the time the appetizers were finished, it was decided that we needed another bottle of rosé.  Then, everyone placed their orders and continued with conversation:  about politics, traveling, school situations, the World Cup, families, a little bit of everything.  More cigarettes, more wine.  The food was served:  large portions of pasta, pizzas, meat, cheese, bread.  Once everyone had his or her order, we started enjoying the food.  But it was by no means gluttony.  In fact, everyone was very considerate:  insisting on waiting, sharing the wine equally, passing around food items.  More cigarettes, more wine.  By this point, I was feeling quite full and (still stuck in my American paradigms for such situations) thinking that we'd probably be wrapping up pretty soon.

But we were not anywhere near finished.

The chairman of the MR asked for the dessert menus, and we all ordered lavish desserts:  tiramisu, and gelatto, and baklava, and crepes.  One of the other fathers regaled us with stories of his car troubles and the wacky drama of the mechanics at his neighborhood garage, trying to figure out what was wrong with the vehicle.  Eventually, the subject came around to American food -- probing me for information about root beer floats, philly cheesesteaks, waffle fries, cookie monsters, all of which started to sound like the most exotic, most fascinating cuisine, in those circumstances.  This prompted a story from one of the other fathers, who had experienced "Rocky Mountain Oysters" (fried bull testicles) on a recent trip to the United States -- which drew out another one of my personal anecdotes about the Tiro Tavern Testicle Festival (Motto:  "You'll have a ball").  More cigarettes, more wine.  The sun was starting to set  -- which is saying something in Amsterdam, these days, where the dusk dwells almost until midnight.  Another round of drinks was ordered:  cappuchinos, espressos, lattes.  And more conversation ensued.  What will happen with the formation of the new Dutch cabinet, following the recent elections?  What will the school do about the disorganized gym teacher?  What are the chances for the Dutch national soccer team in this year's World Cup?

I started to forget about the time -- about the American conventions for such situations.  I was no longer surprised when another round of drinks was ordered:  this time tiny, lemon-flavored liqueurs and bottled sparkling water and brown bottles of Heineken.  The two teachers lit up more cigarettes, and we started trying to figure out which city's map was emblazoned upon our tables.  Was it Rome?  Highly unlikely, because of the shape of the river and the loading docks.  Was it New York?  Not vertical enough, no Central Park.  Chicago?  I could rule that one out.  It seemed like some kind of American city, because of the shape of the city blocks -- but its river was hard to place, and the circular park was very unique.  One of the fathers went inside to ask the restauranteur if he knew which city it was.  He didn't, but he could tell us that when he had purchased the tables they were called "Model New York."  We gradually pushed back from the table, completely full, completely at ease.  More cigarettes.  A lot of looking up into the deepening blue of the sky.  Talking about the neighborhood, about the city.

At last, the chairman of the MR went inside to pay.  When everything was taken care of, we wandered over to the bicycle racks and unlocked the bicycles, while our conversation started to trail off.  It took a good five minutes for the bicycle-unlocking process to be completed.  Even when it finally felt about time to saddle up and ride off into the sunset, a few of the others were finishing up their own conversations -- offering a pleasant smile and wave and greetings to be sent home with me.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how gezelligheid is done.

This afternoon, our family watched the Dutch national soccer team improve to 2-0 in World Cup action.  Everyone's saying that they're disappointed that they haven't seen "the real Dutch team"  show up yet -- that they're not attacking enough, not flashy enough, not aggressive enough -- but I say that if we've won both games without even allowing our opponents to score a single goal, we're doing pretty well...

This time, we watched the game at the H88 (our church's ministry center).  It proved to be a great spot for such an experience:  plenty of room for spectators, comfortable seating, a massive screen with a crystal-clear digital image, a powerful sound system, and a wide array of inexpensive snacks and drinks (since we could bring the stuff ourselves).  But of course with this situation, the disadvantage could be that we're not enough mingled with the rest of the city -- that we're too much inside of some "Christian bubble" (even though, naturally, we'd be very welcoming of any guests who were invited in to share the experience with us).

It all got me to thinking, though:  Where is the best place in Amsterdam to watch the World Cup? If you have any suggestions, I'd be very glad to hear them (and maybe even give them a try over the next couple of weeks).

I've watched a couple of the games (not involving the Netherlands) in my house -- which is very comfortable and convenient, but I miss the companionship of other soccer enthusiasts when I watch games at home... And honestly, it's just not that fun.

I watched the first half of the Netherlands' first game of the tournament at the Hotel Arena.  It's a beautiful cafe, with large screen televisions situated out on a lovely terrace.  The crowd's level of enthusiasm was medium (noticeable but not quite manic -- which I actually found to be a comfortable level of energy).  And it was nice to be in a cafe environment, where we could be served a variety of drinks and snacks.  But the disadvantage was that the screens were hard to see for all the sunlight, the service was poor, and the drinks and snacks were absurdly expensive (about 12 euros for two drinks and one small snack).

And finally, I watched the second half of the Netherlands' first game at my kids' school.  There, it was fun to be with my kids -- and with a bunch of extremely zealous children in general -- and it felt like it was a truly Dutch environment.  But it wasn't the most comfortable.  The viewing experience was sub-par.  And, well, there were also some annoyances being in a room full of extremely zealous children, too!

So all of the venues that I've experienced up to this point have had their strengths and their weaknesses.  But I'm curious to hear:  Are there any other good places I should check out?!?  The next game is on Thursday evening...

Have you heard all the buzz (pardon the pun) about the vuvuzelas at the World Cup in South Africa?  It's quite the controversial issue in the news these days.  A lot of the fans at the World Cup matches have these long plastic horns / noise-makers, and they use them pretty much throughout the entire game -- and a lot of international viewers (and players) don't like them at all.  They say they're loud and annoying.  They interfere with the game, distracting the players, and they bother people viewing the games at home because there's this constant base-level buzz throughout the broadcast.

Personally, I also find the vuvuzelas pretty annoying.  I pretty much avoid the problem by turning down the volume on the television when watching World Cup matches.  But actually, I was glad when I heard this week that FIFA, the sport's organizing body, decided to reject pleas to ban the vuvuzelas from the crowds (like they ever could have succeeded in doing that anyway!).  Seriously, it's just a part of South African sports culture!  And it's relatively easy to deal with the "problem," on an individual level.  I think it would be unspeakably mean for the rich Europeans and Americans to take away the vuvuzelas of the poor South Africans because they don't like the way that it sounds on their high-definition surround-sound home entertainment systems.  And besides, it gives us something to laugh about and to remember about this year's World Cup.

I've stumbled across a couple of especially funny commentaries about the vuvuzelas in the blogosphere that I thought might be fun to share here in this space as well.  First is this "Vuvuzela Instruction Manual," which came to me from Hilko Blok:

And second, Abraham Piper recently reminded us that as annoying as the vuvuzelas might be, they're not anywhere near to being the most annoying noise on earth.  That distinction, of course, is outlined perfectly in this classic film clip:

So yes, I say "Long live the vuvuzela -- even if it means having to turn down my television set's volume while I'm watching the games!"

This weekend, Marci and I got the chance to get away with just the two of us.  To Rome.  It was fabulous.  Our hotel had a beautiful view of the Colosseum, and we ended up getting to see a lot more of the city than we had ever expected (the Colosseum, the ancient Roman ruins, the Vatican City, the Piazza Navonna, the Piazza di Spagna, the enormous cathedral at San Giovanni in Laterno, and much more along the way).  But most significantly, Marci and I just got to have some special time together.

In particular, we were celebrating our wedding anniversary and Marci's birthday.  On both counts, Rome proved to be a lovely place for celebrating.

I could write about a lot of things that we saw, said, and did together -- but I will limit my reflections to one observation about the Sistine Chapel.  For about ten years now, I've wondered if I would ever get to visit this famous landmark in the Vatican City, and in particular I wondered if I would ever get the chance to experience what the Sistine Chapel smelled like.  The curiosity came from watching the movie "Good Will Hunting" where the old therapist challenges the young genius's tendency to intellectually pick apart everything about another person until he finds a squishy spot he can exploit.  He suggests that the young man might be able to tell him everything there is to know about Michelangelo, or even about Renaissance art -- but he couldn't tell him what it smelled like in the Sistine Chapel.  So ever since seeing that movie, I've kind of wondered what it smelled like in the Sistine Chaple.

And now I can tell you (in case you never get the chance to make it to Rome for yourself):  it smells like sunscreen, sweat, and the traces of a thousand tourists.

The painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel truly was a remarkable work of art -- well worthy of its reputation -- but honestly, my main memory of the space was the crowded tourists looking up while the two beefy Italian security guards kept clapping and shouting, every two minutes, "No photos... No talking... No photos... No talking."  The tourists didn't seem to pay much attention to the fact that the Vatican officials wanted to maintain the sanctity of the space as much as possible.

Seriously, though, Rome was amazing:  a special place that we will remember for a long time to come.  If you want to see more pictures from our time in Rome, you can go to the Family Pictures section of our website.

*     *     *     *     *

And then we came back to Amsterdam just in time to see the Netherlands play (and win) its first World Cup match, earlier today.  I watched the first half of the game with some friends at a nearby cafe terrace...

And I watched the second half of the game at my kids' school -- where the normal afternoon activities had been cancelled, in order for the whole school (and parents, who were also invited) to work out their case of Orange Fever in the school gym.  Fortunately, the result was a positive one.  Who knows?!?  Maybe this will be the year for the Dutch...

You can also find more pictures of this afternoon's expression of Orange Fever in the Amsterdam Pictures section of our website.

Viva Italia!  Viva Hollandia!

I'm not much into astronomy, but I was recently visiting the Huis Marseille -- a photography museum here in Amsterdam -- and I was absolutely blown away by an image of extremely distant stars and galaxies, as captured by the Hubble space telescope.  Take a look at the vivid color and intricate natural design in the photograph below:

And now, read the write-up of the image, as copied from the placard that accompanied the image at the museum:

Ultra Deep Field image of 10,000 galaxies in the Fornax constellation, a composite of 800 images taken between 24 September 2003 and 16 January 2004.  For these images, the telescope was pointed towards a relatively empty part of the sky.  After an exposure time of a million seconds (more than 277 hours), the space there proved not to be empty at all, but to be littered with distant (deep) galaxies.  -- Released 9 March 2004

If you want to be even more deeply impressed by this Ultra Deep Field, click here for a full-size (3100 x 3120 pixels) copy of this image.  It's absolutely incredible to see the beauty and complexity of our universe -- especially considering that this is a part of the night sky that would naturally appear to be "empty" to the human eye!

To me, it feels like a call to worship:  a graphic demonstration of Psalm 19:1, where it says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Glory, indeed... Glory appears to be an understatement.

Tomorrow, the people of the Netherlands will elect their representatives for the national government.  I will not be taking part in this election -- because I don't technically count among "the people of the Netherlands."  Of course, I don't take this personally; however, I do think that it's unfortunate that I don't have a voice in a situation such as this despite the fact that I've lived here, legally, for over seven years; despite the fact that I own property here in the Netherlands; and despite the fact that our household has contributed over €100,000 in taxes throughout the years in order to support the Dutch system!  I'd say that it's the American in me who becomes so frustrated by this "taxation without representation" -- but then again, I imagine that immigrants to the United States are not treated much differently when it comes to American elections... So is the world that we live in these days.

Immigration is a particularly pivotal issue in this election.  Some of the main candidates in this election have distinguished themselves particularly in regards to their stance on immigration.  And I will be very interested to find out how the Dutch people express themselves on this particular point.  Will they side with someone along the lines of Geert Wilders, leader of the PVV (Party for Freedom), who has built a name for himself primarily by speaking out boldly against the "problems" with immigrants (particularly Muslim immigrants)?  Or will they side with someone along the lines of Job Cohen, leader of the PvdA (Labor Party), who spent years as the mayor of multi-cultural Amsterdam and developed a reputation as something of a "bridge-builder" or conciliatory "multi-culti cuddly-bear" (depending on who's perspective you might take)?  As a fair-skinned, blue-eyed immigrant, I feel like I've gotten a unique perspective on this societal issue facing the people of the Netherlands -- and I'm honestly not sure how they're going to choose.

I recently finished reading a book called "Murder in Amsterdam:  The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance," by Ian Buruma, and I feel like this book offered a very valuable complement to my personal experiences as an immigrant here in the Netherlands.  The book talks rather extensively about Job Cohen and Geert Wilders -- along with such figures as Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Mohammed Bouyeri, Pim Fortuyn, and of course Theo van Gogh (whose murder just so happened to take place just two blocks from our house, back in our second year of living here in the Netherlands).  And I learned a lot about how the complex political environment surrounding this issue of immigration has developed through the years.  For any foreigner living in Amsterdam, I would highly recommend the book (though I think it could also be somewhat instructive to Americans currently working through their own set of issues related to Mexican immigration).  It's obvious that there are no easy answers to these issues of immigration and tolerance and globalization -- but it's certainly helpful to read up on things a bit.

I, for one, personally find myself pulling for Job Cohen and the PvdA in this particular election.  Not just because he seems to have a more reasonable perspective on this particular issue of immigration, but also because he's an Amsterdammer.  His party's headquarters are just 100 meters down the street from our church's ministry center, and I've regularly seen him around the neighborhood; once he even came to visit our ministry center.  I can't say that I agree with all of the party standpoints of the PvdA -- but given the implications of this particular election, I'm personally hoping that they do well tomorrow.

Whatever comes of this election, I'm guessing that we'll learn a lot about the future of the immigration issue and the will of "the people of the Netherlands" tomorrow.  For now, however, all that I can really do is wait and see...

Strength...

Serenity...

Seriousness...

Our church's Servant Leadership Council.

The crappy camera-phone documentarian strikes again! This wedding celebration happened to be kicking off right in our neighborhood, within about 50 meters of our house, earlier this afternoon -- and I was so fascinated that I had to capture the experience on video.

The drums and horns are fascinating enough, but when when the woman (Is it the bride?  Or maybe the mother of the groom?) tips back her head, covers her face with her hand, and let's out a loud thrilling cry, it seems like a fictional experience.

In our neighborhood, there are a lot of Berber Muslims, originally from the mountains of Morocco -- settled in Amsterdam over the past two or three generations.  Most of the time, they're pretty quiet, unassuming citizens.  But when it comes time to celebrate a wedding, they do it in style!

The Dutch national soccer team played its second-to-last warm-up match for the World Cup, yesterday evening.  They won in convincing fashion and, as usual, appear to be one of the top teams headed into the international competition.  I missed out on the Dutch celebration of the last World Cup while traveling in the United States -- so I'm really enjoying the opportunity to experience it a bit this year.  The Dutch go crazy for their national soccer team.  The whole country is painted orange -- streamers, flags, shirts, hats, store window-displays, everything...  Just about every television commercial for the last month has tied into the World Cup theme (even the commercials shown during the breaks in the chick flicks!).  And, of course, there's the beauty of high-quality international soccer competition as well, which I can appreciate, even though I've never really been able to get into professional soccer that much.  It's going to be awesome.

And even though the Americans are fielding a pretty decent team this year, too, which I also look forward to following -- I feel compelled to declare it right now, before the competition actually gets started:  this American boy is going to be cheering for Dutch Orange, even if it ever comes down to direct confrontation with American Red-White-and-Blue.

As odd and unnatural as this may seem, I think it's actually the right thing to do.  Maybe even the American thing to do, in my situation!  Here's the reason why.  First of all, the Dutch care about their soccer team way more than the Americans care about their soccer team; and honestly, why should big ol' America's moderate enjoyment of World Cup success be allowed to overshadow the extreme euphoria that would come from Dutch success in the World Cup?  It just seems like the decent human thing to do, to let other countries have their way in a competition like this (whereas basketball, for instance, would be an entirely different matter).  Secondly, it's just fun to jump on the local bandwagon.  I know this after many years of trying to cheer for teams from afar:  it's just nice to be getting excited about the same things that every one else gets excited about, at the same time that they're getting excited about it.  It's a kind of acclimation, inculturation, and identification with the locals.  When in Amsterdam, do as the Amsterdammers do?  Maybe it's not a valid way of living life for most things, but for soccer I think it is :-)

Finally, I've just observed a very special set of similarities between Dutch people with their national soccer team and Ohio people with their various sports teams.  Of course, there's the obvious similarity in colors -- Dutch Orange much like BGSU Falcon Orange, or Cleveland Browns Orange, or old-school Cleveland Cavaliers Orange.  But more than that, it's a mentality, a culture.  Both Dutch sports fans and Ohio sports fans seem to suffer from a sort of cursed losing streak, when it comes to the "Big Game."  We can put out some of the best teams year after year, and yet we never manage to win the whole thing.  Great players, great teams, great odds of success... but when it comes to actual championships, we come up short.  Ohio teams (particularly Cleveland teams) have not won a major sports championship in over half a century.  And similarly, the Dutch have put out some amazing teams through the years -- but they are yet to win the World Cup.  It's kind of sad, but also kind of fun to observe this similar sense of fatalistic frustration in these two (otherwise very diverse) fan bases.

So yes, I feel that it's my duty -- as both an Amsterdammer and an Ohioan -- to cheer for Oranje in this year's World Cup.  Hup Holland, Hup!

I've now completed the fifth month of my Proverbs 365 project: taking a Proverb for each day of the year and then considering it and applying it for 21st Century living. Continuing my monthly tradition, I'm highlighting three of my personal favorites from the past month (and hopefully, in so doing, encourage some cross-over readership!):

One of the past month's entries was especially helpful for me in working out some of the thoughts that I've been having recently, upon observing political processes both in the Netherlands and in the United States.  Honestly, I think a lot of people need to be challenged by Proverbs 24:21, where it says, "Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious, for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?" If you've ever said that you "hate" Barack Obama, or George W. Bush, or Geert Wilders, or Job Cohen, I would challenge you to read some of my interaction with this challenging biblical text at P2421 - Reprimand of Rebellion...

On an entirely different note, my post from the 21st of May, P2122 - The Old-Timers Versus the Young Bucks, combines three of my favorite things:  basketball, "armchair sociology," and biblical wisdom.  The post is based on Proverbs 21:22, where it is written:  "A wise man attacks the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust." Since I don't have much experience in actual warfare -- I translated the concepts into the "warfare" of male egos, as demonstrated in countless YMCAs, recreation centers, and outdoor basketball courts around the world.  And honestly, it's pretty amazing how accurately pick-up basketball can illustrate the truth of this Proverb...

And thirdly, I might recommend a reading of P834 - Expectation, which attempts to illuminate Proverbs 8:34 from a more creative angle -- the story of an old man sitting in a diner and waiting for a mystery companion.  The Proverb itself says, "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." But instead of taking this at the figurative, symbolic level (talking about biblical wisdom), I tried working this out in a more literal sense.  What might it look like -- what might it feel like -- to be waiting at a doorway, watching daily for God's wisdom?  The result of this creative writing project helped me to get a better grasp on the Proverb; maybe it would be the same for you, too...

For a more comprehensive listing of May's content, here are the titles of all 31 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content.

• P123 - The Guru's Rebuke
• P201 - Receiving Position
• P309 - Firstfruits
• P402 - Old-School is not Always Bad-School
• P505 - A Matter of Life and Death
• P617c - A Christian Apologetic for the Pro-Life Political Position
• P703 - 21st Century Tefillin
• P834 - Expectation
• P905 - Learning to Feast
• P1026 - Passive Aggression
• P1102 - Reality Check
• P1218 - Wounding Effect or Healing Effect
• P1314 - The Place for Preaching
• P1427 - Fountains of Life
• P1523 - Better than "The Editor"
• P1602 - A Question of Innocence
• P1708 - To Bribe or Not to Bribe
• P1814 - The Casualties of a Crushed Spirit
• P1909 - Worse than Homelessness
• P2009 - The Writing in the Dust
• P2122 - The Old-Timers Versus the Young Bucks
• P2201 - The Most Desirable Things
• P2305 - Money Grows Wings
• P2421 - Reprimand of Rebellion
• P2504 - How to Remove the Dross from Our Lives
• P2608 - About Slingshots
• P2705 - Open Rebuke > Hidden Love
• P2811 - Seeing Right Through Each Other
• P2926 - Issues with Authority Figures
• P3002 - Good-for-Nothing Oracle
• P3120 - Merciful Mogul

June promises to be another great month -- so check it out for yourself at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com.  Please feel free to spread the word, too... One of the distinct advantages of the Proverbs is that it's easy to tune into them, whenever one might so choose. It's not like if you missed the first five months, then you're "behind" or anything like that. The Proverbs are just like these little power pellets that can be consumed and digested immediately.  It's never too late to start enjoying them!