Churchill

now playing: forget what you know, caedmon's call from my calm//your storm

worth a read: dude swims to shore with shark biting leg

So, a good part of my day today was spent reading "Winston Churchill: An Intimate Portrait" by Violet Bonham Carter, under whose father Churchill first became a cabinet minister. She knew him as a friend, and writes in a rather captivating manner. The purpose of my mentioning this is not to make you go out and read the book (although it is great), but rather to make a comment on the quality of man that Churchill was.

It's not that he was super human, but that he did everything he did with all his heart, and with little concern for what others thought (although some historians might quibble about the latter statement). Reading other historical comments on the lead up to World War II, this is evident as well. When almost the entire House of Commons in Britain wanted to appease the Germans, good ol' Winston sat there, chomping his cigar, and stating in eloquent terms the fact that appeasement would avail nothing.

Let me back track a little though. At key periods in Churchill's life, he felt that he needed to gain knowledge in certain areas. For example, when he took his first undersecretary post, he was appointed to a position that required a thorough knowledge of economics. And he learned it. In 8 weeks, no less. When he felt that his knowledge of poetry was lacking, he read and MEMORISED large parts of classic poetry. When he felt something was lacking, the man would set about learning with his whole heart. When he decided something was right or wrong with regard to policy, he would pursue it with his whole heart, regardless the sentiments of his constituents (//aside... that should be how representative government works. You elect someone based on the kind of person they are, trusting that they will make the best decisions, not the decisions you like. //end aside) This tendency to ignore popular sentiment led to the poor guy being defeated numerous times. He wasn't necessarily the greatest politician. Benham Carter says that he was too sincere for that. But man, when a war had to be fought, there was no one better to have on your side than Churchill... if he believed in the cause, he went all the way.

So, I'm sure you're going "what's the point andymack, what's the point? Here's the point: We're such halfway people. It HAS to change. We don't ever pursue anything with our whole being, even if we claim to believe in it. That's why I can honestly say that Winston Churchill is one of my heroes. There's a lesson to be learned from him. Apply it to Christianity: we're called to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind" (Mt. 22:37). We need to do it with reckless abandon, regardless what other people think. Churchill lived a life of reckless abandon based on political ideals, and he managed to turn the empire on its ear, and save his country (and Europe too). Could you imagine if we really lived a life abandoned to God, and based on absolute truth? That's my desire for our generation. That's the kind of life we need to be disciplining ourselves to.


And now from the sublime to the simple... a short note on napping. Today, as I was reading, I think I fell asleep for 10 minutes. I can't remember really. All I remember was the clock saying 1:50, reading about 4 pages, rather slowly, and next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes at 2:15. So it could've been as long as 20 minutes, I guess. All I know is, usually I'm the type who doesn't nap. If I do, I try to get an hour. But this aft, with just the 10-20 minutes, I felt better than I would've had I slept for an hour. So, maybe power napping is the way to go. All I know is, I felt like a million bucks. And looked like it too, but what else is new? ;-) Ah, arrogance... such a wonderfully disgusting thing to read on paper, no? Anyway folks, time for the mack to go... thanks for reading, really. It gives me a chance to refine my thoughts, and to try to present them in the best possible wording. So, I appreciate it. You can send me your comments too, if you like. click here to send mail! Grace and Peace!
man, what's with the war heroes... must be a warmonger!