I haven't been able to write on this blog for the past week, because I was in Vajta for the Foundations Conference. It's not that there is no internet connection in Vajta, it's just that you have to pay for it, and I'm too cheap to do that.
So as a result, I've got some catching up to do.
The first and most obvious thing that's happened lately is that Michael Jackson died.
I realize that unless there is someone who lives in a cave and only comes out for the purpose of reading this blog, everyone has already heard about this.
The only think I wanted to say about it is that America truly is the land of opportunity - and Michael Jackson proved that. Only in America could a young black man become a successful, rich white woman.
Here's a video about his life. Pretty tragic really. I'm sorry he didn't know the Lord.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Dumpster Diving - Kukázás
As of July 1st, dumpster diving and trash collection will be illegal in the city of Gyöngyös, the second largest town in Heves county (Eger is the largest).
According to this article (and this one), gypsies collecting trash on the streets has become a characteristic aspect of the city. Aside from being unsightly, the local government says that they are making it illegal because these gypsies often take this trash back to where they live (often ghettos), and then realize that what they collected is actually useless, so they just throw it out - but because they often don't have trash collection, the garbage ends up littering the creeks, streets, and other areas.
I'm not sure if I think that making trash collection and dumpster diving illegal is a good move.
We certainly experience it here in Eger too. Every week when we put our trash out, within a few hours people - almost without exception gypsies - come by and go through it.
Its unsightly, but I don't think it should be illegal. If we are throwing it away anyways, then it is fine with me if someone else takes it! As they say: 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'.
There have even been fights in front of our building for our trash.
Every spring there is a lomtalanítás: a week when you can throw out big items like old refrigerators, furniture, etc... And during that week there are usually hundreds of gypsies on the streets, 'claiming' territories, to guarantee that the trash from that area will be theirs for the taking. One time during this week, Rosemary took an old fan out to the street, but as soon as she stepped out the door of the building, someone was waiting there and asked if he could have it. Sitting nearby on a chair was the person who had claimed that territory, and they get in an argument over the fan and started pushing each other around.
So, sometimes during lomtalanitás the streets can feel a bit dangerous, because of all the crews guarding their junk...
But still, sometimes if we have something that is usable, but we don't need it any more, we will just put it on the ground outside of our door, and by morning the next day it is usually gone. I don't mind this at all - at least someone will get use out of it, even if I won't.
What do you think of this law in Gyöngyös?
Július elsejétől a guberálás és a kukázás tilos lesz Gyöngyösön.
Eszerint a cikk szerint (és eszerint is) az szemét gyűjtögető emberek már a város „jellegzetességének” számítanak. Azon kívül, hogy ez nem egy szép látvány, a város önkormányzata azt mondja, hogy azért teszik ezt törvényellenessé, mert ezek az emberek sokszor haza viszik ezt a szemetet, és aztán kiderül nekik is, hogy haszontalan amit összeszedtek, úgyhogy kidobják – de mivel sokszor a kukás autó nem jár oda, a szemét a patakokba, utcákra, és más helyekre kerül.
Nem vagyok benne biztos, hogy illegálássá tenni a kukázást és a guberálást egy jó dolog.
Mi is tapasztaljuk ezt Egerben. Minden héten, amikor kiviszük a kukákat, egy pár órán belül – a legtöbbször roma emberek – jönnek, és megnézik, válogatnak.
Nem szép látvány, de nem hiszem, hogy ez olyan dolog amit tiltani kell. Ha úgyis kidobjuk, akkor nekem nincsen semmi bajom azzal, hogy ha valaki haza viszi! Ahogy angolul szoktunk mondani: ’Ami szemét az egyik ember számára, kincs egy másik ember számára’.
Volt már olyan is, hogy az épületünk előtt verekedtek a szemétünkért. Lomtalanításkor sok ember van az uctán, és területeket foglalnak magukért, hogy biztos legyen, hogy az övék lesz az ottani kirakott cucc. Egyszer amikor lomtalanítás volt a mi utcánkon, Rosemary kivitte egy régi ventilátort az utcára, de amikor kinyitotta a kaput, már ott állt valaki, és elkérte tőle. Azonban, nem messze a házunktól, volt egy másik ember aki egy széken ült, és vigyázott az ’ő területére’ – és elkezdtek veszekedni és lökdösődni egymást a ventilátor miatt.
Tehát, néha amikor lomtalanítás van, egy kicsit kevésbé biztosságosnak tűnnek az utcák, mivel ezek a bandák kint vannak éjjel nappal és vigyáznak a területeire.
De mégis, amikor van egy hasznos dolgunk, amit már nem fogjuk használni, csak kiteszük a járdára az épületünk előtt, és általában reggelre már nincs ott. Ez engem nem zavar egyáltalan – legalább valaki használni fogja ha én nem.
Mit gondolsz erről a gyöngyösi törvényről?
According to this article (and this one), gypsies collecting trash on the streets has become a characteristic aspect of the city. Aside from being unsightly, the local government says that they are making it illegal because these gypsies often take this trash back to where they live (often ghettos), and then realize that what they collected is actually useless, so they just throw it out - but because they often don't have trash collection, the garbage ends up littering the creeks, streets, and other areas.
I'm not sure if I think that making trash collection and dumpster diving illegal is a good move.
We certainly experience it here in Eger too. Every week when we put our trash out, within a few hours people - almost without exception gypsies - come by and go through it.
Its unsightly, but I don't think it should be illegal. If we are throwing it away anyways, then it is fine with me if someone else takes it! As they say: 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'.
There have even been fights in front of our building for our trash.
Every spring there is a lomtalanítás: a week when you can throw out big items like old refrigerators, furniture, etc... And during that week there are usually hundreds of gypsies on the streets, 'claiming' territories, to guarantee that the trash from that area will be theirs for the taking. One time during this week, Rosemary took an old fan out to the street, but as soon as she stepped out the door of the building, someone was waiting there and asked if he could have it. Sitting nearby on a chair was the person who had claimed that territory, and they get in an argument over the fan and started pushing each other around.So, sometimes during lomtalanitás the streets can feel a bit dangerous, because of all the crews guarding their junk...
But still, sometimes if we have something that is usable, but we don't need it any more, we will just put it on the ground outside of our door, and by morning the next day it is usually gone. I don't mind this at all - at least someone will get use out of it, even if I won't.
What do you think of this law in Gyöngyös?
Július elsejétől a guberálás és a kukázás tilos lesz Gyöngyösön.
Eszerint a cikk szerint (és eszerint is) az szemét gyűjtögető emberek már a város „jellegzetességének” számítanak. Azon kívül, hogy ez nem egy szép látvány, a város önkormányzata azt mondja, hogy azért teszik ezt törvényellenessé, mert ezek az emberek sokszor haza viszik ezt a szemetet, és aztán kiderül nekik is, hogy haszontalan amit összeszedtek, úgyhogy kidobják – de mivel sokszor a kukás autó nem jár oda, a szemét a patakokba, utcákra, és más helyekre kerül.
Nem vagyok benne biztos, hogy illegálássá tenni a kukázást és a guberálást egy jó dolog.
Mi is tapasztaljuk ezt Egerben. Minden héten, amikor kiviszük a kukákat, egy pár órán belül – a legtöbbször roma emberek – jönnek, és megnézik, válogatnak.
Nem szép látvány, de nem hiszem, hogy ez olyan dolog amit tiltani kell. Ha úgyis kidobjuk, akkor nekem nincsen semmi bajom azzal, hogy ha valaki haza viszi! Ahogy angolul szoktunk mondani: ’Ami szemét az egyik ember számára, kincs egy másik ember számára’.
Volt már olyan is, hogy az épületünk előtt verekedtek a szemétünkért. Lomtalanításkor sok ember van az uctán, és területeket foglalnak magukért, hogy biztos legyen, hogy az övék lesz az ottani kirakott cucc. Egyszer amikor lomtalanítás volt a mi utcánkon, Rosemary kivitte egy régi ventilátort az utcára, de amikor kinyitotta a kaput, már ott állt valaki, és elkérte tőle. Azonban, nem messze a házunktól, volt egy másik ember aki egy széken ült, és vigyázott az ’ő területére’ – és elkezdtek veszekedni és lökdösődni egymást a ventilátor miatt.
Tehát, néha amikor lomtalanítás van, egy kicsit kevésbé biztosságosnak tűnnek az utcák, mivel ezek a bandák kint vannak éjjel nappal és vigyáznak a területeire.
De mégis, amikor van egy hasznos dolgunk, amit már nem fogjuk használni, csak kiteszük a járdára az épületünk előtt, és általában reggelre már nincs ott. Ez engem nem zavar egyáltalan – legalább valaki használni fogja ha én nem.
Mit gondolsz erről a gyöngyösi törvényről?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Fake Rapture - Hamis Elragadtatás
This is a little bit mean, but pretty funny!
Ez egy kiscit aljas dolog volt, de elég vicces!
Ez egy kiscit aljas dolog volt, de elég vicces!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Prophetic?
A few weeks before we found out that Rosemary was pregnant, I got an email from a friend of mine from high school named Corrie.
She rarely writes me, so I found it interesting that she sent me an email out of the blue. Her email said that she had a dream the night before that Rosemary was pregnant and that it was a girl. She also mentioned that before she found out that she was pregnant with her little girl she had also had a dream that she was pregnant...
I responded to this email, and told Corrie that we were trying to have another baby, and we wouldn't mind it if were a girl, and so I hoped that her dream was prophetic. She responded, and told me she had no idea that we were trying to have another baby...
She sent me this email on May 5th, which means that Rosemary was 2 weeks pregnant. We won't be able to know the sex of the baby for another 10-12 weeks, but it would be a little too interesting if Corrie's dream did turn out to be prophetic, and was correct...
Weird, eh?
Egy pár héttel azelőtt, hogy megtudtuk, hogy Rosemary várandós, megkaptam egy emailt az egyik középiskolai barátomtól, Corrie-tól. Ő nagyon ritkán ír, úgyhogy érdekesnek találtam, hogy emailt küldött nekem csak úgy.
Az emailében azt írta, hogy az előző éjszakán volt egy álma, amiben Rosemary terhes volt egy kis lánnyal. Azt is mondta Corrie, hogy mielőtt ő megtudta, hogy terhes volt az ő kislányával, akkor is volt egy ilyen álma, amiben azt álmodta, hogy terhes...
Válaszoltam erre az emailre, és mondtam Corrie-nak, hogy már egy ideig akartunk második babát, de még nem sikerült, és hogy reméltem, hogy az álma profétikus volt. Ő azt válaszolta nekem, hogy fogalma sem volt, hogy akartunk még egy babát...
Ezt az emailt május 5-én küldte, ami azt jelenti, hogy akkor Rosemary 2 hete volt terhes akkor, és még nem is tudtunk róla. Még kb 10-12 hét lesz, mire kiderül hogy kisfiú vagy kislány, de egy kicsit túl érdekes lesz ha kiderül, hogy Corrie álma tényleg profétikus volt, és minden úgy lesz...
Fura mi?
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Ballagás
Yesterday was Balázs' ballagás, or 8th grade graduation. His mom didn't bother to show up... Poor guy. We got to meet some of his family, and had some of them over to our house for a party afterward.
Congratulations Balázs! We're proud of you!
Tegnap volt Balázs ballagása. Az anyukája nem is jött el... Szegény srác. Találkoztunk néhány rokonával, és egy páran eljöttek hozzánk egy kis bulira az ünnepség után.
Gratulálunk Balázs! Büszkék vagyunk rád!
Congratulations Balázs! We're proud of you!
Tegnap volt Balázs ballagása. Az anyukája nem is jött el... Szegény srác. Találkoztunk néhány rokonával, és egy páran eljöttek hozzánk egy kis bulira az ünnepség után.
Gratulálunk Balázs! Büszkék vagyunk rád!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Something I don't understand
This picture was up on fail blog the other day:
Not to mention 12 yr old girls, I seriously just don't understand why anyone would think sporting the Playboy bunny is cool.
First of all, I don't get guys who use the Playboy symbol in any way (t-shirt, air-freshener, bumper sticker, etc...). What are they trying to communicate? That they like to look at porn? Who exactly are they trying to impress by doing that? Other dudes? "Hey bro, I like to look at porn, just to let you know..."
Or are they trying to impress girls? Did they not get the information, that girls aren't impressed by the fact that they look at porn? FYI - that's not a cool thing. Girls don't find that hot, they find it lame.
One thing I see a lot in Hungary especially, that I have a hard time understanding, is ladies sporting the bunny. I even seen young, pre-teen girls with Playboy t-shirts on, or with Playboy folders for school, etc...
It would not be too surprising to see a cake like the one in the picture above at a birthday party in Hungary! I was just at the mall today and saw a woman who must have been in her 50's wearing a Playboy bunny shirt.
I'm just curious - what exactly are these ladies hoping to communicate with this? Is it a message to guys who like Playboy or porn in general, that they are available? "Hey, if you like porn, then you'll like me! And I'll like you too!"
Maybe I'm daft, but I just don't get it. As far as I'm concerned, sporting a Playboy bunny is a fail every time.
Not to mention 12 yr old girls, I seriously just don't understand why anyone would think sporting the Playboy bunny is cool.
First of all, I don't get guys who use the Playboy symbol in any way (t-shirt, air-freshener, bumper sticker, etc...). What are they trying to communicate? That they like to look at porn? Who exactly are they trying to impress by doing that? Other dudes? "Hey bro, I like to look at porn, just to let you know..."
Or are they trying to impress girls? Did they not get the information, that girls aren't impressed by the fact that they look at porn? FYI - that's not a cool thing. Girls don't find that hot, they find it lame.
One thing I see a lot in Hungary especially, that I have a hard time understanding, is ladies sporting the bunny. I even seen young, pre-teen girls with Playboy t-shirts on, or with Playboy folders for school, etc...
It would not be too surprising to see a cake like the one in the picture above at a birthday party in Hungary! I was just at the mall today and saw a woman who must have been in her 50's wearing a Playboy bunny shirt.
I'm just curious - what exactly are these ladies hoping to communicate with this? Is it a message to guys who like Playboy or porn in general, that they are available? "Hey, if you like porn, then you'll like me! And I'll like you too!"
Maybe I'm daft, but I just don't get it. As far as I'm concerned, sporting a Playboy bunny is a fail every time.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Quote
This quote from the text book for my theology course caught my eye, as it addresses two things which are on my heart in regard to the church.
On the significance of the genealogy of Jesus which begins Matthew's Gospel, Exploring the New Testament, by Wenham and Walton says this:
"The Christian belief in the incarnation is significant at this point, since the idea of God becoming human in a particular historical context (first-century Palestine), though it seems very strange to some people, speaks of a God who does not communicate in abstractions, but who comes to us where we are and speaks in 'our language'. It is therefore not just a practical necessity that our teaching should be related to where people are today, but a theological imperative."
"The passage is equally relevant to an age that tends to be very individualistic and that emphasizes personal salvation and fulfillment: the Bible affirms the individual, but sees God as bringing us together as his people"
Figyelmeztetés! Nem volt könnyű lefordítani ezt a szöveget, úgyhogy, valószínű (a kedvenc színem, amúgy :)), hogy nem tökéletes az alábbi fordítás - de azért remélem, hogy legalább érthető lesz!
Ez az idézet a teológiai tanulmányom tankönyvéből nagyon megragadott, mert két olyan dologról szól ami a szívemen van a gyakorlati kereszténységgel kapcsolatban.
Arról, hogy miért jelentős a nemzedékrend amivel kezdődik Máté evangéliuma, az Exploring the New Testament Wenham és Waltontől így szól:
"Itt a keresztény hit az Isten megtestülésében jelentős, mivel az a gondolat, hogy Isten emberré lett egy bizonyos történelmi kontextusban (első-századi Palesztina), bár furcsának tűnik némely embernek, egy olyan Istenről szól aki nem elvontságokban kommunikál, hanem aki hozzánk közelít és beszél a 'mi nyelvünkön'. Így tehát nem csak egy gyakorlati szükséglet, hogy a mi tanításunk összekapcsolodjon azzal ahol a mai emberek tartanak, hanem egy teológiai felszólítás."
"Egyaránt, ez az igerész lényeges egy olyan időben ami nagyon egyén-központú (?) tud lenni sokszor, és hangsúlyt helyez az személyes üdvözségre és beteljesülésre. A Biblia megerősíti az egyént, de úgy mutatja Istent, hogy összeszed bennünket, mint az Ő népe."
On the significance of the genealogy of Jesus which begins Matthew's Gospel, Exploring the New Testament, by Wenham and Walton says this:
"The Christian belief in the incarnation is significant at this point, since the idea of God becoming human in a particular historical context (first-century Palestine), though it seems very strange to some people, speaks of a God who does not communicate in abstractions, but who comes to us where we are and speaks in 'our language'. It is therefore not just a practical necessity that our teaching should be related to where people are today, but a theological imperative."
"The passage is equally relevant to an age that tends to be very individualistic and that emphasizes personal salvation and fulfillment: the Bible affirms the individual, but sees God as bringing us together as his people"
Figyelmeztetés! Nem volt könnyű lefordítani ezt a szöveget, úgyhogy, valószínű (a kedvenc színem, amúgy :)), hogy nem tökéletes az alábbi fordítás - de azért remélem, hogy legalább érthető lesz!
Ez az idézet a teológiai tanulmányom tankönyvéből nagyon megragadott, mert két olyan dologról szól ami a szívemen van a gyakorlati kereszténységgel kapcsolatban.
Arról, hogy miért jelentős a nemzedékrend amivel kezdődik Máté evangéliuma, az Exploring the New Testament Wenham és Waltontől így szól:
"Itt a keresztény hit az Isten megtestülésében jelentős, mivel az a gondolat, hogy Isten emberré lett egy bizonyos történelmi kontextusban (első-századi Palesztina), bár furcsának tűnik némely embernek, egy olyan Istenről szól aki nem elvontságokban kommunikál, hanem aki hozzánk közelít és beszél a 'mi nyelvünkön'. Így tehát nem csak egy gyakorlati szükséglet, hogy a mi tanításunk összekapcsolodjon azzal ahol a mai emberek tartanak, hanem egy teológiai felszólítás."
"Egyaránt, ez az igerész lényeges egy olyan időben ami nagyon egyén-központú (?) tud lenni sokszor, és hangsúlyt helyez az személyes üdvözségre és beteljesülésre. A Biblia megerősíti az egyént, de úgy mutatja Istent, hogy összeszed bennünket, mint az Ő népe."
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Doctor Visit
We went to the doctor Thursday to get an ultrasound of the baby.
The good news is that the baby is alive and well.
The surprise for us was that Rosemary is only 7-8 weeks along - not 10-11 weeks, as we had originally thought. Which means that the baby is due towards the end of January, and not the beginning.
But he/she is doing well. We heard the heartbeat and took his/her picture - which is hanging on our fridge, and which I would have posted, but we don't have a scanner yet.
Please pray for Rosemary and for the little baby!
Csütörtökön elmentünk a dokihoz, hogy megnézzük a babát ultrahanggal.
A jó hír az, hogy a baba élő és jól van.
A meglepetés a számunkra az volt, hogy Rosemary csak 7-8 hetes - nem 10-11 hetes, mint előbb gondoltunk. Ami azt jelenti, hogy a babát január végére várjuk, nem január elejére.
De amúgy jól van a kicsi ember. Meghallottuk a szív hangját és csináltunk róla egy fényképet - ami most rajta van a hűtőgépünkön. Feltettem volna ide a képet, de még nincsen skennerünk.
Kérlek, imádkozzatok Rosemaryért és a picurkáért!
The good news is that the baby is alive and well.
The surprise for us was that Rosemary is only 7-8 weeks along - not 10-11 weeks, as we had originally thought. Which means that the baby is due towards the end of January, and not the beginning.
But he/she is doing well. We heard the heartbeat and took his/her picture - which is hanging on our fridge, and which I would have posted, but we don't have a scanner yet.
Please pray for Rosemary and for the little baby!
Csütörtökön elmentünk a dokihoz, hogy megnézzük a babát ultrahanggal.
A jó hír az, hogy a baba élő és jól van.
A meglepetés a számunkra az volt, hogy Rosemary csak 7-8 hetes - nem 10-11 hetes, mint előbb gondoltunk. Ami azt jelenti, hogy a babát január végére várjuk, nem január elejére.
De amúgy jól van a kicsi ember. Meghallottuk a szív hangját és csináltunk róla egy fényképet - ami most rajta van a hűtőgépünkön. Feltettem volna ide a képet, de még nincsen skennerünk.
Kérlek, imádkozzatok Rosemaryért és a picurkáért!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Photo of the Day
I like to check the National Geographic Photo of the Day whenever I get the chance, and today's was pretty cool: a great shot of a sunset in Boulder.
New Trick
Nate figured out a few weeks ago that his fingers fit quite nicely into his nose.
Since then he can also be seen making a number of combinations, including one in his nose, one in the mouth or one in the nose, one in the ear, not to mention the all-time classic: both in the nose!
Digging deep:
Since then he can also be seen making a number of combinations, including one in his nose, one in the mouth or one in the nose, one in the ear, not to mention the all-time classic: both in the nose!
Digging deep:
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Property Recovery
Here's a video we made yesterday - we found some stuff that Nate's been storing away...
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Lost
Lost will have its 6th and final season next year. I have to say that I have a hard time imagining a world without Lost. Rosemary and I look forward to it so much and are ritualistic about watching it.
In my opinion this past season (season 5) was the best ever. So many important things were revealed, and it wasn't cheesy and predictable. Some things were revealed which make us want to go re-watch the whole show from the beginning, because in light the new information we will see a ton of stuff differently now.
If season 5 was the best season, I would have to say that season 3 was the worst, and the worst episode ever was Stranger in a Strange Land, the episode about how Jack was in Thailand and how he got his tattoo. That episode was not only boring - it was a waste of time. Exposé was also a waste of time.
What are your favorite/least favorite Lost episodes?
Here's a video wrap-up of the season 5 finale. Check it out:
In my opinion this past season (season 5) was the best ever. So many important things were revealed, and it wasn't cheesy and predictable. Some things were revealed which make us want to go re-watch the whole show from the beginning, because in light the new information we will see a ton of stuff differently now.
If season 5 was the best season, I would have to say that season 3 was the worst, and the worst episode ever was Stranger in a Strange Land, the episode about how Jack was in Thailand and how he got his tattoo. That episode was not only boring - it was a waste of time. Exposé was also a waste of time.
What are your favorite/least favorite Lost episodes?
Here's a video wrap-up of the season 5 finale. Check it out:
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Christians Face Persecution in Britain
On my way back to Hungary on Sunday, I was reading the Sunday Telegraph newspaper on the plane, and was surprised to see this article about how Christians face persecution in British society.
The article says that according to a poll, almost half of Christians in Britain feel that they are being rejected or discriminated against at work and at home because of their Christian faith. New laws are being proposed by an atheist group to forbid people from sharing their faith in their workplace, classifying it as harassment, and grounds for firing. Three out of four people polled said that there is less religious freedom in Britain now than 20 years ago.
This is sad news coming from Britain, which has historically been such a bastion of Christianity, but I think this is fairly characteristic of Europe in general. At least its being admitted and reported on in Britain.
Check out the full article here.
The article says that according to a poll, almost half of Christians in Britain feel that they are being rejected or discriminated against at work and at home because of their Christian faith. New laws are being proposed by an atheist group to forbid people from sharing their faith in their workplace, classifying it as harassment, and grounds for firing. Three out of four people polled said that there is less religious freedom in Britain now than 20 years ago.
This is sad news coming from Britain, which has historically been such a bastion of Christianity, but I think this is fairly characteristic of Europe in general. At least its being admitted and reported on in Britain.
Check out the full article here.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Mi a túró? - What the heck?
Ezt találtam egy arvadai Target hipermarketben:
I found this in a Target in Arvada:
Magyar liszt? Az miben különbözik a nem-magyar liszttől? És hogy jön ide a High Altitude (magassági - földrajzi értelemben)? Az mire jó?
Szegény amcsik - fogalmuk sincs, hogy az igazi magyar emberek Tesco gazdaságos lisztet vesznek!
Ugyanabban a boltban találtam egy tasakos "magyar" gulyásleves fűszer csomagot, és a tartalma: fekete bors, piros paprika, és fahéj. Fahéj? Mi a túró?
Hungarian flour? What is the difference between Hungarian flour and non-Hungarian flour? And what's the deal with the High Altitude thing? What's that good for?
Silly Americans have no idea that real Hungarian people actually buy cheap Tesco flour.
In that same store I found a spice packet for "Hungarian" gulash, which contained black pepper, paprika, and cinnamon. Cinnamon? What the heck?
I found this in a Target in Arvada:
Szegény amcsik - fogalmuk sincs, hogy az igazi magyar emberek Tesco gazdaságos lisztet vesznek!
Ugyanabban a boltban találtam egy tasakos "magyar" gulyásleves fűszer csomagot, és a tartalma: fekete bors, piros paprika, és fahéj. Fahéj? Mi a túró?
Hungarian flour? What is the difference between Hungarian flour and non-Hungarian flour? And what's the deal with the High Altitude thing? What's that good for?
Silly Americans have no idea that real Hungarian people actually buy cheap Tesco flour.
In that same store I found a spice packet for "Hungarian" gulash, which contained black pepper, paprika, and cinnamon. Cinnamon? What the heck?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Disorganized Religion
Here's Dana Carvey on people who are spiritual but not into organized religion.
Making up a religion or "mixing and matching" according to whatever seems to one's fancy is nothing new. Its the same thing that the Bible talks about in Judges when it says - "everyone did what was right in their own eyes".
Making up a religion or "mixing and matching" according to whatever seems to one's fancy is nothing new. Its the same thing that the Bible talks about in Judges when it says - "everyone did what was right in their own eyes".
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Stuff I Love - Part 2
On social networking sites and blogs, I often see posts which list stuff which people hate or can't stand. So in order to be the ying to that yang, to be the Dr. Jekyll to that Mr. Hyde, the Luke Skywalker to that Darth Vader - I'm writing a few thoughts about stuff I love.
Here are some more:
Here are some more:
- Seeing God's work in peoples' lives
I think one of the most exciting things in the world is seeing God's changing power in someone's life, changing, healing, restoring them, etc... The guy I went mountain biking with the other day is the brother of Judit - the first girl in the church. This guy is someone we've prayed for for years, someone who Judit and her mom have been reaching out to for years, and just recently he has opened up, is attending church, and wanting to know the Lord. Its really encouraging to see the work that God is doing in his life.
The other day at our Wednesday night Bible study, we talked about the question of what makes a "living church". The conclusion I came to, is that it is a place where God's work is noticable in people's lives - where there is change, healing and restoration because of God's presence. These are all characteristics of the Kingdom of God, which is essentially the realm where God reigns. If that is true in a church, and in the lives of the individuals of that church, then the characteristics of the Kingdom will be present and noticable. And I really love to see God's work in people's lives! I want it in my life all the more too. - The Body of Christ
The other day I got blessed unexpectedly by someone who anonymously did something which helped me out a lot. I don't want to go into details, because I know this person wanted it to remain anonymous - but it reminded me of how great a thing the Body of Christ is.
One of my favorite verses about the body of Christ is Mark 10:29-30. The point is that in the body of Christ, we become part of a community which is a lot like a family, and in this community we take care of each other as family. I may not have any siblings, but in the body of Christ I have a ton of people who consider me and treat me like their brother. If I lose my house, there are a hundred houses, where I would be received into, because I am part of the body of Christ, and we have something in common that binds us like family. - Weddings I am in the States right now to attend 2 weddings. One of them was this past Saturday, and the other will be this coming Saturday. I seriously love weddings. I think they are by far the best parties around.
Honestly, I would have to say that, in general, traditional Hungarian weddings are my favorite. Tons of food, lagzi zene, everybody is dancing and sweating, and of course they don't open any windows, because they are afraid of the huzat (draft), which apparently is life-threatening, and at midnight, they bring out MORE food, and then keep partying until everyone finally drops and goes home - at which time they package up some food and send it home with you!
I love weddings. I try to go to as many as possible:) and I think it is so cool that God chose to use the analogy of a wedding to describe his relationship with His people and to describe heaven. In the Bible the church is called the Bride of Christ, He is the Bridegroom, and Heaven is called the Wedding Feast. Let me tell you - if heaven is like a wedding feast that lasts forever, then that is the place that I want to be!
Stuff I Love - Part 1
I am in Denver right now. I have jet-lag, and I woke up this morning at 4am local time, after sleeping for 3 hrs.
This past week, I've been thinking about a few things I love. The more I thought about it, the more things came to my mind. Here goes:
This past week, I've been thinking about a few things I love. The more I thought about it, the more things came to my mind. Here goes:
- Mountain biking
Spring time in Eger, means mountain biking. It also means rain, so that can make the mountain biking all the more fun/dirty/hard. I went for a 4hr ride in the local mountains this week, and took a few spills because it was slippery, and came home so muddy that I had wash, rinse, and repeat. I had mud all over my face, even between my eyes. Rosemary was really happy about this, as you can imagine :)
But it is such a good feeling to race through the forrest on a mountain bike. I seriously can't understand why people like fishing. It seems to me like glorified sitting, and a good way to get a sunburn. Mountain biking is the sport for me. - Eger and the surrounding mountains
When I lived in Debrecen and took the train up to Eger every week, people in Eger would tell me how they could never live in Debrecen, and how much they couldn't stand the alföld (plains). I didn't really understand at that time what was so bad about the alföld - but now I understand. People from Eger are a bit upity because they live in a nice place, but I'm cool with that, because people in Colorado are the same way.
The Bükk and Mátra mountains aren't really high or spectacular, but they are perfect for mountain biking and hiking around. Its nice to live close to them. - That there are guys in our church who love the Lord and like to do "man stuff"
When we first started the church a few years ago, most of the church was girls from the college in Eger. Sometimes I would be the only guy at the Bible study. I thought of changing the name to "Nick's Women's Ministry". I remember how for the first year or two that we lived in Eger, I would get bummed out because there weren't really guys for me to hang out with and do "man stuff" with.
One of our prayer requests for a long time was to have more men and families in the church, and that is a prayer that God has been answering! I even hear the girls in the church complain that there are too many guys in the church, and we need more ladies! I don't think the situation is that bad - I think its finally balanced out to where it should be.
I remember something Mark Driscoll said about churches - If you win the men, you win the war. I think there's a lot of truth to that.
In June our church will have its first "Men's Day", we are going to get together as men, shoot each other with paintballs, eat kolbász (sausage), and study about what it means to be a man according to the Bible. I am so looking forward to it I could barf!
I love it that there are guys in the church that I can do "man stuff" with, like mountain bike, play football, punch each other in the arm, etc...
Here's a classic video of men doing man stuff:
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Version 2.0
We are expecting Version 2.0 to be released in January 2010.
Várjuk a 2.0-ás verziót, ami 2010 januárjában kerül kiadásra.
Praise the Lord!
Dicsőség az Úrnak!
Várjuk a 2.0-ás verziót, ami 2010 januárjában kerül kiadásra.
Praise the Lord!
Dicsőség az Úrnak!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
American Hungarian
In our family of 4, there are 3 US citizens and 3 Hungarian citizens. It sounds a bit like a voting fraud scheme - but the explanation is that Rosemary and Nate are dual citizens. In our household, I (Nick) am the only person who is not a Hungarian citizen.In our household we speak in both English and Hungarian - to Balázs in Hungarian and to Nate mostly in English, unless we are outside with other people, in which case we often speak to him in Hungarian. English is first, but we plan on teaching Nate both languages; it will be to his advantage to be bilingual - even though Hungarian is only the 67th most spoken language in the world, and spoken by just slightly more people than live in the city of Tokyo.
Nate's vocabulary is growing all the time, and he is already speaking words in both languages. There are many words he already knows in both: Duck - Kacsa, Dog - Kutyus, Milk - Tejcsi, Thank you - Köszönöm, Come on - Gyere, etc..., and there are others that he only knows in one of the two.
We do want Nate to have a sense of his American identity, and so we try to do some American things with him. For example: Every now and then we take him to the McDonalds in Eger, so he can get a dose of American culture. Every Friday is Hamburger Day. Nate LOVES hamburgers, and usually smiles and laughs the whole time he eats them. Today he tasted a shake for the first time, and cried really hard when it was gone.
A mi 4 fős családunkban, van 3 amerikai állampolgár és 3 magyar állampolgár. Lehet, hogy úgy hangzik ez mint valami választási csalási összeesküvés, de az egyszerű oka az, hogy Rosemary és Nate kettős állampolgárok. A mi háztartásunkban, én (Nick) vagyok az egyetlen aki nem magyar állampolgár.
A mi otthonunkban, mind magyarul mind angolul szoktunk beszélni - Balázzsal magyarul beszélünk és Nate-hez inkább angolul beszélünk, bár ha kint vagyunk emberek között, akkor viszont magyarul szoktunk beszélni hozzá. Bár az angol az első, úgy szeretnénk, hogy Nate mind a két nyelven tudjon beszélni, mert az csak előny lesz a számára, ha két nyelvet tud - annak ellenére, hogy a magyar csak a 67. legbeszéltebb nyelv a világon, és csak egy kicsivel többen beszélik a magyart mint amennyien élnek Tokió városában.
Nate szókincstára állandóan bővül, és már is vannak olyan szavak amiket tud mind két nyelven: Duck - Kacsa, Dog - Kutyus, Milk - Tejcsi, Thank you - Köszönöm, Come on - Gyere, stb..., meg vannak olyanok amiket csak az egyik nyelven tud.
Szeretnénk, hogy Nate amerikainak is érezze magát, és ennek érdekében probálunk "amerikai" dolgokat csinálni vele. Például, néha el megyünk a Mac-i-be Egerben, hogy kapjon egy kis amerikai kulturát. Minden pénteken Hamburger Nap van. Nate imádja a hamburgert, és általában mosolyog és vigyorog miközben eszi. Ma ő először megkostolta egy shake-et, és nagyon izlet neki, hiszen nagyon sírt amikor elfogyott.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Coming to America
I (Nick) will be leaving on Friday for 10 days to the States. I will be attending two weddings, one in Denver and one in Sacramento.The one in Denver is for my friend Jordan and the one in Sacramento is for my cousin Jessica.
Here's the schedule:
- Denver: May 22-28
- Sacramento: May 28-31
Please pray for Rosemary, Nate, and Balázs, as they will stay in Hungary while I'm in the US. This is the longest Rosemary and I will have been apart since we got married, and the farthest we've been away from each other. Please pray that she will have strength to deal with the kids!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Cars
The biggest industry in Eger is automotive, which is obviously struggling and lots of people have lost their jobs here, including many people in our church.
GM has announced that they are going to end their Pontiac brand.
Personally, I don't mind. I know that Pontiac is an iconic American car, but they really haven't made anything great in quite a few years. Most of their cars just look like other GM cars with different body trim on them, but you pay more for them than for a Chevy.
Even though GM is having a hard time these days, Fiat seems to be doing great.
GM Europe entered talks recently over the possibility of selling the Opel and Vauxhall brands to Fiat. Fiat has also been trying to buy up Chrysler - which is almost bankrupt.
As of last year, the Zastava auto factory in Kragujevac, Serbia no longer produces Yugos, but they have started producing cars for Fiat. Serbia is providing a trade-in deal for anyone who can push, pull, or drag in their old Yugo. This way they can produce and sell more cars and get the old, unfit cars off the roads.
The cars being produced in Serbia are the same as the Fiat Punto, but carry the name Zastava Z10.
Apparently its going pretty well for them, because the factory has more orders than they can keep up with. Zastava seems to be one of the only auto factories around with that problem!
The other day, as I was walking around in town, I noticed a car dealership that is selling the new Zastava/Fiat cars here in Eger:
GM has announced that they are going to end their Pontiac brand.
Personally, I don't mind. I know that Pontiac is an iconic American car, but they really haven't made anything great in quite a few years. Most of their cars just look like other GM cars with different body trim on them, but you pay more for them than for a Chevy.
Even though GM is having a hard time these days, Fiat seems to be doing great.
GM Europe entered talks recently over the possibility of selling the Opel and Vauxhall brands to Fiat. Fiat has also been trying to buy up Chrysler - which is almost bankrupt.
As of last year, the Zastava auto factory in Kragujevac, Serbia no longer produces Yugos, but they have started producing cars for Fiat. Serbia is providing a trade-in deal for anyone who can push, pull, or drag in their old Yugo. This way they can produce and sell more cars and get the old, unfit cars off the roads.
The cars being produced in Serbia are the same as the Fiat Punto, but carry the name Zastava Z10.
Apparently its going pretty well for them, because the factory has more orders than they can keep up with. Zastava seems to be one of the only auto factories around with that problem!
The other day, as I was walking around in town, I noticed a car dealership that is selling the new Zastava/Fiat cars here in Eger:
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
Bad Miracle
Ági forwarded me this email, which one of her friends received:
Le Président de l'Argentine reçu cette image et l'appela un "courrier de plaisanterie", 8 jours plus tard sa fille décéda. Un homme reçu cette image et envoya immédiatement des copies.....Sa surprise fût d'être l'heureux gagnant de la loterie.
In English, this says: This picture is holy and performs miracles. The president of Argentina received this picture and thought it was nonsense, 8 days later his daughter died. A man also received this picture and forwarded it immediately. His surprise was that he won the lottery. Alberto Martinez also received this picture and gave it to his secretary to copy and distribute it, but the woman forgot to distribute it and she lost her job, the man lost his family.
This picture is holy and performs miracles, but don't forget to forward it within 13 days to at least 20 people.
What a horrible misrepresentation of God and of holiness - saying that if you don't pass on this stupid e-mail, then God is going to punish you by killing your kid or your family...
This is the kind of spiritual fear mongering and manipulation that I wrote about in a previous post, and it is despicable.
People are obviously passing this on - the forward list had a ton of names and addresses on it - probably out of superstition, or "just in case", because they don't want their family members to die!
I just hope nothing bad happens to me for writing this blog post...
Ez mennyire rosszul képviseli Istent és a szentséget - olyat mondani, hogy ha nem továbbítodd ezt a hülye e-mailt, akkor Isten meg fog téged bűntetni azzal, hogy megöli a családodat...
Ez az a féle félelem felkeltés és manipuláció amiról írtam egy előző posztomban, és ez szánalmas.
Az emberek tényleg továbbítják ezt a levelet - volt egy csomó név és cím a listán - valószínű azért mert babonásak, csak "hát ha", mert nem akarják hogy a szeretei meghaljanak!
Csak remélem, hogy semmi rossz nem fog történni velem azért mert írtam ezt a posztot...
Cette image est miraculeuse et sacrée
Le Président de l'Argentine reçu cette image et l'appela un "courrier de plaisanterie", 8 jours plus tard sa fille décéda. Un homme reçu cette image et envoya immédiatement des copies.....Sa surprise fût d'être l'heureux gagnant de la loterie.
Alberto Martinez reçu cette image et la remis à sa secrétaire pour faire des copies mais ils oublièrent de les distribuer: elle perdit son travail et, lui perdit sa famille.
Cette image est miraculeuse et sacrée ; n'oubliez pas de la faire suivre dans les 13 jours au moins à 20 personnes.
Ez a kép szent és csodát tesz.....
Argentina elnöke kapta ezt a képet és hülyéskedésnek gondolta, 8 nap múlva a lánya elhunyt. Egy férfi szintén megkapta ezt a képet és elküldte azonnal a másolatait (továbbította). A meglepetés az volt számára, hogy megnyerte a lottó nyereményt.
Alberto Martinez szintén megkapta ezt a képet és odaadta a titkárnőjének, hogy csináljon belőle másolatokat, de elfelejtették őket szétosztani, a nő elveszítette a munkáját, a férfi pedig a családját.
Ez a kép szent és csodát tesz, ne felejtsétek el 13 napon belül továbbítani, legalább 20 embernek.
In English, this says: This picture is holy and performs miracles. The president of Argentina received this picture and thought it was nonsense, 8 days later his daughter died. A man also received this picture and forwarded it immediately. His surprise was that he won the lottery. Alberto Martinez also received this picture and gave it to his secretary to copy and distribute it, but the woman forgot to distribute it and she lost her job, the man lost his family.
This picture is holy and performs miracles, but don't forget to forward it within 13 days to at least 20 people.
What a horrible misrepresentation of God and of holiness - saying that if you don't pass on this stupid e-mail, then God is going to punish you by killing your kid or your family...
This is the kind of spiritual fear mongering and manipulation that I wrote about in a previous post, and it is despicable.
People are obviously passing this on - the forward list had a ton of names and addresses on it - probably out of superstition, or "just in case", because they don't want their family members to die!
I just hope nothing bad happens to me for writing this blog post...
Ez mennyire rosszul képviseli Istent és a szentséget - olyat mondani, hogy ha nem továbbítodd ezt a hülye e-mailt, akkor Isten meg fog téged bűntetni azzal, hogy megöli a családodat...
Ez az a féle félelem felkeltés és manipuláció amiról írtam egy előző posztomban, és ez szánalmas.
Az emberek tényleg továbbítják ezt a levelet - volt egy csomó név és cím a listán - valószínű azért mert babonásak, csak "hát ha", mert nem akarják hogy a szeretei meghaljanak!
Csak remélem, hogy semmi rossz nem fog történni velem azért mert írtam ezt a posztot...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Why Nate is already a man
- He opens the fridge and just stands there looking.
- Nate reads on the toilet. (While getting a diaper change, he holds up a book and "reads".)
- He likes to roughhouse. (Laughing the whole time-he likes to be chased around, then tackled; he throws pillows, and wrestles too.)
- While playing with a "team", he takes the ball and hogs it.
- He never cleans up after himself!
- Nate will eat anything on a dare. (Mom says NO! NO! NO! Nate! Don't do it! and he will swallow gravel, beads, paper without a blink.)
- He wants to control the tv with the remote control. He understands how to use it already.
- He laughs in great delight while speeding...in the stroller while someone pushes him in a full run.
- Nate is interested in breasts (for baby reasons).
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Hair Cut
We really like Nate's hair. Its soft and looks cute.
But recently it got so long that it was hanging in his eyes all the time, and old women kept asking if he was a girl...
So yesterday we decided to give him a hair cut. It was Nate's second hair cut, and dad's first time cutting someone's hair.
It turned out pretty good actually, except he does have a bit of a mullet, because mom didn't want to cut off the cute curls in the back.
Here's a video of it:
But recently it got so long that it was hanging in his eyes all the time, and old women kept asking if he was a girl...
So yesterday we decided to give him a hair cut. It was Nate's second hair cut, and dad's first time cutting someone's hair.
It turned out pretty good actually, except he does have a bit of a mullet, because mom didn't want to cut off the cute curls in the back.
Here's a video of it:
Monday, May 11, 2009
Socialist Realism
There is something I like about Socialist Realism. Maybe its because it is something different and something of the past, but for whatever reason, I like it.
Here are some posters in this style from communist Hungary:
Van valami amit szeretem a szoc-reál stilusában. Lehet, azért mert más és egy múltbéli, de akár miért is, szeretem.
Itt van egy pár szoc-reál poszter Magyarországból:
And here is one more poster, from the Soviet Union, which says in Russian: "Religion is Poison":
És itt van még egy poszer, a Szovjet Unióból, amely azt mondja orosz nyelven, hogy: "A Vallás Méreg":
This poster shows the ideology that went along with socialist realism, which was not so cool and which has surely had lasting effects on this part of Europe.
Ez a poszter mutatja azt az ideológiát ami a szoc-reál mögött állt, ami kevésbé szuper, és ami biztosan maradandó hatással volt Európának ennek a részére.
Here are some posters in this style from communist Hungary:
Van valami amit szeretem a szoc-reál stilusában. Lehet, azért mert más és egy múltbéli, de akár miért is, szeretem.
Itt van egy pár szoc-reál poszter Magyarországból:
And here is one more poster, from the Soviet Union, which says in Russian: "Religion is Poison":
És itt van még egy poszer, a Szovjet Unióból, amely azt mondja orosz nyelven, hogy: "A Vallás Méreg":
This poster shows the ideology that went along with socialist realism, which was not so cool and which has surely had lasting effects on this part of Europe.
Ez a poszter mutatja azt az ideológiát ami a szoc-reál mögött állt, ami kevésbé szuper, és ami biztosan maradandó hatással volt Európának ennek a részére.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Not a Fan
I'm going to be honest: I am not a fan of "God" on Facebook. Nor am I a fan of "Prayer".
I am however a fan of sushi and LOST and coffee.
I must admit that I did feel a twinge of guilt as I clicked the X and made the "God" group disappear from my Facebook page's list of suggested friends and groups. But then about half a second later I was over it.
Why is it that I am a fan of sushi, LOST, and coffee, but not of "God" and "prayer"?
A few reasons.
I am however a fan of sushi and LOST and coffee.
I must admit that I did feel a twinge of guilt as I clicked the X and made the "God" group disappear from my Facebook page's list of suggested friends and groups. But then about half a second later I was over it.
Why is it that I am a fan of sushi, LOST, and coffee, but not of "God" and "prayer"?
A few reasons.
- My faith is more than being a "fan"
My love and devotion for God, although imperfect, is infinitely greater than my love and devotion to food and TV shows. For me, putting God in the same list with those things is just not right. I feel like it cheapens and makes novel my love for God to put Him in the same list as Reese's Peanut Butter cups. My commitment to Jesus goes a bit further than being a "fan" on Facebook. - The person who started that group is not God!
That's not actually God running that group; its just some person with a laptop!
So there is no reason for me to feel bad about not joining their group. It doesn't mean that I don't love God, just that I don't feel obligated to be a "fan" of Him by joining some person's group that they set up on a social networking site. - Guilt trips are dumb.
I bet there are a lot of people who become a fan of God on Facebook, because they feel guilty clicking that X and making it go away - as if by doing so, they are denying God.
This is just like those mass emails that say at the end that if you don't pass this email on to 10 people, then you are ashamed of Jesus, and therefore he will be ashamed of you - i.e. if you don't forward this email, there is a very good chance you are going to hell!
That's manipulation, and spiritual manipulation to boot - and I'm quite sure that God isn't down with that.
I never pass on those emails. And I have no fear that I am going to hell, because I understand that my testimony of Jesus is not about whether or not I forward emails to people that say things that I would never write myself, just because I feel guilted into doing it.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Boldog Anyák Napját!
Az a jó magyarországon, hogy itt az anyák napja egy héttel hamarabb van mint az USÁban. Mielőtt Nathaniel megszületett, mindig úgy volt, hogy valaki szólt nekem, hogy Hé, ma van az anyák napja - és akkor tudtam, hogy egy hét múlva lesz az anyák napja Amerikában, és más nap küldtem valamit az édesanyámnak. Most már Rosemary is anya, és az a jó, hogy neki 2 szer ünnepeljük az anyák napját. Úgy gondolom, hogy rá fér - ő egy tökszuper anya, véleményem szerint :)
Boldog Anyák Napját kívánok minden kedves anyukának!
The good thing in Hungary is that Mother's Day is one week earlier here than in the US. Before Nathaniel was born, usually someone would come up to me and tell me - hey, its Mother's Day - and so I knew I had one week to send something to my mother in the States for Mother's Day there. Now that Rosemary is a mother its cool because we get to celebrate Mother's Day for her twice. I think she deserves it - she's a great mom!
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
Boldog Anyák Napját kívánok minden kedves anyukának!
The good thing in Hungary is that Mother's Day is one week earlier here than in the US. Before Nathaniel was born, usually someone would come up to me and tell me - hey, its Mother's Day - and so I knew I had one week to send something to my mother in the States for Mother's Day there. Now that Rosemary is a mother its cool because we get to celebrate Mother's Day for her twice. I think she deserves it - she's a great mom!
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Savior?
Is it me, or is this just straight up blasphemy?
Painter Michael D'Antuono is going to unveil his new painting of Barack Obama on the president's 100th day in office, which will be displayed in New York City's Union Square.
Here's the painting:
Yes, that's a crown of thorns on Obama's head, and he is posing like Jesus.
The only thing I would agree with, is that some people do view Obama as a Messiah-esque figure - but since the title of this painting is "The Truth" it is obvious that the painter is also in the "Obama is our Savior" camp.
This is outrageous. This president covers up the name of Jesus, but does not object to being portrayed as Jesus in public.
Does this count as putting yourself in Jesus' place? Does this count as accepting worship as Savior? Those are pretty serious things. I'm not sure if this equates to that, but it makes me wonder...
Here's an article about it.
Csak én gondolom így, vagy ez tényleg pofátlanság és Istenkáromlás?
Michael D'Antuono festőművész be fogja mutatni a legújabb festményét Barack Obamáról az elnök 100. napján a Fehér Házban, amely ki lesz állítva a new york city-i Union Téren.
Fent található egy kép a festményről.
Igen, az tényleg egy tüvises koszorú Obama fején, és igen, ő tényleg úgy pózol mint Jézus.
Egy dologgal egyetértenék: vannak olyan emberek akik úgy tekintenek Obamára, mint egy Messiásra, de mivel e festmény címe "Az Igazság", nyilvánvaló, hogy ez a festőművész is az "Obama a mi Megváltónk" táborához tartozik.
Ez felháborító. Ez az elnök letakarja Jézus nevét, de nem tiltakozik attól, hogy nyilvánosságban Jézusként ábrázolják.
Ez annak számít, hogy Jézus helyére helyezi magát? Ez annak számít, hogy ő Megváltóként elfogadja a dicséretet? Azok igen komoly dolgok. Még nem vagyok benne biztos, hogy ezeknek számít ez, de elgondolkoztat...
Painter Michael D'Antuono is going to unveil his new painting of Barack Obama on the president's 100th day in office, which will be displayed in New York City's Union Square.
Here's the painting:
Yes, that's a crown of thorns on Obama's head, and he is posing like Jesus.
The only thing I would agree with, is that some people do view Obama as a Messiah-esque figure - but since the title of this painting is "The Truth" it is obvious that the painter is also in the "Obama is our Savior" camp.
This is outrageous. This president covers up the name of Jesus, but does not object to being portrayed as Jesus in public.
Does this count as putting yourself in Jesus' place? Does this count as accepting worship as Savior? Those are pretty serious things. I'm not sure if this equates to that, but it makes me wonder...
Here's an article about it.
Csak én gondolom így, vagy ez tényleg pofátlanság és Istenkáromlás?
Michael D'Antuono festőművész be fogja mutatni a legújabb festményét Barack Obamáról az elnök 100. napján a Fehér Házban, amely ki lesz állítva a new york city-i Union Téren.
Fent található egy kép a festményről.
Igen, az tényleg egy tüvises koszorú Obama fején, és igen, ő tényleg úgy pózol mint Jézus.
Egy dologgal egyetértenék: vannak olyan emberek akik úgy tekintenek Obamára, mint egy Messiásra, de mivel e festmény címe "Az Igazság", nyilvánvaló, hogy ez a festőművész is az "Obama a mi Megváltónk" táborához tartozik.
Ez felháborító. Ez az elnök letakarja Jézus nevét, de nem tiltakozik attól, hogy nyilvánosságban Jézusként ábrázolják.
Ez annak számít, hogy Jézus helyére helyezi magát? Ez annak számít, hogy ő Megváltóként elfogadja a dicséretet? Azok igen komoly dolgok. Még nem vagyok benne biztos, hogy ezeknek számít ez, de elgondolkoztat...
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Floyd Horony
We will miss Floyd. He passed away from cancer recently, and kept his gentle, cheerful character until the end. I heard that he passed away in a coma.
What I know is that Floyd never married and didn't have much of a family around. He has been a part of Calvary Chapel Vista for many years though, and was like a grandpa for many people. The kids all loved Floyd because he had either balloons or candy for them when he was around, and the kids weren't shy to always ask him for something.
I have many memories of Floyd. One of the oldest memories was from about 13 years ago when Calvary Vista had a cafe, and he would take groups of people there after service. He would call out to a whole crowd of people standing around after church, asking with an excited voice, if it was going to be white or dark hot chocolate that night.
When I moved onto the mission field 10 years ago, I remember that he gave me the fabled "missionary handshake" which means he shook my hand and secretly passed me a 20 or 50 $ bill. Every time I visited, Floyd gave me that fabled handshake, and it was really a blessing-of course to get some money, but that he always remembered me.
As the years go by while someone is away from "home," people write less and less letters and emails. Floyd was one of few who would send cards with Bible verses and handwritten messages to encourage me. He always included some cash, then wrote that I should NOT write back.
I remember those times that I went to tell him goodbye before I left for Hungary, and he would get tears in his eyes.
He was a genuinely kind man who had a huge amount of love for all and made all of us feel special.
When we visited home this last time in January, I was shocked to see Floyd so thin and bent over-obviously sick. He didn't want to oblige his news at first, but then told me that he was an old man and had cancer.
I know he has received his rewards now in heaven, but I want to write and share how special I thought he was.
His passing on is another reason I look forward to also going "home" to my eternal home where my mom and dad and a few friends await.
~Rosemary
What I know is that Floyd never married and didn't have much of a family around. He has been a part of Calvary Chapel Vista for many years though, and was like a grandpa for many people. The kids all loved Floyd because he had either balloons or candy for them when he was around, and the kids weren't shy to always ask him for something.
I have many memories of Floyd. One of the oldest memories was from about 13 years ago when Calvary Vista had a cafe, and he would take groups of people there after service. He would call out to a whole crowd of people standing around after church, asking with an excited voice, if it was going to be white or dark hot chocolate that night.
When I moved onto the mission field 10 years ago, I remember that he gave me the fabled "missionary handshake" which means he shook my hand and secretly passed me a 20 or 50 $ bill. Every time I visited, Floyd gave me that fabled handshake, and it was really a blessing-of course to get some money, but that he always remembered me.
As the years go by while someone is away from "home," people write less and less letters and emails. Floyd was one of few who would send cards with Bible verses and handwritten messages to encourage me. He always included some cash, then wrote that I should NOT write back.
I remember those times that I went to tell him goodbye before I left for Hungary, and he would get tears in his eyes.
He was a genuinely kind man who had a huge amount of love for all and made all of us feel special.
When we visited home this last time in January, I was shocked to see Floyd so thin and bent over-obviously sick. He didn't want to oblige his news at first, but then told me that he was an old man and had cancer.
I know he has received his rewards now in heaven, but I want to write and share how special I thought he was.
His passing on is another reason I look forward to also going "home" to my eternal home where my mom and dad and a few friends await.
~Rosemary
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Doga
In case you ever happen to have too much money and don't know what to do with it, here's an idea: Doga.
Yes, its Yoga with and/or for dogs. Its a new fad in America, just showing another example of something dumb people will spend money on.
Here's the article
Hátha majd esetleg annyira sok pénzed lesz, hogy nem tudsz mit kezdeni vele, itt egy ötlet: Doga.
Igen, ez jóga kutyákkal és/vagy kutyákért. Ez egy új divat Amerikában, és még egy példa arról, hogy az emberek milyen buta dolgokra hajlandóak pénzt költeni.
Yes, its Yoga with and/or for dogs. Its a new fad in America, just showing another example of something dumb people will spend money on.
Here's the article
Hátha majd esetleg annyira sok pénzed lesz, hogy nem tudsz mit kezdeni vele, itt egy ötlet: Doga.
Igen, ez jóga kutyákkal és/vagy kutyákért. Ez egy új divat Amerikában, és még egy példa arról, hogy az emberek milyen buta dolgokra hajlandóak pénzt költeni.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Name Above All Names
This week Barack Obama gave a speech at Georgetown University - one of the oldest Catholic universities in the United States. He created quite a stir, especially among Christians, because his people decided to cover up the name of Jesus, in the form of a monogram with the letters IHS, with a black peice of plywood, right above Pres. Obama's head.
The White House issued a statement about it, saying that they did it for camera reasons, so as not to have any symbols which might be distracting to the eye or misunderstood. But obviously Christians are quite upset about this - both at Obama for choosing to speak at a Catholic university and then daring to request them to cover up the name of Jesus, AND at Georgetown University for being willing to cover up Jesus' name instead of telling Obama to buzz off.
I understand that they don't want this to be misunderstood out of context - as if propogating Christianity over other religions - but if this is the case, I think Obama should have chosen to speak somewhere else rather than covering up the name of Jesus.
Its a shame that the White House doesn't think the Name which is above all names is appropriate to be above Obama's head.
Here are some links to read more or see the pictures:
From: The Dawn Patrol and NBC
Ezen a héten Barack Obama beszédet tartott a Georgetown egyetemen - az egyik legrégibb katolikus egyetem az Egyesült Államokban. Elég nagy kavarodást okozott, különösen a Keresztények között, mert az ő emberei úgy döntöttek hogy eltakarják Jézus nevét egy IHS monogram formában, egy fekete szinű butorlappal, pont Obama elnök feje felett.
A Fehér Ház adott erről egy nyilatkozatot, hogy ezt kamerai okok miatt tették, azért, hogy ne legyenek szemnek zavaró tényezők vagy olyan szimbolum amit félre lehet érteni. Nyilván, Keresztények ezért fel vannak háborodva - egyrész Obamára, hogy úgy döntött, hogy katolikus egyetemen tartja a beszédét és aztán mert őket arra kérni, hogy tarkarják el Jézus nevét, ÉS egyrész a Georgetown-ra, mert hajlandóak voltak eltakarni Jézus nevét ahelyett, hogy nemet mondjanak Obamának.
Értem, hogy nem akarják a felreértést, mint ha a kormány vallást propogál - de ha ez van, akkor szerintem inkább Obamának máshol kéne beszélnie, ahelyett hogy Jézus nevét takarja el.
Szégyen, hogy a Fehér Ház úgy gondolja, hogy a Név ami minden névnél feljebb való nem alkalmas hogy az Obama feje felett legyen.
The White House issued a statement about it, saying that they did it for camera reasons, so as not to have any symbols which might be distracting to the eye or misunderstood. But obviously Christians are quite upset about this - both at Obama for choosing to speak at a Catholic university and then daring to request them to cover up the name of Jesus, AND at Georgetown University for being willing to cover up Jesus' name instead of telling Obama to buzz off.
I understand that they don't want this to be misunderstood out of context - as if propogating Christianity over other religions - but if this is the case, I think Obama should have chosen to speak somewhere else rather than covering up the name of Jesus.
Its a shame that the White House doesn't think the Name which is above all names is appropriate to be above Obama's head.
Here are some links to read more or see the pictures:
From: The Dawn Patrol and NBC
Ezen a héten Barack Obama beszédet tartott a Georgetown egyetemen - az egyik legrégibb katolikus egyetem az Egyesült Államokban. Elég nagy kavarodást okozott, különösen a Keresztények között, mert az ő emberei úgy döntöttek hogy eltakarják Jézus nevét egy IHS monogram formában, egy fekete szinű butorlappal, pont Obama elnök feje felett.
A Fehér Ház adott erről egy nyilatkozatot, hogy ezt kamerai okok miatt tették, azért, hogy ne legyenek szemnek zavaró tényezők vagy olyan szimbolum amit félre lehet érteni. Nyilván, Keresztények ezért fel vannak háborodva - egyrész Obamára, hogy úgy döntött, hogy katolikus egyetemen tartja a beszédét és aztán mert őket arra kérni, hogy tarkarják el Jézus nevét, ÉS egyrész a Georgetown-ra, mert hajlandóak voltak eltakarni Jézus nevét ahelyett, hogy nemet mondjanak Obamának.
Értem, hogy nem akarják a felreértést, mint ha a kormány vallást propogál - de ha ez van, akkor szerintem inkább Obamának máshol kéne beszélnie, ahelyett hogy Jézus nevét takarja el.
Szégyen, hogy a Fehér Ház úgy gondolja, hogy a Név ami minden névnél feljebb való nem alkalmas hogy az Obama feje felett legyen.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Slovenský Raj
Balázs had his spring break around Easter, and since he's never really been anywhere yet, I took him to one of my favorite nearby places to hike - Slovenský Raj (Slovak Paradise) national park in Slovakia.
He had a great time, except that the hike lasted 6 hrs, and 1 hour into it he started asking if we were almost at the end yet...
I told him that by the end of this summer he will be a hiking machine :)
Here are the pictures:
Balázsnak tavaszi szünete volt a múlt héten, Húsvét előtt, és mivel eddig még nem nagyon járt túl sok helyen, elvittem az egyik kedvenc kiránduló helyemre turázni - a Szlovák Paradicsom nemzeti parkba, Szlovákiában.
Nagyon jól érezte magát, csak annyi volt, hogy ez egy 6 órás tura volt, és az első óra után Balázs elkezdett kérdezni, hogy "ott vagyunk már?"...
Mondtam neki, hogy a nyár végére, már tura-gép lesz belőle :)
He had a great time, except that the hike lasted 6 hrs, and 1 hour into it he started asking if we were almost at the end yet...
I told him that by the end of this summer he will be a hiking machine :)
Here are the pictures:
Balázsnak tavaszi szünete volt a múlt héten, Húsvét előtt, és mivel eddig még nem nagyon járt túl sok helyen, elvittem az egyik kedvenc kiránduló helyemre turázni - a Szlovák Paradicsom nemzeti parkba, Szlovákiában.
Nagyon jól érezte magát, csak annyi volt, hogy ez egy 6 órás tura volt, és az első óra után Balázs elkezdett kérdezni, hogy "ott vagyunk már?"...
Mondtam neki, hogy a nyár végére, már tura-gép lesz belőle :)
Easter Egg Hunt
I just finished working on my midterm assignments, hence the sudden burst of blog posts.
Nate had his first Easter egg hunt on Easter Monday. Here are some pictures and a video:
Nate had his first Easter egg hunt on Easter Monday. Here are some pictures and a video:
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Four Years
This past Sunday marked the fourth anniversary of our church in Eger.On Easter 2005 we started the church formally with our first Sunday service. Since that time God has done good things amongst us; people have come to know the Lord, been baptized, stepped into ministry, etc...
We can see that we are having an impact for Christ in Eger, and that is a good feeling. We believe that this is only the beginning of what God wants to do here.
Rosemary and I have been in Eger for 4 years now too. In that time we've gained some weight, seen some things, had a kid, and picked another one up along the way.
Currently we're trying to buy a house; please pray for that! We've made an offer on a house, but haven't heard anything back on it yet.
But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God." My times are in your hand.
Psalm 31:14-15
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Its Official
Bajnai Gordon is the new prime minister of Hungary. He has a pretty hard job ahead of him. He has told Hungarians that they should prepare for things to get difficult for a little while, as he takes drastic measures to fix problems, and that in the end it will be better for the country.
By the way - that's exactly what Gyurcsány Ferenc said a few years ago, when it came out that he had been lying to everyone about the financial state of the country...
I'm already not a big fan of Bajnai, because he is taking away state support for families buying houses from June 1st. So, we'll see if things work out for us to get into something in the next month, before they cut the funds.
Time will tell if Gordon bácsi can turn things around.
I personally hope he does, but I think that no matter what happens, he will be very unpopular because of his cutbacks. But alas, it would be really hard to be less popular that Gyurcsány Ferenc - the man who was so unpopular that it made George Bush seem like a teen pop idol in comparison.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Nerd Fact
Rosemary often says that my brain is full of "nerd facts" - silly facts that I bring up in sentences which begin like: "Did you know that..."
Here's the nerd fact for the day: Hungary is one of only 4 countries in the world that use the date format of yyyy/mm/dd. The only other countries that format their dates this way are Lithuania, China and Mongolia. This is interesting, because the main theories about the origin of the Hungarian people is that they are an eastern people group, with closer relations to Mongols than to the Slavic and Germanic peoples around them.
Another interesting thing is that the United States and its territories are the only places where the dating format is exclusively: mm/dd/yyyy - Canada and Kenya also use this format, but they use others as well.
Maybe we should conclude that this proves that Canadians and Kenyans actually descend from the USA.
Here's the map - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Date.png
20 Years
This year marks 20 years since 1989, when many of the communist regimes of Eastern Europe fell.
The BBC has a cool page about this, with old video footage from 1989:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7961732.stm
The BBC has a cool page about this, with old video footage from 1989:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7961732.stm
Monday, March 30, 2009
Life in Eger
Thoughts for the today:
- We really like the mall here in Eger. The Agria Park, as its called, was a big deal when it was built a year ago; in fact, it won an award for best shopping center of 2008.
We go to the mall at least 2 or 3 times a week, and usually more. It is only 2 blocks from our house, and there's a grocery store there, a branch of our bank, an outdoor playground, an indoor play area, a hair dresser, coffee shops, etc... Nate loves to hang out there, because there is a lot of room for him to run. We often go there to meet with people from church.
Unfortunately, our dear mall seems to be in decline. A lot of the shops have been closing up, even some owned by big international chains. One good side to this, is that a lot of the shops have sales.
Today, to our great disappointment, we saw that the Subway restaurant in the mall closed too. Having a Subway was a big source of pride for us here in Eger, since we were one of the only places outside of Budapest to have one! Its true that the prices were really high, and because of that we only ate there once - but we were sad to see it go. In fact, they already took Eger off of their international list of restaurant locations! Farewell Subway. Its back to the dark ages for us citizens of Eger. - Today we watched the movie Fireproof with Shane and Marianna.
I have to say that this has to be the best Christian film I've ever seen. Usually I don't like Christian films; I didn't even like Facing the Giants - made by the same people who made Fireproof - movies about high-school football don't do it for me in general.
Kirk Cameron out-acted everyone else in the film like Michael Jordan playing on a team of 5 year-olds, and some of the actors were so bad that we wondered if they were just nice people from the church of the producers rather than professional actors.
But overall, the movie was great - well written and captivating. Good job on this one Christians! Keep up the good work. - The actual vote will happen on April 14th, but it seems that Hungary's next Prime Minister is going to be Bajnai Gordon.
I've never met a Hungarian named Gordon before, and I wonder if they just chose him because he's the closest thing they could find to Gordon Brown. Even Balázs told me that he's never heard of the name Gordon before in Hungary; the weird thing to think about is that when this guy's parents named him Gordon like 50 yrs ago, they were being hip and trendy by naming him something different, before it was even popular in Hungary to be hip and trendy! Nice work Bajnai Gordon's parents!
I just hope Gordon does good things for the country, as Hungary is in danger of economic collapse this year. Hopefully that won't happen.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Police Station
We got a call on Monday that we should come into the police station, because they caught a team of burglars who have been breaking into houses in Eger, and found some electronics and jewelery in their possession. So we were told to bring any documentation of our stuff into the police station on Tuesday.
We went in on Tuesday, hopeful that maybe we would get some of our stuff back, but we didn't.
We had counted these things as gone when we got robbed, but it was kind of a let down, as we started to get our hopes up about what the police had found.
Overall though, our experience with the police in Eger has been very positive.
In Hungary, the police are the butt of most jokes - kind of like how blonde women and Poles are in the States - and they make them out to be incompetent idiots.
Our experience with the Hungarian police is that they work hard and are quite professional, and they don't deserve their bad reputation.
But, just for good measure - here's a Hungarian police joke:
Two policemen are talking; one says "hey, what's that?" The other says, "Its a thermos". "Really, what's it do?" "It keeps hot food hot and cold food cold." "Wow; what do you have inside?" "Some chicken soup and 2 scoops of ice cream."
Hétfőn telefonáltak nekünk a rendőrkapitányságból, hogy menjünk be, mert elfogták egy csapatot, akik Egerben rendszeresen betörnek lakásokba, és találtak náluk néhány ékszert és elektronikát. Azt mondták nekünk, hogy hozzuk be minden papírunk, hogy be tudjuk bizonyítani hogy ha valamelyik cucc a miénk.
Kedden bementünk, és reméltünk, hogy valamit vissza fogjuk kapni, de végül nem kaptunk vissza semmit.
Amiután megtörtént a betörés, úgy voltunk vele, hogy nem számitunk arra, hogy vissza fogjuk vissza kapni az elveszett cuccokat, de azért mégis csalodtunk egy kicsit, mert elkezdtünk gondolkozni rajta, hogy lehet hogy találtak valamit.
De azt kell, hogy mondjam, hogy csupa pozitív tapasztalatunk volt az egri rendőrökkel. Ahozz képes, hogy mennyire szivatják őket (az USÁban pedig a lengyeleket szoktunk szivatni a viccekben!), az volt a tapasztalatunk, hogy szakszerűek és szorgalmasak, és nem igazán érdemlik a rossz hírnevüket.
De azért, hadd írjam ide egy jó magyar rendőrviccet:
Két rendőr beszélget: az egyik megkérdezi, "az mi az?" A másik így felel: "Ez egy termosz" "Igen? Az mire való?" "Hát, a meleg kaját melegen tartja, a hideg kaját pedig hidegen tartja." "Tyű, de jó! És mi van benne?" "Egy húsleves és két gomboc fagyi."
We went in on Tuesday, hopeful that maybe we would get some of our stuff back, but we didn't.
We had counted these things as gone when we got robbed, but it was kind of a let down, as we started to get our hopes up about what the police had found.
Overall though, our experience with the police in Eger has been very positive.
In Hungary, the police are the butt of most jokes - kind of like how blonde women and Poles are in the States - and they make them out to be incompetent idiots.
Our experience with the Hungarian police is that they work hard and are quite professional, and they don't deserve their bad reputation.
But, just for good measure - here's a Hungarian police joke:
Two policemen are talking; one says "hey, what's that?" The other says, "Its a thermos". "Really, what's it do?" "It keeps hot food hot and cold food cold." "Wow; what do you have inside?" "Some chicken soup and 2 scoops of ice cream."
Hétfőn telefonáltak nekünk a rendőrkapitányságból, hogy menjünk be, mert elfogták egy csapatot, akik Egerben rendszeresen betörnek lakásokba, és találtak náluk néhány ékszert és elektronikát. Azt mondták nekünk, hogy hozzuk be minden papírunk, hogy be tudjuk bizonyítani hogy ha valamelyik cucc a miénk.
Kedden bementünk, és reméltünk, hogy valamit vissza fogjuk kapni, de végül nem kaptunk vissza semmit.
Amiután megtörtént a betörés, úgy voltunk vele, hogy nem számitunk arra, hogy vissza fogjuk vissza kapni az elveszett cuccokat, de azért mégis csalodtunk egy kicsit, mert elkezdtünk gondolkozni rajta, hogy lehet hogy találtak valamit.
De azt kell, hogy mondjam, hogy csupa pozitív tapasztalatunk volt az egri rendőrökkel. Ahozz képes, hogy mennyire szivatják őket (az USÁban pedig a lengyeleket szoktunk szivatni a viccekben!), az volt a tapasztalatunk, hogy szakszerűek és szorgalmasak, és nem igazán érdemlik a rossz hírnevüket.
De azért, hadd írjam ide egy jó magyar rendőrviccet:
Két rendőr beszélget: az egyik megkérdezi, "az mi az?" A másik így felel: "Ez egy termosz" "Igen? Az mire való?" "Hát, a meleg kaját melegen tartja, a hideg kaját pedig hidegen tartja." "Tyű, de jó! És mi van benne?" "Egy húsleves és két gomboc fagyi."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Playground
Today we went with Nate to the playground at the Eger mall. It was his first time playing on a jungle jim all by himself, and he had a great time. His favorite was the slide - there were some steps he could climb up to get to the top of the slide on his own, and he must have done it about 20 times.
Here are some pictures:
Here are some pictures:
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Viszlát Feri Bácsi
Gyurcsány Ferenc ma lemondott a miniszterelnökségről. Alíg tudom elhinni.
Az az ember aki még Bokor Györgynél (George Bush) is népszerűtlenebb volt, végül lemondott.
Egyrész sajnálom őt, mert mindenki utálja; másrész nem sajnálom, mert sok mindenre feleős. Lehet, hogy azért mondott le most, mert látja hogy lesülyed a hajó és jobb neki ha inkább most ugrik ki!
Itt a videó:
Gyurcsány Ferenc resigned today as Prime Minister of Hungary. I can barely believe it.
The one man who was less popular than George Bush has finally resigned.
On one hand I feel sorry for the guy because everyone hates him, but on the other hand I don't feel sorry for him because he's responsible for a lot of stuff. Perhaps the reason he's resigning right now is because he sees that the ship is sinking and it will be better for him if he just bails out now!
Az az ember aki még Bokor Györgynél (George Bush) is népszerűtlenebb volt, végül lemondott.
Egyrész sajnálom őt, mert mindenki utálja; másrész nem sajnálom, mert sok mindenre feleős. Lehet, hogy azért mondott le most, mert látja hogy lesülyed a hajó és jobb neki ha inkább most ugrik ki!
Itt a videó:
Gyurcsány Ferenc resigned today as Prime Minister of Hungary. I can barely believe it.
The one man who was less popular than George Bush has finally resigned.
On one hand I feel sorry for the guy because everyone hates him, but on the other hand I don't feel sorry for him because he's responsible for a lot of stuff. Perhaps the reason he's resigning right now is because he sees that the ship is sinking and it will be better for him if he just bails out now!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
St. Patrick
My dad is Irish, but the only really Irish things I remember growing up were eating corned beef and hash and having a big Irish wake after my grandmother's funeral. I'd have to say that the Irish deal with death better than anyone else I've ever seen - they go out and have a big party with the family and keep everything very lighthearted.Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and I wanted to write then, but just now found the time - at almost 1am...
Anyways, St. Patrick's Day is a cool holiday in my opinion, not just because of the green beer and pinching people - but because of who St. Patrick was.
Patrick was a Roman Briton born in Wales around 390 AD. He was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave when he was 16 yrs old. After living there as a slave for 6 yrs, he managed to escape back to Britain. While there he joined a monastery and became a minister, and later decided to go back to Ireland as a missionary.
Patrick was one of the earliest Christian missionaries to travel abroad to spread Christianity. There isn't a lot we know about his time as a missionary in Ireland, except that he preached the Gospel and baptized many people, including some members of the royal family.
One of the noteworthy things which Patrick did as a missionary was live in solidarity with the Irish people. Patrick wrote that he "sold his nobility" to enhance his commonality with his Irish audience. He learned their language, and lived among them, instead of separately.
In a lot of ways he left a good legacy for missionaries who came after him.
Here's to Patrick the missionary and the Irish people. Corned beef forever!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Camera
When our house got broken into last month we lost some valuable stuff. Although some things we lost were irreplaceable, we have been able to replace a few things with a little help from our friends. Thank you to those of you who blessed us in that way.
Today we replaced one of the things we lost which we really don't 'need' in order to live, but which we really liked having - our Nikon D50 camera. They don't make the D50 anymore, so we got a D60, which is the newer version of Nikon DSLR.
There are some things about it which are different from the D50, which we will have to get used to - like the body is much more compact - which is good in a lot of ways, but it feels different in your hand. Also, because of the smaller body there is no setting display on the top of the camera, but it is done on the LCD.
The nice things about it are that the LCD is bigger and the camera is much lighter than the D50. It also has a better sensor and is 10 megapixel instead of 6. There are some other significant technical improvements on it as well.
Today I took it out for a test run.
Today we replaced one of the things we lost which we really don't 'need' in order to live, but which we really liked having - our Nikon D50 camera. They don't make the D50 anymore, so we got a D60, which is the newer version of Nikon DSLR.There are some things about it which are different from the D50, which we will have to get used to - like the body is much more compact - which is good in a lot of ways, but it feels different in your hand. Also, because of the smaller body there is no setting display on the top of the camera, but it is done on the LCD.
The nice things about it are that the LCD is bigger and the camera is much lighter than the D50. It also has a better sensor and is 10 megapixel instead of 6. There are some other significant technical improvements on it as well.
Today I took it out for a test run.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Be a Man!
As part of my theology course I've had to study a bit of the New Testament apocrypha - i.e. books which are written in the style of the New Testament books, but which are not considered canonical, or inspired by God.
Most, if not all, of these books were written long after the canonical New Testament books, and were usually written by certain pseudo-Christian groups in order to promote or validate their aberrant theology.
Here's a quote from a scholar:
People may still be heard to say: 'After all, these Apocryphal Gospels and Acts, as you call them, are just as interesting as the old ones. It is only caprice that they were not put into the New Testament'. The best answer to such loose talk has always been, and is now, to produce the writings and let them tell their own story. It will very quickly be seen that there is no question of any one's having excluded them from the New Testament: they have done that for themselves.
Most, if not all, of these books were written long after the canonical New Testament books, and were usually written by certain pseudo-Christian groups in order to promote or validate their aberrant theology.
Here's a quote from a scholar:
People may still be heard to say: 'After all, these Apocryphal Gospels and Acts, as you call them, are just as interesting as the old ones. It is only caprice that they were not put into the New Testament'. The best answer to such loose talk has always been, and is now, to produce the writings and let them tell their own story. It will very quickly be seen that there is no question of any one's having excluded them from the New Testament: they have done that for themselves.
(M.R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament)
I think that guy's right, and I'll give you a few examples.
Probably the most popular of the NT apocrypha is the Gospel of Thomas. It was found in a 4th century library in Egypt in 1945. It contains stories and sayings of Jesus, some which are found in the NT, and some which are quite different from the teachings of the NT. Its also well known, because it was quoted in the very B movie Stigmata.
Here's an example: saying 114 says this - 'Simon Peter said to them "Let Mariam go out from among us, for women are not worthy of the life." Jesus said: "Look, I will lead her that I may make her male, in order that she too maybe become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven."
I think that's wild! According to this Gospel, you are saved by grace through faith...that is, unless you are a woman! In which case, you must first become a man. Very nice...
Another example, which would be too long to write out, but here's a link for it, is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which claims to tell the story of Jesus' childhood, which is so obviously missing from the canonical accounts.
The story starts with Jesus at 5 years old playing at a brook, and he makes the waters of the brook gather together and form pools. Then, a kid comes along - the son of a scribe - and takes a stick and ruins the pools Jesus made. So what does Jesus do? HE KILLS HIM!
And then Jesus goes home. A little later Jesus is going through the village, and a child runs into him and dashes against his shoulder. So what does Jesus do? HE KILLS HIM TOO!
Then Joseph hears that Jesus has been killing the other children in town, so he grabs him by the ear and "wrung it sore." Then Jesus rebukes Joseph for doing this. Well, at least he didn't kill him.
Anyways, the above quote has a really good point. If you read these apocryphal Gospels, it becomes pretty obvious really quickly that they disqualify themselves from being included in the canon by their aberrant stories and theology.
Personally, I believe in an all-powerful, all-knowing God, who is able to preserve His Word and keep it pure throughout the generations, protecting it from all kinds of crazy stuff like this.
I think that guy's right, and I'll give you a few examples.
Probably the most popular of the NT apocrypha is the Gospel of Thomas. It was found in a 4th century library in Egypt in 1945. It contains stories and sayings of Jesus, some which are found in the NT, and some which are quite different from the teachings of the NT. Its also well known, because it was quoted in the very B movie Stigmata.
Here's an example: saying 114 says this - 'Simon Peter said to them "Let Mariam go out from among us, for women are not worthy of the life." Jesus said: "Look, I will lead her that I may make her male, in order that she too maybe become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven."
I think that's wild! According to this Gospel, you are saved by grace through faith...that is, unless you are a woman! In which case, you must first become a man. Very nice...
Another example, which would be too long to write out, but here's a link for it, is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which claims to tell the story of Jesus' childhood, which is so obviously missing from the canonical accounts.
The story starts with Jesus at 5 years old playing at a brook, and he makes the waters of the brook gather together and form pools. Then, a kid comes along - the son of a scribe - and takes a stick and ruins the pools Jesus made. So what does Jesus do? HE KILLS HIM!
And then Jesus goes home. A little later Jesus is going through the village, and a child runs into him and dashes against his shoulder. So what does Jesus do? HE KILLS HIM TOO!
Then Joseph hears that Jesus has been killing the other children in town, so he grabs him by the ear and "wrung it sore." Then Jesus rebukes Joseph for doing this. Well, at least he didn't kill him.
Anyways, the above quote has a really good point. If you read these apocryphal Gospels, it becomes pretty obvious really quickly that they disqualify themselves from being included in the canon by their aberrant stories and theology.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Today - Ma
Today:- Was Women's Day in many countries of Europe - mostly the former communist countries.
The poster to the right is a Soviet-era Women's Day poster from Russia.
Happy Women's Day to all the ladies out there! - I found out that Balázs knows off the top of his head the exact size of the Eger plaza (mall).
We were talking about a mall in Debrecen, and Balázs asked, "Is that mall bigger than the Eger mall, because the one here is 19,000 square meters."
We were impressed. He can't find Peru on a map, but he knows the exact dimensions of the mall. - The Volvo Kupa ended today in Eger, with Hungary playing the final match against the USA.
Despite my rooting for the US, Hungary won the match 13-4. Congrats Hungary.
However, it wasn't enough for them to win the tournament, which was won by Serbia.
Here are the final standings:
1. Serbia
2. Hungary
3. Romania
4. USA
I spent a lot of time trying to think up a good excuse for why the US lost, but in the end I gave up - they lost, really bad. Oh well, life goes on.
Maybe I should start rooting for another team. Hajrá Szerbia!
- Nőnap volt számos európai országban – főleg a volt-kommunista országokban.
A fenti poszter egy Szovjet nőnapi poszter.
Boldog nőnapot kívánok a hölgyeknek! - Kiderült, hogy Balázs fejből tudja, hogy pontosan hány négyzet méter az egri pláza.
Beszélgettünk egy debreceni plázáról, és Balázs megkérdezi, „Az ottani pláza nagyobb mint az itteni? Mert az itteni 19 ezer négyzet méter.”
Tyű. Le voltunk nyűgözve. Nem tudja hol van Peru egy térképen, de pontosan tudja, hogy hány négyzet méter az Agria Park. - A Volvo Kupának ma lett vége itt Egerben, és az utolsó meccs Magyarország – USA volt.
Az USÁért való drukkolásom ellenére, Magyarország nyert 13-4. Gratulálok, kedves magyarok.
Viszont, ez még nem volt elég ahozz, hogy Magyarország megnyerje a tornát, amelyet Szerbia megnyerte.
Ez volt a torna végeredménye:
1. Szerbia
2. Magyarország
3. Románia
4. USA
Jó sokáig próbáltam kitalálni egy jó kifogást arra, hogy az USA miért nem nyerte meg, de végül feladtam. Verést szenvedtek, egész rendesen. Nem baj, ezt is túl fogom élni.
Lehet hogy mostantól fogva egy másik országért kéne drukkolnom. Hajrá Szerbia!
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Volvo Kupa
Eger is not a football (aka soccer) town, in fact, it would be fair to say that Eger's football team sucks. They are so bad that they are in a low-level group that play's against such "powerhouse" teams as Bekölce and Egercsehi. You get the idea.
However, the big sport in Eger is waterpolo, and the Eger team is very good. So good that the city built for them one of the best and biggest water polo stadiums in the country, where the Eger city team often plays against national teams from other countries, like Ukraine and Italy to name some off the top of my head.
This weekend is a big waterpolo event in Eger - the Volvo Kupa - in which the national teams of Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and the USA are having a small tournament.
Tomorrow afternoon is the finale: Hungary vs. USA. One of the reasons its such a big deal is because Hungary beat the US in the summer olympics in Beijing to win the gold medal.
I'm hoping to make it out to the match after church - too root for the US, of couse - but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it; plus, according to the news it might already be sold out.
Hajrá USA!
Eger nem igazán egy foci-rajongó város, sőt jogos azt mondani, hogy az egri foci csapat béna. Például, olyan csoportba vannak, amiben olyan "hatalmak" ellen játszanak mint Bekölce és Egercsehi. Tehát, ja.
Viszont, Egerben a vízilabda az igazi sport, és ez egri csapat nagyon jó. Annyira, hogy a városi önkormányzat építette nekik az egyik legjobb vízilabda csarnokot az országban, ahol Eger városának a csapata játszik más országok válogatott csapatai ellen, mint Ukrajna és Olaszország - csak hogy kapásból mondjam egy-két példát.
Most hétvégén, nagy sportesemény van Egerben - a Volvo Kupa - amiben a magyar, román, szerb, és USA-i válogatott csapatoknak lesz mérközés.
Holnap lesz a finálé: Magyarország - Egyesült Államok. Ez azért is érdekes, mert a magyar csapat legyőzte az amcsi csapatot a pekengi olimpiában, és így nyertek meg az aranyérmet.
Remélem, hogy gyüli után el tudok menni - az USÁért szurkolni, természetesen - bár nem valószínű hogy tudok menni, sőt azt is mondták a híradóban, hogy lehet hogy már nem lehet jegyet kapni.
Hajrá USA!
However, the big sport in Eger is waterpolo, and the Eger team is very good. So good that the city built for them one of the best and biggest water polo stadiums in the country, where the Eger city team often plays against national teams from other countries, like Ukraine and Italy to name some off the top of my head.
This weekend is a big waterpolo event in Eger - the Volvo Kupa - in which the national teams of Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and the USA are having a small tournament.Tomorrow afternoon is the finale: Hungary vs. USA. One of the reasons its such a big deal is because Hungary beat the US in the summer olympics in Beijing to win the gold medal.
I'm hoping to make it out to the match after church - too root for the US, of couse - but I'm not sure I'll be able to make it; plus, according to the news it might already be sold out.
Hajrá USA!
Eger nem igazán egy foci-rajongó város, sőt jogos azt mondani, hogy az egri foci csapat béna. Például, olyan csoportba vannak, amiben olyan "hatalmak" ellen játszanak mint Bekölce és Egercsehi. Tehát, ja.
Viszont, Egerben a vízilabda az igazi sport, és ez egri csapat nagyon jó. Annyira, hogy a városi önkormányzat építette nekik az egyik legjobb vízilabda csarnokot az országban, ahol Eger városának a csapata játszik más országok válogatott csapatai ellen, mint Ukrajna és Olaszország - csak hogy kapásból mondjam egy-két példát.
Most hétvégén, nagy sportesemény van Egerben - a Volvo Kupa - amiben a magyar, román, szerb, és USA-i válogatott csapatoknak lesz mérközés.
Holnap lesz a finálé: Magyarország - Egyesült Államok. Ez azért is érdekes, mert a magyar csapat legyőzte az amcsi csapatot a pekengi olimpiában, és így nyertek meg az aranyérmet.
Remélem, hogy gyüli után el tudok menni - az USÁért szurkolni, természetesen - bár nem valószínű hogy tudok menni, sőt azt is mondták a híradóban, hogy lehet hogy már nem lehet jegyet kapni.
Hajrá USA!
Friday, March 06, 2009
Garden of Eden?
According to this article, archaeologists have found a site in eastern Turkey which they claim to be the most important discovery in the last 50 years.
Based on its location, and carbon dating saying that the site is about 10,000 yrs old - as opposed to Stonehenge at 3000 yrs and the Giza pyramids at 2500 yrs old - some archaeologists are suggesting that this is the location of the Garden of Eden.
The idea is intriguing, considering that it would match up roughly with the dating and location described in Genesis, but for some reason I'm not totally convinced yet.
What do you think - is this the location of the Garden of Eden?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1157784/Do-mysterious-stones-mark-site-Garden-Eden.html
E-szerint a cikk szerint, régészek megtaláltak egy olyan helyet kelet Törökországban, amelyet egyesek a legfontosabb régészeti felfedezésnek tartják az utóbbi 50 évben.
A hely elhelyezkedése alapján, hozzáadva azt, hogy a szén dátumozás szerint az ott talált tágyak kb 10 ezer évesek - összehasonlítva a 3000 éves Stonehenge-dzsel és a 2500 éves gizai piramisokkal - egyes régészek azt állítják, hogy ez az Éden kertjének a területe.
Szerintem nagyon érdekes ez a feltevés, mivel hogy nagyából egyezik azzal a dátumozással és elhelyezkedéssel amit az 1.Mózes könyvében olvasuk, viszont valamiért még nem vagyok teljesen meggyőzödve róla.
Mit szóltok hozzá - ez az Éden kertje területe lehet?
Based on its location, and carbon dating saying that the site is about 10,000 yrs old - as opposed to Stonehenge at 3000 yrs and the Giza pyramids at 2500 yrs old - some archaeologists are suggesting that this is the location of the Garden of Eden.
The idea is intriguing, considering that it would match up roughly with the dating and location described in Genesis, but for some reason I'm not totally convinced yet.
What do you think - is this the location of the Garden of Eden?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1157784/Do-mysterious-stones-mark-site-Garden-Eden.html
E-szerint a cikk szerint, régészek megtaláltak egy olyan helyet kelet Törökországban, amelyet egyesek a legfontosabb régészeti felfedezésnek tartják az utóbbi 50 évben.
A hely elhelyezkedése alapján, hozzáadva azt, hogy a szén dátumozás szerint az ott talált tágyak kb 10 ezer évesek - összehasonlítva a 3000 éves Stonehenge-dzsel és a 2500 éves gizai piramisokkal - egyes régészek azt állítják, hogy ez az Éden kertjének a területe.
Szerintem nagyon érdekes ez a feltevés, mivel hogy nagyából egyezik azzal a dátumozással és elhelyezkedéssel amit az 1.Mózes könyvében olvasuk, viszont valamiért még nem vagyok teljesen meggyőzödve róla.
Mit szóltok hozzá - ez az Éden kertje területe lehet?
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