coffee talk: betting the farm
May 22, 2009
What’s a cause, an idea, an anything that you’d risk everything for?
Talk amongst yourselves.
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@xcwaterboy says:
I’m going to start what I imagine will we a long line of redundancy with a one word answer: Jesus
(Please note: this is not a shameless attempt to get the 20k comment prize by randomly commenting.)
i’d lay down in front of a bus to protect anyone that i love. no questions asked.
as for a specific “cause”… i really don’t know. i probably should, but i don’t. [i assume that my faith goes without saying]
I agree with gitz. People. Hands-down.
And sometimes, that is a bad thing. I know this. But I do it anyway, because usually it is more than worth it.
Causes? Like… well… hm. Things I would risk everything for are many. I am a planner… but if I feel a pull or a calling to do something, I have been known to toss all plans out the window in order to do what I feel is right, and what God is leading me toward. It hasn’t burned me yet… only blessings for those actions.
Freedom!
I would have said Jesus/God…but it was taken, so I went with freedom.
I really want to be bold and brave and give the traditional textbook answer, but I’m afraid I’ve lived long enough to know I’ll never know until I know.
perfect answer.
@cassgirl says:
woah
@danielleH says:
yes…Jesus and my family. and pray that i would be strong enough. thank God for the promise of the Spirit
@rachieannie says:
My mind is cycling around the idea of bettin the farm. Since I grew up on a farm and my dad and I were just talking about how my grandma’s family is selling their farm, that is hitting a little close to home!
What would I give up my heritage, my growing up years, my family’s base for?
Well, I would have to say for the idea of family. Not necessarily for the reality of family. Because, well, honestly, family doesn’t always deserve it (sadly enough). But the for the sake of the idea of the family God wants us to be and to have, for that, I would bet the farm.
@knights_lady says:
I’m with Nor. I have no idea what I’m capable of until I’m inspired.
@moweezle says:
I’ll go with most of the answers above…. sometimes my mind wanders to the possibilities of what would happen if I’m ever placed in that position (I guess living over here plays mind-games with your head sometimes). I honestly can say that if I would give all I had for the chance to save anyone else. So, yeah…I say along with Roo….People. Any cause that I believe in have to do with people anyways, so they all overlap.
helping somebody understand or experience love. not love from me…because that is self-seeking (even though i like it), but once i have seen or understood that the kids are fed, they are better able to accept and heal and receive the love offered and i will fight to the death for that opportunity. here or anywhere on this planet if i feel led.
and that is why africa needs you.
@nateonamission says:
amen!
I’m stealing the motto: To know Christ, and to make Him known.
I pray that God gives the strength and grace to do this.
@atangie says:
Q: What’s a cause, an idea, an anything that you’d risk everything for?
A: I have trouble calling God a cause, or an idea or a thing. I also would not place any person in those groups either. I would like to say that there is something noble enough to risk it all for (i.e. missions, marriage, Christianity, family, etc.) but frankly I just do not know. I have never had to risk it all.
I would ask you, Alece, the same thing: What’s a cause, an idea, an anything that you’d risk everything for?
@coloraturajoy says:
me too, me too. i wanna know your answer to this.
without it wanting to sound contrived… making Christ known in africa by equipping Godly nextgen leaders.
i bet the farm on that a long time ago.
<3
I would call this “anything” rather I would call this “everything”… but here is my answer. In my heart I want to say Jesus. I want to be bold and brave and give that answer, but I’m afraid that if I was faced with that answer I would hesitate. I guess in my heart I hope that I have been branded…. but in my head I hesitate… maybe that is why I followed my heart these days.
At the beginning, I meant to say “I would NOT call this “anything” ugh… I hate typing and missing a word.
“anything” that God calls me to do…i’ve experienced His true joy and abundant life through being obedient to some awesome things that He has called me to do…so far i haven’t had to “risk everything”…
@cassgirl says:
Wow. what A HARD question.
I am like Angie, Jesus is not a cause and neither are the people I love.
hands down I would jump of a cliff for them.
But what would risk for: (although harder)
Simply to be me. (I haven’t done that for a while)
I want to be able to mingle in a crowd and know that I am absolutely alright the way I am.
woah. your last line… my heart piped up with a loud “ME TOO!”
@coloraturajoy says:
first things first: my husband. i would do anything for this man. he is truly a treasure.
secondly, on a slightly silly note (and yet i am very serious about this), i’d bet anything, ANYTHING, that i could teach anyone to sing. anyone. they may not come out sounding like pavarotti, but if you’re looking to help someone actually sing on pitch and maybe even with a little bit of good breathing and tone thrown in there, i can do it. give me 6 weeks of singing boot camp, and i could do it.
hmm…now for one with more…umph…i’d risk anything to see the Spirit move in my youth group, in my whole church, in my unsaved family. which leaves me thinking…if i would risk anything for that, then why haven’t i started?
sign me up!
funny story…I work with the children at church. a couple years ago the background music for the Christmas play was on back-order so we practiced without the music. To make a long story short, I taught the kids “Hark the Herald Angels” to the tune of “Deck the Halls”! Yikes!
@coloraturajoy says:
ha, now i’m singing it in my head like that. too funny, jessica.
i would be the ultimate test. i wish i could join your boot camp.
and your very last sentence… you hit the nail on the head! you got where i was going with this… and THAT makes me smile big.
@coloraturajoy says:
i have a feeling you’d be much less challenging than some!!!
Anything that God is calling me too! No better place than to be on adventure with Him … His adventure. Now that is joy!
My children. I’ve found I’ll do anything for my children.
I’m really hoping it’s a parallel to God’s love for us.
THIS. even to the point of NOT giving my life for someone else b/c it would mean abandoning my babies. There is no way I could put my life or anyone else’s life ahead of theirs….while they are still in my care. This will change when they are fully grown and have lives of their own, but I could never reconcile to putting anyone else ahead of them while they still need me to raise them. Make sense?
HOWEVER, I say that now sitting here thinking rationally and thinking ahead. But like Nor said, you won’t know until it happens. Just a few weeks ago I ran into the street and scooped up my neighbors little girl who ran out in front of a car. Was I thinking about getting hit by that car? No. It just all depends on the situation I guess. And like Michelle said, you’ll do anything for your children. You may not think you will, but you WILL.
As for a cause….. at the moment I don’t have any other cause than being a mom to my boys. That consumes me. So I guess I could say the same as Joy Renee’….. what more could I risk, or give, to the cause of raising up Godly men? Oh how much more I SHOULD be giving to that cause……
being a mom to your boys is the greatest cause you could ever give your life for, friend. and being able to answer that question you asked at the end … powerful stuff.
ya know, when I think of all the times I say “not now” or “wait a minute” or “later” or really ANY time I put them off or pass on something I don’t want to address at the time out of sheer laziness or selfishness….. those are all things I should be giving up for them. Anytime I put myself before them….which I will say is often, epspecially if you consider my computer time. *blush* ;o) It’s hard stuff, being a mom. You never get it absolutely right.
It’s hard stuff, being a mom. You never get it absolutely right.
Amen! We can give and give and give, Brandy, and we should, but it will never be enough. But if we can lead them to God, to the One who IS enough, then will we have done the very best for them.
I think.
well said, michelle.
my hubby and daughter.
Hey Alece, just emailed you! As always, an awesome dialogue in this sweet community. Love you!
i’ve always said to people that my heart for Africa is on my sleeve aka that’s why I got it in a tatoo on my arm. I definitely think I am the type of person that would push the child out of the way when they are about to get hit by a truck. I am person that is all about people because God is all about people.
I’ve definitely risked everything to go back to Africa but it’s been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. God’s so goooooooood, mmmhmmm dude..:)
i love you.
and… the coffee talk logo looks like… christmas coffe. :-)
coffee. i swear i pressed the “e” key twice. stupid computer. ha!
AND, it makes me want to start “chai chats” on my blog. because i heart chai – it inspires the best talks ever.
if only *i* had thought of that!
although i can say “coffee talk” with the best NY accent!
heck yes! i miss that accent. i haven’t heard your voice in so long!
(i can stay for 15, 20 minutes tomorrow. yay!)
@atangie says:
I am sitting in the airport waiting for DaRonn’s plane to get in. They have WiFi here. So I am tapping out my comment on my iTouch. It sounds like the old telegraph machines on movies.
yay for wifi and iPod touch!
@atangie says:
I have a friend who said in a texting conversation with his wife that that texting is a digression to an earlier form of communication called the Morse code. His next message to her was as follows:
- – . – . -.–. –. – .- -. . . – - — . – . -
(Or something to that effect. I thought that was hilarious!)
@atangie says:
Could really use some coffee right about now. I am cold, hungry, tired and would really like to see my husband. The is a coffee shop just 50 paces from where I am sitting. But that is just it. I have my tooshie in one of the few chairs. Said tooshie is warm, though the rest of my body is shivering. It’s because the only open chair was by the open door which is letting in all the brisk night drafts. Maybe a little 50 pace jaunt would do me good. Plus, then I could wrap my fingers around the coffee mug. The debate rages on… Coffee or no coffee?
@atangie says:
There is a girl with oo baby short and amble cleavage shivering as well. She just ran to the bathroom. I bet she is warming herself under the hand dryer. Now I want to go in the water closet to see if my theory is right. Then again there is the whole prime reality spot for my rear that I am not ready to part with.
@atangie says:
Wow. Those last two comments make me sound like a persnickety lazy bum… on her bum. Ha! I slay me.
@atangie says:
Now oo baby cleavage girl is snuggling with boyfriend as they ride up the escalator. Maybe she is seeking higher ground because heat rises.
@atangie says:
Here is a good coffee talk (chai chat – love that!) topic: to what extent are you willing to sacrifice comfort for image?
Personally I will look like a complete doofus just to stay warm at the great chargrin (sp?) of every fashion consultant that walks the face of God’s green earth.
@atangie says:
So as I was finishing up with that comment a real live person struck up a conversation with me. Then the masses converged because the flight came in. Then DaRonn was here! It is good to have him home. The kids are happy too. He brought us all t-shirts from Ecuador. Classic, right? They are really cute ones. Mine is even a v-neck. Cool.
@atangie says:
Happy Saturday!
@atangie says:
Anyone else a vintage Willy Wonka movie fan? Sure, there are those freaky moments but in all I like it. It is a musical after all.
I found a funky little site with quotes from the movie and their origins. I thought there might be some other people interested. So I am going to share. Ok.
holy cannoli!
@atangie says:
Holy Cannoli, what?!?! Does Willy Wonka give you nightmares or something? :-)
@atangie says:
[In the doorway-filled hallway that becomes increasingly smaller]
WONKA: Oh, you should never, never doubt what nobody is sure about.
The Microbe
by Hilaire Belloc [1870-1953]
The Microbe is so very small
You cannot make him out at all,
But many sanguine people hope
To see him through a microscope.
His jointed tongue that lies beneath
A hundred curious rows of teeth;
His seven tufted tails with lots
Of lovely pink and purple spots,
On each of which a pattern stands,
Composed of forty separate bands;
His eyebrows of a tender green;
All these have never yet been seen–
But Scientists, who ought to know,
Assure us that they must be so…
Oh! let us never, never doubt
What nobody is sure about!
@atangie says:
[At the chocolate river, watching Augustus Gloop trapped in the pipe]
WONKA: The suspense is terrible. I hope it’ll last.
from The Importance of Being Earnest, Act III
by Oscar Wilde [1854-1900]
GWENDOLEN:
The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.
@atangie says:
Oh, my source: http://home.att.net/~tom.brodhead/wonka.htm
@atangie says:
[Continuing, to Mrs. Gloop as she is led off by Oompah Loompahs]
WONKA: Across the desert lies the promised land.
Source: probably popular, but compare:
The Dance of Life, Chapter 3
by Havelock Ellis [1859-1939]
The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a wilderness
@atangie says:
[Mixing a concoction in the Invention Room]
WONKA: Invention, my dear friends, is ninety-three percent perspiration, six percent electricity, four percent evaporation, and two percent butterscotch ripple.
Thomas Edison [1847-1931]
Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
@atangie says:
[On a bicycle in the Inventing Room]
WONKA (singing):
In springtime, the only pretty ring time
Birds sing, hey ding
A-ding, a-ding
Sweet lovers love the spring–
from As You Like It, Act V, Scene 3
by William Shakespeare [1564-1616]
SONG
It was a lover and his lass,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey nonino,
That o’er the green cornfield did pass,
In the springtime, the only pretty ring time,
When birds do sing, hey ding a ding, ding;
Sweet lovers love the spring.
[Here Shakespeare is quoting the popular Celtic ballad, "It was a lover and his lass"]
@atangie says:
[In the inventing room, to Mr. Salt]
WONKA: Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.
Reflections on Ice-Breaking
by Ogden Nash [1902-1971]
Candy
Is Dandy
But liquor
Is quicker.
@atangie says:
[In the hallway with lickable wallpaper]
WONKA: We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.
from Ode
by Arthur O’Shaughnessy [1844-1881]
We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams.
World-losers and world-forsakers,
Upon whom the pale moon gleams;
Yet we are the movers and shakers,
Of the world forever, it seems.
@atangie says:
[Explaining the Eggdicator]
WONKA: A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Bartlett’s Quotations lists this as Anonymous, but suggests a possible source in:
Letter to Sir Horace Mann, 1774
by Horace Walpole [1717-1797]
A careless song, with a little nonsense in it now and then,
does not misbecome a monarch.
Also compare:
Carmina (IV, 12, 27)
by Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) [65-8 B.C.]
Misce stultitiam consiliis brevem: Dulce est desipere in loco.
(Translation: Mingle a little folly with your wisdom; a little nonsense now and then is pleasant.)
This would suggest that Horace Walpole was alluding to the Classical Horace in his letter to Horace Mann.
(What are the odds of that happening?)
@atangie says:
[Introducing the Wonkamobile]
WONKA: A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
from Endymion, Book 1
by John Keats [1795-1821]
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
@atangie says:
[During the Wonkamobile ride]
WONKA: Swifter than eagles…stronger than lions…
from The Bible: 2 Samuel 1:23
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
and in their death they were not divided:
they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions
@atangie says:
[In the Wonkavision room, advising Mike Teavee]
WONKA: You should open your mouth a little wider when you speak.
from Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There
by Lewis Carroll [1832-1898]
Chapter II: The Garden of Live Flowers
[The Red Queen, advising Alice:]
“It’s time for you to answer now,” the Queen said, looking at her watch:
“open your mouth a little wider when you speak, and always say ‘your Majesty.’”
[My thanks to Nina Choudhary for hitting on this.]
@atangie says:
[To Mrs. Teavee as she is dragged away by Oompah Loompahs]
WONKA: Parting is such sweet sorrow
from Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2
by William Shakespeare [1564-1616]
JULIET
Good Night, Good night!
Parting is such sweet sorrow,
that I shall say good night till it be morrow.
@atangie says:
[To himself, holding the Everlasting Gobstopper that Charlie has left on his desk]
WONKA: So shines a good deed in a weary world.
from The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene 1
by William Shakespeare [1564-1616]
PORTIA
That light we see is burning in my hall.
How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
@coloraturajoy says:
i ♥ the merchant of venice.
@atangie says:
Evidently David Seltzer was a well read man. When Quaker Oat company decided to adapt Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for film they asked the Roald Dahl to write the transcript. They were unsatisfied by the results and asked David Seltzer to spruce it up. Fascinating.
@coloraturajoy says:
huh. that’s some crazy wild trivia you have.
@atangie says:
Shall we pull a moral from this cultural revelry? Indeed we shall.
@atangie says:
Creativity is a corporate concoction.
@coloraturajoy says:
you, milady, are going to steal my 20,000th comment.
@atangie says:
The most glorious pieces of art rely on more than one person for their existence.
@atangie says:
Truly creative people pull from the beauty in the individuals that surround them.
@atangie says:
Even God was not alone when He created the world. The bible specifically notes in Genesis that the Spirit was hovering over the face of the deep. God is the One who spoke. Later in the New Testament, in the book of Colossians, we find that all things were created by the Son and for the Son.
It is the nature of the beast derived from the influence of the ultimate insurrection traitor to exult oneself over others as one deserving of credit. Before he was cast from heaven Lucifer was an artist, a musician. He thought that it would be good to be higher than God. In his pride he found his greatest fall. And he continues to drag people down with him.
@atangie says:
That is why this blog is so wonderful. Alece. You have a natural ability to involve others in what you do and who you are. That is a design after the Father’s heart. He created corporately so that we could live in community. His beauty shines in you, even on your blog. That is marvelous!
@atangie says:
A couple dozen comments on a Saturday morning should suffice.
20K all the way, baby!
you are making me laugh, gigi!
@atangie says:
Laughing is good. It promotes the elongation of your lifespan. It also boosts the enjoyment level of said lifespan. Laugh on my dear!
Okay, I am thinking that @ngie should win the prize for creativity alone … wow!
@coloraturajoy says:
agreed. although i seriously wanna win….@ngie’s been relentlessly creative in her commenting approach.
dangit.
@atangie says:
Personally, I am not too partial to winning a consolation prize or winning because the rules were changed. Nope. If I win it will be because one of my comments was the 20,000th comment. Period, if you ask me about it.
Though it does stroke ones pride to hear such nice compliments on ones comments. So, thank you.
Now, if you don’t mind, I am going to close this comment and go get ready for church. Three comments on a Sunday morning should suffice.
20K all the way, baby!
and
Happy Sunday!
Truth.
Although I do see the wisdom of ‘you’ll never know until you know.’ (And Angie went all out there!) But … intellectually, spiritually … we do have to make that decision sometime in our lives, whether or not life and limb is at stake. We have to throw out the possibility of there being any Truth apart from what God says there is, regardless of how nice, or logical, or perfect it seems to be. To me … that is betting the farm. That is ‘do or die.’ The full weight of who I am as a person rests on that decision. I realize that most of what I stand on it’s visible to the natural intellect, and many times even to me. But I’m there. I’m not backing down. I have seen more worth in what I can’t see than what I do comprehend, and to me … that is worth it.
“Most of what I stand on isn’t visible …” WordPress should have an edit feature.
@coloraturajoy says:
i agree!
done.
(let me know if it works ok for you!)
@coloraturajoy says:
well aren’t you accommodating! ;)
@coloraturajoy says:
HA! so…i typo’d a big ugly mispelling in the previous comment. so i got to test out the editor thing immediately.
works like a charm. way to go, champ.
@danielleH says:
just wanted to say hi to g & g. miss you, g &g!