Too many cookies...

Shifting for myself while I was home alone, I made many, many cookies. The last ones were cut-out cookies... but I couldn't overcome my inertia to get around to frosting them. So I wrapped them up and set them on the counter until I could force myself into it...

Today, Mom and I finally made a couple batches of frosting and set out to decorate 49 cookies. But you can only do so many before inspiration wears out. I mean, how many ways are there to decorate Santa? After three, it gets hard to be creative. So you begin to get things like "Island Snowman" and "Biker Santa" :

Looking Forward to the Eschaton

It being Christmas time and all, I was thinking... Being a GOV major isn't always easy or fun. Which I think would be rather like the CLA side of things :). Being a good ruler/policy maker is as difficult as writing the great American novel or the Christian consummation of sci-fi.

No matter what a leader’s decision - even if it's the right thing - it will have a negative effect. The Fall guarantees this. If you're in a position of power, making decisions for large groups of people, the ability to do harm increases exponentially. On top of this, as Augustine says, there is rarely enough information/intelligence to make proper decisions. We are fallen creatures and just can't know beyond a shadow of a doubt whether someone's innocent or guilty or whether he possesses weapons of mass destruction. And then there's war, dividing nations and cultures that are born of one and the same father - meant to work together, meant to complete, not destroy, each other…

In a word, ruling stinks. It has to be done - and it's best if it's done by godly men - but due to the Fall and the ill-conceived actions of those who went before us, we find ourselves facing a very troublesome situation with few – if any – good choices.

But there's hope to be found...
"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.
For as in the day of Midian's defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.
Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."

One day - glorious day! - the perfect Son of Man will rule a perfected people. There will be no confusion, no mistakes, no division, no suffering, no death. Every man will have his vine and fig tree and no one will make him afraid. How nice not to have to put effort into preserving civilization, but simply to enriching it!

This doesn't mean I'll be taking up poetry in the new heaven and earth. I'm inclined to believe my glorified self will not be gifted in that capacity (if my current self is any indication). :) No, Paul had something to say about judging angels and I think that's probably more my speed. Government, after all, will still be around. Decisions still have to be made and order must still be created.

…Besides, vines sound all well and good, but figs...? I'm not a big fan of figs. Maybe I'll start the Star Fruit Growing Society... :)

In this Season of Light...

“We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
The only Son of God,
Eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light…”
Nicene Creed

“Then the sun is not sight, but the author of sight, who is recognized by sight. And [the sun] is he whom I call the child of the Good, whom the Good begat in his own likeness, to be in the visible world, in relation to sight and the things of sight, what the Good is in the intellectual world in relation to mind and the things of mind.

Why, you know, I said, that the eyes, when a person directs them towards objects on which the light of day is no longer shining, but the moon and stars only, see dimly, and are nearly blind; they seem to have no clearness of vision in them? But when they are directed towards objects on which the sun shines, they see clearly and there is sight in them?

And the soul is like the eye: when resting upon that on which Truth and Being shine, the soul perceives and understands and is radiant with intelligence; but when turned towards the twilight of becoming and perishing, then she has opinion only, and goes blinking about, and is first of one opinion and then of another, and seems to have no intelligence.

Now, that which imparts truth to the known and the power of knowing to the knower is what I would have you term the idea of Good, and this you will deem to be the cause of science, and of truth in so far as the latter becomes the subject of knowledge; beautiful too, as are both truth and knowledge, you will be right in esteeming this other nature as more beautiful than either; and, as in the previous instance, light and sight may be truly said to be like the sun, and yet not to be the sun, so in this other sphere, science and truth may be deemed to be like the Good, but not the Good; the Good has a place of honor yet higher.

May I ask you to consider the image in another point of view? You would say, would you not, that the sun is not only the author of visibility in all visible things, but of generation and nourishment and growth, though he himself is not generation? In like manner the Good may be said to be not only the author of knowledge to all things known, but of their being and essence, and yet the Good is not essence, but far exceeds essence in dignity and power.”
Plato

“Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and Life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by –
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark, the herald angels sing,
‘Glory to the Newborn King!’”
Charles Wesley