Andrew and Lisa

BanksyHere’s a link to a British graffiti artist who’s managed to smuggle several pieces into art museums in New York. The web site is worth checking out. Word.

Andrew

We’re sitting (laying, actually) in our car down the street. We’re spying on the couple in our house with the realtor, waiting for them to leave so we can go home. If we get too good at this, we’ll have to open our own detective agency. Oh, no! Here they come….

I have great news, Shinnfans! You are reading my second moblog (mobile web log) post! With the power of my new Treo 650 and lots of patience, the world can now enjoy (be subjected to?) my thoughts, no matter where they strike me. This surely rings in a new era of thought for the world and sore thumbs for me. Post comments below to let me know whether I should continue my mobile thoughts or just keep my roaming mind to myself.
– Andrew

I really feel that called, committed Christians need to learn and practice the ‘hows’ of business, and in the process teach the business world a new set of ‘whys’ for business. That is why I want to get an MBA and build a successful business.

In a conversation with a dear friend last night, the topic of energy came up. My friend passionately exclaimed, “The Government really needs to spend more money on researching better technology for renewable energy sources.” I nodded fiercely, agreeing that our society needs to wean ourselves off our dependence on fossil fuels.

But I’ve been pondering that statement, turning it over in my head. I no longer agree that the government should spend R&D money on renewable energy sources. There’s a good reason the government shouldn’t do this: The U.S. Government can’t bring products to market. The sector that has the power to effect real change is not the public but the private sector.

What’s needed is for some brave entrepreneur, or an innovative energy company, to decide that there really is a lot of money to be made in renewable energy. Someone who has the wherewithall to select the right technology, persevere in forging a market where there is none, set up a distribution system, and hang on for a long haul of challenges and setbacks. The good people at Cape Wind Associates can testify to the resistance.

Then the rest of us, consumers, will need to take an economic risk and put our money where many of our minds have always been. We’ll need to cast our dollar-vote for these new businesses, for renewable energy resources.

Government certainly does have a role, even if it’s less direct. The U.S. Government can offer tax breaks and other incentives to those willing to take such risks. Congress CAN lighten the load on the businesses willing to take on such a massive challenge. But direct action will remain the province of the business men and women who will bring the full weight of technology to bear on the eco-challenges we face. And profits will follow.

Yahoo! Photos – shinnphoto’s Photos – Lisa 2Hey, all you Shinn Photo fans! The latest pictures of Lisa are posted on our Yahoo Photos site for you to enjoy. This is just a sample of the type of innovative portraiture we’re doing these days. If you like what you see, go to www.shinnphoto.com and book a portrait sitting before the month of March runs out!

Enjoy,

Andrew

New Lighthouse Collection! I’ve posted a new Lighthouse collection at Shinnphoto.com, and it;s probably our best lighthouse work yet! Be sure to check out all the new classics. Also be sure to check our Shinnphoto Blog at www.shinnphoto.com/blog.htm for all the latest news on this collection. This is sure to be an instant classic; get yours today!

Enjoy,
Andrew

Everywhere I turn, I hear Americans talking about living in a post-9/11 world. In Homeland Security, in religion, on the news I hear people mention the fact that we’re living in a post-9/11 world as an excuse for all sorts of things. In airports we all submit to extra searches for the sake of the post-9/11 world. On television and in speeches it’s mentioned as an allusion that somehow we’re all supposed to understand. And we all nod our heads like we do. But I’m not sure that’s always the case. It’s like the Seinfeld episode in which the characters used the phrase, “Yada, yada, yada…”. No matter how the phrase was used, it was assumed that the hearers would understand exactly what was meant.

Too often we use the phrase “Post-9/11 world” without examining or determining exactly what we mean. And our hearers have the same dilemma: in their decoding of our messages, they may be assuming that our, “yada, yada, yada…,” means something different than the, “yada, yada, yada…,” that was intended.

“What is the post-9/11 world?” you may ask. I propound the notion that the post 9/11 world is the same world we were living in before September 11, 2001. I move for a shift of the question: instead of asking what the post-9/11 world is, I suggest we ask, “Who are we following the events of September 11, 2001?”

The sun rose on the morning of September 12, 2001 just as it had on September 10, 2001. Death and poverty were part of the world (and a reality for many) on September 10. Hope and joy were part of the world (and a reality for some) on September 12. In fact, on September 11, 2001; 35,000 children from our planet died due to hunger and preventable disease. When the day ended, they lay alongside America’s 3,000 dead and were mourned just the same. Though it may have felt like it, America’s pain wasn’t the only pain felt that day.

I can hear you. You’re saying, “But something did change that day. Everything was not the same when we woke up the next morning.” I agree. For many, the next morning was like waking up and realizing their nightmares were still playing. But it wasn’t the nature of the world that changed; it was us that changed. It was America, our culture, our sensibilities. They awoke with us the next morning either raw or numb. It was as if the world had lost its innocence.

But September 11 wasn’t the day the world lost its innocence, as many have painted it to be. It was the day many realized we’re not innocent. Whether by superfluous distraction or misguided thinking, we were missing this fact: innocence hasn’t been ours since Eve first took the fruit. And whether we like or don’t even think about it, we’re left holding the bag for Adam’s misstep. We’re culpable for that loss of innocence, for in Adam the entire human race fell.

We don’t have the blood of the victims of the September 11 attacks on our hands. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of blood to go around. We remain without our innocence, and to stay our deserved obliteration Jesus took upon himself the wrath of God. If we accept our membership in the human race, along with the fallen-ness that necessarily attends, we must someday square with this idea of culpability or lack of innocence. But the blood of Jesus shed for us doesn’t have to remain on our hands: its saving power can cover our sin and shame if we let it.

In this post-9/11 world, we do have a choice: we must all decide how we’ll handle this question of Jesus’ blood. Even failing to decide is defaulting in one direction. And the question remains: Who will we choose to be following the events of September 11, 2001?

ISMH Go check out our house listing on Isoldmyhouse.com! We’re very excited to have the wired world checking out the home we have for sale. Please let us know if you know anyone who wants to buy a house in Quincy! This one is a real Gem.

– Andrew

Andrew Henck’s Blog This is my friend Andrew’s blog. He’s a cool guy, so check out his blog and let’s all show him lots of online support. He’s moving to California for school next year, just like we’re moving to Cali before the next school year.
Peace out,
Andrew (Shinn, not Henck)