Tro Creideamh

I must preface this post by stating that I am in no way an expert on manga; I probably don’t even qualify as an aficionado. I’ve read very little manga in my time, and while I am interested in the medium from a visual standpoint, most manga storylines hold little interest for me.

A few weeks back, an article on the Gospel-as-comic-book came across my feed reader. Basic summary of the article from Christian Today: Manga Messiah is a 300-page retelling of the Gospels from Jesus’ birth to His resurrection. During this past Christmas season, copies of MM were distributed around Japan – a sadly unevangelized nation.

To my limited understanding, manga is a wildly-popular medium throughout Japan, with adults and children alike regularly reading the books. We Americans think of comic books as primarily the domain of children and teens, but I get the impression that manga is to the Japanese as sitcoms or reality shows are to Americans: much of the popular culture is disseminated through the medium and they form the basis of much “water cooler” discussion. I occasionally enjoy Western-style graphic novels (I particularly recall a comic-book Macbeth that I found in the University library while I was in high school), but I’ve not had a chance to see a copy of Manga Messiah.

When looking for more information on Manga Messiah, I came across a review by Manga Life, a seemingly general-purpose site discussing manga of all types. In their review, Manga Life encouragingly suggests that MM is a “very faithful adapation of the four Gospels” but that some of the artistic choices (including the extensive use of color) would likely turn off regular manga readers, relegating the publication to an audience of Christian teens who are already familiar with the Gospel from Sunday School.

While I must reiterate that I have very little understanding of manga culture in Japan, the Manga Life review seems to me very dismissively Western in its approach. In my opinion, they suffer from a lack of vision – while Western audiences may not connect with MM, might this be a way to crack into the decidedly non-Christian culture of Japan? I don’t know how accurately the Gospel message of salvation through Christ is presented in MM, but anything that can penetrate the popular culture of such a lost and globally-influential society as Japan must certainly result in some good.

I am reminded of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 9:22b – “I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some.” The Gospel presented as manga is certainly becoming all things to the Japanese people; if by that means the people behind Manga Messiah can save some, I rejoice at the harvest. Now if we could just encourage more television and movies to present Christ…

A recent article published in Newsweek highlighted a phenomenon noted around the world by wildlife researchers: as trophy animals (the ideal specimens of a type) are hunted for sport or food, those that remain are the “weak and scrawny.” Essentially, the observation is that Darwin’s ’survival of the fittest’ gets perverted when a more cunning power (i.e., man) is added to the equation. Decades of “selective hunting – picking out individuals with the best horns or antlers” are resulting in changes to the species, as the less genetically-superior animals are left to propagate future generations. The worst danger is that the “losers tend not to be very good breeders, meaning that this demographic shift ultimately threatens the viability of a species.”

I can see a parallel to the Christian life here. Someone told me once that if Satan is attacking you, you know you’re doing something right. Satan is a cunning hunter, roving about in search of trophies, and he won’t waste his time on a “weak and scrawny” specimen of a ‘Christian’. (Besides, it’s typically easier to round up and overcome the weak ones after the robust individuals are out of the way).

Are we losing our viability for future generations through the strong and mighty succumbing to the tactics of the Devil? Is our culture of tolerance and acceptance, coupled with the wearying effects of an increasingly busy life, resulting in strong Christians becoming easy fodder for Satan’s hunting parties? Are Christians today “weak and scrawny” as a result of our paragons being attacked by Satan?

The call to you today is 1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world.” Stand up and become a target of the Devil, resisting him with all the armor of God and proving a strong example for future generations. We will prevail in the end; our God is bigger than any of the weapons of Satan.

Don’t court the Devil, but be such a strong force for the right side that his resources can’t help but to be diverted away from your weaker brothers and sisters; perhaps that will be just the respite they need to re-fasten their own armor and step up alongside you in the fight for the souls of the world.

Kudu photo by Arno & Louise via Flickr – CC:BY-NC

I was asked yesterday about my philosophy of ‘good planning’. For so long in my professional career, good planning has been a moving target based on whatever an individual client had expressed through their needs and desires. Consulting is a service industry — while we are expected to contribute our professional expertise, ultimately the client pays and the client receives what is paid for.

That said, I’ve not given much thought to my own personal philosophy of what makes for good planning since sometime early on in grad school. The difficulty I find now is separating the basic concept from applications of that concept. To state that I follow the tenets of, say, Smart Growth or New Urbanism is to muddy the waters, I think (especially since applications of planning theory engender strong opinions).

I responded with something along the lines of the following:

Good planning means balancing the activities of daily life (living, working, recreating, shopping) with protection of the natural environment that allows a high quality of life to be maintained.

I’ll revisit this more in the future. What do you think good planning means?

Since being introduced to “birding” as a pursuit (rather than simply birdwatching) back in 2000, I have loosely maintained a life list of birds. Such is presented below, based on AOU’s latest supplement, and personalized with a few species from London and Nigeria in 2006. I am also planning to update my eBird list, although that’s just for the US and Canada, so I don’t get to include any of my lovely Tico birds!

I really hope to be able to carve out more time for birding this year. The feeders (and my $15 investment in PFW) are somewhat of a bust – primarily because I’m never home to watch them! — but we have attracted a bunch of Blue Jays, BCCs, juncos, and a Downy Woodpecker.

Great Tinamou Tinamus major; CRI

Little Tinamou Crypturellus soui; CRI

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis; CRI

Snow Goose Chen caerulescens

Brant Branta bernicla

Canada Goose Branta canadensis

Wood Duck Aix sponsa

American Black Duck Anas rubripes

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Blue-winged Teal Anas discors

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata; 27 December 2008; Bolivar Peninsula, TX

Northern Pintail Anas acuta

Canvasback Aythya valisineria

Redhead Aythya americana

Greater Scaup Aythya marila

Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis

Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata

Black Scoter Melanitta nigra

Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis

Bufflehead Bucephala albeola

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula

Common Merganser Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator

Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis

Gray-headed Chachalaca Ortalis cinereiceps; CRI

Crested Guan Penelope purpurascens; CRI

Great Curassow Crax rubra; CRI

Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus; March 2003; Ann Arbor, MI

Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus

Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo

Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata

Common Loon Gavia immer

Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps

Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena

Brown Booby Sula leucogaster; CRI

American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis

Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens; CRI

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma mexicanum; CRI


Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

Great Egret Ardea alba


Snowy Egret Egretta thula

Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

Green Heron Butorides virescens

Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea

White Ibis Eudocimus albus

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja; 27 December 2008; Bolivar Peninsula, TX

Wood Stork Mycteria americana; CRI

Black Vulture Coragyps atratus

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

King Vulture Sarcoramphus papa; CRI

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Swallow-tiled Kite Elanoides forficatus

White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus

Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii

Common Black-Hawk Buteogallus anthracinus

Roadside Hawk Buteo magnirostris

Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus

Short-tailed Hawk Buteo brachyurus

Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis

Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway

Yellow-headed Caracara Milvago chimachima

American Kestrel Falco sparverius

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus; 8 April 2006; Ann Arbor, MI

Clapper Rail Rallus longirostris; 30 May 2007; Poquoson, VA

American Coot Fulica americana

Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis; aft 2002; Michigan

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus; 27 December 2008; Bolivar Flats, TX

American Avocet Recurvirostra americana; 27 December 2008; Bolivar Flats, TX

Northern Jacana Jacana spinosa

Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius; 27 December 2008; Bolivar Flats, TX

Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria

Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca

Willet Tringa semipalmata

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes

Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa; 27 December 2008; Bolivar Flats, TX

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Sanderling Calidris alba

Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago

Bonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

Herring Gull Larus argentatus

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

Black Tern Chlidonias niger

Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri

Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus

Black Skimmer Rynchops niger; 30 May 2007; Poquoson, VA

Rock Pigeon Columba livia

Ruddy Pigeon Patagioenas subvinacea

Short-billed Pigeon Patagioenas nigrirostris

White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica

Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura

Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina

Ruddy Ground-Dove Columbina talpacoti

Blue Ground-Dove Claravis pretiosa

White-tipped Dove Leptotila verreauxi

Buff-fronted Quail-Dove Geotrygon costaricensis

Country Codes (ISO 3166-1): CRI = Costa Rica; NGA = Nigeria; GBR = United Kingdom

So here I go, breaking the resolution in my last post already. Work is slow – lousy economy translates into not much billable time.

I just came back from lunch, praying that something would change to relieve the pressure of making my hours. I sit down at my desk, and my supervisor walks up with a site plan to review – guaranteed 4 hours of billable work. Praise God!