http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas A blog of deep thoughts and pithy quips. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:18:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I've been reading alot about funerary customs lately. In ancient Rome, the funeral party would walk long, public processions to the pyre. Buddhists observe a period of offerings to the poor as part of their bereavement. The Jewish people hold shiva, a week-long gathering wherein relatives congregate in one house ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/07/16/above-the-quiet-theres-a-buzz-thats-me-trying/ They call it a wake, apparently, because in its ancient origins the word meant "to be active." We gather together and combat the stunning, paralyzing effects of grief with intentional acts of distraction. We cook. We clean. We refill glasses of water. We move constantly, vigilantly. We press against the ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/07/08/grief/ We've been diligently documenting the goings-on at General Conference. You can read about it here, and check out our photos below. (Click on the badge to see the whole photostream.) #flickr_badge_source_txt {padding:0; font: 11px Arial, Helvetica, Sans serif; color:#336600;} #flickr_badge_icon {display:block !important; margin:0 !important; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0) !important;} #flickr_icon_td {padding:0 ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/06/28/the-view-from-the-conference-floor/ Yesterday, the team from the BIC General Church spent ten hours in a van with too many Type A personalities. Last night, we ate dinner at a gloriously gimmicky Italian buffet. Today we woke up early, got tea from Tim Horton's, stuffed bags, and watched Bible quizzing. Nate, Kristine, and ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/06/27/gideon-is-in-the-drawer-amen-amen/ Apologies to those of you who have bookmarked this page and (as I do with many of the blogs I frequent) checked every-day-or-so for an update. I’ve been remiss. In the two weeks since last I wrote, I’ve packed up the majority of my worldly possessions and moved them back to ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/05/28/just-a-searching-for-a-world-with-some-soul/ Poets, I believe, are some of the most comforting people that exist. I'm talking not just about real poets like Billy Collins, wordsmiths whose verse welcomes like a freshly brewed cup of tea or a familiar cardigan sweater, but poets of all kinds: songwriters, filmmakers, actors—thinkers and feelers, magicians and ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/05/14/like-it-was-written-in-my-soul-from-me-to-you/ With only four days left in the City of Brotherly Love, I wanted to slowly look back on the semester that was with a collection of photos. In compiling this list, I realized that what I'll take away when I leave this place in mere days are the unexpected blessings ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/05/11/thanks-for-the-memories/ Every so often, I take the opportunity to close myself up in my room—often dressed in pajamas (as I am now)—while I crank up the quiet acoustic stuff, brew a big cup of tea, and allow myself to get properly sentimental. I'll flip through old Facebook albums or read lyrics ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/05/06/thank-you-dear-lord-for-this-good-life-and-forgive-us-if-we-do-not-enjoy-it-enough/ Al Gore—speaking tonight before a crowd of PennFuture benefators, supporters, and activists—told a story from his recent speech at the United Nations: after discussing the role of all nations in stemming the consequences of global warming and requesting the immediate need for countries to ratify a treaty toward sustainability, Gore ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/05/04/like-a-nature-walk-through-the-book-of-revelation/ Leaving Philadelphia has me feeling particularly melancholy. Today, describing to Dr. Peterson a wonderful encounter I had on the City Hall bus, my favorite Messiah professor said to me, "See, those are experiences you just can't have in Harrisburg." "What are you doing to me!?" I exclaimed. "Don't say that! I ... http://blogs.messiah.edu/devin_thomas/2008/04/26/hunger-only-for-a-taste-of-justice-hunger-only-for-a-world-of-truth/