Higher Voltage

Honouring Jesus at Work

2008-03-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Here is an article that I did for our company website about knowing Christ as an SEO.

Being a Christian SEO

Jim and Jessica Stowe's New Blog

2008-01-19T12:22:00.001-08:00

Check out our new blog here. . .

Dating My Wife

Reading Aloud

2008-01-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

“Silent reading is a fairly modern innovation. As late as the eighteenth century, it was thought that the best way to truly appreciate the classics was to read them aloud – all the better to relish the beauty of the words, the music of the composition, and the architecture of the ideas.”

This is a quote from a favourite book of mine called Shelf Life, by George and Karen Grant.

This post is in no way intended to be against watching movies. I very much enjoy good movies. All legitimate pleasures are a gift from God and ought to be savoured and given thanks for as such. But sometimes a movie can’t come close to reading a book by Doyle, Poe, Tolkien, or my other favourite fiction authors. One often comes away from a movie feeling like a useless blob, but this is rarely the case after reading a good book. Reading stimulates thinking and conversation.

I think that the practice of reading aloud ought to be revived. The Fall of the House of Usher or a passage from Ivanhoe is no less entertaining or less wholesome than the average movie. Just imagine that a “movie night” was occasionally supplanted by a “reading night.” I suspect that most would grow to prefer it.

Now that I have everyone convinced by appealing to entertainment value, here is the real reason that I think this is a good idea – spiritual benefit. For example, when I listen to D.A. Carson reading the scriptures, it seems as if the text is being preached. Everything becomes far clearer than when I read the same text silently. Many older works were written to be read aloud. My point is that it is possible to digest weightier material when it is delivered orally.

Imagine a few nights spent reading Arnold Dallimore on George Whitefield or Charles Spurgeon. The work of God in the lives of these men would be filling our thoughts and conversation. We could read creeds, poems, journals, songs, meditations, short stories, allegories, commentaries and sometimes, when we just want to relax, a few chapters of a good novel.

Oh Well

2008-01-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, this old well was uncovered at a construction site where I was working. The bricks crumble as soon as they are moved. I don't know how deep it was, but I couldn't see the bottom.

Jim Stowe Starts Blogging Again

2008-01-14T18:55:00.000-08:00

This is just a note to let everyone know that they might be seeing the occasional post from me. It has been more than a year!

A Rant About Libraries

2006-10-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have found the Toronto libraries incredibly lacking. Many of the great literary, scientific, philosophical and historical works can only be found at the reference library downtown and therefore cannot be checked out. Instead of these, the local branches are full of movie star biographies, picture books and romance novels. I'm not saying that there is nothing good there, but they can be scarce. The public library system ought to have a vision for its role in building an educated populace instead of catering to the clamor for mindless amusement. "A well-read people are easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but difficult to enslave."* If the library put as much effort into promoting profitable reading as it does into half-baked community projects (e.g. "Don't Vandalize, Apologize") there would be perceptible improvement.

*Baron Henry Brougham

Journaling

2006-09-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday the Grace Youth studied the spiritual discipline of journaling. This is the first in a set of spiritual disciplines that we will be examining over the coming weeks. While journaling is not commanded in the bible, history is full of godly men and women who transcribed their daily spiritual story. In addition to providing spiritual encouragement for generations to come, this practice assisted in heightening the effectiveness of other spiritual duties. For myself, I find the improvement most prominent in self examination and meditation (mulling things over). Too often a "quiet time" has a profound lack of both quiet and time. In such a case, things that require focused contemplation are the first to go. Journaling allows what would otherwise be completely internal and subject to the wandering fancies of the mind to be a concrete activity involving pen and paper. Many things come out on paper that would never come out of our mouths. Many thoughts come out on paper that would otherwise be nebulous and indistinct.

My Peach in Michigan

2006-08-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

Click on the peaches page

WWW.WhiteCityFarm.com

Invention of the Month(s)

2006-07-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

In the late 1800’s, a Finnish professor named Selim Lemstrom did a great deal of research on the northern lights (aurora borealis). One night, he ascended a hill and set up an invention involving coils of wire that covered 900 square meters. As onlookers watched, the auroral lights formed over the invention and developed into a 400 foot column. This is the only known experiment that successfully produced large-scale aurora.

On Breadless Toast

2006-06-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

Within minutes of returning home after the SGF pastor's conference (It was great, by the way. More on this later) I noted several things awry. First, the telephone was inoperative. There was no dial tone. Second, all of the indicator lights on my modem were on -- generally a bad thing, especially when one of them is for a USB connection which is not connected to anything. Third, all of the indicator lights on my router were off, another bad thing. The Bell technician who arrived to remedy the first of the aforementioned problems discovered that the line behind our house had been destroyed by the recent electrical storm (more on this later). After a few weeks, Bell also replaced the modem, which was now more useful as a flashlight than for connecting to the internet. I have since purchased a surge protector that features both phone and AC protection. This is mostly for the sake of the readers of this blog who should never be subjected to another tortuous month without my wit and musings.

Invention of the Month

2006-05-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

In the 1980's, a Japanese inventor named Kei Mori invented a fiber optic lighting system that piped sunlight into buildings. See patent here. It was named Himawari (the Japanese word for sunflower) because the set of Fresnel lenses that followed the sun resembled a flower. During initial tests, Dr. Mori build one in his home to see if it was possible to grow plants in his basement with the light it provided. Not only did his tomato plant grow, but it grew abnormally fast. The system filtered out the UV and IR parts of the spectrum, thus eliminating damaging rays. Dr. Mori moved the setup to a lab and combined it with pressurized carbon dioxide at the stem of the plant. The result was a 40 foot tomato tree that produced 15,000 tomatoes.

Short Circuits

2006-04-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sometime, in a small group, casually mention that your toaster has gone on the fritz. Then count the number of seconds before some intellectual pipes up "It's probably a short circuit." You may then invite of the aforementioned person to wax eloquent on exactly what a short circuit is. Be prepared for such insightful answers as, "stuff that makes electrical stuff not work." With thousands of things that could go wrong with electronic circuitry, popular opinion says this one problem is responsible for everything from scratchy radios to lights that won't come on. Now if your toaster trips a circuit breaker every time it's plugged in, chances are that you do have an actual genuine old-fashioned short circuit. If you plug in and nothing happens, then you probably have an open circuit.

Thoughts on the Emergent Church

2006-04-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I attended a conference by Emergent Church guru, Brian McLaren. This was essentially my introduction to Emergent and was followed on Monday by an analysis paper on the movement that was given at FRPS. These are some of my thoughts on the conference.

The Emergent emphasis on social justice grabbed my attention immediately, as this issue has been increasingly on my heart for the past few years. One thing I heartily assented to was McLaren’s suggestion to pair unemployed South Africans with wealthy Christian business owners from other congregations for jobs and training. What an opportunity to show Christ’s love to other believers and create opportunities to share the gospel with the lost! My hopes quickly faded. It soon became evident that although Emergent provides amazing opportunity for evangelism, exhortation and teaching, there is not enough substantive content to provide direction, growth, or even a coherent gospel. It is all about the conversation (to borrow an Emergent word). Confusion is praised. It is my hope for all Christians, inside and outside of the movement, to have a clear, bold, unmovable, sober-minded, well-reasoned, and articulate faith in our Lord Jesus.

I will leave my reflections at that. For more Emergent reading, follow these links.

Examining Emergent: Paul Martin's New Blog

Clint Humfrey -- In Praise of Christian Agnosticism

Ian Clary -- Emerging Weekend

Christel Humfrey -- What Brian McLarens Friends Say

The Cheese Boutique

2006-04-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

This amazing store is on Ripley Ave, just off South Kingsway by the lakeshore. Unfortunately the cartoony mouse and dilapidated van that they park on the side of the road for advertising doesn’t give the right impression of what the store is like. Professional cooks say that a huge secret to making great food is using quality ingredients. This store sells the best pasta, sauce, tea, cheese, produce, chips, juice, bread and everything else that I’ve ever bought. Don’t go planning to do all your grocery shopping while you’re there. It’s expensive, but for one meal it’s better than eating out. There are almost always samples. Take a tour of the cheese vault while you’re there too. Just looking around is an experience.

P.S. For any wives who are trying to wean their husbands into shopping, this is a good place to start.

P.P.S. I am not being paid by Cheese Boutique for this post.

Fellowship as Revelation

2006-04-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

In a recent study, I was reminded how the fellowship of believers is part of the revelation of God to the world. In John 13:35, Jesus says that all men will know that we are his disciples by our love for one another. Now, this particular text doesn’t explain the reason that this is the case. Is love merely an identification badge that communicates on an informational level, or does love show the world that the community is characterized by something undeniably divine? John records Jesus praying that His people would be one. He did not have in mind merely getting along, but actually participating in the fellowship of the Father and the Son. John echoes this idea in the first chapter of his epistle. This astounding gift is not for the sole benefit of its possessors. Our supernatural oneness tells onlookers about the oneness of the Father and the Son.

Who Has Known Heights

2006-03-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

King Solomon said, “In much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” This poem has always reminded me of Solomon’s words.

Who has known heights and depths shall not again
Know peace—not as the calm heart knows
Low, ivied walls; a garden close;
And though he tread the humble ways of men
He shall not speak the common tongue again.

Who has known heights shall bear forevermore
An incommunicable thing
That hurts his heart, as if a wing
Beat at the portal, challenging;
And yet—lured by the gleam his vision wore—
Who once has trodden stars seeks peace no more.

Mary Brent Whiteside

A Passage Worth Re-Reading

2006-03-14T14:52:00.000-08:00

John chapter nine has been growing into one of my favorite passages. Here are a few highlights.

1. The character of Jesus is seen so clearly. Near the end of the chapter, the man who had been healed was banished from the temple. I love the fact that Jesus went looking for the man as soon as he heard that the Pharisees had kicked him out.

2. The blindness of the religious leaders is seen so clearly. Their logic seemed so tight: God commanded no work on the sabbath. Jesus healed on the sabbath. Therefore Jesus is a sinner and not from God. Yet they ignore what couldn't be more obvious: The power of God displayed in his love and kindness.

3. The faith of the man allows him to speak. He talks to the crowds when they are confused about what happened. Also his speech to the Pharisees is amazing, not because he had suddenly become intellectual or eloquent. It is simply faith bubbling over into words. In this, he exposes the contempt, overreaction, and harshness of the Pharisees.

4. The man worships. His love for and faith in Jesus led him to worship.

I hope everyone reads this again with new freshness. These are just a few of the great things in the chapter. It would be a great sermon series!

Paul's Challenge

2006-03-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Paul challenged us to read an entire book cover to cover before watching any TV. Jess and I have accepted the challenge. Although I start or skim scores of books, actually finishing one is a rare accomplishment. I am reading The Subversion of Christianity -- a book I quoted in an earlier post. Jess is reading Dr. Haykin's biography and letters of George Whitefield. We are going to break our TV fast with The Phantom of the Opera.

Cultural Comment

2006-03-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that the way that announcers, hosts and DJ's speak on the radio would have sounded like gibberish to anyone living a few decades ago. Most people listen to their Pizza Pizza commuter update or Rogers Wireless traffic without a second thought. However, someone might wonder what pizza has to do with a commute and whether there is any traffic that isn't wireless. Another nagging question is why it's 2 degrees with Garth Brooks. Radio hasn't always been this way. I have a tape set of complete Sherlock Holmes radio broadcasts from the 1940's. It was sponsored by Petri Wines. The announcer says so. He never says "here's your Petri Wine mystery hour with Sherlock Holmes." Announcers are trying so hard to put so much information into so little space, that they are no longer saying what they mean.

Cultural Trivia

2006-03-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

My apologies for my long absence from the blogosphere. Here is a recent discovery that I thought it was vital to share with the rest of the world.

The first concerns Eeyore. Now, I in no way want to be accused of promoting or endorsing the bizarre phenomenon of continuing to watch children's cartoons into adulthood. That said, here is the shocking truth about Eeyore. As you may know, this unfortunate donkey is the only character, besides Pooh himself, who has a real name. Owl is an owl. Tigger is a tiger. Kanga and Roo are kangaroos, and so on. Eeyore is a actually not a name at all. It is a sound. If you listen to a donkey, it sounds like "eey-ore." This must certainly be where his name comes from.

Quote on Christian Freedom

2006-02-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have been reading a book by Jacques Ellul entitled The Subversion of Christianity. In commenting on the historic tendency of Christianity toward moralism, he said this about Christian freedom:
"Jesus and Paul tell us that those who are led by the Spirit are completely free in every respect. But in experience, Paul was already attacking the Corinthians for their terrible misuse of this freedom. The freedom acquired in Christ presupposes perfect self-control, wisdom, communiton with God, and love. It is an absolutely superhuman risk."

Invention of the Month

2006-02-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

This month’s invention is a whole new class of robots that is being pioneered by a man named Mark Tilden. If you can wade through just a bit of slightly technical information, you’ll see why this strain of robotics is so amazing. Digital electronics deals with pure ons and offs. It is completely predictable. This kind of circuit is what establishes the precision necessary for us to have things like digital clocks, calculators and computers. Digital circuits use logic gates, (e.g, If this and this are true then do this). Most robots have been digital -- until now. BEAM ( Biology, Electronics, Aesthetics, Mechanics) robotics has taken a turn away from the expense and complexity of digital robots and created a new variety that are unbelievably lifelike. Instead of being programmed on how to respond to specific situations like digital robots, BEAM robots use the resistance that the motors encounter as information to adjust their motion based on the environment. A digital robot would have to have a certain pre-programmed motion to walk on sand, another to walk on rocks, another to walk on an incline, etc. A BEAM robot has circuitry that is many time simpler and can do all of those things without any pre-programming. One of feats that demonstrates the inherent intelligence of these machines is the roll of tape test. One leg of a six-legged BEAM robot is put inside a roll of tape. It usually only takes three to five tries before it lifts that leg high enough to escape and continue on. I’ve been following Mark Tilden’s work for a long time because I was fascinated by his inventing style, but he has recently achieved significant commercial success. He teamed up with a toy company a couple of years ago to market the first BEAM robot: Robosapian.

Piano Lessons

2006-02-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

I have decided to begin teaching music again. I taught for several years when I lived in Kalamazoo and enjoyed it greatly. I have a small window of opportunity now to see if I can support my family doing something that I love. I’m looking for beginner students or advanced students who want to learn improvisation for church playing.

Reflections on Love and Discernment

2006-02-01T11:37:00.000-08:00

We have the love of God in us that moves us to act. This is part of being a Christian. If I see my brother in need, love has compassion and seeks to act on behalf of the person. Knowledge and discernment, however, are developed with study, experience, and time. Just because something is motivated by love for God, His work in the world, or His children, does not mean that it is the best course of action. Knowledge and discernment channel the spring of love in our hearts into appropriate action. In addition, if a particular action is judged by oneself or others to be unwise, it is not necessarily because it was not motivated by the love of God in us.
Within the last year, I wanted to spend a significant amount of money to help a Christian brother who was in trouble. Someone soon pointed out that it would be unwise, given my financial situation. Though discouraging at first, I eventually realized that the love, which motivated the gift, was right. I sought to minister to this brother in other ways and we have been a blessing to each other.

Jonathan Edwards - 2

2006-01-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 11:6 says that God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Diligence was something that characterized Jonathan Edwards' pursuit of God both before and after his conversion. As a boy, he was, in his own words, “abundant in duties.” Even so, he had such a high opinion of religious discipline that he later called his seeking “miserable” and was amazed that God had saved him in spite of it. His intensity and zeal only increased in his life as a Christian. In 1772, he began his list of 70 resolutions. There is a profound lack of this kind of strenuous effort among believers, which is not only suggested by Edwards, but also commanded in scripture. It seems that many Christians simply use “trust” as a synonym for laziness and there is little struggle toward greater holiness.

Paintings

2006-01-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas, Jess has begun painting with oils. It turned out to be quite a hidden talent and I am consistently amazed at what she paints. Here are some samples.

Fruit

Portrait in Green

Cotton

Your Sins Are Forgiven

2006-01-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

Is there ever a time when we could, or should, tell someone, “Your sins are forgiven?” Before shipping me to Rome in a confessional for entertaining such a question, I do not believe that we can bring about the forgiveness of sins. Sin is ultimately against God and His Spirit alone can apply the forgiveness secured by Christ. Although we cannot bring about forgiveness, there are signs that God is doing this work in the life of another. Imagine this situation: A Christian brother or sister comes to you, upset about their sin. They have taken it to God in prayer, but still don’t have assurance of God’s forgiveness of this particular sin. We know from scripture that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Can we not then conclude that God has indeed forgiven them since He is faithful to forgive if they confess? We can be a means toward the assurance that they lack by sharing our conclusion based on the scriptures: “Your sins are forgiven.”

Invention of the Month

2006-01-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

In the 1980's, an inventor named Joe Tate created a circuit that could convert ambient power in the air into usable DC power. Using his design, clocks, small lights, and other low-power electronics can function without the use of batteries or household AC. Although there are conspiracy theories about repressed technology, the real reason that these machines are not in evey household is their low power production. Most models produce 9 watts max, while it takes about 100 watts to power a single household lightbulb. It is still a fascinating idea.

Love Multiplied

2006-01-02T08:13:00.000-08:00

My parents recently had the story of our family published in the Kalamazoo Gazette.
http://www.print2webcorp.com/news/MLive/Kalamazoo-FamilyTalk/20051116/p04.asp

E-Mail

2005-12-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

My apologies to anyone who has tried to send e-mail in the past week. The Sympatico address isn't working. My new address is JAStowe2@hotmail.com
Thanks!

Jonathan Edwards - 1

2005-12-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Examining the lives of godly men ought to be an encouraging challenge toward greater holiness and deeper spirituality. The life of Jonathan Edwards has been one such influence for me since I began reading his works several years ago. Wise words are the ones inscribed on his tombstone: "Go hence, O traveler, and follow his pious footsteps." I have put together some thoughts from his life that I will post as a series.
As a boy and young man, Edwards had several times of "awakening" when he thought himself to be converted. During one such time, he and some friends built a booth in a swamp solely as a place of secret prayer. He prayed at least five times daily and talked about little but religion with his friends. In his writings, Edwards makes a clear distinction between "awakening" and true conversion. Although he had some degree of delight in religious exercises as a boy, it was not like what he experienced later on in life.
Quite frankly, I find his discipline, intensity and seriousness in seeking God absolutely frightening since he manifested these qualities before his conversion. Many people go through life completely self-assured in their salvation with far less evidence of grace than this. His zeal was inconsistent, however, and he returned to his sins for a time before he was saved. What a danger it is to place our assurance in the religious experiences of the past!

My Start in Electronics

2005-12-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

My interest in electronics began when I was very young. My parents had (wisely) forbidden the use of household power, but allowed anything I could do with batteries. My friend Grant and I decided that we would try to generate as much power as we could without technically breaking any rules. We hooked up as many batteries as we could find to the largest capacitor we could find and watched it charge. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and our mothers came running. They found us sitting on the floor of a smoke-filled room getting covered with shreds of paper fluttering down from the ceiling.

If

2005-12-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

I love poetry very much. This selection is Kipling's take on manhood.
http://www.swarthmore.edu/~apreset1/docs/if.html

Being a Man

2005-12-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

At men's meeting last week we discussed what it meant to be a man. I have been thinking about one thing in particular, namely, watchfulness (1 Cor 16:13). It seems to me that spiritual vigilance requires times of quiet reflection. We must be on guard for the sake of whoever God has given us responsibility over: our wife, children, congregation, country, students or whoever. Sometimes it simply takes quantity of time to think through our own conduct and the conduct of those under our leadership. I find that I know better what to pray for and better how to encourage, when I have had time alone to purposefully consider possible temptations and difficulties. The Lord is faithful to give insight.

About Higher Voltage

2005-12-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

My chosen blog title is, quite transparently, a refrence to my interest in electronics. Primarily though, it refers to living with greater intensity, greater zeal, and greater freedom in our service for our Lord.