by Frank Turk
Not even a "best of".
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115 comments:
I felt sorry for you so I gave you a 5 star rating for your post.
In the face of a holy and righteous God, all any of us have to offer is sweet nothin'.
I love honesty. At least, you didn't waffle on and still say nothing.
Keep her lit,
I thought I could come up with something witty...but, I got nothin'...
...who could ask for anything more?
What this post means to me...
Where's the "50 words or less" tag?
Whats a Gadfly to do?
Best. Post. Never.
...nuthin' from nuthin' leaves nuthin', you gotta have sumthin' if you're gonna be with me...
Frank,
Your nothing is more meaningful than DJP's something. ;-)
Tom
word verification: eprods... if they're anything like emerods, no thanks.
Old mother Hubbard's cupboard is bare. It been that way at your personal blog for a while.....
You getting burnt out?
"A man's got to know his limitations" - Harry Callahan, Magnum Force
I jumped on the bandwagon and gave you 5 stars too.
Here's a quote I read last night:
“Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness.”-Blaise Pascal
That's about all I have this 1st morn of December.
Here's my opportunity to ask you a question.
I'd be interested in your thoughts on how Neil Postman's book, "Amusing Ourselves to Death" relates to the internet. What are the warnings we need to be made aware of?
...and Jesus has everything.
Thanks for wise word.
Me to...
A Christmas prophecy?
You have one talent, and you're gonna bury it? What, you think we're harsh task masters? To the outer darkness with ye!
What's amazazzing, to quote Richard, is that your post garnered more responses than DJP's esselent Think.
But cheer up, Cent, you're full of stuff. I'm sure there's some thoughtful wittle you have yet to jot and tittle.
A wittle help from your friends: Who is Black Peter? Was Santa a leftist? Was Carl Groucho's brother or just Grumpy?
I suppose we could treat the title as one of those cryptogrammies. We're supposed to answer with a quote or sumpin, like:
Nothing in my mind I bring, simply to this blog I cling.
Blogging ex nihilo.
Frank makes it look easy.
Actually, Frank's got the most comments all week so far. People must be having a hard time getting back into the swing of things after the holiday.
One thing about Pyro is that even when there is no new log on the fire people still gather around the residual warmth.
I love how the Pyroleans have been able to draw out spiritual truth from a five-word post with a three-word title, Frank.
You could always write about your vacation.
And it's only lunch time in the States.
100 comments or bust, dudes.
Did anyone make Frank's stuffing recipe, and if so, how was it?
Ahhh, fellowshipping whilst thinking about food.
100 comments? Let's do it.
Someone say "Manhattan Declaration". I dare you. 8^D
(word verification: bless
God Bless You, and Merry Christmas.)
And I thought I was a slacker.
It all belongs to Him.
You got nothin, he's got everything.
"You are not your own; you were bought at a price."
"For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him."
"Nothing. Zilch. Nada."
"Nothing. Zilch. Nada."
"Nothing."
"Zilch."
"NOODLE!"
33 comments already on a post that is a self proclaimed "nothing." That is awesome!
how about "best of" Mannheim Steamroller - Joy to the World.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68j6Ceof8QQ&feature=related
(That is if you like this sort of music)
I'm just wondering if Frank will be able to derail this meta...
I got rhythm.
"Nothing comes from nothing; nothing ever coooouuuuuld...."
"I got nothin,' nothin', nothiiiiin',
if I don't got yoooooooou"
Y'know, on reflection, the theology on that Sound of Music song is really, really, REALLY bad. But it's in most Christians top ten lists of movies. What gives?
I got plenty o' nothing....
Okay. I just learned about the following last night, 5 minutes before I saw Frank's post—a post looking for comments—but I've been sitting on it.
I'm posting this NOT to make light of the person in question, but because I recognized something that I've sometimes seen in my own attitude towards God.
Anyhow...
I am not a football fan, but Buffalo Bill player Steve Johnson tweeted this after a fumbled pass on Sunday:
"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO..."
The sad thing is, there've been times when most (all?) of us have been tempted to think or pray something very similar to this.
To be fair, 23 hours and 59 minutes later, he gave God the glory with this follow-up:
"I learned A lot Within 24hrs. Saw Both Sides.(Ups&Dwns) I AM HAPPY & THANKFUL 4 YESTERDAY! w/out Sunday iWldnt have grew closer w/The Lord!!"
And:
"And No I Did Not Blame God People! Seriously??!? CMon! I Simply Cried Out And Asked Why? Jus Like yal did wen sumthin went wrong n ur life!"
That's true. We all do that. I've done that.
Anyhow, I think it's awesome, because he totally worked through the Sovereignty of God in 3 tweets!
Priceless.
And Stefan's comment has me laughing out loud. Awesome.
And there's this guy who knows nothing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34ag4nkSh7Q
45+ comments on a five-word post saying he has nothing to post.
I work 'way, 'way too hard.
.c8
Dan,
Quality beats quantity every time.
In case you're interested, this is how I learned how to breathe underwater.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiwja7syyeo
Regier is certainly talented.
Halfway there!
Whoooooooah, we're halfway there.
Whoa-Oh! Livin' on a prayer!
Dan:
You know that the number of comments is inversely proportional to the length of the post. Consider how much discussion some of your "Next!" or "What Jesus Did (Not) Say" posts have generated.
I believe the formula is:
c = [P * (1/w) * F] / S^2
Where:
C = the number of comments
P = the Pyro constant
w = is the word count
F = the Frank multiplier
and
S^2 (S-squared) = is the Sunday Spurgeon divisor, which reduces the total number of comments by a factor of 4.
OK, then.
Yeah...I didn't quite get the lack of comments on the WDJ(N)S complete post. I'm still attributing it to people recovering from Thanksgiving.
word verification: inging
There was theology in the Sound of Music (and it's one of my favorites).
I did forget to say that this is one of the most rude and mean spirited post produced by Pryo.
Oh, yeah, and let me say this: Manhattan Declaration. {ok, sorry that was mean}.
Robert:
And the verification word that came up for me is "angsti"!
That's so 20th century, though. Does do "angst" any more? It doesn't fit in a "whatever, dude" and "God just wants to make you healthy and wealthy" kind of world.
I meant, "Does anyone do 'angst' any more?"
Did you know "Jingle Bells" originally was written as a Thanksgiving song?
No, really!
OK, I'll play. It's a worthy cause.
Nullum etiam habeo, Framk.
I think this post deserves a really substantive comment. Or not.
Best post ever, Frank.
Can there be a "best of" when you only write crap?
Did you know "Jingle Bells" originally was written as a Thanksgiving song?-Sharon
Cool.
Here's a couple guys who croon a tune, when they sing Jingle Bells.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbW64J_RJZg
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--" 1 Jn 1:1 ESV
That's my memory verse for today. Starting today, a group of us on Facebook are memorizing the book of 1 John, 1 verse a day. So far I'm doing well...
Hey "holy", what's up with you man. And who are you, a coward I guess.
Q: What do you call a guy who posts "I got nothin" and gets 70 comments?
A: Frank freaking Turk.
I salute you.
Also, to the guy whose self-designation is "Holy..." I am here on behalf of the Internet, and we would like you to go away.
ZSB, agreed on the last post. Though I think Holy actually gets Frank's post best b/c his comment embodies the value Frank expressed in his blog post here...
Nothin', absolutely nothin'.
This is one of the more fun metas I've read in a while :).
“100 comments or bust, dudes”
Piece of cake… unless of course, the old earther’s or Arminian’s mess it up. ;-)
“Can there be a "best of" when you only write crap?”
In your case Holy…ah… no!
This post has legs!
A verbal pauper...with several charitable friends.
Finally! We've reached that critical point in any good Pyro comment thread when someone makes a snarky remark and then everyone teams up on him. All we need now are a few deleted comments followed by an apology or two, and we'll be right on target to reach the long-awaited 100- mark.
By the way, no one seemed to pick up my earlier comments. Can anyone tell me what movie they are from?
This thread is following in the grand tradition of Seinfeld, a show about nothing that had high ratings.
"No soup for you!"
Word verification: creci
Which is Spanish means, "I grew"
That's what I want to be able to say every day.
“Can anyone tell me what movie they are from?”
No... I haven't watched Veggie tales in years.
http://www.watchonlinemovie.biz/videos-veggie-tales-jonah-movie-bloopers-%5B3z8i7ALYTmc%5D.cfm
@1:58
;-)
Did somebody mention waffles?
I've always admired the conciseness(?) of your writing.
There are people who have written whole books just to say that.
Frank Lied.
"I got nothin'" he writes.
LIE!
What he's got is a large fanboi group that will comment on his got-nothingness...
If only the rest of us had so much nothing.
Hey! I'm comment 100!
Oh, no...wait.
Hey! I'm comment 100!
Oh, no...wait.
Hey! I'm comment 100!
Oh, no...wait.
All right, I quit.
What an excellent point. I mean, God really owns it all, doesn't He? We're just stewards, as it is. So, I got nothin', too!
8o)
I would like to contribute nothing to your personal worship this morning.
"For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim.
I'll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calvary's Lamb."
Or
"My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness..."
And while we're at it:
"Nothing but the blood of Jesus"
And finally, for Advent: "Ponder nothing earthly minded..." (Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence).
WV: impec
Meaning an impeccable comment added to an impeccable post!
So close! The suspense is killing me...
On second thought…
“I got nothin’” with the only label being… “centurion”.
Matthew 8:5-13
And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And he saith unto him, I will come and heal him. And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And when Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour.
IOW, we, like the centurion, need nothing but to believe and He will do the rest.
Great post Frank!
;-)
Reality Check WINS THE PRIZE!
(Which, of course, is...)
Nothing.
And those "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" trio remind me a lot of those Pyros who don't do anything. For some strange reason, we can't help but love 'em, even when they don't do anything.
Impeccable!
Das da troof!
Despite Holy's scatological criticism, and not to raise a stink, there is really nothing to criticize.
The theological import, sweeping as it might have been intended, might also be considered in the vein that it cannot be contested, really. And that is a breath of fresh air. We are all to used to peccatating apart what is written, that even when there is nothing to peck at, some will find it irresistable jut a beak.
Reflecting on DJP's posts on Jesus and perspicuity, that is where we, including believers and non-believers alike, find ourselves most adroit. It typically doesn't matter that "it is written," our default is to find fault. Thing is, where we might attempt to analyze Frank's self-image and infer that he is suffering from low self-esteem, what he has said, in and of itself, cannot be criticized. It states exactly what was the case at the point of his hitting the return. It stops us precisely because we cannot add, nor subtract, but must, at face value accept what was said. Now that is something easily understood, and will stand for what it said, abjection, for which the only source of truth was the speaker himself. Ummm
I don't know, but it is interesting how it is that we might accept the categorical, unequivocal frank statement of a man most of us have never met. But when confronted with the Word of God incarnate who we have never seen, and with which we also cannot rangle, we find ways to do so.
Thomas, your incisive observations are only diffident at the conclusion, for they stop just shy of applying a theological truth that should be convicting to each and every one of us: we will accept as truth the pithy frank confession of a man never beholden to our eyes, but resist the words of Divine authority revealed through holy writ simply because we are all, regardless of era, geography, or age when confronted by such truth, blinded by our fallenness, being consumed with our own pleasures and self-importance, the only antidote to which is the election, calling, grace, and gift of faith given to all of the true children of God.
There. Now we can finally pass 100 (maybe 200) by turning this into a tussle over Calvinism and the fineries of total depravity, election, and irresistible grace (et al).
That first sentence had 110 words. Should have been longer.
:O)
I can't believe that I come back here a day later and still the comment count hasn't reach 100? Maybe it was much ado about nothing. (apologies if someone beat me to that and I missed it)
Yes, Mr. Turk has Mr. Turk has brilliantly expressed succinctly a la Hemingway, the sitz im leben of the existential angst-ridden man of 20th century society, as first foreshadowed by Matthew Arnold (Dover Beach) and Samuel Becket (Waiting for Godot), but most adroitly and poignantly expressed in the works of Sartre and Camus, whereby we ponder a world in which it is posited that there is no supreme deity, and thereby stare into the vast abyss of meaninglessness and purposelessness, ameliorated only by fleeting indulgences in transitory pleasures, ephemeral in their temporal scope and ultimately unsatisfactory.
By deploying the concept of non-possession or non-existence—first symbolized by the ancient Indians in their formulation of the concept of the number zero—Mr. Turk compels the reader to ponder the emptiness of his own life and see that he, too, has nothin'—still lest a "best of"—and catalyzes in his audience a dystopic catharsis of self-realization into nothingness.
1. Nothing is better than a juicy steak, cooked medium rare.
2. Frank's post is better than nothing.
3. Therefore, Frank's post is better than a juice steak, cooked medium-rare.
Greg, you got to comment 98, comment 99, and then comment 100 was...
Comment deleted!?
Was that a joke? If so, well played!
"Therefore, Frank's post is better than a juice steak, cooked medium-rare."
At the nursing home we get those juice steaks all the time and if you put catsup in them they appear medium rare.
Stefan, you silver-tongued sprite, you.
...once we get the snarkiness apologies printed and the last-ditch efforts to drive home the point of the original post, then all we need is the author of the post to shut down the combox. This is nearly perfect.
Here's my favorite comment, from early on, by Strong Tower:
"One thing about Pyro is that even when there is no new log on the fire people still gather around the residual warmth."
Merrilee:
Yeah, I liked that comment of his, too.
Yipppyyyyy... I'm the 100th comment!
What?... Huh?... Oh...
Never mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0
Frank, are you a crypto-Buddhist? Because the highest, supreme epistemological reality of Buddhism is actually "nothingness" (or "emptiness").
There's a long post at Wikipedia about it. Clearly, however, its contributors have not yet truly understood sunyata, because if they were truly enlightened, the article would just be a blank page.
http://www.nothing.com/
The best part is that Frank didn't even pop his head back in to see this meta unfold. That's the blogger equivalent of the action hero not looking back at the explosion. TURK = the JASON STATHAM of blogging.
Good one.
But as good as Jason Statham is, surely you mean that Frank Turk is the Chuck Norris of blogging.
Your verisimilitude is suspended.
Soooo...we've devolved from Calvinist fundamentalism to kabbalistic numerology?
MAN, how the mighty have fallen! And I even missed post 111! By 1!
Clearly I'm a terrible numerologist. Guess I'll stick with Calvinism.
"And the poets out here don't write nothing at all,
they just stand back and let it all be...."
The Boss
I'm amazed at the power of sociological context. There are hundreds of GOOD Christian bloggers who could write the same thing Frank did and not generate the response found here.
Your post was so short I didn't even see it when I surfed by.
And I missed all this fun.
I'm to fast for my own good.
"There are hundreds of GOOD Christian bloggers who could write the same thing Frank did and not generate the response found here."
Which is just further confirmation that Frank is an exceptional Christian blogger.
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