AnthonyFosterPhD

Anthony sez, Had a fair to middlin' turnout for the talk at the AECT Conference at the Galt House. I spoke on a project we did with 100 students who built critical thinking exercises to link learning objects to the award winning courses we built a couple of years back. Best part was linking up with old friend Luther after all these years. I can't believe it- he looks better than me!

Hung a while with an old friend and colleague, from the Pink Palace days- my first full blown educational media venture- and here is my cohort in creativity from those days. I can say without reservation that I am proud of the work we did together! I was still known as Tony back then- when we were just babies. Here after all these years we find we are in the same line of work, and both working on PhD's... pretty cool, methinks. Maybe we'll get a chance to work on some projects together again, who knows?

We cry for mercy Come to our relief We cry for mercy Come and heal our grief. We spread out our hands Souls like a parched land Show us the way to go To you we lift our souls. In your kindness is forgiveness. In your cleansing, purity In confession we find righteousness And a faithful and just walk for all to see. Do not profane his presence Come to worship in holiness In purity we enter in. In humility we confess our sin. And there is but one place of washing One brazen laver that purifies Here where we confess our iniquity Covered by the blood of the lamb we arise. Covered by the blood of the lamb sin dies. In your kindness is forgiveness. In your cleansing, purity In confession we find righteousness And a faithful and just walk for all to see. Anthony Foster October 23, 2009

This is not a game, this is not a game The lion of Judah is not tame Born on a battlefield We rise to never yield Except to our sovereign’s command The battlelines are where we stand. Armored in the profound We seek to silence every sound Raised up against the throne of grace To rout out evil in this place. Destroying speculation The fortresses’ destruction. Every lofty thing raised up Against the knowledge of our God Our captives made from every thought Taken prisoner to the obedience of Christ. His bride is the once-for-all blood-bought Willing prisoner to the obedience of Christ. Army of mighty servants raise Your hardy hearts in praise Army of righteousness, Destroying evil’s fortresses Given divine power To pull down every tower Raised against the blood bought Lambs of the lion Who conquer from Zion Living in what the light revealed Routing out what darkness would conceal The mortars overhead illuminate the sin Destroy the devastation That strangles every nation Following the ca...

Mercy’s incantation Death secured our sure salvation Raised to new creation Miracle of rcconciliation In the mystery revealed By his wounds we are healed. The impossible we find Here in our savior’s mind The impossible we seek to do All things are possible in You. We become the righteousness of God in You. In suffering and pain We discover loss is gain For even though we die we live Yet not I but by the life Christ gives Throughout history concealed By his wounds we are healed We lose if we seek life to retain In losing life we discover loss is gain Power is perfected In the stone that was rejected Weakness is the strength of stone Laid down before the presence of the throne The impossible we find Here in our savior’s mind The impossible we seek to do All things are possible in You. We become the righteousness of God in You. In this fellowship of suffering We bind ourselves as offerings A pleasing sacrifice For we are found in Christ And our hemhorraging heart is sealed By his woun...

Re.:Geezer Worship A multitude of years does not a wizened saint make. I know some old fools and have been known to claim that moniker for myself. Yet some of the greatest spiritual giants I have known have had some serious mileage on them on the road with the Lord. I recall Miss Dorothy Armstrong, who taught me bible verses in Sunday School, Miss Anita Byrum, whose heart for the lost was humbling and inspiring, and others who have gone on before me now. Re.: Bygone Musical Tastes: I don't get too bent out of shape when folks in the church want to have a bit of the memorable music of their journeys and not just something written in the past five years. Re.: On singing in church. the PW leader at church sunday was attempting to teach a new PW song and didn't quite have it down himself. That reminded me of another quote from an older lady who was struggling to attain to a praise song that ended every line in "yeah, yeah": "Not very tuneful, is it?" And it was ...

Every day for all these years They’ve traded in their tears and fears For long sustaining providence And their profane heart repents This is the beauty of wisdom In the heart that perseveres. Moment by moment, day after day Week after week they watch and pray Multiplied minutes return A heart that still burns year by year This is the beauty of faithfulness In the heart that perseveres. The head now is wizened, the brow furrowed deep Draws near the horizon, yet still the heart leaps The memories are sweeter, the countenance blessed Displaying the peace of a heart that has confessed. Conforming to the likeness of the Lord of righteousness! Here is the life that waits upon the Lord On eagles wings lifted- a life that’s outpoured They live long and prosper They that humbly draw near Here is the glory of Jesus In the heart that perseveres. Anthony Foster October 26, 2009

Soon that day will come When this life is done When our dreams and plans shall end Soon that day shall come It will surprise some But watchful comprehend So awake from sleep Wade into the deep And immerse yourself in love Open up your eyes Search the eastern skies He’s returning from above! We see your plan unfold You do not withold Of your presence in this world Maranatha Lord! Sound the trumpet’s chord We prepare for your return. Prepare us to be watchful The bridegroom’s on His way His returning could be any day So watch and pray Watch and pray Lord come take us home May your Kingdom come Come and draw us to your side You’ve prepared a place For each child of Grace There we’ll evermore abide Anthony Foster October 25, 2009

It is our call to cultivate The hardened soils within our gate. Our gardens overrun by weeds Are choking out redemptive seeds. We turn from darkness as we shed Our light abroad to wake the dead To eradicate the hatred in this place As we cultivate this garden of grace. We won’t look further than our hearts To find the perfect place to start Change begins here where our garden grows The seeds we plant The light we grant The water of life we allow to flow. And grace will grow, will surely grow. Here in the garden of grace The seed we sow The weeds we hoe And love will surely start to grow freely in this place In this garden, beautiful garden of grace… We feed the soil of the ground With lives sacrificially laid down The evidence will surely show There in the Christ-like crop that grows By what we harvest we will know. And so the seeds can sink their roots To become the fledgling tender shoots Through seasons of mercy-Seasons of change Seasons of shadows The vine life remains Seasons of...

Give us a place near your altar A blood bought place of our own Where we can boldly enter in And stand before your throne. Draw us unto your bleeding side Neath the shadow of your cross we hide Hid with Christ in God we now abide. How lovely is your dwelling place The courts of the Lord of Grace Where hearts cry out And spirits shout As we run the race The glory of our sun and shield Emblazoned on our eye The mystery’s revealed Answers to every why. Give us a place near your altar A place where our souls can rest A mansion in glory built by your hands By the nail scarred hands we are blessed. A place for us to finally dwell We enter in and it is well The glories there no human tongue can tell How lovely is your dwelling place The courts of the Lord of Grace Where hearts cry out And spirits shout As we run the race The glory of our sun and shield Emblazoned on our eye The mystery’s revealed Answers to every why. October 26, 2009 Anthony Foster

Set our hearts on pilgrimage Give us a pilgrim's heart Take us on a journey far Far from comfort, raise the bar Step by step we make our way A pilgrim heart will never stray. Train our hearts in righteousness Give us a prosperous heart Let it break forth in joy Every stronghold destroy As your name and word we confess Give us a heart of righteousness. Set our hearts on pilgrimage Take us over glory's edge. Set our hearts on pilgrimage Take us over glory's edge. Make our hearts an open door Give us a fearless heart No fear of death's dark penalty No fear of life and eternity Fear of the unknown falls away For with God in control we watch and pray. Set our hearts on pilgrimage Take us over glory's edge. Set our hearts on pilgrimage Take us over glory's edge. Anthony Foster October 26, 2009

In this quiet special place In this respite from the race Jesus I will seek your face Resting quietly in your arms. In this sanctuary sweet Just to sit here at your feet I will find my heart complete Resting quietly in your arms In the midst of trial and test In the turmoil I am blessed In toil and trouble I find rest Falling safely in your arms. Here I sense you are so near Close to you I draw Keep me ever present here In this place of grace and awe. Sovereign over circumstance Make my heart to daily dance Coming away or still in the fray With your arms wrapped ‘round me Your blessed peace surrounds me. In this simple place of rest I will be your welcome guest As I bless you I am blessed Resting quietly in your arms. I am weak but you are strong I cast myself on you headlong Here we sing redemption’s song Resting quietly in your arms God my Father give me Grace Spirit help me keep your pace Christ my restless heart replace Sheltered from the world’s alarms Jesus keep my soul from har...

The star-wheel turns As the human heart yearns Here in the foundry of faith we burn Here in the extreme Beyond the dross we will dream Where nothing is as it may seem From when we exit the womb Till we enter the tomb We start to the grave from the delivery room On the journey of faith We run the holy race And we live and move by Grace. Magnificent journey From the cradle to the gurney Don’t want to go it on my own The journey with Jesus We’re bound as he frees us Never alone, we’re never alone So there’s joy in this magnificent journey Awed at the sights we will see So join me on this magnificent journey For here on the road we are free. Past every milestone In Christ we’re never alone Joined unto Jesus as we make our way home Here on our course Fueled by faith’s fiery force The Spirit now guides us back to our One source A heavenly stairway Where we work and we play As we learn to love others along the way. Caretakers of grace Here in this time and space Rooted in heaven while we toi...

I need a wisdom that is far beyond my thought I need to know how to choose what I ought.. I seek a better way, a better choice I seek to harmonize with my creator’s voice. I need an alien wisdom- from far beyond my soul I need an alien wisdom if I hope to become whole The power to think and the power to choose The power to walk away and lose The power that comes when I become weak Alien wisdom is what I seek. There is one place to which any fool can turn A place to grow and a place to learn Here at His feet is wisdom’s source Where the supernatural takes its course. I will fear the Lord and draw near to the Lord Then I will be a wizened man. To consume his word, and obey what I have heard To act on it and stand. Then I will understand his plan. I need an alien wisdom- from far beyond my soul I need an alien wisdom if I hope to become whole The power to think and the power to choose The power to walk away and lose The power that comes when I become weak Alien wisdom is what I seek. Ther...

We attended a SNAP mix and match event yesterday at Salato and it was a diametric departure from what we experienced earlier in the year, where there was little mixing and no matching, and the caseworkers and volunteers seemed all too shy. We taught a couple of great kids how to fish (their first time!) and got to know a couple of others as well, one of whom impressed me with her active mind and interaction with the other kids and workers. And one of the kids caught a fish about ten seconds after drowning her first worm. That was too cool. We went through a wildlife exhibit and talked about beasts and bees and bugs. This was incredibly encouraging for us as we also got to spend some time with some of the workers involved in the program from another part of the state. We also had some incredibly responsive kids to get to know better. We're praying the Lord will see fit to bless us with further interaction, if it be His will. We need encouragement big time as we have been a part of...

I think the outcome of this poll has an underlying issue- that Americans tend to become easily exasperated. I know, not everyone these days calls 911 when Mickey -D gets their order wrong. But don't you notice, everywhere you look- that people are operating on the edge of losing it? While it may be true that as Throeau said, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them", many are much more overt in living lives of not so quiet exasperation.

THe post below was sent remotely, after which I was supposed to go in and edit it. Trouble is, it completely slipped my mind. Therefore I resolve that there will be no more remote posting on this site from yours truly!

How Higher Ed is beginning to be disrupted- from Techdirt- Interesting article and fun discussion - An online university falls short of the ideal - I think this calls for some thought on the value of physical space for a LEARNING ENVIRONMENT...