This is a rant about the film franchises of Spider-Man, Superman, and X-Men. These are my opinions and views at this present time, and I don't mean to attack any actor or director personally. Just my thoughts, nothing more. We can talk.
Worth noting- I read comic books. I know these franchises well.
Spoilers if you've never even heard of these films or characters.
------------------------------
Well, just got done with watching Superman Returns with my brother. SR is directed by Bryan Singer, who previously helmed Xmen and Xmen2 (X2). I personally consider X2 one of the best superhero films ever made. He was slated to direct the third X-Men movie, but when the chance to direct a new Superman movie came up, he switched over and brought all his writing and directing staff with him.
When the opening credits are one of the most exciting parts of the whole movie, you have got problems.
Simply put...Superman Returns kinda sucks. For a bunch of different reasons. To start, there is the obligatory cheese factor; the "wink" to the audience the film keeps on giving. The acting also comes in question, although before acting comes casting, and this certainly was NOT the best of Lois Lanes. Kate Bosworth is an excellent actor, but she is not Lois Lane. Perhaps Kate Beckinsale would have been a better choice.
Kevin Spacey is an excellent Lex Luthor though; not as good or as evil as Michael Rosembaum on Smallville, but still excellent. The problem is he's basing his character on Gene Hackman's Lex from the original movies. He's almost comic side relief, with a touch of "twirling mustache" villain thrown in. This is NOT Lex Luthor.
Brandon Routh is simply a clone of Christopher Reeves. Now, if you liked the original movies, that's a good thing. If you thought the original movies were comedies, not to be taken seriously, and were poor attempts at adapting one of the most well versed characters in history, well, you won't like Brandon Routh. Routh is the new Hayden Christensen; give him three movies, he will be a great actor. Just don't expect alot the first time through.
If Singer can get away from the original movies for the next installment, we might have an excellent trilogy coming. Do away with all the Krypton nonsense, bad Lex Luthor schemes...in fact, get a new villain. Lex is classic and all, but he's been done, ad hoc. Something new is needed, new locations, new scenarious, new plots, and new "rescues"; helicopters, people, cars, kittens...it's all been done before. Bring us something new.
In fact, bring us Superman Vs Batman. Routh vs Bale. Now that would be an excellent movie.
-------------------------------
The strangest thing has happened though. I liked Xmen3 better than Superman Returns. X2 has long been one of my favorite movies, X1 was "meh," and I had high hopes (and some fear due to the new director) about X3. I've noticed a lot of hate on the internet towards X3, most of it unwarranted.
X3 delivered something Singer never gave us. Superpowers. We finally got to see Wolvie, Storm, Colossus, and others just unleash and let fly. And not "unleash, stop, think and cry about something, converse, unleash, fade to black." No, we finally got to see a great and amazing X-MEN movie. Not simply Beverly Hills Mutants.
While I do love Singer's movies, I'm glad he didn't direct the third film, because we finally got to see what we hadn't before. And there was still plenty of character plot and development.
And Rogue still was a whiny little girl, hardly anything like her comic book character. But I'll let that slide, cause that started in the first film.
-----------------------
Since the teaser trailer for Spider-man 3 has finally hit the internet (the best thing quicktime.com is good for, hosting movie trailers), I decided to go and rent Spidey2.
Now, I hated Spidey1. It took me a while to get use to Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. Scratch that, he was a great Spidey. He was a horrible Peter Parker. I also felt that Kirsten Dunst was not in any way Mary Jane (kinda ugly too), and a Power Ranger villain was just a disappointment, however amazing Willem Dafoe is.
I'll just ignore the whole thing about following comic book continuity...forget about Gwen Stacy...forget about Goblin...forget about Parker meeting Mary Jane in college...forget about the in-grown web shooters...forget about it all. It's a movie, comics just don't work too well on the big screen...unless it's Sin City.
Spidey2 comes around and is a much better movie. Better villian, it doesnt' look CG when Spidey is swinging around, the subplot with Mary Jane was better, and it set up recurring characters for the third movie. Plus, the subway/skytrain scene is amazing.
But I had a major gripe with Spidey2. The love triangle. I'm all for love triangles in movies, it's worked before and can work again; it makes some compelling drama. But Spidey2 crossed a line.
If you've seen the movie, Mary Jane decides at the very last second to run away from her wedding and fiance in order to "devote" herself to Peter Parker/Spidey.
When I saw this movie, I was furious. And very saddened.
The scenes are filmed in such a way that we are supposed to feel like this is the right thing for her to do. Sunlight is streaming, she's running in slow motion, music is playing (Hallelujah chorus)...this is a good thing, right? She's finally getting together with Spider-Man, who's always loved her and is THE HERO.
What about her fiance? Who loves her, desires her, is devoted to her, and was hers up til Peter grew a pair?
Let me write the subplot to the movie you won't see filmed or probably even remotely addressed. Scene 1- The next morning. John Jameson, the heroic astronaut pilot, wakes up in bed, drunk from the previous night's failed wedding. He starts crying, staring at her picture, and the engagement ring sitting on his nightstand. He reaches over, opens a drawer, pulls out a .45,
And blows his brains out.
Scene. Fade to black, roll credits.
I have no sympathy or joy for Mary Jane/Peter Parker. He's a loser who just happens to have "great powers with great responsibilty," and she's an emotional wreck who's been used by nearly everyone and yet is cold and calculating enough to destroy her fiance.
And yet still, Spidey2 is one of the better superhero movies. And I'll be there opening day to see Spidey3 cause I enjoy watching them.
But the values these movies are teaching leave much to be desired. Unless it truly is ok to play with people's emotions and leave the one who loves you for the one you desire (um, adultery?), as long as it was "meant to be."
Am I making any sense?
------------------------------
Still, go watch them. They are great movies.
Jun 30, 2006
Jun 26, 2006
Power Blog #2
Thoughts are flowing right now, so I'm just gonna write...
---------------------
As much as I love the newer Prince of Persia games, there is one little aspect that annoys me. Aggravates me. Causes me to lose sleep at night.
The wall-jumping. Not, jumping from wall to wall; swinging on a pole and then jumping to the wall, and then kicking off that wall to another pole or ledge. I cannot seem to do the kickoff! It must be my timing, but it plagued me in the first game (I would have beaten it far faster) and it's still plaguing me in the second game!
It seems I'm not the only one who has this problem though, as a google search shows...
-----------------------------
With the release of the new slim sets, I have finally gotten hooked on Stargate SG-1. The movie has long been a favorite of mine; good actors, great premise, attractive love interest, memorable moments...a great movie. The series was just something I could never get into. Any episodes I saw were from later seasons, so nothing made sense or was familiar.
When they announced this past spring they were going to be re-releasing all the seasons in new slimmer packaging, and probably for a cheaper price, I knew I had to get at least the first season just to see if I liked it. Well, I loved it, and now I want more. Plus I'm pissed at the poor quality of Star Trek and other sci-fi shows compared to it.
I need to scrounge together another $35 for season 3...paypal donations are accepted.
----------------------
And the 4400 still continues to be one of the best shows I've ever seen...and I really love the music on the show. The opening credits song is especially amazing.
----------------------
As some of you have probably heard, they are releasing the Star Wars Trilogy on dvd, again, this coming fall. What they are releasing this time is the 04 and 05 dvds, but as a bonus feature, the complete "unaltered, uncut" theatrical originals. Basically, the newer versions are the Special Editions and the theatricals are before Lucas started digitally tinkering with the movies.
However, in a slap of the face to the many fans who wrote in requesting dvds of the Original originals...the theatricals...LucasFilm is only releasing them in a horrible condition. They call them the originals, but only because they are available in the most basic Stereo sound (the way they originally were), the worse picture condition possible (the way they originally were), and without the Episode numbers (the way they...yeah).
Now, I'm glad I'll finally have dvds of the movies without all the changes. But the least Lucas could do would be to fix them up to optimal picture AND sound quality, as well as leaving in the Episodes IV, Episodes V, etc, that he put in when he first released them on VHS.
Plus, these aren't even mastered from the originals...they are a copy of a copy of a copy, on top of that! Lazy, slap in the face...
However, I will give them some props. The new covers they came up with are gorgeous, especially the one for Empire Strikes Back.
------------------------
One more Star Wars note...I'm finally at long lasting going to be getting my hands on the infamous MagnoliaFan edits of the Prequel Trilogy. Supposedly these make the movies ten times better, so I'm really looking forward to them.
-------------------------
It's of some amusement to me that I'm getting paid more doing menial work now than I ever did when I was actually working an on-air shift...
--------------------------
More and more I'm reminded of just how crappy The Unforgettable Fire the album is compared to the rest of U2's body of work. Some good songs, but a horrible album. It's their worse, in my mind. Even October was a better album...
I like how myspace says the album was released in 1990...hardly, it came out back in 84/85. Myspace needs to be fixed in some places...
-------------------------
There are a few people in this life that I do not ever want to see again if I had the choice. The reasons for this remain complicated.
I've noticed within circles that it is very, very unpopular to talk about such things as church discipline. I have gotten into several heated arguments with people about it. No matter how many scripture verses I throw at them, they refuse to believe that such a thing exists. People tend to believe in the concept of "grace" so much that any discipline or punishment is almost a sin.
The Bible has laid some very clear boundaries for church discipline. One to three people need to confront someone, and if that person ignores them or worse, they can be kicked out of the church until they've dealt with whatever sin or issue is their problem. Plus a pastor has a responsibilty to protect the church, and can ask people to leave who are harmful to the church.
It's pretty obvious that this power and responsibility can be abused. One of the questions I have regarding this is what happens when the person who is being kicked out, the "sinner," is in fact Biblically innocent of any wrongdoing. How does one respond when they are innocent but are being kicked out because of purely political reasons, or worse, some power play happening within the church?
I would argue that this same concept can be applied to your own personal life. There are a small number of people I know who, despite numerous attempts to point things out to them, have steadfastedly "hardened their hearts" or just chosen to listen and ignore. They make a huge pretense at being totally and completely holy, and yet drop their "guard" whenever it suits them and are revealed to be completely the opposite. Should we "throw these people out" of our circle of friends?
I've noticed that a lot of what I blog about could at face value be seen as exalting myself over others. Can I stress enough that that is hardly the case? I'm well aware of my faults, my sins, my flaws and shortcomings. At times there seems to be a line I walk between both sides of my nature and personality. It's more complicated than just a Christian side and a sinner side; redeemed vs unredeemed personalities. It's more than that. At times I can appear crude and to certain Christian eyes "backslidden" or even "heretical," and yet if you ask any of my Christian friends, they will tell you I am very grounded and have some pretty decent advise and wise worldviews to share. Many have come to me when they have questions about certain things.
I don't say these things to artificially puff me up or make me appear holier than thou; I say these things so that I don't have to bend over backwards in a pretense of humility when challenged by others. Plus I'm really tired of the attitude that I'm worthless and aren't studied enough to have valued opinions.
But onto the main matter. I have had several people call me various things to my face, including heretical and ungodly. As a Christian, it would seem to be my duty to listen to these complaints or observations against me, weigh them against Scripture, consult God/Spirit, and then act when needed. If they are proven wrong, what then?
When someone wrongs you, you forgive them. Simple as that. But does that mean you must have continual fellowship with this person? If someone wrongs you enough times, even if you forgive them, are you still expected to hang out with them or commune with them? I know several people who it seems cannot be in my presence without wronging me or slighting me in some sense. Either a spiritual attack, Biblical attack, personal attack, or indirect attack. I won't get into specifics.
So I try and pray to forgive. But must I still continue to see this person? To the people who the details are known to, it has been suggested on numerous times that I pack up and move away, either by finding a job in another state or going to a school elsewhere. Perhaps this would be a wise thing for me to do anyway. Life has gotten way too easy and comfty here.
Moving might be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I look at people like Terry Lange and my friend Josh who have successfully moved crosscountry and are doing well because of it. Heck, Terry is married with a kid now and Josh is even engaged!
The solution does not seem to be to move into the frathouse. While I support Jelani in his decision to do so...something within me screams "NO!" whenever I think about it myself. The frathouse appears to be a deadend to me, or maybe better yet a funnel; you know whats gonna happen to you and where you will be when you come out of it. And I really don't think I can live with a bunch of Christians who I don't know well.
As far as living options, there seems to only be a few choices for me: 1- live alone, 2- live with a spouse and future kids, 3- live with old friends, and 4- live with people I have nothing in common with (although that's an extreme).
So maybe moving would be the ideal. A new place, new state, new people, new friends, new life. All the job opportunities I'd really like to pursue seem to be in either California or New York or Seattle anyway. Moving would also allow me to get away from certain people and in truth much of Christianity in general. I wouldn't turn my back on Christianity, but certain aspects of it.
So I really don't know, ultimately. It's something I'm going to have to pray about, and I'd like it if you can remember me too once in a while.
----------------------
I've written enough, and I'm tired of staring at this screen.
Oh, once last thing. I've been thinking way too much again, and it's come to my attention that perhaps buying myself a laptop would be one of the smartest and wisest buying decisions I could make. It'd give me a portable computer, a place to store any writing I'd like to do, a place to put all my music, and even give me an excuse to start playing my collection of CRPGs I've been stockpiling.
I figure a P4 with at least a 120 gig harddrive, dvd player, and internal networking card would be the minimum specs...maybe a decent soundcard and graphics card too...for under $600. Work and play and the future in one box...
---------------------
As much as I love the newer Prince of Persia games, there is one little aspect that annoys me. Aggravates me. Causes me to lose sleep at night.
The wall-jumping. Not, jumping from wall to wall; swinging on a pole and then jumping to the wall, and then kicking off that wall to another pole or ledge. I cannot seem to do the kickoff! It must be my timing, but it plagued me in the first game (I would have beaten it far faster) and it's still plaguing me in the second game!
It seems I'm not the only one who has this problem though, as a google search shows...
-----------------------------
With the release of the new slim sets, I have finally gotten hooked on Stargate SG-1. The movie has long been a favorite of mine; good actors, great premise, attractive love interest, memorable moments...a great movie. The series was just something I could never get into. Any episodes I saw were from later seasons, so nothing made sense or was familiar.
When they announced this past spring they were going to be re-releasing all the seasons in new slimmer packaging, and probably for a cheaper price, I knew I had to get at least the first season just to see if I liked it. Well, I loved it, and now I want more. Plus I'm pissed at the poor quality of Star Trek and other sci-fi shows compared to it.
I need to scrounge together another $35 for season 3...paypal donations are accepted.
----------------------
And the 4400 still continues to be one of the best shows I've ever seen...and I really love the music on the show. The opening credits song is especially amazing.
----------------------
As some of you have probably heard, they are releasing the Star Wars Trilogy on dvd, again, this coming fall. What they are releasing this time is the 04 and 05 dvds, but as a bonus feature, the complete "unaltered, uncut" theatrical originals. Basically, the newer versions are the Special Editions and the theatricals are before Lucas started digitally tinkering with the movies.
However, in a slap of the face to the many fans who wrote in requesting dvds of the Original originals...the theatricals...LucasFilm is only releasing them in a horrible condition. They call them the originals, but only because they are available in the most basic Stereo sound (the way they originally were), the worse picture condition possible (the way they originally were), and without the Episode numbers (the way they...yeah).
Now, I'm glad I'll finally have dvds of the movies without all the changes. But the least Lucas could do would be to fix them up to optimal picture AND sound quality, as well as leaving in the Episodes IV, Episodes V, etc, that he put in when he first released them on VHS.
Plus, these aren't even mastered from the originals...they are a copy of a copy of a copy, on top of that! Lazy, slap in the face...
However, I will give them some props. The new covers they came up with are gorgeous, especially the one for Empire Strikes Back.
------------------------
One more Star Wars note...I'm finally at long lasting going to be getting my hands on the infamous MagnoliaFan edits of the Prequel Trilogy. Supposedly these make the movies ten times better, so I'm really looking forward to them.
-------------------------
It's of some amusement to me that I'm getting paid more doing menial work now than I ever did when I was actually working an on-air shift...
--------------------------
More and more I'm reminded of just how crappy The Unforgettable Fire the album is compared to the rest of U2's body of work. Some good songs, but a horrible album. It's their worse, in my mind. Even October was a better album...
I like how myspace says the album was released in 1990...hardly, it came out back in 84/85. Myspace needs to be fixed in some places...
-------------------------
There are a few people in this life that I do not ever want to see again if I had the choice. The reasons for this remain complicated.
I've noticed within circles that it is very, very unpopular to talk about such things as church discipline. I have gotten into several heated arguments with people about it. No matter how many scripture verses I throw at them, they refuse to believe that such a thing exists. People tend to believe in the concept of "grace" so much that any discipline or punishment is almost a sin.
The Bible has laid some very clear boundaries for church discipline. One to three people need to confront someone, and if that person ignores them or worse, they can be kicked out of the church until they've dealt with whatever sin or issue is their problem. Plus a pastor has a responsibilty to protect the church, and can ask people to leave who are harmful to the church.
It's pretty obvious that this power and responsibility can be abused. One of the questions I have regarding this is what happens when the person who is being kicked out, the "sinner," is in fact Biblically innocent of any wrongdoing. How does one respond when they are innocent but are being kicked out because of purely political reasons, or worse, some power play happening within the church?
I would argue that this same concept can be applied to your own personal life. There are a small number of people I know who, despite numerous attempts to point things out to them, have steadfastedly "hardened their hearts" or just chosen to listen and ignore. They make a huge pretense at being totally and completely holy, and yet drop their "guard" whenever it suits them and are revealed to be completely the opposite. Should we "throw these people out" of our circle of friends?
I've noticed that a lot of what I blog about could at face value be seen as exalting myself over others. Can I stress enough that that is hardly the case? I'm well aware of my faults, my sins, my flaws and shortcomings. At times there seems to be a line I walk between both sides of my nature and personality. It's more complicated than just a Christian side and a sinner side; redeemed vs unredeemed personalities. It's more than that. At times I can appear crude and to certain Christian eyes "backslidden" or even "heretical," and yet if you ask any of my Christian friends, they will tell you I am very grounded and have some pretty decent advise and wise worldviews to share. Many have come to me when they have questions about certain things.
I don't say these things to artificially puff me up or make me appear holier than thou; I say these things so that I don't have to bend over backwards in a pretense of humility when challenged by others. Plus I'm really tired of the attitude that I'm worthless and aren't studied enough to have valued opinions.
But onto the main matter. I have had several people call me various things to my face, including heretical and ungodly. As a Christian, it would seem to be my duty to listen to these complaints or observations against me, weigh them against Scripture, consult God/Spirit, and then act when needed. If they are proven wrong, what then?
When someone wrongs you, you forgive them. Simple as that. But does that mean you must have continual fellowship with this person? If someone wrongs you enough times, even if you forgive them, are you still expected to hang out with them or commune with them? I know several people who it seems cannot be in my presence without wronging me or slighting me in some sense. Either a spiritual attack, Biblical attack, personal attack, or indirect attack. I won't get into specifics.
So I try and pray to forgive. But must I still continue to see this person? To the people who the details are known to, it has been suggested on numerous times that I pack up and move away, either by finding a job in another state or going to a school elsewhere. Perhaps this would be a wise thing for me to do anyway. Life has gotten way too easy and comfty here.
Moving might be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I look at people like Terry Lange and my friend Josh who have successfully moved crosscountry and are doing well because of it. Heck, Terry is married with a kid now and Josh is even engaged!
The solution does not seem to be to move into the frathouse. While I support Jelani in his decision to do so...something within me screams "NO!" whenever I think about it myself. The frathouse appears to be a deadend to me, or maybe better yet a funnel; you know whats gonna happen to you and where you will be when you come out of it. And I really don't think I can live with a bunch of Christians who I don't know well.
As far as living options, there seems to only be a few choices for me: 1- live alone, 2- live with a spouse and future kids, 3- live with old friends, and 4- live with people I have nothing in common with (although that's an extreme).
So maybe moving would be the ideal. A new place, new state, new people, new friends, new life. All the job opportunities I'd really like to pursue seem to be in either California or New York or Seattle anyway. Moving would also allow me to get away from certain people and in truth much of Christianity in general. I wouldn't turn my back on Christianity, but certain aspects of it.
So I really don't know, ultimately. It's something I'm going to have to pray about, and I'd like it if you can remember me too once in a while.
----------------------
I've written enough, and I'm tired of staring at this screen.
Oh, once last thing. I've been thinking way too much again, and it's come to my attention that perhaps buying myself a laptop would be one of the smartest and wisest buying decisions I could make. It'd give me a portable computer, a place to store any writing I'd like to do, a place to put all my music, and even give me an excuse to start playing my collection of CRPGs I've been stockpiling.
I figure a P4 with at least a 120 gig harddrive, dvd player, and internal networking card would be the minimum specs...maybe a decent soundcard and graphics card too...for under $600. Work and play and the future in one box...
Jun 19, 2006
Summit Coda
So now I can say I've been to Summit. Been there, done that, chose not to buy the t-shirt (and ran out of time to get my autograph on it, too!). Didn't buy the dvd either, although if anyone has a copy, pass it around.
Summit was a great experience. I'm very glad I went, even with the high elevation and the obnoxious roommates...whom I still love. While my zeal and determination has kinda wained in the face of real normal life, I'm still determined to get my brother to go to Summit before he goes off to college, no matter which college he goes to. I might not push for my old youth group to go, although I should probably still swing everything by Josh.
I did not go to Summit to learn worldviews or anything else. I went mainly because I thought I could better understand a lot of what I'm being taught at church. I feel at times that I'm simply holding up a Bible and shouting "WHY DOES IT ALL NOT MAKE SENSE??"...while still trying to live a semi-normal life that does not live and breathe the Bible 24/7.
I'll be honest here; the idea of me sitting around and reading my Bible during every idle second of the day does not sound appealing to me at all. If that's the highest standard Christians should aspire to, well, I don't. And if I should, I better pray God changes me from the inside out.
But I have learned many things. I even have several books, a dvd, and a few sheets of paper that I need to find time to go over in detail and in prayer. And the Spirit is still knocking on my heart, asking me to let down all these Biblical and religious strongholds I have in my life and let Him in for a drink. And from what I've heard, when you and the Spirit get together for drinks, He will drink you under the table.
-----------------------------------
I should note that I've been having fewer "demon" dreams or whatever they were. When we went to Summit, everything just started to get more vivid and hyper-realistic. I don't know if it was just being there that gave me the dreams, or if it was a more clear and uncluttered focus on God, or a lack of music (the dreams did diminish after I started partaking before going to bed) and media...I'm not really sure. I've had a few weird dreams since coming back, but things seem to be getting closer to normal. Nothing super terrifying at least (watch me jinx myself now...).
-----------------------------
I feel the need to write more about "The Girl." The amount of crap/comments I've been receiving from people about her is amazing. People who I didn't even know could read are asking me whatever happened to her!!
Well, there's really not much to say. I saw an attractive girl at the Flying W, and kept on running into her throughout the night. Throughout the night I noticed her performing certain tasks with a certain type of Spirit behind them, and it spoke to me. Said some things, some that still sting, some that just remind.
As attractive as the girl was, she personally is really nothing (especially if she just graduated from highschool); she is more of an idea that anything else. Her actions and testimony remind of certain traits that I myself use to have. I use to always be the courteous one, the one who will always open the door, move the chair, volunteer, help out, or whatever. I did it partly because I wanted to and partly because it was needed.
Sadly, I've changed. I got way too tired of being stepped on, abused, counted on, demanded on, etc. It's part of the reason why I finally left Fourth Baptist and got so fed up with Davanni's. I was there every single day of the week helping out and doing something "for the Lord." "Storing up treasures in heaven." "Making the store run smooth." Etc. When you've held the door for 300-500 people, end up being the last in line, not had a place left waiting for you with your group of friends, or missed out on something important yet trivial....you get really tired of it really quick.
The Girl's actions kinda stung me a little. Still does, if I think about it too hard. I saw something in her that's missing in me, and not only did it convict me of what I need to be more like, but it made me realize that that was a character trait I want to see in others, or more importantly, the mythical "future wife."
And yes, I know the last will be first, etc. Still.
Another important fact that came out of The Girl is a strong sense or belief that a decent single Christian woman is out there somewhere in the world. For the longest time I've wanted nothing to do with Christian women, cause I find their "testimony" or life rather repulsive. I've seen too many Christian girls who are the worse lot of humanity.
Not that I am a saint by any means, far from it, but when Christians are commanded to marry other Christians, I plan on upholding my end of the bargain and be a decent person. The way you act is FAR more important than if you have a "born again" experience; it's only through actions that we can impact people. Actions shout louder than words, etc etc.
But while I don't know if The Girl in question is saved or not, she made me realize something. Somewhere out there is a person that God has put aside for me at a certain time that I will be 1- attracted to, 2- can respect, 3- will be a Christian, 4- will be a decent person, and 5- some unknown quality I can't put into words (yet).
AKA- She gave me hope, without saying a single word or pointing out a single verse. And that's precious.
The Girl is an ideal. Nothing more. While I wouldn't mind meeting her again, learning her name, if she's saved, etc...I don't have to. God can do that for me.
-------------------------------
Summit is probably going to be an ongoing experience. I'll probably blog when new things strike me or inspire. While this might be the bookend to all official Summit blogs, more will come.
Did I have fun? Fun is a hard thing for me to describe. I enjoyed my time at Summit; not all of it, but most of it. Could have done without some of the drama and people, and especially that stupid mandatory sports time (SOME OF US NEED TO SLEEP!!!).
So if "fun" is a ratio, amount of enjoyment to amount of misery, then yes, I definitely had fun, and would gladly do it again.
I give Summit a 70-75% fun experience on a 100% scale. However, add another 10 points if I'd actually allowed myself to become super interested in anyone (or inquire about anyone who was interested in me...I got some unwelcome hints). Add another 10 points if I had gotten to go eat at Popeyes...
In Summary- Summit was fun, inspirational, educational, edutainmental, tiring, and one of the better "camp" experiences I've ever been on. And a great place to meet some new friends.
Dave, you still owe me a cd, and Joe, you owe me like $22 or something...and Beau/Garrett, give me a call, we gotta hang out sometime.
That is all.
"Dear Prudence..."
Summit was a great experience. I'm very glad I went, even with the high elevation and the obnoxious roommates...whom I still love. While my zeal and determination has kinda wained in the face of real normal life, I'm still determined to get my brother to go to Summit before he goes off to college, no matter which college he goes to. I might not push for my old youth group to go, although I should probably still swing everything by Josh.
I did not go to Summit to learn worldviews or anything else. I went mainly because I thought I could better understand a lot of what I'm being taught at church. I feel at times that I'm simply holding up a Bible and shouting "WHY DOES IT ALL NOT MAKE SENSE??"...while still trying to live a semi-normal life that does not live and breathe the Bible 24/7.
I'll be honest here; the idea of me sitting around and reading my Bible during every idle second of the day does not sound appealing to me at all. If that's the highest standard Christians should aspire to, well, I don't. And if I should, I better pray God changes me from the inside out.
But I have learned many things. I even have several books, a dvd, and a few sheets of paper that I need to find time to go over in detail and in prayer. And the Spirit is still knocking on my heart, asking me to let down all these Biblical and religious strongholds I have in my life and let Him in for a drink. And from what I've heard, when you and the Spirit get together for drinks, He will drink you under the table.
-----------------------------------
I should note that I've been having fewer "demon" dreams or whatever they were. When we went to Summit, everything just started to get more vivid and hyper-realistic. I don't know if it was just being there that gave me the dreams, or if it was a more clear and uncluttered focus on God, or a lack of music (the dreams did diminish after I started partaking before going to bed) and media...I'm not really sure. I've had a few weird dreams since coming back, but things seem to be getting closer to normal. Nothing super terrifying at least (watch me jinx myself now...).
-----------------------------
I feel the need to write more about "The Girl." The amount of crap/comments I've been receiving from people about her is amazing. People who I didn't even know could read are asking me whatever happened to her!!
Well, there's really not much to say. I saw an attractive girl at the Flying W, and kept on running into her throughout the night. Throughout the night I noticed her performing certain tasks with a certain type of Spirit behind them, and it spoke to me. Said some things, some that still sting, some that just remind.
As attractive as the girl was, she personally is really nothing (especially if she just graduated from highschool); she is more of an idea that anything else. Her actions and testimony remind of certain traits that I myself use to have. I use to always be the courteous one, the one who will always open the door, move the chair, volunteer, help out, or whatever. I did it partly because I wanted to and partly because it was needed.
Sadly, I've changed. I got way too tired of being stepped on, abused, counted on, demanded on, etc. It's part of the reason why I finally left Fourth Baptist and got so fed up with Davanni's. I was there every single day of the week helping out and doing something "for the Lord." "Storing up treasures in heaven." "Making the store run smooth." Etc. When you've held the door for 300-500 people, end up being the last in line, not had a place left waiting for you with your group of friends, or missed out on something important yet trivial....you get really tired of it really quick.
The Girl's actions kinda stung me a little. Still does, if I think about it too hard. I saw something in her that's missing in me, and not only did it convict me of what I need to be more like, but it made me realize that that was a character trait I want to see in others, or more importantly, the mythical "future wife."
And yes, I know the last will be first, etc. Still.
Another important fact that came out of The Girl is a strong sense or belief that a decent single Christian woman is out there somewhere in the world. For the longest time I've wanted nothing to do with Christian women, cause I find their "testimony" or life rather repulsive. I've seen too many Christian girls who are the worse lot of humanity.
Not that I am a saint by any means, far from it, but when Christians are commanded to marry other Christians, I plan on upholding my end of the bargain and be a decent person. The way you act is FAR more important than if you have a "born again" experience; it's only through actions that we can impact people. Actions shout louder than words, etc etc.
But while I don't know if The Girl in question is saved or not, she made me realize something. Somewhere out there is a person that God has put aside for me at a certain time that I will be 1- attracted to, 2- can respect, 3- will be a Christian, 4- will be a decent person, and 5- some unknown quality I can't put into words (yet).
AKA- She gave me hope, without saying a single word or pointing out a single verse. And that's precious.
The Girl is an ideal. Nothing more. While I wouldn't mind meeting her again, learning her name, if she's saved, etc...I don't have to. God can do that for me.
-------------------------------
Summit is probably going to be an ongoing experience. I'll probably blog when new things strike me or inspire. While this might be the bookend to all official Summit blogs, more will come.
Did I have fun? Fun is a hard thing for me to describe. I enjoyed my time at Summit; not all of it, but most of it. Could have done without some of the drama and people, and especially that stupid mandatory sports time (SOME OF US NEED TO SLEEP!!!).
So if "fun" is a ratio, amount of enjoyment to amount of misery, then yes, I definitely had fun, and would gladly do it again.
I give Summit a 70-75% fun experience on a 100% scale. However, add another 10 points if I'd actually allowed myself to become super interested in anyone (or inquire about anyone who was interested in me...I got some unwelcome hints). Add another 10 points if I had gotten to go eat at Popeyes...
In Summary- Summit was fun, inspirational, educational, edutainmental, tiring, and one of the better "camp" experiences I've ever been on. And a great place to meet some new friends.
Dave, you still owe me a cd, and Joe, you owe me like $22 or something...and Beau/Garrett, give me a call, we gotta hang out sometime.
That is all.
"Dear Prudence..."
Jun 15, 2006
On being on stage and playing with U2
I'm sorry I haven't written the "Summit Coda" yet. I've been busy dealing with some minor health issues and other things, and just haven't sat down and typed it out yet. I really wanted all Summit stuff to be in one group, but alas, that can't be. I feel the need to post this in as many places as I can online.
Jelani had a dream a while back, maybe a week, where he was at the U2 concert with all of us. I know this because he told me. Not sure who the us is, really, but odds are, when U2 swings back into town, I'm going to be bringing maybe 4 or 5 people depending on cost, and I know Joe and David are probably gonna convince other people to go.
So from me bringing 2 other people to see U2 back in September, the next time we might have a group numbering 15 or more!
But back to Jelani's dream...of which I am really, really hoping it is prophetic in some small way. Jelani dreamed that I was on stage singing with Bono.
Now, that'd be awesome. If I were up to it, and I'd need some practice in order to even come close to singing some of their songs. But what would be even cooler is if I was singing AND playing with U2 on stage!
I figure I really have two shots at that. The first, would be to play handbell accompaniment on "Electrical Storm." That would require me to meet the band, talk it out with them, work out the song arrangment, and practice like crazy. And then rock the casbah, and with that song, preferably in an open-air stadium at night (obviously not the Metrodome). Check out the song to see what I mean.
The second shot I have would first require me to learn how to play acoustic guitar. And while there are many, many different acoustic songs U2 has played with fans over the years (they've always been famous for pulling an audience member on stage to play guitar with them), the song I'd really like to play with them (or rather, Bono on vocals and Adam on bass) would be "Flower Child," a song that was not on an album (strike one against it) but was on the Essential U2 ipod exclusive collection (strike two). And I guarantee that Bono forgot the lyrics (strike three).
Anyways, its an easy song to play on acoustic guitar, one I could easily learn and probably should, after I learn how to play first.
I figure I'll bring a big poster to the concert that says (Bono and I can make a "Flower Child") and in small letters (i brought lyrics).
Stranger things have happened at U2 shows, believe me.
I have a whole "Open Letter to U2" I've been planning on writing and posting online soon...but for now, enjoy the lyrics to "Flower Child."
If you want a copy of the song, let me know, I can upload it to you somehow.
"Flower Child"
On the fifth day of May
She was breaking away
When the moon came and sat on your shoulder
She was still young
Not yet high-strung
Which you need to be when you get older
George was the street
When you first faced defeat
You put money on the colour of her sky
Well the cold of her voice
Left you there with no choice
But to drink the liffy dry
The seeds that you sew
You want to watch them grow
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Here comes Holy Joe
Now, how would he know
How laughter can make a man cruel
Theres fire on fire
When lovers conspire
To either a duet or duel
When its fire on fire
The flames just get higher
The harder you work to put them out
Well, you know that youre similar
Sugar and weak
In a boat heading north facing south
The seeds that you sew
You want to watch them grow
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild
Whats on your breath
Is it fear of death
That makes such a man promiscuous
Your mouth was dry
Like when youre about to lie
And her lips are so lucous
Youve seen it before
Youre hurled at her door
Like a dog when she needed a man
Now she aches and she breaks
And she takes all the weight
Of your world, she almost can
The seeds that you sew
Well, you want to watch them growing
The wind, where will it blow
My flower child
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild
The sky was still gray
Up on Albion way
As the yellow hats took up the road
Didnt hear what she said
As the lights turned red
On a love that should have stayed gold
Gold
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Jelani had a dream a while back, maybe a week, where he was at the U2 concert with all of us. I know this because he told me. Not sure who the us is, really, but odds are, when U2 swings back into town, I'm going to be bringing maybe 4 or 5 people depending on cost, and I know Joe and David are probably gonna convince other people to go.
So from me bringing 2 other people to see U2 back in September, the next time we might have a group numbering 15 or more!
But back to Jelani's dream...of which I am really, really hoping it is prophetic in some small way. Jelani dreamed that I was on stage singing with Bono.
Now, that'd be awesome. If I were up to it, and I'd need some practice in order to even come close to singing some of their songs. But what would be even cooler is if I was singing AND playing with U2 on stage!
I figure I really have two shots at that. The first, would be to play handbell accompaniment on "Electrical Storm." That would require me to meet the band, talk it out with them, work out the song arrangment, and practice like crazy. And then rock the casbah, and with that song, preferably in an open-air stadium at night (obviously not the Metrodome). Check out the song to see what I mean.
The second shot I have would first require me to learn how to play acoustic guitar. And while there are many, many different acoustic songs U2 has played with fans over the years (they've always been famous for pulling an audience member on stage to play guitar with them), the song I'd really like to play with them (or rather, Bono on vocals and Adam on bass) would be "Flower Child," a song that was not on an album (strike one against it) but was on the Essential U2 ipod exclusive collection (strike two). And I guarantee that Bono forgot the lyrics (strike three).
Anyways, its an easy song to play on acoustic guitar, one I could easily learn and probably should, after I learn how to play first.
I figure I'll bring a big poster to the concert that says (Bono and I can make a "Flower Child") and in small letters (i brought lyrics).
Stranger things have happened at U2 shows, believe me.
I have a whole "Open Letter to U2" I've been planning on writing and posting online soon...but for now, enjoy the lyrics to "Flower Child."
If you want a copy of the song, let me know, I can upload it to you somehow.
"Flower Child"
On the fifth day of May
She was breaking away
When the moon came and sat on your shoulder
She was still young
Not yet high-strung
Which you need to be when you get older
George was the street
When you first faced defeat
You put money on the colour of her sky
Well the cold of her voice
Left you there with no choice
But to drink the liffy dry
The seeds that you sew
You want to watch them grow
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Here comes Holy Joe
Now, how would he know
How laughter can make a man cruel
Theres fire on fire
When lovers conspire
To either a duet or duel
When its fire on fire
The flames just get higher
The harder you work to put them out
Well, you know that youre similar
Sugar and weak
In a boat heading north facing south
The seeds that you sew
You want to watch them grow
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild
Whats on your breath
Is it fear of death
That makes such a man promiscuous
Your mouth was dry
Like when youre about to lie
And her lips are so lucous
Youve seen it before
Youre hurled at her door
Like a dog when she needed a man
Now she aches and she breaks
And she takes all the weight
Of your world, she almost can
The seeds that you sew
Well, you want to watch them growing
The wind, where will it blow
My flower child
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild
The sky was still gray
Up on Albion way
As the yellow hats took up the road
Didnt hear what she said
As the lights turned red
On a love that should have stayed gold
Gold
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Wild, you grow wild
You grow wild in my heart
Jun 6, 2006
Summit pics
Well, since I didn't bring a camera on the Summit trip, mainly due to money reasons and how our digital camera is kinda crappy...like a disposable...you all will have to go here,
http://www.pixagogo.com/8073725232
to have a look at all the wonderful things I and others were doing for two weeks.
Thanks be to Joe and especially Sarita for taking these pics and putting them online. Mucho gracias.
http://www.pixagogo.com/8073725232
to have a look at all the wonderful things I and others were doing for two weeks.
Thanks be to Joe and especially Sarita for taking these pics and putting them online. Mucho gracias.
Jun 2, 2006
Summit Update #3
"Free at last, free at last...THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, I'M FREE AT LAST!!!"
Don't start asking if I had a good time...I need some time to unwind/ponder/unwind/pray/unwind; I'll write a Summit Coda later. Emphasis on the unwind. By Wednesday night, I was ready to go home, and it's only by the grace of God that I've been able to enjoy myself the last few days. It seems some prayer does work...lol, just kidding. Still, I will be very glad to be home.
Summit is a great experience. I'm already planning on getting/paying for my brother to come here next summer, and I'm also scheming about how to get Fourth's youth group to come here. It's that important.
But for me, I unwind by being alone. If I could have a weekend off, just by myself, I would be ready for another two week stint at Summit. However, I will admit that I'm thinking about applying to work here some summer. It would be a great experience, and hopefully one God will bless.
----------------
Down the hall there is a party going on. Parties and me aren't exactly best of friends. While I can enjoy certain types of parties, the mass of people, the sweat, the heat, and the idiocity eventually just wear me down. Everyone has to take pictures with everyone, regardless who they are. (Or their age in relation to your own...) There are very few people here that I will honestly miss, and I've already made arrangements to keep in touch with them. There are a few people I will miss seeing and experiencing every day, but that's different. I miss Conan O'Brien, but it's not like he's a personal friend...yet (one day).
Am I being anti-social? Possibily. I don't know. I just know it's very hard for me to be "slow to anger" around a huge mass of people. You will always run into that one person who is just ignorant of his/her surroundings and has a big ego. I'm probably doing everyone a favor by not hanging around behind everyone and just listening to everyone talk because they never slow down for a second.
I'd rather just sit here and think and listen to Delirious on J's laptop...
"On Christ the solid Rock we will stand!/All other ground...is sinking sand"
----------------
Tomorrow we get up waaaaaay too early and drive back to Minnesota. If I'm lucky...I might get a chance to drive. Don't really know if that is wise though; I'm already under probation, and Jonathan has a reputation for being a "speed nazi" or something. But still...it would definitely be a nice change of pace, and I know I can last behind the wheel, especially if the speed control actually works.
Although...I imagine the seating arrangement will be the same as it was coming down. And although I do love Beau and Garrett (at times)...their taste in music and sermons leaves me a little bland at times. I somehow doubt I'll be able to just flip on the radio or turn on my cds and listen to what I want to; unless they are asleep.
Music parity...I should get a t-shirt saying "I DEMAND MUSIC PARITY!!"
But "lest ye offend..."
-----------------
There's a pretty heavy subject weighing on my heart right now. It's a subject that has slowly been building but nigh exploded last night. An event happened that I praise God for. But behind it is something else. I've been praying about it, and probably gonna be praying about it for a while. Wisdom is what I need. Do I just let this pass, or do I act on it? Will it be beneficial to anyone, or will it just cause harm?
I'm so tired of thinking and dealing with the tough and big questions...
Chris tells me that instead of reading a book/watching tv/listening to music/or anything else, he's rather just sit and think. Well...good for him. If that helps him, I support it. But for me, I am so tired of thinking...so weary...my mind won't shut down.
I use things to not think...and I thank God for them.
-------------------
Well, I better go rejoin civilization.
I need caffeine...
Don't start asking if I had a good time...I need some time to unwind/ponder/unwind/pray/unwind; I'll write a Summit Coda later. Emphasis on the unwind. By Wednesday night, I was ready to go home, and it's only by the grace of God that I've been able to enjoy myself the last few days. It seems some prayer does work...lol, just kidding. Still, I will be very glad to be home.
Summit is a great experience. I'm already planning on getting/paying for my brother to come here next summer, and I'm also scheming about how to get Fourth's youth group to come here. It's that important.
But for me, I unwind by being alone. If I could have a weekend off, just by myself, I would be ready for another two week stint at Summit. However, I will admit that I'm thinking about applying to work here some summer. It would be a great experience, and hopefully one God will bless.
----------------
Down the hall there is a party going on. Parties and me aren't exactly best of friends. While I can enjoy certain types of parties, the mass of people, the sweat, the heat, and the idiocity eventually just wear me down. Everyone has to take pictures with everyone, regardless who they are. (Or their age in relation to your own...) There are very few people here that I will honestly miss, and I've already made arrangements to keep in touch with them. There are a few people I will miss seeing and experiencing every day, but that's different. I miss Conan O'Brien, but it's not like he's a personal friend...yet (one day).
Am I being anti-social? Possibily. I don't know. I just know it's very hard for me to be "slow to anger" around a huge mass of people. You will always run into that one person who is just ignorant of his/her surroundings and has a big ego. I'm probably doing everyone a favor by not hanging around behind everyone and just listening to everyone talk because they never slow down for a second.
I'd rather just sit here and think and listen to Delirious on J's laptop...
"On Christ the solid Rock we will stand!/All other ground...is sinking sand"
----------------
Tomorrow we get up waaaaaay too early and drive back to Minnesota. If I'm lucky...I might get a chance to drive. Don't really know if that is wise though; I'm already under probation, and Jonathan has a reputation for being a "speed nazi" or something. But still...it would definitely be a nice change of pace, and I know I can last behind the wheel, especially if the speed control actually works.
Although...I imagine the seating arrangement will be the same as it was coming down. And although I do love Beau and Garrett (at times)...their taste in music and sermons leaves me a little bland at times. I somehow doubt I'll be able to just flip on the radio or turn on my cds and listen to what I want to; unless they are asleep.
Music parity...I should get a t-shirt saying "I DEMAND MUSIC PARITY!!"
But "lest ye offend..."
-----------------
There's a pretty heavy subject weighing on my heart right now. It's a subject that has slowly been building but nigh exploded last night. An event happened that I praise God for. But behind it is something else. I've been praying about it, and probably gonna be praying about it for a while. Wisdom is what I need. Do I just let this pass, or do I act on it? Will it be beneficial to anyone, or will it just cause harm?
I'm so tired of thinking and dealing with the tough and big questions...
Chris tells me that instead of reading a book/watching tv/listening to music/or anything else, he's rather just sit and think. Well...good for him. If that helps him, I support it. But for me, I am so tired of thinking...so weary...my mind won't shut down.
I use things to not think...and I thank God for them.
-------------------
Well, I better go rejoin civilization.
I need caffeine...
May 28, 2006
Summit Update 2.1
Few things I forgot...
First off, within the lower ages, it ain't good here. Too many cliques here for the wrong things with too many attitute problems. If the two leaders, affectionately dubbed "Buffy" and "Angel," were "taken out", the whole group dynamic would be different, and probably better.
Before coming here, I knew we would be the odd group. We are the troublemakers, the ones who dare to stand up and contradict a speaker. We have a reputation here even before we arrived; the leaders love us, the students seem to despise us. What I DIDN'T count on is the almost outright hostility some people give to us. I say almost cause it never quite crosses that invisible line.
The Bible says to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." This seems to be almost contradictory to some people here; they like the concept of a quick and easy salvation much easier. People seem almost willing to pounce on us when we say something that they don't quite agree with it; no matter what Scripture says. People need to realize what I realized a while ago= stop trying to argue with the Bible. Just accept what is written, learn, and move on.
And I have a confession to make. I am really tired and burnt out on all of these Christian pseudo-intellectual conversations that seem to continually be about the exact same arguments. I realize there importance, but I'm tired of hearing the same stuff over and over again. Today has been a nice rebreather, but I'm still gonna be praying that God will recharge my batteries and just give me some passion to discuss stuff with people.
Here's an example of what got ALOT of people up in arms. The first, which I can discuss later, is the concept of what is TRUE. JP Moreland argues that The Bible is not true. Obviously a inflammatory statement. However, he goes on to explain why, and at the end, it's discovered that the Bible is far more than just truth. It's a tough argument, you have to listen to the whole thing to explain it, but it makes sense both philosophically and Biblically.
I don't know about his belief that animals and plants have souls though...don't quite get that one...I'll call that dross.
Another good example- "Where two or three are gathered in my mind, I am there with with them." A verse about how Christ promises that He is there in Spirit whenever a small body is gathered, right? Wrong. Read the context. It has to do with church discipline and not a bible study. And if you took it literally, Christ is only present with two or three people, no more no less. Not quite true. Ultimately it has to do with church discipline, and as always, CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT.
Ok, dinner was turkey, decent, and I am full. Time to get Pepsi'd.
First off, within the lower ages, it ain't good here. Too many cliques here for the wrong things with too many attitute problems. If the two leaders, affectionately dubbed "Buffy" and "Angel," were "taken out", the whole group dynamic would be different, and probably better.
Before coming here, I knew we would be the odd group. We are the troublemakers, the ones who dare to stand up and contradict a speaker. We have a reputation here even before we arrived; the leaders love us, the students seem to despise us. What I DIDN'T count on is the almost outright hostility some people give to us. I say almost cause it never quite crosses that invisible line.
The Bible says to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." This seems to be almost contradictory to some people here; they like the concept of a quick and easy salvation much easier. People seem almost willing to pounce on us when we say something that they don't quite agree with it; no matter what Scripture says. People need to realize what I realized a while ago= stop trying to argue with the Bible. Just accept what is written, learn, and move on.
And I have a confession to make. I am really tired and burnt out on all of these Christian pseudo-intellectual conversations that seem to continually be about the exact same arguments. I realize there importance, but I'm tired of hearing the same stuff over and over again. Today has been a nice rebreather, but I'm still gonna be praying that God will recharge my batteries and just give me some passion to discuss stuff with people.
Here's an example of what got ALOT of people up in arms. The first, which I can discuss later, is the concept of what is TRUE. JP Moreland argues that The Bible is not true. Obviously a inflammatory statement. However, he goes on to explain why, and at the end, it's discovered that the Bible is far more than just truth. It's a tough argument, you have to listen to the whole thing to explain it, but it makes sense both philosophically and Biblically.
I don't know about his belief that animals and plants have souls though...don't quite get that one...I'll call that dross.
Another good example- "Where two or three are gathered in my mind, I am there with with them." A verse about how Christ promises that He is there in Spirit whenever a small body is gathered, right? Wrong. Read the context. It has to do with church discipline and not a bible study. And if you took it literally, Christ is only present with two or three people, no more no less. Not quite true. Ultimately it has to do with church discipline, and as always, CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT.
Ok, dinner was turkey, decent, and I am full. Time to get Pepsi'd.
Summit Update #2
You'd think on the first day where nearly the whole day is free time, I'd get alot done. Not so. If you want to do laundry, plan out nearly an hour and a half. If you want to go to Wal-Mart, plan out nearly an hour and a half (for other ppl to do clothes hunting...sigh). If you want to sleep in...yeah, less hours there too. So basically, I've gotten little done, and yet what I have gotten done is very important.
Ooo...and I finally got to go to a Sonic. Not bad. Kinda like a drive in Culvers...with a pretty decent Green Chili Cheeseburger.
So...what's been happening since last update. Been sleeping better...although that's according to me, not according to others. They say I'm still screaming or whatever in my sleep. Heck, as long as I don't remember it, deal with it. Various verses people have been giving me seem to be helping too...as does the massive dose of music I listen to right before I go to bed. Helps me get into a spiritual mindset, tires me out, and clears my mind too. That no music rule here is ridiculous; I see no difference between someone playing tunes on a guitar and someone listening to tunes on a cd player. Unless it's rap music; that's just evil.
Went to the Flying W Ranch last night (also went to Garden of the Gods...hasn't changed in five years). Food- meh, Company-meh, Attractions- meh meh...but the Music- AMAZING. I grew up listening to some old country/western bluegrass type stuff, so I knew most of the songs. Managed to get away from all the group and hang out near the door in order to feel the breeze; it was hot in there. But the music was amazing. The band really did a good job.
At times I even started to tear up; it reminded me alot of my Papa (dad's dad) and just Colorado in general. I miss him alot when I come out here; it's just not the same anymore. And I've noticed that lately I've been praying that I will get to see him and Mema together in heaven one day. It sucks not to know.
The professors have been pretty good. One old school southern preacher got really old really fast. I wanted to sleep through his whole presentation on the authenticity of Scripture. Plus, I got strong KJV Only vibes from him the whole time, so that didn't help matters. He didn't expressly say it...but I saw his reaction when he called on someone to read some Scripture and they whipped out some newer translation. People never learn.
Roommates are doing ok. Nerves are started to get a little short. Jelani and I got into a little shouting match that I didn't want to have at the time; tried to get him to just shut up but he wouldn't. Eventually I just apologized for my part in what it was about; better to end it and be sincere than drag it out. Plus he was just plain wrong, and if I had gottten Joe and Nate involved, I would have won, but that's beside the point. I don't mind. Better to be humble than be right.
I keep on hearing from everyone that when the two weeks are up you will hate to leave and want to stay. Well, so far...that ain't the case. Enough of my freedoms have been taken from me that I will be more than happy to be back home. I miss driving the most probably; I just want to go cruising in my car. Plus it would be nice to not have people yelling at you in five minute intervals that lights out are at 11. And a shower that is not a drizzle is a luxury.
Maybe I just haven't met enough girls yet...that seems to be what everyone says they miss the most. Friends. I'm not here for that, although I have been several people I want to keep in contact with.
"Rise up with wings as eagles...higher!...higher!! BEAUTIFUL DAY!!" Sorry, just listening to some tunes on J's laptop. Good old U2 in Chicago. Speaking on U2, we are up to 3 Bono/U2 references from the pulpit/lecturn here. All positive. And I discovered that there is an entire room here that loves U2! I'm in the haters room it seems...one of the guys even has that U2 ipod (I'm bittersweet about that product).
In reference to girls...I had a unique encounter last night at the Flying W. Walking around before the dinner bell, I ran across this one girl. Features were slightly Spanish, prob with a touch of European in her somewhere. I thought she was really attractive, but everyone else was giving her the "meh." She was very tall; easily 6'1" or 6'2". Attractive physicque; she wasn't a booty or whatever girl, she was just perfectly proportionate.
Ok, enough of physical features...lol...that's hardly the most important thing.
But what made her stood out to me was something else. Let's call it her spirit. Throughout the night I kept on running into her or just observing her (save your comments). She was at the W with her whole family; parents, siblings, even grandparents. Throughout the night, I saw her do several things.
1- She cleaned up for her family. She carried her trash away and took care of it, then came back for others trash too. And I didn't see her complain or anything. Her expression on her face wasn't exactly "PRAISE JESUS I"M SO GIDDY AND HAPPY!!", but it wasn't bitter or unhappy either. Content, or just ...I don't know. She didn't seem to mind doing it, I guess.
2- After the music was over, she walked out of the big indoor room with her family. I saw her help her mother take care of the strollers and the babies and little children. Didn't see her complain at all.
3- For some unknown reason, I stopped and bought some of the music cds before heading to the bus. Because of that, I ended up finding a seat on the bus by myself, and had to sit up front. Thank God I did that. Out she came with her family. She was pushing her grandparent, and again, didn't seem to mind it.
So why didn't I run out and ask her her name or anything? She was wearing a shirt that said '06. Don't know if it was for highschool or college. But that was a hindrance, plus that little voice inside of me that kept on saying "you didn't come to Summit to meet girls"...and that other voice saying "God, PLEASE??!!!"
It made me think alot though. I know nothing about this girl, but she seemed to scream Christ to me the entire time. Just watching and observing her, I saw traits that I recognized as Christian. Traits that I rarely see in believers, male or female...or even in myself. I caught myself praying to God that she was a Christian, or that someone would go up to her and have the nerve to witness to her. She seemed to be something special.
I'd love to know her name. I'd love to ask her if she knows Jesus (in Colo Springs, odds are she does). I wonder what her interests are. With that height and body, I bet she plays sports. I wonder if she got a scholarship for volleyball or basketball anywhere. I wonder what her name is.
It made me think about all the things I want in a woman. Maybe not the physical things; but definitely the spiritual things. There was just something about her, something that made me sit up and take notice. An inner beauty. A humbleness. A gentle spirit. And a willingness to serve others.
Made me realize just how much I've changed. And how much I have to work toward to be.
I've mentioned this to several people, but up til maybe a year and a half ago, I wanted nothing to do with "Christian" women. I'd rather date an unsaved person who is a good person than a saved person who is despicable. Christian testimony comes in multiple flavors. To me, it's more important that you have fruit in your life than if you claim the name of Christ. I can think of several girls throughout the years who have either abused the name of Christ or have been the "golden girls" of churchs and yet are some of the worse people you could be around.
Obviously, things have changed. I want a good Christian woman right now. Within reason. And picked by God.
But I hope and pray that one day I run across this young lady again and get to ask her her name. Perhaps when we are both ready.
If you can't tell, she's been haunting me since last night; actions speak louder than words or physical appearance, and I can't get her out of my mind.
Hence, I'm on a "Mysterious Ways" binge.
That's all for now. Dinner is served in 5. Time to rustle the troops.
Ooo...and I finally got to go to a Sonic. Not bad. Kinda like a drive in Culvers...with a pretty decent Green Chili Cheeseburger.
So...what's been happening since last update. Been sleeping better...although that's according to me, not according to others. They say I'm still screaming or whatever in my sleep. Heck, as long as I don't remember it, deal with it. Various verses people have been giving me seem to be helping too...as does the massive dose of music I listen to right before I go to bed. Helps me get into a spiritual mindset, tires me out, and clears my mind too. That no music rule here is ridiculous; I see no difference between someone playing tunes on a guitar and someone listening to tunes on a cd player. Unless it's rap music; that's just evil.
Went to the Flying W Ranch last night (also went to Garden of the Gods...hasn't changed in five years). Food- meh, Company-meh, Attractions- meh meh...but the Music- AMAZING. I grew up listening to some old country/western bluegrass type stuff, so I knew most of the songs. Managed to get away from all the group and hang out near the door in order to feel the breeze; it was hot in there. But the music was amazing. The band really did a good job.
At times I even started to tear up; it reminded me alot of my Papa (dad's dad) and just Colorado in general. I miss him alot when I come out here; it's just not the same anymore. And I've noticed that lately I've been praying that I will get to see him and Mema together in heaven one day. It sucks not to know.
The professors have been pretty good. One old school southern preacher got really old really fast. I wanted to sleep through his whole presentation on the authenticity of Scripture. Plus, I got strong KJV Only vibes from him the whole time, so that didn't help matters. He didn't expressly say it...but I saw his reaction when he called on someone to read some Scripture and they whipped out some newer translation. People never learn.
Roommates are doing ok. Nerves are started to get a little short. Jelani and I got into a little shouting match that I didn't want to have at the time; tried to get him to just shut up but he wouldn't. Eventually I just apologized for my part in what it was about; better to end it and be sincere than drag it out. Plus he was just plain wrong, and if I had gottten Joe and Nate involved, I would have won, but that's beside the point. I don't mind. Better to be humble than be right.
I keep on hearing from everyone that when the two weeks are up you will hate to leave and want to stay. Well, so far...that ain't the case. Enough of my freedoms have been taken from me that I will be more than happy to be back home. I miss driving the most probably; I just want to go cruising in my car. Plus it would be nice to not have people yelling at you in five minute intervals that lights out are at 11. And a shower that is not a drizzle is a luxury.
Maybe I just haven't met enough girls yet...that seems to be what everyone says they miss the most. Friends. I'm not here for that, although I have been several people I want to keep in contact with.
"Rise up with wings as eagles...higher!...higher!! BEAUTIFUL DAY!!" Sorry, just listening to some tunes on J's laptop. Good old U2 in Chicago. Speaking on U2, we are up to 3 Bono/U2 references from the pulpit/lecturn here. All positive. And I discovered that there is an entire room here that loves U2! I'm in the haters room it seems...one of the guys even has that U2 ipod (I'm bittersweet about that product).
In reference to girls...I had a unique encounter last night at the Flying W. Walking around before the dinner bell, I ran across this one girl. Features were slightly Spanish, prob with a touch of European in her somewhere. I thought she was really attractive, but everyone else was giving her the "meh." She was very tall; easily 6'1" or 6'2". Attractive physicque; she wasn't a booty or whatever girl, she was just perfectly proportionate.
Ok, enough of physical features...lol...that's hardly the most important thing.
But what made her stood out to me was something else. Let's call it her spirit. Throughout the night I kept on running into her or just observing her (save your comments). She was at the W with her whole family; parents, siblings, even grandparents. Throughout the night, I saw her do several things.
1- She cleaned up for her family. She carried her trash away and took care of it, then came back for others trash too. And I didn't see her complain or anything. Her expression on her face wasn't exactly "PRAISE JESUS I"M SO GIDDY AND HAPPY!!", but it wasn't bitter or unhappy either. Content, or just ...I don't know. She didn't seem to mind doing it, I guess.
2- After the music was over, she walked out of the big indoor room with her family. I saw her help her mother take care of the strollers and the babies and little children. Didn't see her complain at all.
3- For some unknown reason, I stopped and bought some of the music cds before heading to the bus. Because of that, I ended up finding a seat on the bus by myself, and had to sit up front. Thank God I did that. Out she came with her family. She was pushing her grandparent, and again, didn't seem to mind it.
So why didn't I run out and ask her her name or anything? She was wearing a shirt that said '06. Don't know if it was for highschool or college. But that was a hindrance, plus that little voice inside of me that kept on saying "you didn't come to Summit to meet girls"...and that other voice saying "God, PLEASE??!!!"
It made me think alot though. I know nothing about this girl, but she seemed to scream Christ to me the entire time. Just watching and observing her, I saw traits that I recognized as Christian. Traits that I rarely see in believers, male or female...or even in myself. I caught myself praying to God that she was a Christian, or that someone would go up to her and have the nerve to witness to her. She seemed to be something special.
I'd love to know her name. I'd love to ask her if she knows Jesus (in Colo Springs, odds are she does). I wonder what her interests are. With that height and body, I bet she plays sports. I wonder if she got a scholarship for volleyball or basketball anywhere. I wonder what her name is.
It made me think about all the things I want in a woman. Maybe not the physical things; but definitely the spiritual things. There was just something about her, something that made me sit up and take notice. An inner beauty. A humbleness. A gentle spirit. And a willingness to serve others.
Made me realize just how much I've changed. And how much I have to work toward to be.
I've mentioned this to several people, but up til maybe a year and a half ago, I wanted nothing to do with "Christian" women. I'd rather date an unsaved person who is a good person than a saved person who is despicable. Christian testimony comes in multiple flavors. To me, it's more important that you have fruit in your life than if you claim the name of Christ. I can think of several girls throughout the years who have either abused the name of Christ or have been the "golden girls" of churchs and yet are some of the worse people you could be around.
Obviously, things have changed. I want a good Christian woman right now. Within reason. And picked by God.
But I hope and pray that one day I run across this young lady again and get to ask her her name. Perhaps when we are both ready.
If you can't tell, she's been haunting me since last night; actions speak louder than words or physical appearance, and I can't get her out of my mind.
Hence, I'm on a "Mysterious Ways" binge.
That's all for now. Dinner is served in 5. Time to rustle the troops.
May 24, 2006
Summit Update
Originally I was planning on going on a two week internet media fast, but since we discovered that this place has wi-fi, and Jelani brought his laptop, I am now pecking away at a rather crappy Mac keyboard...I hate laptops in general I guess...
So, lets see. So far, I am enjoying myself. The speakers have generally been excellent, I'm learning stuff, although honestly I learn more listening to Chris and others talk than I do the speakers. Most of the worldview stuff is old hat to me...although some of it is pretty new.
We got a pretty sweet room...Joe, J, Nate, and I. Got our own bathroom AND walk in closet, although the shower's water pressure leaves alot to be desired. And so far we are rocking a 99% cleaning average...only high scores for us.
Its worth pointing out that the dreams have started again. I've been having some crazy nightmares for a while, and the last two nights have not been that fun. First I had a dream where I was being chased through the Summitt hotel by dogs; Joe claims I kept on moaning "help...help..." before I woke up. He said he felt some demonic presence in the room...which would explain alot.
Last night was crazier. I fell to sleep...as I was going to sleep, all of a sudden the room was filled with a dark red light...red light was streaming through the blinds. The bunks changed, became cold and dark instead of wood. The other guys were gone, although 3 new people where in each of their places. I'm on the bottom bunk; the top above me all of a sudden had a bright glowing red scar in it.
Then I woke up. Began praying heavily for this to stop...or for meaning. Fell back asleep...slipped right back into the same place. Woke up, prayed. Plead. Fell asleep again...went to a place similar, but this time, a big pair of mechanical wind up party teeth (those clatterer things) was heading straight for Joe, and in blind panic and concern I woke up and grabbed his arm! If you know Joe, you know this freaks him out. So as I slowly lost sight of my "vision" or dream, we both seemed to calm each other down, and eventually fell asleep.
Needless to say, I am very tired of this nonsense. Chris is convinced it's demonic, the dreams at least, but also that I have some gift of sight into the spiritual world. Would explain A LOT to me. Yet when he mentions something like that, my first thought is, "Didn't Bruce preach against mysticism recently?" Obviously I need to do some researching, studying, and seeking of God on this.
But I just want to sleep peacefully without having to tire myself out first.
Other than that, Summitt is going good. I started praying early last week that this experience would not become the typical girl hunt/attraction thing that I and many seem to easily slip into. That said, if God is willing, please, by all means, let me know. There are some girls here who I would love to get to know better, but I'm not going to let myself because that is not why I came here...unlike some who are unnamed.
One important truth related to that: Beauty is deceptive. Yet on the flipside, a soul needs beauty for a soulmate. So...I'm not gonna be deceived anymore. Yeah...
On a lighter note- caffeine headaches are becoming a norm. Thankfully we were able to sneak off the compound and buy some RCs and Dew. And some bribes for the hotel staff, but that's a different story.
Wow but I feel old here...
Update Complete. Stay tuned for more...possibly.
So, lets see. So far, I am enjoying myself. The speakers have generally been excellent, I'm learning stuff, although honestly I learn more listening to Chris and others talk than I do the speakers. Most of the worldview stuff is old hat to me...although some of it is pretty new.
We got a pretty sweet room...Joe, J, Nate, and I. Got our own bathroom AND walk in closet, although the shower's water pressure leaves alot to be desired. And so far we are rocking a 99% cleaning average...only high scores for us.
Its worth pointing out that the dreams have started again. I've been having some crazy nightmares for a while, and the last two nights have not been that fun. First I had a dream where I was being chased through the Summitt hotel by dogs; Joe claims I kept on moaning "help...help..." before I woke up. He said he felt some demonic presence in the room...which would explain alot.
Last night was crazier. I fell to sleep...as I was going to sleep, all of a sudden the room was filled with a dark red light...red light was streaming through the blinds. The bunks changed, became cold and dark instead of wood. The other guys were gone, although 3 new people where in each of their places. I'm on the bottom bunk; the top above me all of a sudden had a bright glowing red scar in it.
Then I woke up. Began praying heavily for this to stop...or for meaning. Fell back asleep...slipped right back into the same place. Woke up, prayed. Plead. Fell asleep again...went to a place similar, but this time, a big pair of mechanical wind up party teeth (those clatterer things) was heading straight for Joe, and in blind panic and concern I woke up and grabbed his arm! If you know Joe, you know this freaks him out. So as I slowly lost sight of my "vision" or dream, we both seemed to calm each other down, and eventually fell asleep.
Needless to say, I am very tired of this nonsense. Chris is convinced it's demonic, the dreams at least, but also that I have some gift of sight into the spiritual world. Would explain A LOT to me. Yet when he mentions something like that, my first thought is, "Didn't Bruce preach against mysticism recently?" Obviously I need to do some researching, studying, and seeking of God on this.
But I just want to sleep peacefully without having to tire myself out first.
Other than that, Summitt is going good. I started praying early last week that this experience would not become the typical girl hunt/attraction thing that I and many seem to easily slip into. That said, if God is willing, please, by all means, let me know. There are some girls here who I would love to get to know better, but I'm not going to let myself because that is not why I came here...unlike some who are unnamed.
One important truth related to that: Beauty is deceptive. Yet on the flipside, a soul needs beauty for a soulmate. So...I'm not gonna be deceived anymore. Yeah...
On a lighter note- caffeine headaches are becoming a norm. Thankfully we were able to sneak off the compound and buy some RCs and Dew. And some bribes for the hotel staff, but that's a different story.
Wow but I feel old here...
Update Complete. Stay tuned for more...possibly.
May 15, 2006
Power Blog!!
Introducing the first of possibly many Power Blogs...meaning I write alot on various stuff and just do it all at once. Get bored at work...so I blog.
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More often then not, I'm able to find people who say the words I can't formulate. Here's a good example of one of my thoughts...from a list of the Top 10 Contributions Charasmatics have made to Christianity, taken from
http://timbayly.worldmagblog.com/timbayly/archives/024105.html
1. A focus on New Testament “gifts of the Spirit” such as healing, prophecy, and tongues.
I’m very much of a split mind on this since, although I’m not the normal reformed cessationist, the vast majority of what passes today in public as the practice of these gifts is, in my experience, fake. (How many times have I heard an overwrought matron prophesying, “O my people, I just want to love you and to gather you to my bosom, if you would only let me.” No thanks--this is no prophetic word, but only an overwrought matron.
I'm tending to agree. I really don't believe I have heard anyone truly speak in tongues since I started attending Marantha. However, I will admit that it's possible I have; I can think of one or two people whose occasional mutterings might have been legit. However, when someone can just "turn it on" or "speak it" in the Spirit...I admit I doubt it's true. To them, maybe; not to me.
And those prophetic words people like to blurt out during the songs...yeaaaahhhh...except for Dean's leading, I think they are just annoying. The words might be true, and the meaning and spirit (lower case) behind them are sincere, but they are hardly prophetic. If I said "God loves you," that's not prophetic; it's just Bible, and really, it's just
DUH.
Although the guy does go on to point out 1Corinthians 14:39...and I agree with that. And he makes some REALLY good points in the next bit...
Deadpan worship devoid of emotions and physical movement is the bane of reformed worship. God gave us emotions and bodies, and both should be active in worship. As I’ve pointed out elsewhere, Scripture is filled with examples of the people of God in worship kneeling, shouting, dancing, falling on their faces, standing, lifting their hands, and so on. The absence of any body movement beyond standing and sitting in reformed worship is an indication of our worship of the intellect and our tendency to lift doctrine above practice. So you won’t be surprised to find out that I believe it’s sin, and that in our congregation we kneel, stand, lift our hands, and that I hope the day will come when we will dance and fall on our faces, too.
I'll just work on some emotion for the time being...maybe a hand raised...
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In other news, it's kinda funny that my screensaver on my computer provides a better focus point than President Bush's face. It's hard watching the guy at times; but I did listen/watch the Presidential address tonight. If there is one thing I can say about my years at community college is that it taught me the importance of paying attention to the world and the news. Thanks Jack, you've cemented me as a Fox watcher...much to your chagrin! (Don't worry, I check both sides...just trying to be fair and balanced...)
But in regards to his address and the whole issue...
I don't know.
He makes some good points...everyone makes some good points...but what's the best point?
Should we grant complete amnesty to any illegal who has had a child in our country? Probably not.
Should illegal workers be deported and forced to complete the immigration process if they want back in? I'd say yes. But then again, wouldn't half of Hollywood and our music industry be gone? LoL...
Amnesty vs total amnesty vs partial amnesty vs no amnesty. Which of these 4 views do I hold to? It's tricky...I'm probably leaning toward no amnesty...but on conditions, none of which have to do with the illegal immigrants specifically.
For example...one of the big arguments is that illegals do the work Americans won't do. Yet why won't Americans do the jobs? Could the fact that companies pay crap have anything to do with it? I'd be willing to be a "sanitation engineer" if I'm guaranteed more than $5-7 an hour. You just can't live off that. In today's society, if you are working a 40 hour week, it's probably MINIMUM to earn at least $10 an hour just in order to survive; and even then, you are probably have to live with 4 other people just to afford a 2 bedroom apartment that was made for cheaper than your monthly rent.
There are just too many problems with our society for any one solution to fix them all. Greed is just too prevalant, and too much power is in too few hands. Change is needed.
Or perhaps just grace and God...
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I must admit, I find sites like screenit.com offensive. It annoys me to no end that people are willing to base their discernment on a movie based on the number of cusswords, amount of violence, or hints of sexualness that are contained within a film or tv show. Maybe its my aspirations to be a filmmaker, tv producer, story writer, or just lover of fiction...I don't know.
If someone were to make a movie about the salvation of a prisoner on deathrow, and included his illegal and possibily murderous past, and wanted to make it lifelike...would he not use cusswords? Probably not. That's not reality. "I just don't feel comfortable exposing myself to such things." You mean you never walk underneath that sign in your church that says "You are now entering the mission field"?
Would a movie about a Christian martyr who stood up for his beliefs and got executed not include violence? Hardly. That's not reality.
And just how do you define sexual immorality? Nudity? Kissing? Bare shoulders? If a married couple, within the context of the story, kiss...does that offend you? Do you turn away in shame or, worse yet, in sin? "But they aren't married in real life." What if they were? Would you turn away at a marriage ceremony when the minister says "You may kiss the bride?" Where do you draw the line?
You know, I realize I'm just preaching to the backrows. You all have your set beliefs, and nothing less than the voice of God will change your mind...or my mind probably too...although we both will continue to shout at each other and get annoyed at each other. And then one of us will get tired of it, and start saying stuff like "well what works for you is between you and God, and this is just how I live MY life...but really, according to X scripture, you should..."
And eventually one of us will walk away from the room in disgust. And saddened that a God given opportunity for fellowship and discourse has been lost due to our "sinful nature."
So what it's worth...I apologize. I don't really want to be the party that causes others to stumble.
But I still just don't understand.
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And I know I might ruffle some feathers by saying this...but why is it that some people either seem to take delight in or feel it is their Godly duty to dig up and throw dirt on people's enjoyments?
Real life examples I've heard-
"You like Superman? Did you know he is the Anti-Christ, the exact opposite of all that Christ should be!! You should not expose such filth to your children."
"You own a gun? Oh, you enjoy hunting. Did you know the Bible says we shouldn't condone violence?" I still don't get that one...
"How can you drink out of a brown bottle? Oh, it's root beer? Well, the Bible I read says that you should avoid the appearance of evil and not tempt others, and it really looks like you are drinking some evil drink there. But, really, that's just what my Bible says..."
The worse of the lot...and I realize this doesn't apply anymore to alot of people, but I've still heard it-
"NIV? How can you be saved if you are reading an uninspired evil translation made by a council of devil worshippers and homosexuals? I don't care if you have been saved for years...unless you read the inspired King James Version of the Bible, you are NOT SAVED."
And my personal favorite: "You like U2? Did you know, ignoring the instruments and STYLE of music they play and the fact that they drink alcohol, that Bono once dressed up as the Devil and that he appeared nude once? Or that U2's lyrics say that salvation isn't all that is necessary in this world, that "they still haven't found what they are looking for," so obviously they are unBiblical as well as unsaved?
I just don't understand. And I can hear some of you thinking "the boy is just ticked off at everything" or "he must like being angry all the time"...well, really, I'm not, and I don't want to be. I'm saddened more than angry; frustrated or disheartened perhaps.
And after writing all this, pretty depressed...
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And one final plug...the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Stadium Arcadia, a double disc, is actually not too bad. However, far too many of the songs can be fit under that "b-side" banner, but most of them are on the second of the two discs (second in my mind, not their mind). Still, it's an excellent album, well worth picking up if you enjoy good music.
And of course, for some truly excellent music, try U2 or Kaiser Chiefs.
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Thus concludes Power Blog...
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More often then not, I'm able to find people who say the words I can't formulate. Here's a good example of one of my thoughts...from a list of the Top 10 Contributions Charasmatics have made to Christianity, taken from
http://timbayly.worldmagblog.com/timbayly/archives/024105.html
1. A focus on New Testament “gifts of the Spirit” such as healing, prophecy, and tongues.
I’m very much of a split mind on this since, although I’m not the normal reformed cessationist, the vast majority of what passes today in public as the practice of these gifts is, in my experience, fake. (How many times have I heard an overwrought matron prophesying, “O my people, I just want to love you and to gather you to my bosom, if you would only let me.” No thanks--this is no prophetic word, but only an overwrought matron.
I'm tending to agree. I really don't believe I have heard anyone truly speak in tongues since I started attending Marantha. However, I will admit that it's possible I have; I can think of one or two people whose occasional mutterings might have been legit. However, when someone can just "turn it on" or "speak it" in the Spirit...I admit I doubt it's true. To them, maybe; not to me.
And those prophetic words people like to blurt out during the songs...yeaaaahhhh...except for Dean's leading, I think they are just annoying. The words might be true, and the meaning and spirit (lower case) behind them are sincere, but they are hardly prophetic. If I said "God loves you," that's not prophetic; it's just Bible, and really, it's just
DUH.
Although the guy does go on to point out 1Corinthians 14:39...and I agree with that. And he makes some REALLY good points in the next bit...
Deadpan worship devoid of emotions and physical movement is the bane of reformed worship. God gave us emotions and bodies, and both should be active in worship. As I’ve pointed out elsewhere, Scripture is filled with examples of the people of God in worship kneeling, shouting, dancing, falling on their faces, standing, lifting their hands, and so on. The absence of any body movement beyond standing and sitting in reformed worship is an indication of our worship of the intellect and our tendency to lift doctrine above practice. So you won’t be surprised to find out that I believe it’s sin, and that in our congregation we kneel, stand, lift our hands, and that I hope the day will come when we will dance and fall on our faces, too.
I'll just work on some emotion for the time being...maybe a hand raised...
-----------------
In other news, it's kinda funny that my screensaver on my computer provides a better focus point than President Bush's face. It's hard watching the guy at times; but I did listen/watch the Presidential address tonight. If there is one thing I can say about my years at community college is that it taught me the importance of paying attention to the world and the news. Thanks Jack, you've cemented me as a Fox watcher...much to your chagrin! (Don't worry, I check both sides...just trying to be fair and balanced...)
But in regards to his address and the whole issue...
I don't know.
He makes some good points...everyone makes some good points...but what's the best point?
Should we grant complete amnesty to any illegal who has had a child in our country? Probably not.
Should illegal workers be deported and forced to complete the immigration process if they want back in? I'd say yes. But then again, wouldn't half of Hollywood and our music industry be gone? LoL...
Amnesty vs total amnesty vs partial amnesty vs no amnesty. Which of these 4 views do I hold to? It's tricky...I'm probably leaning toward no amnesty...but on conditions, none of which have to do with the illegal immigrants specifically.
For example...one of the big arguments is that illegals do the work Americans won't do. Yet why won't Americans do the jobs? Could the fact that companies pay crap have anything to do with it? I'd be willing to be a "sanitation engineer" if I'm guaranteed more than $5-7 an hour. You just can't live off that. In today's society, if you are working a 40 hour week, it's probably MINIMUM to earn at least $10 an hour just in order to survive; and even then, you are probably have to live with 4 other people just to afford a 2 bedroom apartment that was made for cheaper than your monthly rent.
There are just too many problems with our society for any one solution to fix them all. Greed is just too prevalant, and too much power is in too few hands. Change is needed.
Or perhaps just grace and God...
-----------------------
I must admit, I find sites like screenit.com offensive. It annoys me to no end that people are willing to base their discernment on a movie based on the number of cusswords, amount of violence, or hints of sexualness that are contained within a film or tv show. Maybe its my aspirations to be a filmmaker, tv producer, story writer, or just lover of fiction...I don't know.
If someone were to make a movie about the salvation of a prisoner on deathrow, and included his illegal and possibily murderous past, and wanted to make it lifelike...would he not use cusswords? Probably not. That's not reality. "I just don't feel comfortable exposing myself to such things." You mean you never walk underneath that sign in your church that says "You are now entering the mission field"?
Would a movie about a Christian martyr who stood up for his beliefs and got executed not include violence? Hardly. That's not reality.
And just how do you define sexual immorality? Nudity? Kissing? Bare shoulders? If a married couple, within the context of the story, kiss...does that offend you? Do you turn away in shame or, worse yet, in sin? "But they aren't married in real life." What if they were? Would you turn away at a marriage ceremony when the minister says "You may kiss the bride?" Where do you draw the line?
You know, I realize I'm just preaching to the backrows. You all have your set beliefs, and nothing less than the voice of God will change your mind...or my mind probably too...although we both will continue to shout at each other and get annoyed at each other. And then one of us will get tired of it, and start saying stuff like "well what works for you is between you and God, and this is just how I live MY life...but really, according to X scripture, you should..."
And eventually one of us will walk away from the room in disgust. And saddened that a God given opportunity for fellowship and discourse has been lost due to our "sinful nature."
So what it's worth...I apologize. I don't really want to be the party that causes others to stumble.
But I still just don't understand.
--------------
And I know I might ruffle some feathers by saying this...but why is it that some people either seem to take delight in or feel it is their Godly duty to dig up and throw dirt on people's enjoyments?
Real life examples I've heard-
"You like Superman? Did you know he is the Anti-Christ, the exact opposite of all that Christ should be!! You should not expose such filth to your children."
"You own a gun? Oh, you enjoy hunting. Did you know the Bible says we shouldn't condone violence?" I still don't get that one...
"How can you drink out of a brown bottle? Oh, it's root beer? Well, the Bible I read says that you should avoid the appearance of evil and not tempt others, and it really looks like you are drinking some evil drink there. But, really, that's just what my Bible says..."
The worse of the lot...and I realize this doesn't apply anymore to alot of people, but I've still heard it-
"NIV? How can you be saved if you are reading an uninspired evil translation made by a council of devil worshippers and homosexuals? I don't care if you have been saved for years...unless you read the inspired King James Version of the Bible, you are NOT SAVED."
And my personal favorite: "You like U2? Did you know, ignoring the instruments and STYLE of music they play and the fact that they drink alcohol, that Bono once dressed up as the Devil and that he appeared nude once? Or that U2's lyrics say that salvation isn't all that is necessary in this world, that "they still haven't found what they are looking for," so obviously they are unBiblical as well as unsaved?
I just don't understand. And I can hear some of you thinking "the boy is just ticked off at everything" or "he must like being angry all the time"...well, really, I'm not, and I don't want to be. I'm saddened more than angry; frustrated or disheartened perhaps.
And after writing all this, pretty depressed...
--------------
And one final plug...the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album, Stadium Arcadia, a double disc, is actually not too bad. However, far too many of the songs can be fit under that "b-side" banner, but most of them are on the second of the two discs (second in my mind, not their mind). Still, it's an excellent album, well worth picking up if you enjoy good music.
And of course, for some truly excellent music, try U2 or Kaiser Chiefs.
------------------------
Thus concludes Power Blog...
May 10, 2006
E3 2006
As most of you are probably unaware, E3, the big Electronic Entertainment Expo, is currently underway in California.
This is the big event for anyone interested or working in video games. All the companies come out for a three day fest, revealing new hardware, games, designs, mergers, what have you. It's the biggest and wildest videogame party in the world. And it's exclusive to the industry, so not just anyone can get in...which is a shame.
Most of you probably don't care at all about videogames. "Waste of time" "Immature" "time better spent reading your Bible!", etc, I've heard it all. I don't need to defend videogames. Just because the industry is rivaling Hollywood and most videogames deliver a better story and entertainment experience ("Killing people is entertaining??"....so ignorant) than most movies...well, a stuck opinion won't change overnight.
HOWEVER! Nintendo is trying to change all that with it's new system, the...Wii. Terrible, terrible name, yes. It used to be codenamed the Nintendo Revolution, which is alot better. But anyways, it looks like its going to be really fun to play with Nintendo's Wii.
I could go into detail regarding why this new innovation and system is going to explode the gaming market...but rather, I'd just as assume you watch two short videos.
http://media.revolution.ign.com/articles/706/706429/vids_1.html
Fairly confident these are the videos...so much stuff is being updated on the website that it gets difficult to keep track of where everything goes.
Anyways...the Wii is amazing.
This is the big event for anyone interested or working in video games. All the companies come out for a three day fest, revealing new hardware, games, designs, mergers, what have you. It's the biggest and wildest videogame party in the world. And it's exclusive to the industry, so not just anyone can get in...which is a shame.
Most of you probably don't care at all about videogames. "Waste of time" "Immature" "time better spent reading your Bible!", etc, I've heard it all. I don't need to defend videogames. Just because the industry is rivaling Hollywood and most videogames deliver a better story and entertainment experience ("Killing people is entertaining??"....so ignorant) than most movies...well, a stuck opinion won't change overnight.
HOWEVER! Nintendo is trying to change all that with it's new system, the...Wii. Terrible, terrible name, yes. It used to be codenamed the Nintendo Revolution, which is alot better. But anyways, it looks like its going to be really fun to play with Nintendo's Wii.
I could go into detail regarding why this new innovation and system is going to explode the gaming market...but rather, I'd just as assume you watch two short videos.
http://media.revolution.ign.com/articles/706/706429/vids_1.html
Fairly confident these are the videos...so much stuff is being updated on the website that it gets difficult to keep track of where everything goes.
Anyways...the Wii is amazing.
Happy Birthday, Bono!!
Thanks for the songs and memories throughout the years...
Happy Birthday! Hope 46 is just as memorable as the previous 45!!
Happy Birthday! Hope 46 is just as memorable as the previous 45!!
May 9, 2006
"A different kind of conversation..."
Two points to the people who know where that quote comes from...
Before I begin, I'd like to give a shoutout/promo to Jeffrey Overstreet from ChristianityToday and lookingcloser.org and lookingcloser.blogspot.com. I highly respect this man, and I thank him for giving me some perspective on things in my life. Thanks, Jeffrey.
---------------------------
As most of you know, or any one who really bothers to read my profile before sending me a friend invite, I really like a lot of different television shows. My tastes have ranged from Star Trek and Andromeda, The Dead Zone and Smallville, to more serious fare like 24 and Band of Brothers. And any day of the week, I will happily convince you that television is the ultimate entertainment medium.
Movies? Two to three hours per installment, expensive, limited story but huge budget. Books? Lots of room to develop characters, but limited by imagination, reading ability, or author's skill. Music? Purely auditory; even my beloved U2 pales in comparison to the live U2. (However, the best version of Star Wars is the Original Radio Drama that was made in the late 80's)
Television. A good tv show runs for maybe six to ten years. At maybe 22-24 episodes per season, that's 220 to 240 hours of entertainment. That gives enough time to properly develop characters, stories, plots, a fan base, anything really. Audio is of top notch quality, a new installment happens every week or thereabouts, and the summer hiatus allows anticipation to build up for the next season.
And as anybody who gets hooked on a tv show can tell you, you being to fall in love with the characters, spending time with them for years, making them almost close friends. When a tv show ends after a long successful run, it's both bittersweet and exciting. You want more, but more than likely, you aren't going to get anymore (Star Trek is the exception to the rule).
Television is also a mixed bag. For every good show, there is a terrible show that either fails miserably, or worse yet, succeeds. For every Coach, there is a Friends; for every Hercules, there is a Sinbad (bet you don't remember that show!); for every Smallville, there is a Birds of Prey; for every CSI, there is a CSI Miami/NewYork/LA/Last Vegas/Minneapolis; for every Last Comic Standing, there is an American Idol; and for every Family Guy, there is an American Dad.
In Christian circles, television gets a bad rap. People are always telling you that you should not be watching such filth, that it is corrupting your mind, garbage in garbage out. And after my initial anger about the closemindedness of such people (or am I too openminded?), I'll admit I tend to agree. You watch crap, you're gonna think it's all crap.
But just because there is a Fantasy Island, Desperate Housewives, or OC, doesn't mean that all television productions are idiotic mass catering filth. Obviously everyone's standards are quite different (The Bible is not TV Guide, obviously), so what is ok for one person is morally inapproachable for another.
Let's use a pretty universal example: Star Trek. Everyone knows that I love Star Trek. I use to run home (when I lived in Green Bay) as soon as church was done so I could catch Star Trek: Voyager. Nowadays, for the quality of that show...I probably wouldn't, but at that time, I did.
The original basis for Star Trek was Gene Roddenberry's humanist idea of a perfect future. Crime would be abolished, race wasn't a problem, sexism was gone, religion was unneeded, and diversity flourished throughout the Federation! Obviously, on paper, there are some great ideas present; but as with everything, great ideas don't make great reality. Or rather, reality will never be those ideals. On paper, Commune-ism is a wonderful idea, but we all know what Communism has done for this world.
Star Trek is, at it's best (according to Gene, most of the actors, and Rick Berman, Gene's successor), about "dramatising the human element." Basically, it's an excuse to preach an agenda. People were hired and became creative contributors when they were able to tell a story that pushed some social agenda. The fine line they walk is being able to still tell a decent story; yet if you look and analyze every episode of Star Trek, you will find that the best episodes do not have an agenda, and the worse ones are shouting it into your face (ex, TNGs "Best of Both Worlds", no noticeable agenda; ENTs "Stigma", arguably the worse episode of Star Trek ever produced).
Obviously, I got into Star Trek at a young age, and it captivated me. Nowadays, it's almost hard to watch whole seasons because of the political agenda. Yet this emphasises my point; I recognize when the show is crap or when it's good (and near the end of Enterprise, it was more than good; it was the best season of Star Trek ever produced).
Just because something has an agenda behind it does not mean that it cannot tell a good story or teach positive values. I once had someone tell me to my face that fiction is not worth reading because it does not exhort, teach valuable lessons, or dwell on spiritual ideas. Basically, if it's not the Bible or some educational material, it's not worth touching. He was alluding to a certain Bible verse, which I sadly cannot remember at this time.
Needless to say, I wholeheartedly disagree, but that's a different discussion.
I guess the point I am trying to make in this blog is that you can not dismiss something because of the medium it is in. Yes, crap exists; so does prime rib. If you turned on your television, you will find a variety of shows, some you will like, others you will despise. Just because something is new and unknown...does that mean you shouldn't give it a chance?
-------------------
This originally started out as me promoting a certain tv show I like, NOT Star Trek, but eventually words and thoughts just came flowing out. I'll write about that other show some other day. Right now, enjoy this blog, and try to make sense of my ramblings......if it seems that I switched ideas or topics mid Blog, that's because I actually did...my bad. I'll work on that for the future...one idea, one blog...
Before I begin, I'd like to give a shoutout/promo to Jeffrey Overstreet from ChristianityToday and lookingcloser.org and lookingcloser.blogspot.com. I highly respect this man, and I thank him for giving me some perspective on things in my life. Thanks, Jeffrey.
---------------------------
As most of you know, or any one who really bothers to read my profile before sending me a friend invite, I really like a lot of different television shows. My tastes have ranged from Star Trek and Andromeda, The Dead Zone and Smallville, to more serious fare like 24 and Band of Brothers. And any day of the week, I will happily convince you that television is the ultimate entertainment medium.
Movies? Two to three hours per installment, expensive, limited story but huge budget. Books? Lots of room to develop characters, but limited by imagination, reading ability, or author's skill. Music? Purely auditory; even my beloved U2 pales in comparison to the live U2. (However, the best version of Star Wars is the Original Radio Drama that was made in the late 80's)
Television. A good tv show runs for maybe six to ten years. At maybe 22-24 episodes per season, that's 220 to 240 hours of entertainment. That gives enough time to properly develop characters, stories, plots, a fan base, anything really. Audio is of top notch quality, a new installment happens every week or thereabouts, and the summer hiatus allows anticipation to build up for the next season.
And as anybody who gets hooked on a tv show can tell you, you being to fall in love with the characters, spending time with them for years, making them almost close friends. When a tv show ends after a long successful run, it's both bittersweet and exciting. You want more, but more than likely, you aren't going to get anymore (Star Trek is the exception to the rule).
Television is also a mixed bag. For every good show, there is a terrible show that either fails miserably, or worse yet, succeeds. For every Coach, there is a Friends; for every Hercules, there is a Sinbad (bet you don't remember that show!); for every Smallville, there is a Birds of Prey; for every CSI, there is a CSI Miami/NewYork/LA/Last Vegas/Minneapolis; for every Last Comic Standing, there is an American Idol; and for every Family Guy, there is an American Dad.
In Christian circles, television gets a bad rap. People are always telling you that you should not be watching such filth, that it is corrupting your mind, garbage in garbage out. And after my initial anger about the closemindedness of such people (or am I too openminded?), I'll admit I tend to agree. You watch crap, you're gonna think it's all crap.
But just because there is a Fantasy Island, Desperate Housewives, or OC, doesn't mean that all television productions are idiotic mass catering filth. Obviously everyone's standards are quite different (The Bible is not TV Guide, obviously), so what is ok for one person is morally inapproachable for another.
Let's use a pretty universal example: Star Trek. Everyone knows that I love Star Trek. I use to run home (when I lived in Green Bay) as soon as church was done so I could catch Star Trek: Voyager. Nowadays, for the quality of that show...I probably wouldn't, but at that time, I did.
The original basis for Star Trek was Gene Roddenberry's humanist idea of a perfect future. Crime would be abolished, race wasn't a problem, sexism was gone, religion was unneeded, and diversity flourished throughout the Federation! Obviously, on paper, there are some great ideas present; but as with everything, great ideas don't make great reality. Or rather, reality will never be those ideals. On paper, Commune-ism is a wonderful idea, but we all know what Communism has done for this world.
Star Trek is, at it's best (according to Gene, most of the actors, and Rick Berman, Gene's successor), about "dramatising the human element." Basically, it's an excuse to preach an agenda. People were hired and became creative contributors when they were able to tell a story that pushed some social agenda. The fine line they walk is being able to still tell a decent story; yet if you look and analyze every episode of Star Trek, you will find that the best episodes do not have an agenda, and the worse ones are shouting it into your face (ex, TNGs "Best of Both Worlds", no noticeable agenda; ENTs "Stigma", arguably the worse episode of Star Trek ever produced).
Obviously, I got into Star Trek at a young age, and it captivated me. Nowadays, it's almost hard to watch whole seasons because of the political agenda. Yet this emphasises my point; I recognize when the show is crap or when it's good (and near the end of Enterprise, it was more than good; it was the best season of Star Trek ever produced).
Just because something has an agenda behind it does not mean that it cannot tell a good story or teach positive values. I once had someone tell me to my face that fiction is not worth reading because it does not exhort, teach valuable lessons, or dwell on spiritual ideas. Basically, if it's not the Bible or some educational material, it's not worth touching. He was alluding to a certain Bible verse, which I sadly cannot remember at this time.
Needless to say, I wholeheartedly disagree, but that's a different discussion.
I guess the point I am trying to make in this blog is that you can not dismiss something because of the medium it is in. Yes, crap exists; so does prime rib. If you turned on your television, you will find a variety of shows, some you will like, others you will despise. Just because something is new and unknown...does that mean you shouldn't give it a chance?
-------------------
This originally started out as me promoting a certain tv show I like, NOT Star Trek, but eventually words and thoughts just came flowing out. I'll write about that other show some other day. Right now, enjoy this blog, and try to make sense of my ramblings......if it seems that I switched ideas or topics mid Blog, that's because I actually did...my bad. I'll work on that for the future...one idea, one blog...
May 2, 2006
a small collection of thoughts
I'm probably going to be sitting down and writing some big long rant/essay on some stuff in a while...but for now, I'm using this as a temporary storage spot for some thoughts. Comment freely.
1- Doctrinal error is NOT sin. Why do people believe this? By definition, it's merely just "doctrinal" and "error." An error is not a sin; it's a chance to learn what is true.
2- Is the pastor of a church really chosen by the people? What if that pastor founded and started that church? As soon as there are more than 2 members, is he supposed to be "voted in?"
3- How do fundamentalists get off saying that they follow the true and error free fundamental views of the New Testament when they spend so much time trying to figure out exactly what they say or what new topic of popular culture to rail on this week?
4- What is the point of the Christian life? To constantly learn and expound and dwell on doctrine? To stand in defense of doctrine when error is presented?
5- Why do Christians, especially I, have to be more on guard toward other Christians than towards the unsaved? Why are Christians the worse enemy of Christians? ("You have no reason to fear the light if you are living in the light...")(Whose light?)
6- Why is there elitism in the various Christian sects? Meaning, why does Baptist/Lutheran = Christian?
7- Why is the true Biblical definition of "Biblical Seperation?"
8- Why do Fundamentalists hate Billy Graham?
9- Why do Fundamentalists hate music, drums, guitars, and dancing?
10- Why do these things even matter to me anymore if I know that its irrelevant and I don't believe it and the Bible is what is really true?
I've got some hangups to deal with...life long learning process probably...
1- Doctrinal error is NOT sin. Why do people believe this? By definition, it's merely just "doctrinal" and "error." An error is not a sin; it's a chance to learn what is true.
2- Is the pastor of a church really chosen by the people? What if that pastor founded and started that church? As soon as there are more than 2 members, is he supposed to be "voted in?"
3- How do fundamentalists get off saying that they follow the true and error free fundamental views of the New Testament when they spend so much time trying to figure out exactly what they say or what new topic of popular culture to rail on this week?
4- What is the point of the Christian life? To constantly learn and expound and dwell on doctrine? To stand in defense of doctrine when error is presented?
5- Why do Christians, especially I, have to be more on guard toward other Christians than towards the unsaved? Why are Christians the worse enemy of Christians? ("You have no reason to fear the light if you are living in the light...")(Whose light?)
6- Why is there elitism in the various Christian sects? Meaning, why does Baptist/Lutheran = Christian?
7- Why is the true Biblical definition of "Biblical Seperation?"
8- Why do Fundamentalists hate Billy Graham?
9- Why do Fundamentalists hate music, drums, guitars, and dancing?
10- Why do these things even matter to me anymore if I know that its irrelevant and I don't believe it and the Bible is what is really true?
I've got some hangups to deal with...life long learning process probably...
A prayer
Oh Lord, if it be Thy will, please send me to E3. I would really like to go this year.
If not, will you impress on my neighbors to allow me to live in their house and watch G4 until the show is over?
Better yet, help me figure out what to do next semester for school...
If not, will you impress on my neighbors to allow me to live in their house and watch G4 until the show is over?
Better yet, help me figure out what to do next semester for school...
Apr 18, 2006
World War III...a rant
Is anyone else disgusted, saddened, and angered by the events that are currently going on in the U.S. and the rest of the world??
I wake up every afternoon and immediately check out the news, and every single day, it depresses me.
A bomb goes off in Tel Aviv, put together by innocent metal shop workers, and the sharpnel kills everyone around, and people DEFEND the bomber??
A known conspirator and hijacker from 9/11 that has been in prison is expected to be set free because he "was abused as a child?"
A bunch of students in California are angry because because a Republican blogger put their press released and FREELY DISTRIBUTED contact info up on another website other than their own??
An entire country is under attack because of a fricking CARTOON???
In 1910, did people get "That Feeling?" In 1935, it was probably more obvious, but did the US get "That Feeling" before Pearl Harbor?
I look at the world, and I'm scared and very much angered. It almost seems pointless to even think about further education or marriage or jobs or anything. Whats the point?? Either its all going to end (as much as I liked that Ezekiel series, its had a weird effect on me) or we are all going to go to war against the Muslim world very, very soon. And then, really, no body is safe anywhere.
Plus, if war happens...how can we wage war effectively when our coasts are controlled by moonbats who will stab us in the back and welcome the bombers with open arms, a kiss, and a piece of sharpnel lodged in their head.
Welcome to the US...currently, we have our right hand in a fist, and our left hand is holding a knife to our back.
What a wonderful world...
I wake up every afternoon and immediately check out the news, and every single day, it depresses me.
A bomb goes off in Tel Aviv, put together by innocent metal shop workers, and the sharpnel kills everyone around, and people DEFEND the bomber??
A known conspirator and hijacker from 9/11 that has been in prison is expected to be set free because he "was abused as a child?"
A bunch of students in California are angry because because a Republican blogger put their press released and FREELY DISTRIBUTED contact info up on another website other than their own??
An entire country is under attack because of a fricking CARTOON???
In 1910, did people get "That Feeling?" In 1935, it was probably more obvious, but did the US get "That Feeling" before Pearl Harbor?
I look at the world, and I'm scared and very much angered. It almost seems pointless to even think about further education or marriage or jobs or anything. Whats the point?? Either its all going to end (as much as I liked that Ezekiel series, its had a weird effect on me) or we are all going to go to war against the Muslim world very, very soon. And then, really, no body is safe anywhere.
Plus, if war happens...how can we wage war effectively when our coasts are controlled by moonbats who will stab us in the back and welcome the bombers with open arms, a kiss, and a piece of sharpnel lodged in their head.
Welcome to the US...currently, we have our right hand in a fist, and our left hand is holding a knife to our back.
What a wonderful world...
Apr 10, 2006
The Death of the American Dream
As many of you know, I'm the student editor of the North Hennepin Community College newspaper, The North Star. Coming up on our final issue, I was submitted an excellent article from a guy not even on my staff. It was an article that seems to have been passed around on campus between the newspaper and the art magazine we also put out, and eventually it wound up in my hands. After some careful editting, it turns out this is probably the best article I've ever printed here.
Note- technically, I guess I "own" this article now...but I'm always willing to remove it from online if the author or other people have a problem with it. I WILL NOT remove it because you disagree with what it says.
Also, he sums up perfectly one of the reasons I like U2 above many other bands and performers...or genres.
-------------------
The Death of the American Dream
I used to think that the "American Dream" meant owning a house, working a steady job, being married with 2.5 kids, and owning a dog. Unfortunately, I was naïve in the ways the world works; how time can level empires, and how "change" and "social progress" in a civilization often times means that dreams are destroyed and reality is forever altered. Somehow, I had forgotten that racism was alive and well in America, and that the ‘American Dream" that I believed everyone should strive for, was dead and gone.
I am twenty-six years old, a single parent trying to raise a daughter and hold down a job while attending school in what seems a vain hope that education will lead to a better life. In twenty-six years I have witnessed my friends fall victim to drugs and crime; some are in prison, others are buried. I have worked in almost all of the homeless shelters in Minneapolis, served in my country’s elite military forces, and watched as everything I was raised to believe in was systematically destroyed in the name of "social progress."
The goal of the civil rights movement was the equality of the races, which we achieved with a modicum of success. Yet, somewhere along the way, the goal shifted from equality to appeasement, seemingly pandering to minority groups for political power, pitting one group’s interests against the others. Affirmative action laws clearly show this fundamental truth. How does society say that equality means hold some back for someone else’s benefit? If I were an employer, how could I say that I can’t hire the perfect candidate for a position that I am trying to fill simply because the candidate in question does not belong to the right minority group? How is this being equal?
So many times people seem to turn every discussion, every issue at hand into an accusation of racially motivated bias. Why is it that we are still talking about racism in the 21st century? Why do we make clear demarcations for race, such as Black History month? Was the civil rights movement only for blacks in this country? Does poverty affect only non-whites? Or it this simply a way to keep the races attacking each other, rather than face the real problem:—money; that those who have it try to keep everyone else down. It’s not about black or white anymore, it’s about green.
So I submit that we are all seduced into being racist. I am proud of my culture, my religion and my beliefs, just as others should be, but that doesn’t mean I need to denigrate others. But I do look down on everyone, white, black, and everything else, who asks for a handout instead of a hand up. But I also don’t agree with just about everything our current American society teaches us, particularly the cultural epidemic affecting our children; the communication of negative values through our media which then gets associated with race, further dividing us.
Consider music. If you listen to the hip-hop/rap genre of music today, you will be given images of men using women as playthings, frequent drug deals and drug usage, shootings and beatings over such trivial things as gang colors and city blocks, money earned through vice and criminal enterprises, and fighting the so-called "racist" cops and an uncaring society targeting minorities. The majority of performers in this particular genre are non-white, leading people to condemn this "black" music; yet the most controversial performer in this genre is white. Eminem sings about killing his ex and stealing his daughter away, committing violent crimes for fun, frequent and rampant drug usage, and how everybody in the world owes him because he has had a poor life. Interspersed between this garbage are some insights into the stresses of being a star and the required drug usage in order to cope with those stresses. (Give me a break.)
The message of female performers like Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera is just as harmful to our children, with images of casual sex, rampant drug use and the belief that everyone should treat you like a princess because you deserve it.
Watching the news, going for a walk in your nearest mall, or going back to your high school to pick up your transcripts will show you what the youth of today look like. With the negative values contained in their music, is it any wonder that our children are causing crime, doing drugs and generally apathetic towards others?
But the real message that our society accepts is that money gives you the right to do whatever you want against someone else, and that people owe you for all your troubles in life. But if money is the issue, then why do we resort to the old black and white controversy? Why do we sit and listen to the music that is our there today, then yell at teachers when our sons and daughters act like criminals and tramps? What do you expect when the song that wins the Academy Award is entitled, "It’s Hard to be a Pimp"?
We all should feel no shame in looking down on someone whose hero is a gun-toting, crack-dealing, women-belittling criminal who parades around with more money than we will ever make at an honest job. Race has nothing to do with it.
So now I feel like I stand at a crossroads. Do I raise my daughter as I was raised? Do I tell her to be proud of her culture, her society and her capabilities? Do I tell her that she should hold herself to a moral code of conduct? Do I teach her to have pride in the fact that she is an American, and that she should stand up for her morals and beliefs? Do I tell her that she shouldn’t seek a handout from the government or other cultures or blame others for her own actions? Or should I simply watch my dreams for her fade as she becomes another numb cog in the wheel that keeps this society going because, as it stands, now all these things that I was taught by my parents fly in the face of what society teaches our children today. We give lip service to those values yet behave as if anything goes if the price is right. The problem is that people are unknowingly conned into seeing these divides in racial terms and then equally conned into calling each other "racists" when someone points out these racial divides. So it really isn’t about black and white; it’s about green.
Note- technically, I guess I "own" this article now...but I'm always willing to remove it from online if the author or other people have a problem with it. I WILL NOT remove it because you disagree with what it says.
Also, he sums up perfectly one of the reasons I like U2 above many other bands and performers...or genres.
-------------------
The Death of the American Dream
I used to think that the "American Dream" meant owning a house, working a steady job, being married with 2.5 kids, and owning a dog. Unfortunately, I was naïve in the ways the world works; how time can level empires, and how "change" and "social progress" in a civilization often times means that dreams are destroyed and reality is forever altered. Somehow, I had forgotten that racism was alive and well in America, and that the ‘American Dream" that I believed everyone should strive for, was dead and gone.
I am twenty-six years old, a single parent trying to raise a daughter and hold down a job while attending school in what seems a vain hope that education will lead to a better life. In twenty-six years I have witnessed my friends fall victim to drugs and crime; some are in prison, others are buried. I have worked in almost all of the homeless shelters in Minneapolis, served in my country’s elite military forces, and watched as everything I was raised to believe in was systematically destroyed in the name of "social progress."
The goal of the civil rights movement was the equality of the races, which we achieved with a modicum of success. Yet, somewhere along the way, the goal shifted from equality to appeasement, seemingly pandering to minority groups for political power, pitting one group’s interests against the others. Affirmative action laws clearly show this fundamental truth. How does society say that equality means hold some back for someone else’s benefit? If I were an employer, how could I say that I can’t hire the perfect candidate for a position that I am trying to fill simply because the candidate in question does not belong to the right minority group? How is this being equal?
So many times people seem to turn every discussion, every issue at hand into an accusation of racially motivated bias. Why is it that we are still talking about racism in the 21st century? Why do we make clear demarcations for race, such as Black History month? Was the civil rights movement only for blacks in this country? Does poverty affect only non-whites? Or it this simply a way to keep the races attacking each other, rather than face the real problem:—money; that those who have it try to keep everyone else down. It’s not about black or white anymore, it’s about green.
So I submit that we are all seduced into being racist. I am proud of my culture, my religion and my beliefs, just as others should be, but that doesn’t mean I need to denigrate others. But I do look down on everyone, white, black, and everything else, who asks for a handout instead of a hand up. But I also don’t agree with just about everything our current American society teaches us, particularly the cultural epidemic affecting our children; the communication of negative values through our media which then gets associated with race, further dividing us.
Consider music. If you listen to the hip-hop/rap genre of music today, you will be given images of men using women as playthings, frequent drug deals and drug usage, shootings and beatings over such trivial things as gang colors and city blocks, money earned through vice and criminal enterprises, and fighting the so-called "racist" cops and an uncaring society targeting minorities. The majority of performers in this particular genre are non-white, leading people to condemn this "black" music; yet the most controversial performer in this genre is white. Eminem sings about killing his ex and stealing his daughter away, committing violent crimes for fun, frequent and rampant drug usage, and how everybody in the world owes him because he has had a poor life. Interspersed between this garbage are some insights into the stresses of being a star and the required drug usage in order to cope with those stresses. (Give me a break.)
The message of female performers like Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera is just as harmful to our children, with images of casual sex, rampant drug use and the belief that everyone should treat you like a princess because you deserve it.
Watching the news, going for a walk in your nearest mall, or going back to your high school to pick up your transcripts will show you what the youth of today look like. With the negative values contained in their music, is it any wonder that our children are causing crime, doing drugs and generally apathetic towards others?
But the real message that our society accepts is that money gives you the right to do whatever you want against someone else, and that people owe you for all your troubles in life. But if money is the issue, then why do we resort to the old black and white controversy? Why do we sit and listen to the music that is our there today, then yell at teachers when our sons and daughters act like criminals and tramps? What do you expect when the song that wins the Academy Award is entitled, "It’s Hard to be a Pimp"?
We all should feel no shame in looking down on someone whose hero is a gun-toting, crack-dealing, women-belittling criminal who parades around with more money than we will ever make at an honest job. Race has nothing to do with it.
So now I feel like I stand at a crossroads. Do I raise my daughter as I was raised? Do I tell her to be proud of her culture, her society and her capabilities? Do I tell her that she should hold herself to a moral code of conduct? Do I teach her to have pride in the fact that she is an American, and that she should stand up for her morals and beliefs? Do I tell her that she shouldn’t seek a handout from the government or other cultures or blame others for her own actions? Or should I simply watch my dreams for her fade as she becomes another numb cog in the wheel that keeps this society going because, as it stands, now all these things that I was taught by my parents fly in the face of what society teaches our children today. We give lip service to those values yet behave as if anything goes if the price is right. The problem is that people are unknowingly conned into seeing these divides in racial terms and then equally conned into calling each other "racists" when someone points out these racial divides. So it really isn’t about black and white; it’s about green.
Apr 7, 2006
Eyeball surgery
Been hunting around the blogs, discovered that all the people over at IGN are finally blogging, so I'm catching up on all the wacky things that go on in the offices of the people I'd love to work for/with (although Game Informer is local, they are Bay Area). Anyways, reading one of the editor's in chiefs blogs, http://blogs.ign.com/craig-ign/p4, and he has a short little blog about geting some surgery done on his eyes...Lasik or otherwise, not sure. Anyways, a wonderful little quote:
"The procedure took very little time at all. More time was spent in the actual preparation of the surgery than on the table itself. And once on the table, the Valium eases the stress enough that you just sit there and watch your eyes being sliced from a first person perspective.
The result: three days later and I'm seeing 20/15 in both eyes, with no side-effects other than a slight burning sensation that's easily ignored."
Ignoring the sheer comedy of watching your own eyes get sliced from a first person perspective...lol...this is a procedure I've always had mixed thoughts about. Would I love to be able to do away with glasses and contacts for the rest of my life? Yeah, sure. It took me a few months just to be able to put contacts in my eyes the first time, and even today, years later, I cheat; you are supposed to look at it coming in...I do this thing where I look in the corner of my eye, touch, and then blink it in. I still can't look at my finger going straight into my eye.
The cost is a little daunting though. However, it is something I probably should look in to.
Oh, and a word of advice? If you are a smoker, don't be taking valium. The combination of the two makes you puke for quite a while. Found that out first hand when a friend started excusing himself every hour on the hour to go throw up...
"The procedure took very little time at all. More time was spent in the actual preparation of the surgery than on the table itself. And once on the table, the Valium eases the stress enough that you just sit there and watch your eyes being sliced from a first person perspective.
The result: three days later and I'm seeing 20/15 in both eyes, with no side-effects other than a slight burning sensation that's easily ignored."
Ignoring the sheer comedy of watching your own eyes get sliced from a first person perspective...lol...this is a procedure I've always had mixed thoughts about. Would I love to be able to do away with glasses and contacts for the rest of my life? Yeah, sure. It took me a few months just to be able to put contacts in my eyes the first time, and even today, years later, I cheat; you are supposed to look at it coming in...I do this thing where I look in the corner of my eye, touch, and then blink it in. I still can't look at my finger going straight into my eye.
The cost is a little daunting though. However, it is something I probably should look in to.
Oh, and a word of advice? If you are a smoker, don't be taking valium. The combination of the two makes you puke for quite a while. Found that out first hand when a friend started excusing himself every hour on the hour to go throw up...
Apr 3, 2006
a funny coincidence?
On Wednesday at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.
...it's the end of the world as we know it...and i feel fine!
...it's the end of the world as we know it...and i feel fine!
Mar 26, 2006
A video worth sharing
For your viewing enjoyment..."One" by Mary J Blige featuring U2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4MVVwdq1ag
It's amazing just how fresh and new this song sounds. Originally released in 90/91 on U2's Achtung Baby album (which is where Zoo Station is also found), it over the years has at times sounded a little tired to me, mainly due to the fact that U2 seems to play it every single time they make any kind of public performance. However...it's just such a powerful song, that it keeps on coming back fresh and new again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4MVVwdq1ag
It's amazing just how fresh and new this song sounds. Originally released in 90/91 on U2's Achtung Baby album (which is where Zoo Station is also found), it over the years has at times sounded a little tired to me, mainly due to the fact that U2 seems to play it every single time they make any kind of public performance. However...it's just such a powerful song, that it keeps on coming back fresh and new again.
Mar 24, 2006
I have a disease...some call it "opportunity paralysis."
I pulled this quote from the main page of PennyArcade.com, an online comic strip about video gaming. Personally, I think PVPOnline.com is a better series, because they develop characters and storylines, but PennyArcade does tend to focus more on games. Anyways, this guy nails something that I experience perfectly. He's referring to the just released Xbox360/PC game Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, a game that is so nonlinear you can play for years without actual doing anything to further the story.
"The almost unlimited functionality definitely activates some hoarding response in my brain, so that if I don't pick up every dusty scapula with a shred of flesh still clinging I get terribly agitated. I stood in a cold dungeon for almost ten minutes before I could build up the strength to discard some rat meat. That isn't their fault, of course. You don't lose points for increasing player freedom to psychologically devastating levels. I was not aware that OCD was something you could "catch," but I'm beginning to think that I've got a bad case."
I suffer from this too I guess. It's crippling. I have maybe 4 or 5 games just sitting around that I bought up to six years ago that I CAN NOT PLAY. It's insane. I have to hoard every little last thing I find until I can either sell it for money or trade it in for something better (referring to in-game here).
I've been working on getting through Dungeon Siege since fall 04...I'm maybe 25-30 hours into...and while the game isn't known for its story (solely lacking), it's still a fun little game to just play. But it's literally taking me forever because I have to accumulate everything and explore every last nook and cranny in the dang game!
Then there is Baldur's Gate. I bought this game way back in Fall '01. I've tried to start playing it multiple times. But it's just so dang complex and HUGE that I can't get anywhere. The fear of missing something or doing something wrong or not getting the best experience is agravating. And it's a game I desperately want to play and beat because everyone tells me it has one of the best storylines you will ever find in a videogame!
And don't even get me started on those Grand Theft Auto games...
"The almost unlimited functionality definitely activates some hoarding response in my brain, so that if I don't pick up every dusty scapula with a shred of flesh still clinging I get terribly agitated. I stood in a cold dungeon for almost ten minutes before I could build up the strength to discard some rat meat. That isn't their fault, of course. You don't lose points for increasing player freedom to psychologically devastating levels. I was not aware that OCD was something you could "catch," but I'm beginning to think that I've got a bad case."
I suffer from this too I guess. It's crippling. I have maybe 4 or 5 games just sitting around that I bought up to six years ago that I CAN NOT PLAY. It's insane. I have to hoard every little last thing I find until I can either sell it for money or trade it in for something better (referring to in-game here).
I've been working on getting through Dungeon Siege since fall 04...I'm maybe 25-30 hours into...and while the game isn't known for its story (solely lacking), it's still a fun little game to just play. But it's literally taking me forever because I have to accumulate everything and explore every last nook and cranny in the dang game!
Then there is Baldur's Gate. I bought this game way back in Fall '01. I've tried to start playing it multiple times. But it's just so dang complex and HUGE that I can't get anywhere. The fear of missing something or doing something wrong or not getting the best experience is agravating. And it's a game I desperately want to play and beat because everyone tells me it has one of the best storylines you will ever find in a videogame!
And don't even get me started on those Grand Theft Auto games...
Mar 21, 2006
A date rule question
So...if when you and your date "catch lunch together", it's catching up as friends. If you and your date go out to dinner, it's probably the start or hope of something serious.
What is it if you go out to breakfast?
I'm sorry, but that thought came into my head earlier and I haven't stopped laughing and trying to figure it out...
What is it if you go out to breakfast?
I'm sorry, but that thought came into my head earlier and I haven't stopped laughing and trying to figure it out...
Mar 19, 2006
I'm obviously still getting the hang of this blogger.com stuff...like, I do not have any clue why alot of my blogs are double posted, and I haven't a clue how to delete the extra one. How do you mess with colors? How do you upload really neat graphics? How do you do _____?
Guess I'm learning.
And so this has some value to it...recently a thought has been bouncing around my head.
Is a sense of moral superiority a sin? Obviously we should be humble and treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated...but is walking around in judgement and believing ourselves to be morally superior an actual sin? Right now, I'm leaning toward it being a sin...but I'm open to comment.
Guess I'm learning.
And so this has some value to it...recently a thought has been bouncing around my head.
Is a sense of moral superiority a sin? Obviously we should be humble and treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated...but is walking around in judgement and believing ourselves to be morally superior an actual sin? Right now, I'm leaning toward it being a sin...but I'm open to comment.
Mar 16, 2006
It's time to take sides for the oncoming war...
...the oncoming Format War that is.
Got you going there, didn't I?
Anyways, the oncoming format war is going to be fought between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, and alot of companies have already picked sides (the smarter ones have agreed to back up both technologies).
"The Blu-ray format is backed by big consumer electronics firms such as Sony Corp , Philips and Dell as well as most Hollywood studios. But the HD DVD format, whose proponents are led by Toshiba, looks set to reach the market faster and offer cheaper players." http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060309/tc_nm/bluray_hddvd_dc;_
ylt=AghWv9pOtJvKZWWbHYMlQKNk24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTA4ZnRnZjhkBHNlYwMxNjk1
Here's how I understand it, in a nutshell: Blu-Ray is technically better. It seems Blu-Ray is capable of holding more information (I believe the numbers are like 40 gigs), while HD-DVD holds only 30gig. Blu-Ray is also able to read the information faster, giving you a better read time.
However, and I'm not positive on this, but Blu-Ray CAN NOT play older dvds; only Blu-Ray discs. HD-DVD can.
According to some articles I've read, a Blu-Ray player will cost upwards of $500-$1000 (in a year or so). An HD-DVD player will cost maybe $300-$500 (in a year or so).
Here's where it gets really tricky. Currently, the most popular video game console on the market is the Playstation 2. Why did it become so popular? Primarily, it was the first video game console to come equipped with a dvd player, which was a relatively new format at the time (99/00). So alot of people bought the PS2 not only for games but for a relatively cheap DVD player at the time (I believe a standalone unit was selling for maybe $500-$750...I bought my dvd player Black Friday '01 for maybe $350, and it's still going strong).
Now we have the just released Xbox 360 and coming in the fall the PS3. The 360 has a standard dvd player installed, with a HD-DVD attachment player coming soon. Microsoft is kinda hoping that very few people will actually buy a HD-DVD attachment; it will only be used for movies, and a standalone is much, much superior to any "multi in a box" system.
However, the PS3 will ONLY feature a Blu-Ray player. Which is probably the primary reason the system will end up costing $500-$600 for the first year or two it is released. Quite alot of money for something that doesn't require a monitor, gas, or candle lit dinners.
So once again, it almost seems like the video game industry is gonna decide the fate of the movie and video industry. Will millions of people buy the PS3? Will they accept Blu-Ray as the next format? Or will the public say "Screw you Sony" and buy 360's? Or...and this is more likely...buy the PS3 but only play games on it, and except movies to be on the cheaper and backwards compatible HD-DVD format?
Let me ask you this- Do you really want to rebuy or reburn all those dvds you have sitting around? Do you want to have to buy a new copy of every movie you own just so it can play on your Blu-Ray player? Or will you choose to buy a HD-DVD player so you can enjoy those old but classic movies, as well as home videos, that you have on DVD, but don't want to buy High Def versions of?
I know what side I'm taking. Sony has already lost once before with the Beta cassettes. It's only a matter of time before they lose again.
Make mine HD-DVD.
Got you going there, didn't I?
Anyways, the oncoming format war is going to be fought between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, and alot of companies have already picked sides (the smarter ones have agreed to back up both technologies).
"The Blu-ray format is backed by big consumer electronics firms such as Sony Corp , Philips and Dell as well as most Hollywood studios. But the HD DVD format, whose proponents are led by Toshiba, looks set to reach the market faster and offer cheaper players." http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060309/tc_nm/bluray_hddvd_dc;_
ylt=AghWv9pOtJvKZWWbHYMlQKNk24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTA4ZnRnZjhkBHNlYwMxNjk1
Here's how I understand it, in a nutshell: Blu-Ray is technically better. It seems Blu-Ray is capable of holding more information (I believe the numbers are like 40 gigs), while HD-DVD holds only 30gig. Blu-Ray is also able to read the information faster, giving you a better read time.
However, and I'm not positive on this, but Blu-Ray CAN NOT play older dvds; only Blu-Ray discs. HD-DVD can.
According to some articles I've read, a Blu-Ray player will cost upwards of $500-$1000 (in a year or so). An HD-DVD player will cost maybe $300-$500 (in a year or so).
Here's where it gets really tricky. Currently, the most popular video game console on the market is the Playstation 2. Why did it become so popular? Primarily, it was the first video game console to come equipped with a dvd player, which was a relatively new format at the time (99/00). So alot of people bought the PS2 not only for games but for a relatively cheap DVD player at the time (I believe a standalone unit was selling for maybe $500-$750...I bought my dvd player Black Friday '01 for maybe $350, and it's still going strong).
Now we have the just released Xbox 360 and coming in the fall the PS3. The 360 has a standard dvd player installed, with a HD-DVD attachment player coming soon. Microsoft is kinda hoping that very few people will actually buy a HD-DVD attachment; it will only be used for movies, and a standalone is much, much superior to any "multi in a box" system.
However, the PS3 will ONLY feature a Blu-Ray player. Which is probably the primary reason the system will end up costing $500-$600 for the first year or two it is released. Quite alot of money for something that doesn't require a monitor, gas, or candle lit dinners.
So once again, it almost seems like the video game industry is gonna decide the fate of the movie and video industry. Will millions of people buy the PS3? Will they accept Blu-Ray as the next format? Or will the public say "Screw you Sony" and buy 360's? Or...and this is more likely...buy the PS3 but only play games on it, and except movies to be on the cheaper and backwards compatible HD-DVD format?
Let me ask you this- Do you really want to rebuy or reburn all those dvds you have sitting around? Do you want to have to buy a new copy of every movie you own just so it can play on your Blu-Ray player? Or will you choose to buy a HD-DVD player so you can enjoy those old but classic movies, as well as home videos, that you have on DVD, but don't want to buy High Def versions of?
I know what side I'm taking. Sony has already lost once before with the Beta cassettes. It's only a matter of time before they lose again.
Make mine HD-DVD.
Feb 27, 2006
A Biblical conversation with an old friend
Have recently been put back into contact with an old friend of mine back from Green Bay, goes by the name of Nate. He's now a married seminary student living in Texas and is about four or five years older than me (as most of my Green Bay friends tended to be). While chatting online one night we got to talking about Biblical matters, and I mentioned those Ezekiel sermons Bruce was preaching about, specifically all the talk about the Spirit leaving the temple. I sent him the link to Bruce's post, and here is an editted version of our conversation following it. Note- names changed to protect our AIMs.
Nate: yeah, reading it...aight...heres me thoughts
STU2: i'm not sure if i really totally agree with it, but he uses some good scripture to back it up...
Nate: God's plan did not change with the temple... he wasn't 'forced out' of the temple...even before Ezekiel he reminded his people that he had a plan to write his words on their hearts (going back to david's time)
Nate: there's this idea floating around right now that God changes his mind...that he has emotions and we can affect him...and i say...YES
Nate: but then we get into the tricky territory of what exactly we mean by change, when he is unchangeable
STU2: true
Nate: i think that His emotions are a reflection of His absolute character (and i'm getting to my point, i promise)
Nate: God changes every time someone accepts him and he 'decides' not to send them to hell... but our understanding of that time is so limited
Nate: for instance, if you really read genesis, it looks like abraham has been following God for some time before 'it was counted to him as righteousness'
Nate: which gets us to our point...and i don't entirely disagree with your pastor
Nate: all i'm saying is this--some people who claim to be Christians will be very surprised when they meet God for the first time
Nate: But all people that God claims to be Christians will know him when they see Him
STU2: hmm... i'll have to think about all this
Nate: i don't think that God changes His mind when we sin--even if we 'force him out' of our hearts (temple)
STU2: any scripture to back this up?
Nate: anyways, here goes: acts 17:24 and to the end of the chapter
Nate: it's one of the great apologetics
STU2: ok
Nate: well, my point here is that paul has started out without judaism to convert to greeks...atheists and pantheists alike
Nate: he's pointing out to them that God does not live in temples made by human hands
Nate: the context is simple--he's standing in front of a temple to the unknown God
STU2: yes
Nate: but his point is even more simple--that God doesn't need anything from us... in a pagan mindset, this is profound--the gods needed our attention--even fought over it
Nate: he goes on to argue that God has put man in the position that he's in--searching (fumbling or groping) in the dark to find God
Nate: God has placed in us this desire to find him... which is a paradox
STU2: off topic...read a good book recently that argues we need to adopt that a more Paul type form of witnessing than a Peter type...mainly because we as a culture do not have a biblical basis any more, so our techniques need to change
Nate: i'd agree with that point to some extent
Nate: but anyways, i know i'm like forever away from concluding my thoughts, but in verse 31 paul finishes with this simple thought that God gives assurance to unto all men (and he does say all) in the resurrection
Nate: so salvation is available to all, but not all take it. but those that do are assured of it
Nate: i'm not totally disagreeing with your pastor here, please understand
STU2: i understand
Nate: it seems like there are lots of holes in your arguments
Nate: but it seems right to me
Nate: anyways man, i hope that i've made any sense at all tonight, i'm kinda tired. my point in acts was simply this--we have assurance of our salvation, and it is the same assurance of damnation to the world--the cross either brings us to life or condemns us to death.
Nate: but when it does...well, that's hard to tell
Nate: the question which i've kinda sidestepped around is this--can you step back over the fence?
STU2: meaning?
Nate: well, i still haven't really answered if you can lose your salvation or not
STU2: true
Nate: i've just answered that you can know for sure you have it
STU2: it's an ongoing debate among many circles...and despite what some fundamentalists say, it's not so easy to understand
Nate: but the question is flawed
Nate: i mean, you choose every day to step across the line
Nate: but you don't lose your salvation every time you do
Nate: because your salvation has nothing to do with anything that you've done
Nate: it's assured in the cross that you can be saved
Nate: so it's on the cross that you have to depend, thank God
STU2: true...which is hard for me to understand at times, coming from a legalistic background
Nate: i think the change that would be required of God to 'lose' your salvation would be against His nature
Nate: i don't think God changes that way, but we do
STU2: lol, it's too late for these types of arguments...
Nate: well, it's a lot ot think about
STU2: yeah... might as well just call it a night, u've given me a lot to think about
Nate: well, thanks for the friendly discussion
STU2: no problem
STU2: do you mind if i copy all this down and get some feedback from either friends or my pastor?
Nate: not at all
STU2: thanks
STU2: u'll be on the 6 o'clock news
Nate: i read a fascinating quote by C.S. Lewis the other day...let me find it
STU2: ok
Nate: "i know it indeed to my cost. in the days when i still hated Christianity, i learned to recognise, like some all too familiar smell, that almost unvarying SOMETHING which met me, now in Puritan Bunyan, now in Anglican Hooker, now in Thomist Dante...it was, of course, varied; and yet--after all--so unmistakenly the same. recognisable, not to be evaded, the odour which is death to us until we allow it to become life. (CS Lewis)
Nate: speaking of Christianity, despite its divisions, as a 'formidable unity' to the those who are 'without'
Please feel free to leave any comments or join the discussion. I'll make sure Nate gets your responses.
Nate: yeah, reading it...aight...heres me thoughts
STU2: i'm not sure if i really totally agree with it, but he uses some good scripture to back it up...
Nate: God's plan did not change with the temple... he wasn't 'forced out' of the temple...even before Ezekiel he reminded his people that he had a plan to write his words on their hearts (going back to david's time)
Nate: there's this idea floating around right now that God changes his mind...that he has emotions and we can affect him...and i say...YES
Nate: but then we get into the tricky territory of what exactly we mean by change, when he is unchangeable
STU2: true
Nate: i think that His emotions are a reflection of His absolute character (and i'm getting to my point, i promise)
Nate: God changes every time someone accepts him and he 'decides' not to send them to hell... but our understanding of that time is so limited
Nate: for instance, if you really read genesis, it looks like abraham has been following God for some time before 'it was counted to him as righteousness'
Nate: which gets us to our point...and i don't entirely disagree with your pastor
Nate: all i'm saying is this--some people who claim to be Christians will be very surprised when they meet God for the first time
Nate: But all people that God claims to be Christians will know him when they see Him
STU2: hmm... i'll have to think about all this
Nate: i don't think that God changes His mind when we sin--even if we 'force him out' of our hearts (temple)
STU2: any scripture to back this up?
Nate: anyways, here goes: acts 17:24 and to the end of the chapter
Nate: it's one of the great apologetics
STU2: ok
Nate: well, my point here is that paul has started out without judaism to convert to greeks...atheists and pantheists alike
Nate: he's pointing out to them that God does not live in temples made by human hands
Nate: the context is simple--he's standing in front of a temple to the unknown God
STU2: yes
Nate: but his point is even more simple--that God doesn't need anything from us... in a pagan mindset, this is profound--the gods needed our attention--even fought over it
Nate: he goes on to argue that God has put man in the position that he's in--searching (fumbling or groping) in the dark to find God
Nate: God has placed in us this desire to find him... which is a paradox
STU2: off topic...read a good book recently that argues we need to adopt that a more Paul type form of witnessing than a Peter type...mainly because we as a culture do not have a biblical basis any more, so our techniques need to change
Nate: i'd agree with that point to some extent
Nate: but anyways, i know i'm like forever away from concluding my thoughts, but in verse 31 paul finishes with this simple thought that God gives assurance to unto all men (and he does say all) in the resurrection
Nate: so salvation is available to all, but not all take it. but those that do are assured of it
Nate: i'm not totally disagreeing with your pastor here, please understand
STU2: i understand
Nate: it seems like there are lots of holes in your arguments
Nate: but it seems right to me
Nate: anyways man, i hope that i've made any sense at all tonight, i'm kinda tired. my point in acts was simply this--we have assurance of our salvation, and it is the same assurance of damnation to the world--the cross either brings us to life or condemns us to death.
Nate: but when it does...well, that's hard to tell
Nate: the question which i've kinda sidestepped around is this--can you step back over the fence?
STU2: meaning?
Nate: well, i still haven't really answered if you can lose your salvation or not
STU2: true
Nate: i've just answered that you can know for sure you have it
STU2: it's an ongoing debate among many circles...and despite what some fundamentalists say, it's not so easy to understand
Nate: but the question is flawed
Nate: i mean, you choose every day to step across the line
Nate: but you don't lose your salvation every time you do
Nate: because your salvation has nothing to do with anything that you've done
Nate: it's assured in the cross that you can be saved
Nate: so it's on the cross that you have to depend, thank God
STU2: true...which is hard for me to understand at times, coming from a legalistic background
Nate: i think the change that would be required of God to 'lose' your salvation would be against His nature
Nate: i don't think God changes that way, but we do
STU2: lol, it's too late for these types of arguments...
Nate: well, it's a lot ot think about
STU2: yeah... might as well just call it a night, u've given me a lot to think about
Nate: well, thanks for the friendly discussion
STU2: no problem
STU2: do you mind if i copy all this down and get some feedback from either friends or my pastor?
Nate: not at all
STU2: thanks
STU2: u'll be on the 6 o'clock news
Nate: i read a fascinating quote by C.S. Lewis the other day...let me find it
STU2: ok
Nate: "i know it indeed to my cost. in the days when i still hated Christianity, i learned to recognise, like some all too familiar smell, that almost unvarying SOMETHING which met me, now in Puritan Bunyan, now in Anglican Hooker, now in Thomist Dante...it was, of course, varied; and yet--after all--so unmistakenly the same. recognisable, not to be evaded, the odour which is death to us until we allow it to become life. (CS Lewis)
Nate: speaking of Christianity, despite its divisions, as a 'formidable unity' to the those who are 'without'
Please feel free to leave any comments or join the discussion. I'll make sure Nate gets your responses.
Feb 26, 2006
Blog update, and a shoutout
My apologies for not posting more often here. I envisioned Zoo Station to be more of a serious type of blog, as opposed to one of those "my day sucked/I love popcorn!/she's so into me" type of teenage online journals. Been there, done that, hated it. So, when I have something really important to say, it will get posted here, and not on that "other" blog over at myspace. Although there might be some "crossblogging" (can I coin that term?).
Plus, I was really surprised and sorta excited to find out that there are people out there who bother reading this. All to often it feels that any sort of creative work I do, be it putting down an exact track listing on a cd that reflects a theme or a mood of mine, to actually being the editor of a student newspaper which sucks huge amounts of my time and energy, or even posting a blog online...all creative work I do seems underappreciated or worse yet unnoticed.
It's nice to be noticed. Thank you.
One little shoutout- When I'm handed a cd that has "Better than U2" written on it, I'm more than skeptical. No one is better. Period. Except maybe the Beatles.
That said, I have got to give mad props to Micah for giving me a copy of Delirious? "The Mission Bell." I've listened to it a handful of times (including as I write this) and I must say it is an excellent, excellent album. Thanks Micah.
Signing off...
Plus, I was really surprised and sorta excited to find out that there are people out there who bother reading this. All to often it feels that any sort of creative work I do, be it putting down an exact track listing on a cd that reflects a theme or a mood of mine, to actually being the editor of a student newspaper which sucks huge amounts of my time and energy, or even posting a blog online...all creative work I do seems underappreciated or worse yet unnoticed.
It's nice to be noticed. Thank you.
One little shoutout- When I'm handed a cd that has "Better than U2" written on it, I'm more than skeptical. No one is better. Period. Except maybe the Beatles.
That said, I have got to give mad props to Micah for giving me a copy of Delirious? "The Mission Bell." I've listened to it a handful of times (including as I write this) and I must say it is an excellent, excellent album. Thanks Micah.
Signing off...
My apologies for not posting more often here. I envisioned Zoo Station to be more of a serious type of blog, as opposed to one of those "my day sucked/I love popcorn!/she's so into me" type of teenage online journals. Been there, done that, hated it. So, when I have something really important to say, it will get posted here, and not on that "other" blog over at myspace. Although there might be some "crossblogging" (can I coin that term?).
Plus, I was really surprised and sorta excited to find out that there are people out there who bother reading this. All to often it feels that any sort of creative work I do, be it putting down an exact track listing on a cd that reflects a theme or a mood of mine, to actually being the editor of a student newspaper which sucks huge amounts of my time and energy, or even posting a blog online...all creative work I do seems underappreciated or worse yet unnoticed.
It's nice to be noticed. Thank you.
One little shoutout- When I'm handed a cd that has "Better than U2" written on it, I'm more than skeptical. No one is better. Period. Except maybe the Beatles.
That said, I have got to give mad props to Micah for giving me a copy of Delirious? "The Mission Bell." I've listened to it a handful of times (including as I write this) and I must say it is an excellent, excellent album. Thanks Micah.
Signing off...
Plus, I was really surprised and sorta excited to find out that there are people out there who bother reading this. All to often it feels that any sort of creative work I do, be it putting down an exact track listing on a cd that reflects a theme or a mood of mine, to actually being the editor of a student newspaper which sucks huge amounts of my time and energy, or even posting a blog online...all creative work I do seems underappreciated or worse yet unnoticed.
It's nice to be noticed. Thank you.
One little shoutout- When I'm handed a cd that has "Better than U2" written on it, I'm more than skeptical. No one is better. Period. Except maybe the Beatles.
That said, I have got to give mad props to Micah for giving me a copy of Delirious? "The Mission Bell." I've listened to it a handful of times (including as I write this) and I must say it is an excellent, excellent album. Thanks Micah.
Signing off...
Feb 13, 2006
Frank Miller's Batman goes political
There is an excellent article and interview set I found. http://brainster.blogspot.com/2006_02_12_brainster_archive.html#113985914760313518
In it, a great quote from Frank Miller, circa 1994. By the way, Frank Miller is a highly acclaimed novelist/graphic artist/film producer. I've highly enjoyed his work throughout the years. Anyways, his great quote:
Troublesome as the so-called Religious Right can be, they're generally a pretty clumsy bunch. They swing a club. 'Liberals', on the other hand, use a scalpel, and only after they've applied intellectual anesthetic. Any pain is felt much later. This makes them much more dangerous censors. Especially since most artists tend to be vulnerable to their anesthetic. The most palpable threat to free speech these days comes from the secular political left. Janet Reno, Paul Simon, all those little 'politically correct' fascists that haunt our universities, preaching that the purpose of fiction is not entertainment, but rather indoctrination. These shameless, lying, whiny scumbag baby boomer, sixties-generation spoiled brats who think they serve society by rewriting history and trying to unravel our language...they represent a much more effective and successful effort to shut down free speech and the free press than the Bible-bangers ever have." Frank Miller, 1994.
In it, a great quote from Frank Miller, circa 1994. By the way, Frank Miller is a highly acclaimed novelist/graphic artist/film producer. I've highly enjoyed his work throughout the years. Anyways, his great quote:
Troublesome as the so-called Religious Right can be, they're generally a pretty clumsy bunch. They swing a club. 'Liberals', on the other hand, use a scalpel, and only after they've applied intellectual anesthetic. Any pain is felt much later. This makes them much more dangerous censors. Especially since most artists tend to be vulnerable to their anesthetic. The most palpable threat to free speech these days comes from the secular political left. Janet Reno, Paul Simon, all those little 'politically correct' fascists that haunt our universities, preaching that the purpose of fiction is not entertainment, but rather indoctrination. These shameless, lying, whiny scumbag baby boomer, sixties-generation spoiled brats who think they serve society by rewriting history and trying to unravel our language...they represent a much more effective and successful effort to shut down free speech and the free press than the Bible-bangers ever have." Frank Miller, 1994.
Feb 12, 2006
Jack Thompson a Christian? Don't make me laugh...
This Jack Thompson guy sickens me. Not only does he have the nerve to manipulate data to fit his own little schemes, but then he has the nerve to call himself a Christian? And to tell Bono that he will be losing his Christian testimony if he is part of a joint venture group that buys Take Two...sheesh. This guy sickens and disgusts me.
Give it time, Hillary will jump onto this too...
_______________________________________
Ellie GibsonFebruary 10, 2006
Following the emergence of rumours that Elevation Partners may launch an acquisition bid for Take Two, Jack Thompson has written an open letter to one of Elevation's key investors - U2 frontman Bono.
"Dear Bono," the letter begins, "I write you as a fellow brother in Jesus Christ, appreciative of your bold witness to the transforming truth of the Gospel, in both your words and your deeds... I write to encourage you, respectfully and in a spirit of brotherly love, not to purchase Take Two Interactive Software, Inc."
Thompson warns Bono that if he acquires Take Two, he will also acquire "A Mature-rated murder simulator marketed and sold to teens that has been linked by law enforcement officials to numerous, specific, provable copycat killings around the country" - namely Grand Theft Auto, of course.
He goes on to claim that Take Two "lied to the investment community" in its latest SEC filing, and warns that ongoing "criminal investigations" have put the publisher's very survival at risk, "Despite the fraudulent assertions in the recent [SEC filing] that they are all 'without merit'."
"That is akin to saying that AIDS poses no threat to life. Ridiculous."
Thompson then argues that the PS2's Dual Shock controller "desensitises the user to the act of killing" because it "sends a visceral jolt back into the hands of the player each time he kills." Which, obviously, he sees as another reason not to buy Take Two.
Thompson doesn't think much of Bill Gates, either, who recently appeared on the cover of Time magazine alongside Bono. "I assume you think Gates a man of intellect," the letter reads."Here is what he said recently on 60 Minutes: 'These action games transport you to a world you think is real.' Exactly. That is why they are dangerous."
Next in the firing line is Bully, a forthcoming Rockstar title that is set in a school and which has already caused controversy despite the fact it has yet to be released. Thompson describes it as a "Columbine simulator" that will "spawn more school violence," alleging that Take Two has "lied to the public about what is actually in this game."
He also claims that he has obtained screenshots which show the game's true content, stating: "I can hear Take-Two saying to you, Bono, if I were to show you these clandestine screenshots, 'Who are you going to believe, Bono; us or your lying eyes?'"
Thompson warns Bono that buying Take Two "will serve as a refutation of your Christian twitness [sic]", stating that unless Elevation Partners plans to buy Take Two for the purpose of incinerating the Grand Theft Auto games and the other murder simulator titles that Take Two owns... Then you will be tying a millstone around your own neck."
The letter finishes: "I could fill another ten pages with descriptions of the criminal activity by Take-Two and [law firm] Blank Rome toward me, but I can tell you about all that if and when we meet."I am trying to keep you, dear brother, from being run over by a careening bus. I do this to help you. A brother in Christ has now warned you. Now, do the right thing, in His powerful name I pray," Thompson writes, before signing off: "In Jesus Christ, Jack Thompson."
You can read the full letter over at Game Politics.http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/202166.html? thread=13231030#t13231030
Bono was unavailable for comment at the time of writing, but we've sent him a text.
Give it time, Hillary will jump onto this too...
_______________________________________
Ellie GibsonFebruary 10, 2006
Following the emergence of rumours that Elevation Partners may launch an acquisition bid for Take Two, Jack Thompson has written an open letter to one of Elevation's key investors - U2 frontman Bono.
"Dear Bono," the letter begins, "I write you as a fellow brother in Jesus Christ, appreciative of your bold witness to the transforming truth of the Gospel, in both your words and your deeds... I write to encourage you, respectfully and in a spirit of brotherly love, not to purchase Take Two Interactive Software, Inc."
Thompson warns Bono that if he acquires Take Two, he will also acquire "A Mature-rated murder simulator marketed and sold to teens that has been linked by law enforcement officials to numerous, specific, provable copycat killings around the country" - namely Grand Theft Auto, of course.
He goes on to claim that Take Two "lied to the investment community" in its latest SEC filing, and warns that ongoing "criminal investigations" have put the publisher's very survival at risk, "Despite the fraudulent assertions in the recent [SEC filing] that they are all 'without merit'."
"That is akin to saying that AIDS poses no threat to life. Ridiculous."
Thompson then argues that the PS2's Dual Shock controller "desensitises the user to the act of killing" because it "sends a visceral jolt back into the hands of the player each time he kills." Which, obviously, he sees as another reason not to buy Take Two.
Thompson doesn't think much of Bill Gates, either, who recently appeared on the cover of Time magazine alongside Bono. "I assume you think Gates a man of intellect," the letter reads."Here is what he said recently on 60 Minutes: 'These action games transport you to a world you think is real.' Exactly. That is why they are dangerous."
Next in the firing line is Bully, a forthcoming Rockstar title that is set in a school and which has already caused controversy despite the fact it has yet to be released. Thompson describes it as a "Columbine simulator" that will "spawn more school violence," alleging that Take Two has "lied to the public about what is actually in this game."
He also claims that he has obtained screenshots which show the game's true content, stating: "I can hear Take-Two saying to you, Bono, if I were to show you these clandestine screenshots, 'Who are you going to believe, Bono; us or your lying eyes?'"
Thompson warns Bono that buying Take Two "will serve as a refutation of your Christian twitness [sic]", stating that unless Elevation Partners plans to buy Take Two for the purpose of incinerating the Grand Theft Auto games and the other murder simulator titles that Take Two owns... Then you will be tying a millstone around your own neck."
The letter finishes: "I could fill another ten pages with descriptions of the criminal activity by Take-Two and [law firm] Blank Rome toward me, but I can tell you about all that if and when we meet."I am trying to keep you, dear brother, from being run over by a careening bus. I do this to help you. A brother in Christ has now warned you. Now, do the right thing, in His powerful name I pray," Thompson writes, before signing off: "In Jesus Christ, Jack Thompson."
You can read the full letter over at Game Politics.http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/202166.html? thread=13231030#t13231030
Bono was unavailable for comment at the time of writing, but we've sent him a text.
Feb 10, 2006
A wonderful quote from Eugene Peterson
In the foreword to Raewynne J. Whiteley and Beth Maynard's, Get Up Off Your Knees, Preaching the U2 Catalog, Peterson wrote:
"Is U2 a prophetic voice? I rather think so. And many of my friends think so. If they do not explicitly proclaim the Kingdom, they certainly prepare the way for that proclamation in much the same way that John the Baptist prepared the way for the kerygma of Jesus. . . . Amos crafted poems, Jeremiah wept sermons, Isaiah alternately rebuked and comforted, Ezekiel did street theater. U2 writes songs and goes on tour, singing them."
http://www.atu2.com/news/article.src?ID=4232
And I apologize for not blogging on this account more, I'll have to step it up a notch or two to make it interesting.
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