Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Luck

Here's a snippet from John Acuff's blog Stuff Christians Like. This is daggum hilarious, and a classic Christian debate. Check out the rest of this post, it only gets funnier. Seriously, if you don't subscribe to this guy's blog, then you need to. Now:
"Good luck with the 10K this weekend!"

Well, I mean, I don't personally believe in luck, but you might. I believe that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. But how am I supposed to say that to you, my colleague from work, in the break room?

"I hope God works all things for the good of those who love him this weekend at your 10K race!"

Saturday, March 28, 2009

This Blog's Future

I've been trying to figure out what to do with my online writings and musings.

I've found that a lot of my writings falls into one of several categories:
  • Theology/Spiritual Thoughts—I mean, I love theology and spiritual discourse, so naturally I'd been prone to write about it a lot.
  • Poetry/Literature—again, I love this stuff, plus I consider myself a poet; indeed, the subtitle to my blog is "the imparticular thoughts of a particular poet."
  • Life Experiences—it is a blog, a 'weblog' of my life...so...
  • Random Stuff—videos, quotes (which often fall into the first three categories as well), or just different things I find online.
In addition to these categories, I'd like to start doing regular reviews of books, movies, TV-shows, and other media that I experience. I've actually wanted to do that for a long time.

So I'm wondering, should I split it up into several different blogs, with one for theology, one for poetry, one for life/random stuff, and another with reviews?

My biggest hindrance to going ahead and doing that is, often times they overlap: good theology is practical, so it often applies to my current life; poetry and spiritual thoughts are often intertwined, at least for me.

My second dissuasion is that I don't know what I would name them, or how I would go about managing them. I'd like to develop a readership in each area, but I don't know if people would follow me to those others blogs.

Any suggestions on the dilemma would be welcome, including possible names/URLs for the new blogs.

So...questions, comments, suggestions?

Holy Ain't Easy

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us"
—Hebrews 12:1

Being raised in the church, and attending numerous conferences and camps, I've heard this verse so many times. When I read it the other day though, it struck me in a much deeper way.

I think a lot of time we (very often me) say that the spiritual walk and spiritual discipline is so difficult (insert whiny teenage voice there). But I think that's the point. It is difficult.

Jesus had to walk uphill to get to the Cross. There's no escalator to heaven. It is indeed a stairway, or perhaps more accurately a 45% grade mountain trail.

In the other versions of Hebrews 21:1 that I looked up, instead of endurance I saw perseverance, persistence, without giving up, and even with patience. In fact, the Amplified Bible says it like this: "with patient endurance and steady and active persistence."

And then there's the sin: when you are running uphill, do you think you'd be inclined to hold on to a couple of 50 lb. weights, just for kicks? Or tie some ropes to you legs? There is no logical excuse for holding on to something that can and will hold you up, trip you up and cause you to give up.

I think this quote by Jonathan Edwards really nails it:
"We should travel on in the way of obedience to all God’s commands, even the difficult as well as the easy; denying all our sinful inclinations and interests. The way to heaven is ascending; we must be content to travel up hill, though it be hard and tiresome, and contrary to the natural bias of our flesh."

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

How To Cook A Beatbox

So daggum funny; I'm not even gonna lie, I took this from Joshua Harris' blog. I definitely recommend you watch it though. I guess I wouldn't not recommend it if I put it on here, would I?

A Small Part of the Body

You know how sometimes the Holy Spirit will speak to us and tell us to say something to someone that will speak to them where they're at in their life right now, with a positive impact, because it was just what they need to hear.?

Well, I think that I have the ability to say something to someone that will speak to them where they're at in their life right now, and effectively hurt them because whatever I said was just the right stupid thing they didn't need to hear.

I like to think of myself as a very quick witted, funny guy.

Well tonight, my quick wit got me into a not so fun situation where I hurt someone I care deeply for. Yeah, go ahead and slap me please.

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness." [James 3:5-6]

Sheep + LEDs = Glorious

To quote John Acuff: "this is probably the best use of LED art and sheep I've ever seen. Easily top five." Enjoy:

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The "Scene"

A week or so back, there was a hardcore concert at my church, and I found it comfortable to sit on the ground in the middle of the room, from whence this poem was born.

For those of you who don't know, the hardcore 'scene' is composed of those that listen to, play, and go to see hardcore music performed. Some of this subculture's characteristics are intense anger and wild, violent dancing at concerts.

"A Musing On The 'Hardcore' Scene"

I sit on the floor, a silent sage or judge,
Laying no condemnation, simply
Careful observation, quiet analysis
Of a group that screams and riots
In defiance of everything;
A culture, sub-culture
By most contemporary standards.

My presence on the ground is foreign,
Obtrusive, and unheard of,
To a group that is foreign,
Obtrusive, and unheard of.
I am an interloper through my position,
Seated, on the ground,
While the norm is: standing,
Screaming, dancing, flailing,
Wanting loving, but lacking,
And so hurting.

I am learning that my silence is so strange
Because silent sitting, thinking
Is not an option for those that surround me.
I am in appearance like them,
But I did not come from them.
They yearn for love,
And so scream, and shove.

Salt and Light

"You are the salt of the earth....You are the light of the world."
—Jesus, Matthew 5:13-14"

"So Jesus calls his disciples to exert a double influence on the secular community, a negative influence by arresting its decay and a positive influence by bringing light into its darkness. For it is one thing to stop the spread of evil; it is another to promote the spread of truth, beauty and goodness."
—John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on The Mount

Sunday, March 22, 2009

In Conclusion

This spring break has been an almost complete waste of time.

I have done next to nothing productive, with the exception of writing a letter and reading maybe a few pages of meaningful material.

Other than that, the few times I've spent with friends have made this week feel only slightly less than a waste.

Over 7 daggum days and nothing done. Not even a good amount of rest.

Now I've got a headache.

And I've no one to blame but myself.

Friday, March 20, 2009

A Vast, Dark, Damp Cloud

From a letter to a dear friend, written this wee hour in the morning:
Alas, I feel like the last year of my life has had this vast, dark, damp cloud bearing over it, barring me from any sight of God's glory, and therefore depriving me of any heartfelt joy.

Consequently, I have turned to other sources of less than remedial light or "glory." Because I know better, I have become the very epitome of Paul in Romans 7: "For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing."

I feel like I sound like a broken record.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Daily Me

Found this interesting article by Nicholas Kristof via The Curator:

When we go online, each of us is our own editor, our own gatekeeper. We select the kind of news and opinions that we care most about.

Nicholas Negroponte of M.I.T. has called this emerging news product The Daily Me. And if that’s the trend, God save us from ourselves.

That’s because there’s pretty good evidence that we generally don’t truly want good information — but rather information that confirms our prejudices. We may believe intellectually in the clash of opinions, but in practice we like to embed ourselves in the reassuring womb of an echo chamber.

I know it's dang easier to solidify your own opinion, and I'll be the first to admit that I do it a good bit...but when it comes right down to it, the best way to become a better more solid whatever you are is to hear the best daggum argument the other side has.

I Know

Sort of along the lines of my last post, I was told tonight that I know what I need to do, and that I know what I need to do better and more often and clearer than most people do. And yet, I fail to do it, or I choose to do just the opposite, or I just chilax and don't take any initiative on it. I know I'm being really daggum ambiguous right now, so I apologize for that.

Take the example of sin: I'm like the daggum foolish son that Soloman is speaking to in Proverbs. "STAY FRIGGIN' AWAY FROM THE FRIGGIN' HARLOT'S FRIGGIN' HOUSE. DON'T EVEN GO NEAR HER STREET, DON'T WALK BY IT."

The street isn't even that good when compared to the path God has set apart for me.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Advice

I have come to the conclusion throughout the last few months of my existence that I am a dispenser of great, Biblical and often wise advice, but I often either ignore the advice I have just dispensed, or I do something equally as foolish as that which I was trying to help people avoid through the advice I give.

So call me a fool. Seriously. Do it.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Monday, March 16, 2009

We're All In This Together

I'm not as big a fan of Hillsong as most, but this video and the movie it's previewing looks pretty daggum convicting, and therefore pretty daggum fantastic.

Wait Upon The Lord

Many Christians, including myself, have said that they just don't have the strength to overcome whatever sin we're dealing with, or don't have the strength to do what is right, to love people or whatever the chosen 'right thing' we need to do is.

Chris Tomlin's song "Everlasting God" (written by Benton Brown) contains the following lyrics:
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
These lyrics are based on a verse from Isaiah 40: "they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength."

Here's where we fail, we say "But I have been waiting on God to be my strength, I waited for so long!?!" No, you didn't.

In the event of temptation, as an example, let's say you wait for God to be your strength, but after minutes, hours, even days of waiting, you give in. And then you'll say "God didn't come." Well, we didn't. wait.

If you gave in to temptation, you didn't wait for God. Sure, you waited. But we didn't wait for God, we waited for God until we figured he just wasn't going to show up.

It's like the cliché story of a long lost lover who comes back only to find his beloved has married another. She didn't wait for him. She waited until she "couldn't" any more, or until it became more inconvenient to wait than to give in. [Count of Monte Cristo, anyone?]

While the movies will say that she never stopped loving her lost lover, I will say she did. If only for an instant. So are we with God.

I'm not saying we totally abandon our love for God, but we do stop loving him for at least a moment, the moment where we loved whatever sin, whatever lust, whatever idol, or even ourselves more than the Everlasting God who created us, the Strong Deliverer who has and continually will deliver us.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Gone Like Frank Sinatra

Except he's dead. I don't plan on dying tonight.

The deed is done. You are now reading the blog entry of an individual who is no longer in possession of a Facebook account.

It was amazing how hard Facebook tries to keep you on there. First, they list several friends who 'will miss you.' Congrats to Aubrey, Jeff, Miles, Josh and Kayla for being those friends. I thought that was legit, at least I didn't get the four or five people who I was friends with who I haven't actually met.

Then, they ask you to list the reason why you want to deactivate your account, and whenever you pick a choice, they have some link that would dissuade you from leaving if you followed it's instructions. Everything from "I spend too much time on here" to "I don't find Facebook useful." Ridiculous.

Then they have you give a longer explanation. I drilled them at this point. I hope the poor soul who is assigned my paragraph can feel the rancor in my words.

Finally, they require you to complete one of those safety check word twisted images, I guess to make sure you're not deactivating someone else's account. Whatever.

So now, I'm gone. We'll see if I can use this to my advantage.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Facebook: To Be Known

It's been strange, but I feel almost like I'm preparing to lose my voice, or an outlet thereof. Of all the human needs, to know and to be known is one of the most basic, most essential. I think that with the self-deprivation of Facebook, my mind is telling me I will no longer 'be known.' Now it's just a matter of telling my mind that it doesn't matter.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Pursuit

Even if I don't end up going to TVR to work this summer, I'm super stoked about the theme: The Pursuit, based out of II Timothy 2:22:
"So flee youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with all those who call upon the Lord with a pure heart."
There is so much theology in that one verse, it blows me away.

The one thing I do love about this verse is that it particularly points out that the Christian walk is a difficult, not taken lightly task...it [hopefully] will let the kids know that it is not easy, and that it does take work.

Now, if I could just preach that to myself.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Quotes from the Night of Anything Goes

Just some quotes that came up the night that Chris, Thom, Joel and I went to go see Anything Goes.

At the show:

"Old people--they know when things end"
--Chris

At Waffle House:

"You're six-foot-cries-a-lot."
--Thom
"I'm six foot'll-cut-your-throat-with-this-menu."
--Chris

"You starin' at my woman!?"
--Thom
"No, I'm staring at her goatee."
--Me