Massivetruth

Honest Prayer About What I Need

2012-01-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

Father:
While reading your redemption story in the Old Testament, I am absolutely terrified of you. Not in a an awe inspiring, regal, standing-in-front-of-the-President terror. No, a genuinely, I want to hide like scared child tucked as tightly and far back in the closet as possible while the robbers rummage through the house. Scared that in a single moment, you could wipe my existence entirely from the books of history all because I have sinned. I have done you wrong.

And yet, in a paradox of sorts, my fear is left on the side of the road because when you beckon, I have no choice in the matter. My muscles betray me and force me to take step after step towards my own demise. Knowing this, knowing that if I were to be killed by anyone, I would want it to be you, my maker. So my soul cringes, waiting to be struck and only to find a warm embrace of grace, a forgiveness that passes all sense of mortal justice.

I have every reason to be in this place again, because I am created and you are Creator. It was destined from the very start of my existence and a calling in my daily life. With every breath, I find myself wanting this terrible thing, this Holy and Mighty, all consuming presence...all that is You. I want to be here.

And you can't have half of the redemption story because your son's sacrifice has purified my deepest stains. Bleached me to the bone. No longer a white washed tomb, but deeply, thoroughly cleaned child of God. All my fears tempered by the grace of Christ, who gave his life to save me from the fate I deserved.

Yet, I wonder. I am not a Jew. I am a Gentile. You came for the Jews, right? Those are your words, echoed in Your scriptures, something we so easily forget. But, yet you have drawn me in, pulled me close to your embrace, sheltered me time & time again from the harsh fray, and have called me your own. Your sacrifice wasn't for the Jews. Nor was it for the Gentiles. It was for humanity, your creation. It was that we would all come at your beckoning call.

I have heard that call, but still can not say with any sort of honesty that "all I need is you." I need my wife. I need her everyday, though she may not realize it. She is a source of comfort and the object of my affections. She has taught me that love is not simply a feeling but a choice. That you can love someone beyond their character and that you can know someone so much deeper than the surface. I need my children. They give me a sense of responsibility and a instill within me a deep joy and have redefined what it means to truly love, agape, unconditionally love someone. The instance they were born, I was in love. They had done nothing for me and I had a deep desire to fulfill their every need. They are a beautiful gift and one that will treasure until my last breath.

And through my family, I realize that all I need is you. I am those children in your eyes. I am that "bride" that Christ went to the cross for. I am loved.

Thank you for putting up with my fears and loving me all the same. Thank you for loving me beyond my doubts and short comings.

- Amen

New Mug Shot

2011-12-20T08:29:00.001-08:00

Friends I Wish I Stayed In Touch With

2011-11-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

Over the course of my life, God has expressed His grace through various friendships that have sheltered me from the damage of a dysfunctional family environment. Some of these friends I hear from through assorted social media outlets, while others are just a memory longing for another tangible connection. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a starter to those I wish I had kept in touch with:

Katrina Celeste Stutts. I am sure her last name has changed since our child hood. Nevertheless, Katrina was my very best friend growing up. We both lived in the trailer park together, where her family sold mobile homes. These memories take me back to LaGrange, GA where summers were filled with roller blading and Super Mario Brother 3. Man we loved that game! Katrina was a solid foundation of friendship (nothing romantic) in an otherwise unstable world. I just enjoyed hanging out with Katrina. I also remember thinking she was rich because her family owned a double-wide trailer.

Spanky. I don't know his real name. He moved into the same trailer park and probably was more of a bad influence than anything. Nevertheless, he was a good friend. I remember distinctly one time where he got a new pair of Nike shoes. Back then at our school, you were "cool" if you owned a pair. My family couldn't afford them, so we were never in the "in" crowd. So, when Spanky bought a new pair, he gave me his old pair. The other kids at school asked if they were Spanky's old shoes and he denied it to save me the embarrassment. He also took me to Florida, all expenses paid, to go to the beach one summer. Great memories.

Gary Beagle. Actually had the opportunity to reconnect with him over Facebook. We lived in the lower income housing together in Mineral Wells, Texas. He introduced me to comic books and really started my collection. My favorite memory was covering an entire wall in comic books by hanging them from their sleeves (some sort of sin to collectors, I'm sure). He was a best friend and was someone I could just hang out without any worries. His mom, sister, and brother-in-law kind of took me in and felt "at home" at his house. Eventually, Gary was sent to a boys ranch and we lost touch.

Mason Matthews. He's the whole reason I went to Wayland University. The summer before we went to college, I was over at his house constantly. His mom made some amazing home made bread. Again, my fondest memories are just hanging out. Oh, and dorm wars. Mason always tried tying me up while I was sleeping in bed. I repaid him kindly by sliding bologna under his dormitory door while he was gone for the week.

Calvary Baptist Youth. So many memories of my friends over at Calvary. Many of our youth group are on Facebook, so I am able to keep in touch. This group of friends was a solid rock during high school. They took me in and loved me through my Junior and Senior years. We spent Saturday nights doing a Bible study that we lead, many nights on the trampoline, and my last night with them was a bonfire out in the country. I honestly could never thank that group enough for memories, encouragement, and constant friendship they showed me.

Chris Brown. Perhaps the one friendship that changed my entire course of life. Chris was my absolute best friend through High School. The guy constantly paid for me when we ate out, was constantly encouraging me, and was closer than a brother. We did so much stupid stuff together from making stop action videos to countless hours of Command & Conquer and programming IQ Tests in BASIC. I remember listening to Jesus Freak for the first time with Chris and many memories in the swimming pool. In fact, I lived with the Browns through out the last year of High School. The whole family (love you Kara, Vicki, & Calvin!) took me in, fed me, celebrated holidays with me, and honestly made me feel like one of their own.

So what friends come to your mind while reading this?

Construction of Time

2011-10-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is what it looks like from my window at the moment. It is a building that my company bought and is remodeling as our new office space in 2012.

Today at lunch, I noticed something about the workers. They were spread out on multiple floors each doing their own job. And if you watched long enough two workers would pass each other at the exact same moment, just on different floors. Neither one of them realized it either because there was no communication and their perspective was finitely bound to the floor they were on.

I wonder if this is how God views time, existing outside of it and watching our parallel lives happening day in and day out. At any point, God knows when something is going to happen that will impact both workers because He has the full picture. This is a reminder that I can trust Him in every situation because my perspective on the issue is so limited.

Perspective on Putting

2011-10-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

How often have you found yourself using the phrase, "why is God putting me through this?" Often it is during the trials of life and we rarely see it as an opportunity. Instead it is just another thing added to the insurmountable pile of responsibilities. This perspective is distorted.

God doesn't "put" people through things. Christ always "leads" (being the King of Kings and all). So instead of asking why he is putting us through something, we should ask why is He leading me through this?

That change of words has a powerful implication. Instead of you blindly stumbling through the obstacle, feeling beaten and worthless left to your own devices, you are in fact empowered to follow in His foot steps, treading on a solid foundation laid out by His experiences. Christ put it this way:

"If the people of this world hate you, just remember that they hated me first. If you belonged to the world, its people would love you. But you don’t belong to the world. I have chosen you to leave the world behind, and that is why its people hate you. Remember how I told you that servants are not greater than their master. So if people mistreat me, they will mistreat you. If they do what I say, they will do what you say. People will do to you exactly what they did to me. They will do it because you belong to me, and they don’t know the one who sent me." - Jesus Christ qtd in John 18.

Oversimplify God's Presence

2011-09-25T13:12:00.000-07:00

Have you ever asked yourself to define the presence of God? I mean going beyond the concept of His omnipresence. We all get that He's every where at all times. There is more to this concept. There is solitude. There is seeking (on both parts). There is depth to the stillness and a profound sound to His love for us.

Henri Nouwen, in his book Out of Solitude says that "the secrecy of Jesus' ministry lies in solitude" and I agree. Stepping away from all the distractions and towards the presence of the Father on a regular basis has a profound impact on you every time. Christ was able to attend the needs of the multitudes because He spent so much time alone.

And if you think about it, this is what God intended all along. When Christ died, the veil split. The presence of God was symbolically and immediately accessible. And it is this raw presence that we seek.

Solitude is just the first step in understanding God's presence. As a parent it is almost second nature for me to crave time alone. When I do get those moments alone, God's presence is so peaceful, because it is a sharp contrast to the every day life of chaotic schedules, needful children, deadlines, and house work. So this leads me to believe there is something deeper when the presence of God is felt outside of solitude. I just don't know how to find it when:

the baby is sick and generally crying, the middle child has stubbed her toe, and the oldest is arguing about having to clean his room all at the same time. Meanwhile, you've spilled water because you were trying to get the dishes done.

your work has piled up because you had to take sick leave, but there's no grace in the deadlines

it's wednesday night and Bible study starts at six, you get home around 5:30 pm, you shovel supper down, rush off to come home at 8:30 to a mile high pile of dishes and a dirty kitchen

it is 10:30 at night and the kids will not stay in bed because they instinctively know you are working on the budget

I feel lime if I could tap into God's presence in those moments, I would gain a peace that truly passes all understanding.

Boy With the Walking Fish

2011-09-04T03:28:00.000-07:00

A parable speaks of this boy who amazingly taught a fish how to walk. As the story goes, the little boy was walking across a bridge when he spotted a goldfish swimming in the creek bed below. The boy was overcome with excitement and ran down the bank to meet his new friend.

This meeting between the boy and the fish continued on for several weeks. Eventually, the boy was able to coax the fish out of water. Day after day, the boy kept the fish out of water for longer periods of time until the fish could stay out of water for the whole day. The boy then worked with the fish teaching him how to use his fins to walk. Eventually the fish followed the boy home where enjoyed it so much that he decided to live with the little boy. He did so and they became best friends, playing together day after day.

One day the boy and his fish decide to go for a walk. They make their way down to the bridge and over the creek. When the boy reached the other side he heard a splash, where he turned to find the fish was no longer behind him. The fish had tripped and fell into the creek below. As a the boy looked over the edge, he found the lifeless body of his fish floating down stream. The fish had been out of water so long, he forgot how to swim.

What scares me about this story is that we are called to be holy and set apart. Out natural environment should be in the presence of God. However we get so wrapped up in cultural relevance that we forget what it means to stand in His presence. We continue in sin so much that it reshapes our perceptions on life, agreeing to do things we would never have done in His presence.

Perpetual Problem with Perception

2011-08-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Aside from the awesome alliteration, this post has a point. A friend at work humored the other day when he retold the first humiliating act of disobedience by his 3 year old daughter. They were in Toys-r-us at e time. It was time to go and his daughter failed to see eye to eye. When he called her to come, she took off running and screaming down the aisle. In attempt to coax her into calm submission, he would slow his pace down and with trepidation attempt to get close enough to grab her. Sensing her impending doom and the interruption of her playtime, she bolted again. This went on for several minutes, until he was finally able to catch her. The story ended with his daughter kicking & screaming as he carried her out the store with an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and anger.

I laughed seeing the humor in the situation because a parent of three children, I have been in that situation before. However, as our conversation continued it took a different angle regarding perspective. Turns out that his daughter's rebellious act lead us to see where we are in this relationship with God.

God exists outside of our timeline and has eternal perspective every time He imposes His schedule on our lives. More often than not, we behave like my friend's daughter because from our perspective He is just "taking away our fun". We do not feel like leaving the store right now because we don't "need to go eat" or run more errands. We are so limited in our view of things that it is near impossible for us to see the forest for the trees.

The next time my life is impacted by some life event, I want to take a step back and realize that there is more to this story than just leaving the store. There is an entire world out there with a million schedules, angles, perspectives on life. There is only one perspective that rises above it all. HIS.

Kingdom of God & the Leggetts

2011-08-16T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have noticed something beautiful about my family, particularly in regards to my children. They are being raised in a drastically different "kingdom" than the one I was raised in. It is a kingdom where love is expressed day in and day out through numerous hugs and kisses, an incredible home school experience, and various celebrations of their uniqueness in photos and letters. That is not to say that they are without their short comings.

On any given day you are likely to hear the oldest complain about how the middle child is incredibly annoying. The middle child will inevitably come up with some ailment that prevents her from doing chores. And the baby will without a doubt make our lives difficult by pulling dishes from the cabinets and books off the shelf.

Yet, in both lights, our children consistently living within our own little kingdom. There is nothing they can do that would ever cause us to caste them out because they are our children.

Along these same lines, it is interesting that Christ focused so much on the Kingdom of God. And when he did he used the sharp imagery of children. They never live in fear that they have been caste out of love's grasp because it is not with their nature. Furthermore, they don't act like they belong to another family. Likewise, the presence of God's kingdom in our own lives should a parallel reality to that of the kingdom's we live in this world. It is here, present, and we should respond accordingly.

So how do you respond to the kingdom of God being near?

Wedding at Cana

2011-08-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Scripture: John 2:1-11

As far As I know, the is the first miracle that Christ performed. So you have to wonder if this decision was intentional?

This whole relationship with Christ has always been a bold image of a marriage between Church the Bride and Christ the Groom. We have always been in the middle of an epic love story! Unfortunately, my passion for a relationship has diminished over the years as I became adept at sinning and allowing "grace to abound." Why God is still interested I don't know. I would have left my wife years ago if she treated me the way I treat God.

Having said that, I am acutely aware of the symbolism of Christ' miracle at Cana wedding feast. While I was content with stagnant water in a broken vessel, the Holy Spirit had been working on turning the water into wine within me, restoring me to the creature God always intended me to be.

I am thankful for John's portrayal of this event in the life of Christ. Like so many of the scriptures, the symbolism runs deep and serves as a grave reminder of my current condition.

Tough Week

2011-07-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

So I committed to writing to a new blog and blew it on my first week! Sorry guys/gals. It has been a tough week with me going to bed completely exhausted. We've dealt with our stove top going out to short circuited wire, a wheat weevil infestation in the pantry, general nausea and fatigue, and running out of dishwasher soap (and therefor doing them by hand).

So the last one is something my wife would refer to as a "First World problem." I agree. There are more that are far worse off than I. However, it explains why I completely wiped on starting the blog up again.

How To Blog if You are Not a Writer

2011-04-19T13:36:00.001-07:00

There is a reoccurring theme in my blogging world. One the one side, I want to be the blogger I was 5 or 6 years ago. It was a time when I was connected, had more hits on my site than I could ever imagine, and I had no problems coming up with interesting subjects to blog about.

On the other hand, I feel like this blog is past its prime and there is nothing new or original left to capture. However, every time I go to press the delete key, I feel the pain of letting go. I still want to be connected. And every time I read a good article and comment, I want an identity online. A place to stay connected without the worries of traffic.

The problem is that if you don’t have fresh content, your readers will not come back. My blog suffers greatly from a lack of content. Usually when I have an idea of something to write about, I don’t have the time. So where do all these people with fantastic blogs find time?

1. The first is finding balance. You always have to give up something to get something. To have fresh content on your blog, you have to give up time you would spend doing other activities like reading before you go to bed.

2. The second key is finding inspiration. In order to generate thoughts, you need something to think about. When you come across an article that stirs you, email it to yourself. This way you will have it in your inbox as a reminder to publish your thoughts on your blog.

3. The third key is linking. I saw my blog explode when there was a community around it and I was able to link to other thought provoking blogs. That’s the beauty of the internet!

What Does It Take to Be a Dad?

2011-03-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Something our pastor said over the weekend has stuck with me. I have heard it before, but for some reason it pricked my heart:

Dad's have a tremendous responsibility, because they shape the way their children view God as their 'Father'

Here it is 10:30 PM at night and I am finally getting a break. I woke up at 7 AM and got ready for work. Went to work and ate lunch there. Stayed at work until my family picked me up after which we went to the mall to spend some of our Old Navy gift card money from Christmas. Came home to a disaster in the kitchen with cake crumbs and dirty dishes everywhere (a clear indication that my wife had a rough day with the kids). I took care of the baby while my wife took a break and then I cleaned until it was family devotional time. All the while, keeping the sprinklers going outside. After our Bible study, I helped the middle one brush her teeth and get ready for bed. By the time she was ready, my wife needed help in the bedroom setting up the humidifier, getting ice, etc. Before it was all said and done it was 10 PM!

Needless to say, I am exhausted. By the time I actually get time to myself, I am miserable and worn out. The last part of my day is the worse for my kids (and wife) because I have nothing more to give than shear irritability from being needed so much.

So how do you provide a clear example of God's patience and tirelessness as a Father when you are only human?

Hot Mom on Scrubs

2011-03-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my wife and if you couldn't tell, she's a mom. A beautiful mom and the reason why I am writing this post. Don't get me wrong, this isn't just a post about how "hot" I think my wife is.

It's about the show Scrubs.Today she was watching an episode where the whole crew was on the beach. Two of the girls walked onto the beach wearing bikinis and the third one walked out in shorts and a shirt, carrying a diaper bag. The boyfriend remarked something about why does "his girl always have to look like a mom?"

Seriously?!? My wife is a mom of three and all though she may not have a "beach body", I will tell you what she does have:

On most days, you will find my Amanda wearing a t-shirt and a pony tail. What this means is that she hasn't had time to get "prettied" up. Instead she has poured all her time into home schooling the kids. This is my definition of "sexy".
My wife's belly has these amazing stretch marks across the canvas of her stomach. This is a beautiful reminder that I have her to thank for going through pregnancy and giving birth to each of my children.
On most days, the living room carpet is littered with toys and sometimes breakfast is still on the table when I come home for lunch. This means that my wife has been dealing with a very needy baby all day and I can't thank her enough.

At the end of the day, Scrubs has it all wrong. What's hot about my wife is that she is a mom.

Blog Elements

2011-03-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Just setting up the new template. Please disregard.

Fantastic Fridays

2011-03-04T07:26:00.001-08:00

It is a quick one, but it is all I have had time for!

RoboRainbow – this is geek art at its best
High School Social Media – you’ve probably seen this, but I have had it on my list for a while
Backwards Cars – I had to take a double-take myself
Grannies Inc – Design your own scarf, beanie and let a grannie knit it for you
Bacon Toothpaste – you read correctly

Lessons from a Dark Elf

2011-03-03T07:46:00.001-08:00

Granted most of my readership is probably not reading the adventures of Drizzt Do’Urden. However, I came across a very interesting quote from the fictional hero of the Forgotten Realms:

“I would never pretend to understand another people well enough to demand that they change their traditions, yet how foolish it seems to me to hold fast and unyieldingly to those mores and ways without regard for any changes that have taken place in the world about us.” – From the Crystal Shard, Book IV

Drizzt was an enigma to his people. He was born a dark elf, living among an evil people where backstabbing and child sacrifice were common place. The dark elves or Drow lived far below the surface in the deeper parts of the earth. All his life he was taught hatred and self-interest, but he felt compelled to distrust the harsh teachings of his peers. Instead, he fled and eventually found himself among the “surface dwellers”. There he found the same harshness when others tried to kill him simply because he was a Drow.
The quote above is in reference to barbarians who lived among the plains of Icewind Dale. Despite centuries of civilization, trade, and growth, the barbarians still wonder as nomadic tribes and their only desire is to wipe out the other races. Drizzt was hoping to find something more than the dark past he left behind and stumbled upon a mixture of love and selfishness.
I think the quote is applicable to the Church today. We sometimes get so wrapped up in our culture that we become barbaric. We trample over any one or idea that we deem “unbiblical” without really having a case for doing so.
Well, enough of the geeky talk.

Where does my blog fit?

2011-02-09T10:40:00.001-08:00

Head over to the Web Designer Depot for a moment: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/02/the-7-personality-types-of-bloggers-today/
I wondered after reading this article where my tiny little blog fit in the spectrum. Most of it could be filed under the Lady Gaga syndrome. I have been keeping a journal of some sort since the 6th grade. Blogs were a natural extension of my journaling habits.
Over the life of my blog, there has been fluctuations. At one point, I had 400 hits a day. This is miniscule compared to the uber bloggers out there, but it boosted my ego a little. I can remember back in 2004-2006 when it felt like there was a community of bloggers that ran in the same social circles as I did. That was my favorite part. Watching Christ transcend technology and bringing together people. I even had the privilege of meeting a few of my fellow bloggers.
Since then, some have moved on to write books. Others have started ministries. A few quit the blogging world as they moved on with their lives. I have just stayed in limbo. Actually, I went crazy, deleted all my blogs, and then came to my senses to start them over again.
Now I find myself pensive. What could this blog be? Will it ever reach that point where there is content that is thought-provoking without shoving it down someone’s throat?

Visiting My Sister

2011-02-08T10:40:00.001-08:00

In a couple of weeks, I am going to visit my sister. So what makes this visitation blog worthy? Well, I have only seen my sister 4 times in the past 13 years!

Brittney was born the winter term of my senior of high school in 1996. I spent the next 8 months loving her as best as I knew how. I took her to church, showed her off every chance I got, and helped out with taking care of her when I could. She was my brand new little sister and I knew that I would not be there for Brittney while she grew up in the turmoil.

I left for college in August of 1997 with no intentions of returning to our hometown. My mother was (and still is) an alcoholic and my father died when I was 7 years old (see my testimony for more about that). There was not a lot going for me and felt strongly that God wanted me to get my college degree. At college, I met my wife, had 3 children, and matured in an environment that was filled with love and support. I met lifelong friends that were there for me every step of the way. All the while, I often thought of what my sister would go through in the chaotic life I left behind.

After having my own children, I became very angry with my mother. I don’t understand how she could put me and my siblings through the turmoil. My children are my life and I lavish my love on each of them. So as far as I was concerned, my children would group up a safe distance from the alcoholism that permeated so much of my life.

Recently, my sister set up a Facebook account. I was now able to reconnect with her and hopefully redeem all those years lost between us. I love her just as much now as I did when I went to college and am thoroughly excited to see her in a couple weeks!

Parental Incarnation

2011-02-01T14:40:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend I had a wonderful experience with our youngest, Hendrix. It was Sunday morning and I was on baby duty. Typically, this parental feat requires that you spend about 15 minutes holding the little one, while he adjusts to waking up. Then you either place him on the floor in front of a mound of toys or sit him into a contraption designed to entertain him while you make breakfast (i.e. Exersaucer! sp?).
But not this morning. I decided to completely immerse myself into his world. I stayed on my knees and belly, army crawling through the vast mounds of brightly colored toys, watching Baby Einstein with Hendrix in my lap (and yes, the DVD really does entertain him), and replicating gibberish with absolute accuracy as each syllable rolled of his tongue. We had this bonding moment for an hour and a half before he grew sleepy and wanted ‘mama’.
I looked back at that experience and realized that I bonded with the little guy deeper than I ever thought possible. What happened in those moments was glimpse of the Incarnation. God unashamedly stepped down as Christ to experience our limited view, speak our gibberish, and army crawl through our world all the while knowing that bigger and better experiences were waiting for us. God did because He loved us.
Thank you Father!

Disconnected Connection

2011-01-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

A wonderful problem happened in the Leggett household last night! At around 9:00 PM, the children and wife made their way to the home office asking me "what happened to the Internet?" Our router blew out and we were officially disconnected.
I was in full on Geek mode. Tried resetting it to factory settings, updating firmware, power cycling...you name it and I probably tried it. The whole time I kept thinking what are the kids going to watch to go to bed. My wife reminded me of those things called DVDs. Oh, yeah, forgot those existed.
You see, reader, in our house almost everything is online. We watch movies and TV either on the Wii (through Netflix), on our Roku box, on in our browsers via several electronic devices. Needless to say, we are a very connected family!
It was nice to be disconnected. Forced us to take some time to appreciate the "disconnected" things in our life. We all went to bed early and I'm certain the kids had to find out how to play with their toys outside of their computers today. Appreciating the silence a little more.

New Fangled Posting

2011-01-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

I figured out how to post to my blog using my iPad. Hopefully that means more posts.

Fantastic Friday

2010-12-31T12:44:00.001-08:00

Welcome Back by T-Mobile - not sure if I posted this before, but it's worth seeing again.
Serving The Queen - which one?
Grandma Super Hero Therapy - not even sure what to say, amazing idea?
Rain Drum - best umbrella idea!
Blender Blunder - what if you blendered a blender?
Overlord Lessons Learned - should I ever become an evil overlord...
Height Wallpaper - creative art project turned wallpaper
Minority Report Web Surfing - While I don't own a 360, I am geeked out over this
Physics Defying Airplane Trick - try it yourself and let me know how it goes
Middleschool Football Trick - awesome and I don't even watch football.
Tapi - everyone wants their own school water fountain

New Stuff

2010-12-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, the past month has gone by in such a blur. It seems like everything in my life is new:

New home
New job
New furniture
New iPad
New Dragon Age (thx Kenneth)
New town
New truck

With all this "new" stuff, it is hard to keep up with life. We are still living in boxes!

Fantastic Fridays

2010-12-10T12:45:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Christmas, here's a list of gifts unique enough to make the Fantastic Friday wish list:

Bearded Beanie - yep, wear that faux beard on your beanie
USB Floppy - convert your floppy into an awesome USB drive
Zip Bed - inflatable bed meets sleeping bag
God Rest Ye Merrymen - not really a gift, but appropriate for Christmas
Rain Drum - make music with your umbrella, Rhianna approved!
EgoBook - a readable book version of your Facebook
2nd Dimension Shelf - sure to confuse the masses
Crack Garden - grow flowers in sidewalk cracks...on purpose
Pac Man Notebooks - screams awesome!

It This a Mistake

2010-12-08T13:55:00.001-08:00

"Is this a mistake?" It is a question that I have asked myself many times over the course of this month. I found myself asking it again a few minutes ago. I finished giving my last final (my final final if you will) of the semester and maybe the last one for the rest of my life. As students passed in their completed exams, a couple of them dropped a few notes of encouragment such as "Thanks for the class" and "I enjoyed this course." I had one student told me that this class was the highlight of their week because it was so interesting. As I walked across campus, I thought about these statements and in the back of my mind the question popped up. Should I have accepted the new job?

This would not be my first time to leave Wayland. I left back in 2007 to pursue a full-time career in web programming. After about 2 years of working from home, I came back to Wayland asking for my old job back. My supervisor graciously accepted me back. Within a matter of months, I was surrounded by people who loved me, encouraged me, and was genuinely interested in my success as a supervisor and an instructor. On top of returnign to friends and familiarity, I was also given the opportunity to teach several courses and I loved every minute of it! There is something about connecting with students, building new friendships, and meeting all the interesting people who will most likely go on to be brilliant contributers to society.

However, that chapter is closing. I will be cleaning on my desk exactly one week from today and I wonder if I have made a mistake. I am moving on to a new company in Midland, where I will be working on the IT help desk. I do not know if I will be given the opportunities to teach or if I will have the strong and loving support system that I have at Wayland. To be honest, I am a little scared.

At the end of the day, I just have to trust that "good" will come out of this move. I am doing what I feel is best for my family and I look forward to the new people I will meet in this journey.

Fantastic Friday

2010-11-12T08:34:00.001-08:00

Well, heading out of town today. Wanted to leave you readers with this:

Dribbble - if you want to see the latest design projects, head on over
Innovative Home Cleaner Bottle - I love seeing greener products like this one
Pretty - awesome poetry slam. There is one word NSFW.
That's My Face - well, if you are already planning for next year's Halloween
Dead Drops - social networking meets graffitti?
Jesus Lean - lol...guess you have to be a youth to get this
Alphabetized Storage - creative storage unit
Pac Man Sponges - these went on my wish list
Laminar Flow Video - you have to watch the whole thing, crazy!
Nest Hammock - how did the guy climb into that over the water?
Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes - kudos to her, well spoken. Thanks to Maria & Patrick for the suggestion.
Report Cards - well, we home school...but this complete reflects modern culture
Controller Bracelet - rock your gaming geekdom with this bracelet
RPG Posters - for Chris, Kenneth, Jess and the rest of you DnD nerds (myself included)
Tic Tac Redesign - someone got creative with their box of mints
Kermit & Yoda - they met up on Dagobah..unfortunately Luke landed on him ruining the lifelong friendship
Motley Crew - that is one motley crew if I have ever seen one

Ignorance of Sin

2010-11-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

Our attitude towards sin betrays our ignorance.

I posted this on Twitter the other day. It was a random thought that came to me by way of my love/hate relationship with Paul Washer. I subscribe to one of the podcasts that features some of his best sermons. This particular sermon was about the salvation process and that when one accepts salvation, a change must occur. That change is evident when you "hate the sin you once loved and love the righteousness that you once ignored."

Powerful words that have haunted me for the past couple of days. Let me stop there for a second, reader. This is not a post about condemnation or trying to manipulate your emotions to feel sorry for yourself. For there is no condemnation in Christ. This is about a reality check.

How do we treat sin in our lives? Do we truly desire to get rid of it or do we tolerate it because we know there is grace enough to cover it? I fit in with the latter. Sin is tolerable in my life because I enjoy it and I abuse the costly grace that was given to me.

What about you?

Fantastic Fridays

2010-10-29T12:59:00.001-07:00

16 Things About Sleep - coming from a person with sleeping problems, I found this interesting
Monstrous Discrepencies - hilarious look at perspective
Underwater Suite - hotel suite underwater..how awesome is that!
Google Slam - try out many of the latest demos and vote for the champ
Father Who Creatively Captures His Kids - unfortunately, my children don't have a father with this much creativity
Right Path to Right Person - love how they captured all the different stereotypes
Forget Kryptonite, Use Facebook - Superman's parents rat him out, this is for Dann
To the Death - lol, reminiscent of the Princess Bride
Ju dge Wapner Rootbeer - If you are going to have root beer, don't settle for less
Catfish - poor thing was caught on a ball
Awesome Grocery List - try to find a little creativity even in the mundane.
Dad's Brain - interesting read on the affects having a child has on dads
Typographic Map of USA - typography meets geography
Fantasy Art of Historical Figures - amazing work of Genzoman on historically mystic figures
Rome - Adobe is coming out with a new desktop publishing product that looks very promising. Try it out free for now.
How to Preserve Your Carved Pumpkin - had to throw something useful in for Halloween. Bleach water, elmer's glue, vasoline?

Tongues For Dummies

2010-10-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I laughed. It feels like this is the way the non-charismatic's approach the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. We don't know how to approach it, so we poke fun at it.

If we take a moment to step back in time to Pentecost, we will find ourselves laughing among the others in the crowd who witnessed the disciples first speaking in tongues. Jeers were thrown, mocking them and telling them they were drunk. The Apostle Peter boldly corrected the situation and people were left feeling ashamed.

What takes me back is the way the church treated "charismatic" gifts through the centuries. There is a stigma attached to spiritual gifts that involve the Holy Spirit largely because of the mistreatment of these spiritual gifts. In the 2nd Century, a "prophet" by the name of Montanus came into influence, claiming that he and his companions were the voice pieces of God Himself. His followers were called Montanists and they often spoke in "prophetic tongues" that according to them, superseded the authority of the Apostles. The Early Church did not take this very well, and the end result was generations of Christians who grew up with a bad taste in their mouth for speaking in tongues.

We avoided it for centuries! Now we are caught up in this net of some denominations accepting it, while others ignore it or make fun of it. So where are you on the spectrum?

Fantastic Fridays

2010-10-22T12:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the latest edition of fantastic finds:

How to Win PRS Everytime: school your kids in this classic game
How to build a pencil crossbow: arm yourself for office warfare
Workout Generator: Men's Health delivers a customized work out plan
Steampunk'd Home: I am not entirely into steampunk, but this house rocks
Wii Remotes Hacked: Creative use of Wii remotes
Plastic Bottle Tops: Reuse those plastic bottle tops to close up bags
Norman Rockwell's Photo Realism: collection of his art and the inspirational photos
Keep Them Away: from your cursor!
Ancient Greece was All a Farce: thx to whoever submitted this entry
Teenager Discovers How to Biodegrade Plastic: how awesome is that?!?!
99 Balloons: thx to Maria for showing me this video. A reminder of how precious and short life is.
Bluff City PD Domain : man buys a police department's web address to mock them
Homemade Pop Tarts: these look tasty
4 Ingredient Chocolate Cake: seriously only 4?
Flip Clock screen saver: here is where I got my awesome screen saver
Life Is Not Read Only: very interesting read
Placebo Buttons: fake buttons are everywhere to make us feel better
Buzz Lightyear in RL: this is what he might look like if he were real
50 Most Interesting Articles on Wikipedia: if you have time, read up!

Art of Prayer

2010-10-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

I was at a friend's ordination service and noticed several disturbing patterns of prayer. Many of which I have often abused in my own prayer life. It seems that prayer has moved on from an intimate conversation with our Father and is now an effective Swiss Army ministry knife:

Parenthetical Prayer - In this mode, you may open and close your service through the clever use of prayer. When you open in prayer, everyone feels better because they know its time to stop talking. It also gives off a good vibe about God's direction. And with every good service, the closing prayer let's us know when the service is over.
Transitional Prayer - If you have a new speaker walking up to the mic or need some extra time while the band gets ready, consider using the tactical transitional prayer.
Preaching Prayer - Pull this mode out when you feel like your message wasn't long enough or maybe you feel like driving the point a little closer to home. While praying, give a brief summary of the sermon you just preached. We're thick headed and need the extra help.
Food Prayer - You can't eat it, if you don't pray. What happened to the simple gesture of being thankful? Instead we need God to bless it to the nourishment of our bodies while we consume high fructose corn syrup and other genetically modified chemicals. *typed while drinking my Dr. Pepper
Binding Prayer - If you want us to know that you are very serious about something, always bind Satan in your prayer.

I felt like Pavlov's dog going through the motions of the service. Don't get me wrong. I am NOT questioning the sincerity of people's hearts, for that is not my place. However, I wonder if Christ referred to our condition responses when he warned against the repetition of prayer in Matthew 6:7.

Thank You Mr. Washer

2010-10-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

A friend and I were talking the other night about redefining youth ministry, when she brought up his name. Paul Washer is most noted for his Shocking Youth Message. I remember when the video first started meming a couple of years ago. The video brought a mixture of emotion from the Christian side of the blogosphere and for the most part, I found myself agreeing with Mr. Washer.

After our youth ministry discussion, I decided to look up more of Paul's videos. I stumbled across one entitled "Get off Facebook and be a man". Naturally, a title such as that draws you in, especially if you are a male who uses Facebook on daily basis. Here's what I saw:

My initial reaction was anger. He was challenging these young men to stop playing "little games" on Facebook and act like those who sold themselves into slavery. I found his manner offensive and noted several inconsistencies between his message and his actions:

This video is distributed through a social networking platform for the purpose of spreading God's word. Facebook has the same potential.
Paul Washer himself is not "selling himself into slavery", otherwise he wouldn't be free to deliver such a message

After my initial anger subsided, I started looking at the plank in my own eye. It wasn't easy or comfortable to admit, but the truth of the matter is that I have been playing games. My spiritual life has taken second, third, and even forth place among the myriad of events I deal with in my daily life. So this post is a thank you to Mr. Walker for at least stirring some emotion within me. Good did come out of it. :)

Fantastic Fridays: 10/8/10

2010-10-08T12:48:00.001-07:00

It has been a very rough week. First, we ran out of checks. So I grabbed a set of temporary checks from my desk. After writing several checks, the bank called. It turns out that the temporary checks were from my business account several years ago. That account had been closed and they were returning all of the checks. One of those people to receive a "bad" check was the Boy Scouts, of which I am a leader and round table commissioner. I was so embarrassed!

Then our dishwasher decided to flood the dining room. The house air is permeated with this "wet dog" smell. Furthermore, the supply line to the dishwasher is an old copper one, that is not very flexible. It is too long and juts out past the cabinet. After I finally hooked it up, the dishwasher drain line emptied underneath the kitchen sinks. There is no place to "connect" the drain line. Looks like the previous owners replaced piping and left out the drain line for a new dishwasher.

Nevertheless, this is a Fantastic Friday!

Cool Foosball Trick - master this and you will rock at all the parties..that have foosball tables...
Rob Wants to Give You a High Five - another great improv everywhere moment
Birth of an Island - photos of caught of a new island being created. I think it would be cool if they came back every couple of years to watch the formation of vegetation.
Japanese Barcodes - I wish we had art in everything
Pop Icons in a Different Light - funny variations of pop icons
Star Wars Jungle Gym - my kids would flip out if they still made these
Photosynthesis - recharge just about any device with this interesting concept
Portable CD Holder - no joke
Autoflip Clock - yes, I am nerdy enough to want one of these
Super Mario Soda - you know I would do this if I worked at a grocery store
List of Traditional Games - for the kid in you
Evil Mario - if Mario joined the dark side...
Lego Computer - an actual working computer whose case is all legos
100 Things After I Die - cancer sufferer leaves her husband and 2 children with a list of 100 things to do after she is gone
Super Hero Mod Art - Rogan Josh serves up some nice artwork of super heros
Old Computer Ads - next time you complain about the cost of your computer, take a look of these ads in MEGABYTES..not GB
Computer Inside a Game - warning: very geeky! More up Kenneth's ally!
Unicode Symbols - next time you are IM'ing try these out. Most can be done by holding down the alt key while typing the corresponding number

Christians and Politics

2010-10-05T14:38:00.001-07:00

Admittedly, in the land of politics, I fall somewhere on the spectrum between apathy and anger. Anyone that is "high up there" got there because they desired power and believed they could wield it better than others. From this ideology, other beliefs have stemmed out to form a very confused cluster of branches. I am at the point where I think Christians can make an impact at the local government level, but once you start going up the political ladder, you find yourself in compromising environments permeated with corrupted stenches.

With this in mind, I came across an article that made me think about political involvement in a different light. In the Summer 2010 issue of Leadership Journal, Mark Labberton writes about the collosion of evangelism and justice in an article entitled, "A mighty river or a slippery slope?". What caught my attention was the way Mark describe a particular congregation's reaction to the Katrina disaster that swept through New Orleans. Mark asks:

Why would 25 adults in one church use most of their annual vacation to travel to New Orleans and clean houses ruined by Katrina, while another 10 from this same congregation go to Washington, D.C., to lobby their congressional representatives to continue support for Katrina victims five years after the tragedy?

It is the last part that struck me. Here is a group of Christians who are exercising their political rights to better the lives of those around them. There was no religious stigma attached to their actions. It wasn't a "legislation of morality" issue. It was a legal right that gave way to improving the lives of others. I felt like this moment was a beautiful portrayal of how Christians can coexist with politics.

I don't know where this will lead me in the realm of politics, but it has certainly made the road a little easier to take.

'Bloody' Christians

2010-10-03T20:08:00.000-07:00

My wife asked an interesting question at lunch today; A question that the nerd in me could not resist researching:

What is ketchup? And why is it sometimes called "catsup"?

Ok, that was 2 questions, but interesting nonetheless. As soon as time freed up at the library, I pulled out reference books on food history and dug until my curiosity was satisfied. What I found was the history of this famous condiment was convoluted by its own definition. Ketchup is “a general name for a range of salty, spicy, rather liquid condiments.” The ingredients vary by country, region, and local culture, ranging from pickles, mushrooms, soy and the form you are most familiar with, tomato ketchup.

What about the name?
Honestly, it is just a naming convention that was “lost in translation.” Dutch traders are said to have brought the oriental sauce to Europe and in the process, consumers varied the spelling as a by-product of poor annunciation. The roughest translation of the word dates back the Chinese word for a fermented fish sauce by the name of “kêtsiap”.

What does this have to do with Christianity?
My research reminded me of the roots of my own faith. The term "Christian" is world-wide and the definitions vary as much as the grains of sands on a beach. It has been prostituted by culture and reworked into a mold of beliefs that are redefined by each individual believer.

That being said, there is a core set of beliefs and an authentic history behind the term that outlives the notorious misuse of the label. Christians were first such in Antioch according to Acts 11:26:

"And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians."

It was actually a derogatory term used by society to poke fun at the "little Christs" who actually believed in this whole "Jesus Guy". It is the equivalent of calling others “Bible Thumping Fundies”. Back then, the first believers wore it with pride. It meant that their beliefs and practices were demonstrated in such a fashion that their neighbors associated them with Christ.

Mary Randolph’s Tomato Catsup

I couldn’t resist posting this recipe dating back to 1831:

Gather a peck of tomatos, pick out the stems, and wash them; put them on the fire without water, sprinkle on a few spoonsful of salt, let them boil steadily an hour, stirring them frequently; strain them through a colander, and then through a sieve; put the liquid on the fire with half a pint of chopped onions, half a quarter of an ounce of mace broke in small pieces; and if not sufficiently salty, add a little more – one table-spoonful of whole black pepper; boil all together until just enough to fill two bottles; cork it tight. Make it in August, in dry weather. – The Virginia Housewife 1831.

*Davidson, Alan, and Alan Davidson. The Penguin Companion to Food. New York: Penguin Reference, 2002. Print.

Long Overdue Fantastic Fridays

2010-10-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Haven't had one of these in a while:

Lex & Joker - If Lex Luther and the Joker got together...
Photorealistic Pencil Drawings - Amazing talent!
Tie Your Shoes - try out a new way to lace those babies
Mega Lego Structures - who doesn't love looking at Lego sculptures?
Freeze: Edible Guns - this is on the border of disturbing and creative
Online Pumpkin Carving - go ahead and get that desire to carve a pumpkin without all the mess
Wiimote Whiteboard - so take the interactivity of your wiimote, throw in some C# programming and bam! Smart board!
Obsession - let's be honest, this is for Chris Williams and myself
Cell Phone Blocker - Imagine having the power to block all the cell phones around you in peaceful bliss
New York City at Night - a photographic journey through the streets of NYC at night
That's What Lois Lane Said - for my lifeteam
Boxee Box - the program has been around for a while, now there is hardware for your TV! Plug it in for free TV shows!
How To Be Alone - wonderful and beautifully written poem
Notebook Trick - if you use Notebook a lot and want to keep track of date and time, this is for you
Persona - What does your belongings say about you?
Ant Death Spiral - bizarre, but this really happens
Who Came Up with Computer Symbols - you know as well as I, that you have always been curious
Bossaball - the ultimate mix of soccer and volleyball..I want to play!
Duncan Dollers - artist does a remix of American currency

Drumbeat Offers P2PU

2010-09-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Mozilla's Drumbeat is offering a new, open courseware for web developers called "Peer to Peer University: School of Webcraft" or simply P2PU: School of Webcraft. Their catalog of courses range from the seasoned pro to the newbies.

Honestly, this approach just makes sense. Instead of paying tuition, why not learn from your peers for free? In doing so, you network and collaborate with other users who know the content as well as you do. Your professors then are those who are teaching out of a passion for the languages and concepts of web development. It is when we dive into this tacit knowledge pool that this concept of community emerges and is worth celebrating about!

Or maybe, I am just web nerd.

Blogging Resurrection

2010-09-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

I finished reading this amazing, yet nerdy book entitled Say Everything. It is written by Scott Rosenberg and details the history of the blogosphere as we know it. Gizmodo, Blogger, Twitter, Google, MySpace, YouTube, Engadget..they are all in there. Scott does a wonderful job of taking the reader through the history of modern blogging from its very roots to the things we think of as standard today.

At any rate, this isn't a post about the book (I am horrible at book reviews). This post is about a quote I found in the book. A nugget of resurrection if you will:

Blogging gave my knowledge-grazing direction and reward. Writing a blog entry about a useful and/or interesting subject forces me to extract the salient features of the link into a two- or three-sentence elevator pitch to my readers, whose decision to follow a link is predicated on my ability to convey its interestingness to them. - Cory Doctorow

It breathed some life into what I had already felt. Over the past year, I kept changing the design of the blog. And once the thrill of the new design was gone, so was the luster to post. It needs to be rewired, rebooted, started over with a new internal structure. Granted it will be more random than my periodic Fantastic Fridays and religious thoughts (they will be there two). I hope that in the end you will find it as enjoyable as I do writing it.

Close to Giving Up

2010-08-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

I am very close to giving up on blogging. I have been blogging for over 5 years. When I started out, I had time, energy, ideas to cultivate a growing community around the blog. I was passionate about design and being a part of so many different lives that I ran into online. Now, I just feel burned out.

Not sure what to write any more and even if I was sure, I don't have enough time to really blog. At least not the way I once blogged. There are so many memories attached to blogging, that I am hesitant to give it up. I met so many people through the blogging world and have really enjoyed the relationships cultivated.

I am not throwing in the towel yet, but I am close to that point.

Joyful Side of My Friend's Death

2010-08-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

As I was walking across campus today, I recalled a dear friend who passed away several years ago. Her name is Sam. She was in her 20's when she had complications with her health that led to a sudden, unexpected death. Sam was a fiercely loyal friend with an infectious smile and a distinctive laugh. Sam was a true friend and I miss her. However, I wasn't sad when I thought of Sam today. Instead, I had a genuine laugh on the inside and thought to myself, "I will see Sam again".

I will see her again after this life is over. It was a simple thought, yet a profound one. Death seems so final for most of us, and has felt that way many times in my life. Often, it is the death of a relationship, a bridge burned, another chapter finished. I feel this way every time I say good bye to a student worker for the last time. I have the privilege of spending 4-5 years with them and then they are off to start a new life. Most of them never return. It hurts and I cry a little on the inside. Then there are the physical deaths, like my friend Sam. Her mortal body will never breath life again. Her existence this side of heaven is indeed over. The last chapter written.

But the book was not closed. One of the joyful things about life is that it is eternal. Eternal in the sense that once I shed this earthly suit, I will embrace the rest of eternity in Heaven, within the presence of God and in the company of my friend Sam. So if God allows you to read blogs up there, know that I thought about you today Sam. I will see you "shortly."

Back from Hiatus

2010-08-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Moved into the new house. Finished up lesson plans. Ready to start a new semester. I am teaching Computer Applications and University Life this semester. Of the two, University Life is by far the one I am most excited about. There is something about being able to step out of the role of "librarian" and instructor, into the shoes of a peer with my students. During the course, we meet eye to eye to share the challenges of being successful in college.

Any nuggets of wisdom to share with my students?

Fantastic Friday: 7.30.10

2010-07-30T10:34:00.001-07:00

Sorry it is so short, but I am super busy:

Fantastic Friday: 7.23.10

2010-07-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Due to my lack of posting while teaching, I have given you a longer list today.

"Save" Souls, Win Prizes

2010-07-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

About 4 years ago, I was ready to leave the institutional church. I was angry with weekly Sunday routine embedded with a lack of authenticity during Sunday School and "worship" time. When all motivation and desire to go was gone, I took my family down a temporary path of avoiding "church". Fortunately, my wife gave a swift kick in the rear by reminding me that I was the spiritual leader of our family and this path was not acceptable. It was a painful journey, but eventually we found a congregation we could identify with and that ember was brought back to life.
I came across a video today that took me down that path again. Knots formed in my stomach as I watched as this pastor took on the role of game show host, rewarding key members for the diligent efforts to "save souls" and bring in baptisms:

Found via Jesus Needs New PR

Believer Bands

2010-07-21T13:01:00.001-07:00

I don't know how my kids found out, but they did. The other day my oldest came in asking if we could buy him silly bands. Trending among kids and teens are these colorful shaped rubber bands that they wear and share with friends. Nothing wrong with it and they are about a buck at Wal-mart. We picked up the dinosaur and sea life versions of the bands. Within the hour they were already trading with the neighborhood kids. What's interesting is that my kids are home-schooled and their friends are home-schooled…so I don't have a clue how this caught on.

Christian Rubber Bands

At any rate, I was at the University Bookstore and looked over to find the "Christian" version of the silly bands. I thought to myself, "Seriously?!? They've Christianized rubber bands?" After a laugh, I bought a package (which happened to be 3 times the price of the secular rubber bands). I honestly don't see my 8 year old sharing the Roman Road to his friends because the rubber bands he is wearing are shaped like the nativity set. You can pick up a set here:

Believer Bands

So what's your take on it? Does Christian propaganda upset you?

Tertullian on Tradition and Apostolic Succession

2010-07-20T09:49:00.001-07:00

Sounds boring intriguing, I know. Just hang in there and let me explain dear reader. In the early church (circa right after Jesus ascended through the first handful of centuries), our Christian predecessors dealt with a rise of heresies as they struggled to define the theology that Christ left with them. In this excerpt, we have Tertullian giving a second-century analysis of varied sources of theology. He calls into question whether a theology valid based on its direct lineage with the original apostles (read: disciples):

"The apostles first bore witness to faith in Jesus Christ throughout Judea, and established churches there, after which they went out into the world and proclaimed the same doctrine of the same faith to the nations…It is therefore for this reason that we lay down this ruling: if the Lord Jesus Christ sent out the apostles to preach, no preachers other than those which are appointed by Christ are to be received."

For Tertullian, having this direct connection to the apostles was very important as it deterred the growth of heresies. So let's take this concept and fast forward to today's church population, where in we have thousands of denominations. Would this same concept have prevented the formation of such a diverse expanse of denominational plants? Now, I use the term denomination loosely because I am not just referring to the Protestants, but Catholics and Orthodox as well. For several of these denominations, they hold fast to the idea that they can trace their roots all the way back to the apostles and therefore have more authority based upon their apostolic succession.

As I mulled over this concept and questioned my own beliefs (am I heretic since I can't trace it back?), a proverbial phrase that I use often came to mind: "Are they right or righteous?" At what point does being "right" negate the purpose of being "right"? In other words, can I become so caught up in having the "correct" theology that I overlook my brother's needs? It is a double-edged sword. On the one hand it is a tool for gauging our interpretation of God's will (the Bible, through prayer, etc.). At the same time, it can be used to shattered the faith of someone we love to the point that our opinion becomes more valuable than the person we are using it against.

The Responsible Blogger

2010-07-12T16:35:00.001-07:00

A responsible blogger warns his readers when he is about to go on hiatus
A responsible blogger checks in to let them know, he's still here
A responsible blogger responds to comments
A responsible blogger reads other blogs
A responsible blogger with Fantastic Fridays keeps it up to date EVERY single Friday

Sorry guys. I suck at blogging at the moment. I am teaching 15 hours on top of my normal work load. I promise to come back soon.

Death In His Grave

2010-07-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Trevor Bulls, I can't stop watching this video:

Fantastic Fridays: 6.25.10

2010-06-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

Clement of Alexandria on the Fourfold Interpretation of Scripture

2010-06-22T14:36:00.001-07:00

We have run into Clement before during this "book reaction" series on the Christian Theology Reader. Last time, he spoke on the subject of philosophy around 200 AD. This time, Clement is bringing to the table his views on the 4-fold interpretation of Scripture also known as Quadriga:

The meaning of the law is to be understood by us in four ways [in addition to the literal sense]: as displaying a sign, as establishing a command for right conduct, or as making known a prophecy.

In this statement, Clement of Alexandria suggests that you can interpret scripture:

In a literal sense

In an allegorical sense (a sign to be interpreted)

In a moral sense

In an anagogical sense (as something to be hoped for)

Do we interpret scripture the same way?

I think so. We may not call by the same naming convention, but I am certain we have experienced the scriptures in the same light. At our LifeGroup we like to approach topics from a 4-fold angle as well. We use scripture, history, reason & experience as a basis for our interpretation. All of these guides for interpretation envelop the same points of interpretation that Clement made.

Again, I feel a connection with these early millennia writers. It is as if they were experiencing the same things in Life that I am, and were using the Scriptures to make sense of it all.

Fantastic Fridays: 6.18.10

2010-06-18T08:53:00.001-07:00

Get a Mac: Apple ads from the last 4 years
My Best Effort – Peace of Mind: creative gift idea for spouses (and just in time for Father's day)
I Want to See: squirrels are funny some times
Carnival Wedding: love this wedding shoot
Sketches: collection of drawings (for Dann)
Blue Horse Bike: caption please
Scribbler Too: take a break and create some art
Unreality Alphabet: bet you haven't seen an alphabet like this
Magazine Table: creative storage solution
Big Cozy Books: next time curl up ON a good book
ZombieFit: a real fitness program to get you in shape for the next invasion
Laptop in Fridge: if your laptop is over heating

True Story

2010-06-16T15:30:00.001-07:00

I am certain that you reader came to the blog on Friday expecting a list of Fantastic Finds. Upon realizing there was no list, you felt saddened or disappointed by its lack of presence. You came back over the course of a few days hoping to find something and was disappointed over and over. Well, last Friday was fantastic because my son, Hendrix Aaron was born. However, the past 5 days in and of themselves were nothing short of exhausting:

Thursday night, the power went out at our house. We choose to have home births with a midwife, so this is kind of a big deal. After 2 hours, we decided it was time to move to a hotel. That's right, a hotel (Best Western to be exact).
We rented 2 adjacent rooms, the kind with the doors in the middle that let you share the rooms. Upon arriving, my mother-in-law bolted the room the other 2 kids were staying in for their own safety. Within the half hour, the kids manage to shut the door between the rooms. These doors can only be accessed from the inside of the room you are staying. Ergo, we were locked out of the room entirely as it was bolted from the outside and locked from the inside.
Next, we needed to hook the hose up to the shower to fill the birthing tub. The shower head is tiny and the hose will not fit. I went to Wal-mart and was not able to find an adapter. So we cut the hose off at the end. We attempted to heat it up with hair dryer (to make it more elastic) but the hotel dryer didn't work. Fortunately, my mother-in-law had one in her luggage bag. Eventually, we were able to get the hose on and clamped after 3 trips to Wal-mart for different parts.
By this point the kids were wired and impossible to put to bed. I watched them while my poor wife labored in the other room. Presley could sense the intensity and had a complete melt down of screaming and fighting and doing pretty much everything but sleeping.
At some point the next morning, my wife decided to push but it wasn't time b/c she was not fully dialated. That was hard watching her go through that much pain. Not to mention, the continuous panic attacks she was feeling. Around 6:05 AM, Hendrix was born. We promptly cleaned up and headed home.
Over the weekend, the panic attacks worsened. Shots of adrenaline would pulse through her body and she couldn't sleep. This went on for 4 days, until we were able to get her on medication that did not pass through the breast milk.
During our time home, we noticed that Hendrix could not properly latch. Turns out his tongue was tethered. We called around locally and none of the doctors would see him since he was born at home. On Monday, we took him to Amarillo to get his tongue clipped.
Tuesday morning, I woke up with a massive eye infection. My eye was having an allergic reaction that created bumps under the tissue. These bumps were causing abrasions that made my eye feel as though there was sand constantly in it.
Tuesday afternoon, my wife went into a follow up appointment. She was sent back home because she did not have proof of Hendrix' birth (his physical presence was not enough).
Tuesday night, I took my wife to the E.R. The panic attacks were so severe that she could no longer cope. They put her on medication and it worked!
We came home from the E.R. to find our air conditioning went out. Furthermore, the ceiling fan's motor burned out. The 2 unrelated events were bent on making us miserable.
Wednesday morning we woke up exhausted from having no sleep due to new baby and burning up all night long.
Wednesday afternoon, I returned to work having used up every ounce of sick leave and vacation time because I am a new employee.

Genesis Covenant

2010-06-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

The literal meaning of Genesis is along the lines of “to create” or “creation”. While the Creation of earth and life is part of this account, it is only a portion of the Genesis story. The real heart of the book lies in a covenant established between God and Abraham:

I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless…and I will establish my covenant, an everlasting covenant, between me, you, and the generations to come. – Genesis 17:1, 7

This is the whole of the scripture. God desires us to walk before Him blameless and have an intimate, affectionate relationship. Reader, think about it. Every story we encounter in the Scriptures is about this concept.

The flood – man’s broken the convenant, God desires to restore it and cleanses the earth. He leaves Noah, so that the relationship can start anew and promises never to flood the earth again. The loss of that many lives hurts God.
David and Goliath – Israel has broken the covenant; they no longer trust God. David has an authentic relationship with God and trusts his very life (like a wife trusts her husband) and faces the giant.
Moses – God’s people are enslaved because they have broken the covenant; God rescues them and pursues the relationship once more.
Hosea – God’s people choose to prostitute themselves to foreign gods; God pursues them and uses Hosea’s marriage as an example
Christ – Once and for all, God steps down incarnate to reestablish the covenant this time taking on death and setting the stage for a forgiveness that knows no bounds; the ultimate redemption of the relationship

The scriptures are filled to the brim with this love/hate relationship. God loves us -> Establishes a relationship -> Gives us some guidelines to live by -> We love him for a season -> Break the covenant -> Get ourselves into trouble -> He comes to the rescue because He can’t help but save us

I hope this scripture changes your perspective on Genesis (and the rest of the Bible).

Fantastic Friday: 6.4.10

2010-06-04T08:29:00.001-07:00

Pudding Cheapskate: this guy bought himself enough pudding to fly around the world
Tenori: take some checkboxes and make some music
Particle Zoo: physics in plush form
Captcha in Real Life: an artist takes the common captcha form to a new level
Frame Bag: just something I want for my bike
Book Caddy: another bicycle peripheral find; you can read and bike at the same time!
Pop Up Swap: a little late for this one, but I think Plainview would benefit
Stickybits: social networking meets barcodes
Citrify: free online photo editor
Amazon Item Filler: if you are a frequent Amazon shopper (read: mom), this helps you find those cheap items that give you enough to get free shipping
Rainbow in Your Hand: a new kind of flip book
Seaseme Street Fighter: for Kenneth
Lego Printer: thank you Mr. Williams for this find
Learning Dog: this little robot terrifies me at how it learns to adapt
Fan Made Iron Man: if you are going to make your own suit....

Hippolytus on Typological Interpretation of Scripture

2010-06-01T14:03:00.001-07:00

I am willing to bet reader that you have already experienced topological interpretation of the scripture. This is a fancy (Sean, read: universal) term for interpreting scriptures in such way that events, places, people & things are linked by topic from the Old to the New Testament. More often than not, pastors will take this a step further by moving into the realm of allegory. A very simple example would be using the story of David & Goliath to illustrate how we can overcome adversity.

What I find fascinating about today’s reading was that we have a late 2nd Century text that uses the same method of interpretation to make the scripture relevant to their time period. Hippolytus took a scripture from Isaiah 18:2 and expands on every aspect of the ship:

The oars of the ships are the churches. The sea is the universe, in which the church, like a boat on the open sea, is shaken but does not sink…Her prow points towards the east, and her stern to the west…Her white sail receives the breath of the Spirit, by which believers are sealed.

Keep in mind that this is around 1800 years old. A old text with a modern spin. It breathes life into the characters from our history. They were very real people, who had very real jobs, who dealt with very real issues.

Fantastic Friday: 5.29.10

2010-05-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Make a Moving Cube: thanks to Karli for this entry..if only I could find 16 wooden blocks
Roomful Express: if you are in the mood to revamp your crib, this is the tool for you
If Video Games Were Real Life: funny, semi-true, and makes a reference to Dann who looks strikingling like Rambo
Eco-friendly Aggression:a dumpster designed to let you bust bottles on purpose
LineAqua: I want this shower and it's a steal for $8400!
Progress: we've come full circle
Geek Soap: check out the Nintendo cartridges
Connected Life: this is where we are going.
Smart Food Label: barcode darkens as the meat goes bad
Autodesk Flame Demo: a behind the scenes look at how CGI is added
Padlock Romance: we need to do this in Plainview ...maybe at the duck pond
Google The Beast: if this doesn't make you paranoid of Google, nothing will
Spoken-4 Tat: I loved this knuckle tattoo
Photoshop Frame: actual picture frame that makes your photo look like it is inside Photoshop
Biomanufactured Bricks: even the brick making process can "go green"
Bonus Item- Satan Was a Lesbian: thanks to Jonathan Chang for this find

Love us, not them

2010-05-25T15:24:00.000-07:00

I have had this quote sitting on my desk for the past 2 weeks:

“Love people and use things…not the other way around.”

At first, I had a “duh” reaction. I would never dream of using another person for my own gain. I’m a Christian, right? But then it hit me as the Holy
Spirit asked me:

Have I ever been frustrated because my video game time was interrupted in order to help the kids with something?
Have I ever been inconvenienced by my spouse because she asked me to go get her a drink during a movie?
Have I ever rushed to get my “honey-do” list done so that I could move on to something more entertaining?

In all these scenarios, I never once used anyone. But I violated the underlying principle, which is to say that humans on all accounts are far more important and valuable than things. Our “stuff” is only important in as much as its ability to serve humanity. There is no intrinsic value to my computer, my video game, my book, my movie, etc.

We were created in the Image of God and this adds an insurmountable amount of value to our identity as humans.

Perhaps I Am a Geek

2010-05-24T15:55:00.001-07:00

... because I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Fantastic Friday: 5.21.10

2010-05-21T07:43:00.001-07:00

Hidden Bookshelf - like a ninja, no doubt
Super Mario Crossover - I really have Chris to thank for this
Bagster - a more convenient dumpster
Backflip on Ball - I wonder how long this guy practiced
Should I buy an iPad? - well, should you?
Rules of a Gentleman - honestly, I loved the typography and layout more than the concept
Suicide Bombers - hmmm...let me think about that
Tetris Soap - if you are going to have stinking cool soap
DnD Soda - no joke, awesome find
Anatomy of Goldfish - another goodie by Chris
Upside Down Bottle Holder - practical
Bricklink - a site that lets you purchase a customized collection of lego bricks
Spirolaterals - interesting
Get More Energy - a well placed ad
Apple's Thoughts on Flash - this honestly made me want an iPad despite its lack of flash
Zoomism - do you think this will catch on?

Rollin' in My Swagger Wagon

2010-05-18T11:55:00.001-07:00

I love rollin' in my swagger wagon. Thanks Pete for bringing this to my attention:

The Muratorian Fragment on the New Testament Canon

2010-05-17T13:28:00.001-07:00

I have been reading through the Christian Theology Reader. Over the past week or so, I have not really found any thing that stirred me. I am not sure if it was the lack of energy on my part or the theological depth of the text. There is a whole spectrum of expressions, ranging from ontological arguments (which we covered) to the background of theology, including the metaphor of God as our mother.

I did find something that fascinated me though. It is the Muratorian Fragment on the New Testament Canon. It is not as fancy as it sounds. Essentially, this is a piece of work documenting the canonization of the scripture. It is called the Muratorian Fragment because it was discovered by L. A. Muratori in 1740 AD. An internal examination of the work dates itself around 190 AD. Here’s an excerpt from the fragment:

The third book of the gospel is according to Luke. This Luke was a physician who Paul had taken after the ascension of Christ to be a legal expert. Yet he had not seen the Lord in the flesh. So, as far as he could, he begins his story with the birth of John. The fourth of the gospels was written by John from the Decapolis, one of the disciples…

Matthew and Mark are omitted, but this is because the opening lines of the work are missing. However, Hebrews, James and both letters of Peter are also missing. And even more interesting is that this author notes a contemporary at the time of the writing, The Shepherd of Hermas.

But “the Shepherd” was written by Hermas in our times in the city of Rome, while his brother Pius was sitting in the chair of the church of the city of Rome. Therefore it ought to be read, but should not be read in public to the people of the church, since it is not among the complete number of prophets nor apostles to the end of time.

The fascinating part to me is that it gives us insight into how the early Christians thought about the different texts selected in the piecing together of the scriptures. It is almost like picking up someone’s personal diary from the second century and reading their general musings about what should be considered scripture.

Fantastic Friday: 5.14.10

2010-05-14T08:11:00.001-07:00

Liquid Mountaineering: 3 guys give walking on water a try
Lord of the Class: lol
Transforming Apartment: the limited space in his apartment made Gary Chang think outside the box
Recycled Suit Tote: I knew there was a good use for suits
Unicorn Meat: it does exist
Geek Twins: I honestly would do this to my kids
Play Spider: not sure if this is fantastic or just creepy
Chillout: the formation of a song using subscribers
Amazing Bicycle Duo: wow, they got bike skillz
I Am Second: a reminder that we should have an audience of one
Visa Concierge Service: not that I have a credit card, but this is still cool
Bones of Francois Robert: creepy art
Puckman Bookcase: a bookshelf for a child of the 80's no doubt
Mario Furniture: how awesome would this be in my son's room?
Spider-man Foils Thief: he does exist!
LED Light Sabers: attach some lights and spin those sabers for cool light show

We've Been Given Super Powers

2010-05-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, our pastor approached my son before the service started. He asked Caedmon “If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be?” Without reservation, Caedmon enthusiastically responded “Fire!” He wants the ability to set anything on fire with the snap of his fingers. Not exactly practical, but fun none the less. I was thinking something a little more practical, like flying. With a power like that, I could see the world, be on time more often, and save helpless cats stuck in a tree.

Our pastor went on to point out that most people when asked that question do not think of how a super power would be beneficial to others. Ouch! It’s true, that wasn’t my first thought either (except, save the cat part). So this is what I have been mulling over in my spare time.

What super power could I use to help others?

Well, honestly, none. If I had the ability to heal others through my own means, then a very terrible thing would happen. People would treat me like a god. If my ability to remove illness caught wind, it would only be a matter of time before the masses were amounting outside my door step. If I had the ability to fly and used it for the good of all, eventually some would worship me for my super-human abilities. Others would want to dissect me in hopes of learning what mutation in my genetic structure gave me these new powers. The whole thing would be a disaster!

On the other hand, we’ve been given super powers…

The fact of the matter is that if you are a Christian, then you have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. And the Holy Spirit equips us to do many great and wonderful things in order to server other people. And when we are recognized for those powers, we immediately recognize that credit as God’s not ours. We have the ability to heal others, create hope in otherwise desperately lost situations, and restore people back to a life of abundance. We tread upon the darkest strongholds with the light of Christ, illuminating with purity and exposing the schemes of the enemy.

And with this understanding, I am no longer left to dream of super powers. Rather, I am left equipped to engage the enemy head on.

Mother's Day For a Dad

2010-05-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, this is going to sound like a “toot your own horn” post, but hear me out. There is more to it than that. I came to realization that the only thing different that happened on Mother’s Day for my wife was that we gave her presents. And if we had the money in the budget, I probably would have taken her to her favorite restaurant.

Given any other day, I would have watched the kids so she could take a nap, taken out the trash, cleaned where she needed help (a.k.a. the bathrooms), and done the dishes after supper. Doing house chores for my wife is like second nature, and an outpouring of my love. Granted, there are times when she asks me to do something and I grit my teeth, throw a mini-fit, mumble something under my breath...but in the end I do it, because I love her. So this Mother’s Day, I did some internal examination and it meant something significant that I had this part down. For once in my life, I think I am actually doing something right with this whole marriage-relationship-parenting-life thing.

So, am I tooting my own horn? Or am I just coming to a realization that I needed for a long time? When I think about all the failures in my life, both past and present, it feels hopeless. But its these small moments when I realize that God is doing a work in me like the subtle, yet powerful erosion of a gentle river through a canyon.

Fantastic Friday: 5-7-10

2010-05-07T10:06:00.001-07:00

Communist Shoes: entertaining idea, none the less.
I Shot the Sherif: not a typo; just a typo pun.
Batman at the Opera: Queen meet Bruce.
Force Perspective: admit it, you have probably tried this before.
Kirakira Waypoints: I don't know why I found this so distracting.
Back in Time: a guy proved he traveled back in time. Everything he says is true!
Augmented-reality Maps: this is really fascinating. Really fascinating. It is worth watching!
Legoland Online: posted in honor of Sean and Morgan
Visions of the Last Unicorn: or moonicorn as Presley would call it
How To Print From An iPad: yep, its that easy
What Storm Troopers Do On Their Day Off
Good Night & Tough Luck
Podalida: amazing attention to detail
First Person Tetra: still have not got the hang of it
Left vs. Right: Sean please verify if this is correct
Paper Cuts: art from toilet paper rolls
Square Bottles: very ingenious!
Pretty Loaded: awesome collection of loading screens. I am tempted to download the screen saver.
Virtual Paris: see Paris for free
Dwarf Fortress: for all the DnD'ers that got my back
Calf & Half: lol, awesome gift idea
Amazing MLB Catch: girls can play baseball
Myth Busters: I am an MB fan
Foxes on a Trampoline: curious foxes
Save Ink: Use Garamond

Equilibrium & the Image of God

2010-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

I watched Kurt Wimmer’s Equilibrium over the weekend. The movie came out in 2003 and is probably something I would have passed up had Netflix not suggested it. Equilibrium’s plot picks up after a Third World War that nearly annihilated human existence and their resolve to end all future wars resulted in a an absolutely terrifying society in which mankind’s ability to feel (art, song, love, etc.) was outlawed:

In the first years of the 21st century, a third World War broke out. Those of us who survived knew mankind could never survive a fourth; that our own volatile natures could simply no longer be risked. So we have created a new arm of the law: The Grammaton Cleric, whose sole task it is to seek out and eradicate the true source of man's inhumanity to man - his ability to feel.

To prevent humans from “feeling” the powers that be (the Tetragammon), set up a judicial system made up of Grammaton Clerics who raided “art parties” and either incarcerated or killed offenders. Humans were able to cope with their desire to “feel” by taking a daily injection of a drug designed to block the sensors in the brain that triggered emotional responses. Rebels, naturally, stopped taking the drug so that they could “feel” once again.

Within the first 15 minutes of the movie, I was petrified with a mixture of anger, suspense, and fright at the thought of losing my ability to appreciate beauty in design and typography, express my emotions through worship & song, or let my wife know how much I love her through physical contact. This is what identifies us as being made in the image of God. The ability to create. The ability to take colors and spare wood, shape them into form and function, painted with design and express ourselves through vivid patterns and textures.

The movie also brought to light that with love, you have war. With freedom, you have fear. All the emotions that drive us to live with and appreciate each other, can also be perverted to destroy and separate us. We have the ability to compromise and sacrifice our desires (a.k.a. being a servant) in order to live peacefully with each other and ultimately conform ourselves to the image of Christ.

I didn’t expect to get this much spiritual insight from a sci-fi!

Fantastic Friday: 4-30-10

2010-04-30T10:47:00.000-07:00

It is the last day in the month of April in the year 2010. Let's go out with a bang:

Hummer-Horse Carriage: Well that's one way to artistically destroy something
Book Book - If only I had a MacBook to go with this cover
Visibo: Customizable start page for Google Chrome users
7,500 Shoppers Sold Their Soul: Geek humor. I laughed.
Surrealien: Wallpaper with a twist
Revisit: Create a real-time visual of Twitter about any search term; not sure how useful, but fun!
FIF DVD: They came out with a DVD! I must own this!
Ivanhoe Reservoir: Sunlight causes this reservoir to create large amounts of bromate, which is harmful. Researchers came up with an ingenious solution. Floating plastic balls.
3D Projections on Buildings: By simply projecting images onto the sides of buildings, this created some amazing effects.
Bear and Bird Feeder: I want to know what kind of feed they put in there.
Rubics Cube Optical Illusion: Like it says.
Greatest Star Wars Fan Art Ever
Programming Husband: ROFL, my poor wife
Uniquely Styled Comic Book Heroes
How to Upset Your Nerdy Friends: I put his on here for Chris' benefit
Physics Space Invader: Fun twist on an old classic
Menacing Beaver: Intriguing impromptu conversation
How to Write a 20 Page Paper in Under a Day: no joke
Impossible Photos: Li Wei is an amazing photographer
Math Problem: Another humorous comic
Robo Dump: speechless.
Bird Sings Final Fantasy: Awww, a Geeky Bird.

And a very special thanks to Nicodemus At Night (Jonathan Chang) for the "O Me of Little Faith" book give away. Makes this Friday even more fantastic!

Thomas Aquinas on Proofs for the Existence of God

2010-04-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Perpetual motion: a concept in which machine produces more energy than it consumes without the help of an external factor (such as wind, electricity, etc.). In theory, once a “cause” sets the machine in motion, it will continue in motion indefinitely as it continues to produce its own energy. A wonderful concept, but ultimately impossible to accomplish because of external factors.
Thomas Aquinas used this concept to “prove” the existence of God in his Summa Theologia in 1265AD. Essentially, Thomas observed that everything around him was constantly changing. In order for things to change, there had to be an external factor or “cause” that set off the course of change. For example, I set a match to dry wood and soon it catches on fire. The dry wood would never catch fire on its own without an external heat source. Ultimately, we have to come to a conclusion that there is indeed an “uncaused cause.” Thomas Aquinas put it this way:

We are therefore bound to arrive at a first cause of change which is not changed by anything, and everyone understands that this is God.

Another concept Aquinas noted was that there is a governance to things. There are unintelligible things in motion with a specific purpose. Take for example this blog. The words you are reading did not arrange themselves into English nouns, verbs, & sentences with meaning of their own accord. No, they were put here by me with some design (and intelligence I might add). In the same way, because we can observe so many things that have a natural governance, we know that God must have put them in order.

Finally, a theological reading that I actually understood in this book!

Fantastic Friday: 4.23.10

2010-04-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Chris Williams asked me the other day, "Are you ever satisfied?". His question was in regards to the design of my blog. And to him, I say, "I am never satisfied, because dis-satisfaction (along with necessity) breeds creativity ." So you will most likely notice some changes around the blog.Forgive me in advance.

Bubble Calendar - for all those peeps who enjoy popping plastic bubbles as much as I do
Magnetic Calendar - I must be on some kind of calendar kick; this is a great replacement for fridge magnets
Dragon Backpack - probably not a big enough D&D fan to wear this
Pileus - an Internet umbrella, seriously?!?
Water Walking Ball - yes, please
Mail Bags - alternative to the messenger bag; I am a fan of the black and white one
Souptoys - nothing to do with soup; these are installable toys for your desktop
Land Desk - very cool concept for flooring that converts to a desk
Man Packs - for the lazy bachelor in your life
Reflectius Clock - how about keeping time with a single laser beam?
Tweetle - a kettle that tweets when it is ready
Foot Mouse - those of us with hands often don't think about handicapped; it is encouraging to see designers who take it into consideration
Anti-slob desk - keep those wires out of your way (my wife should buy me one)
Internet TV - I REALLY want one of these; we already do most of our TV watching online
Mirror Costume - no joke; the whole thing is made out of mirrors. Would have been perfect for the villain in Unbreakable (the movie). Be sure to click through the whole set.

Apology to the All the Ladies

2010-04-22T15:17:00.001-07:00

I thought I would apologize to all the girls/ladies/women on behalf of the male species. The moment this guy walked in, I knew I did not like him. I have this super power called the ‘alpha male radar’. It allows me to detect any alpha male in my presence and determine whether they are the kind you can get along with or if they are the egotistical, self-interested type that talk incessantly about themselves and how they stack up to the rest of the male population. This guy was of the latter persuasion and for 45 minutes I listened and watched as he:

Informed the rest of his colleagues (who were all guys) that he has dated more girls at this campus than any other guy
He insisted that girls just want a guy who is willing to listen…which is why he invites them over while he plays a video game and all he has to do is say “yeah” and “uh-huh” at the right times
He decided that he needed some paper to jot notes on, so he walked over to the printer and helped himself without asking any of the staff. The printer is located behind the circulation desk and is sectioned off for staff only
He told the other guys in the study group that their presentation would be egotistical but that the teacher would like it because it shows confidence
When a girl walked in that he knew, he called out “hey sweety” loud enough for every one in the building to hear him. He then walked over to her, gave her a hug, and told her that she looked “so good”. When he got back to his study group (across from my desk), he informed his colleagues that she has a boyfriend and that he has is going to try to get this girl to date him this weekend. He found her info on Facebook
He also takes girls on dates to his favorite restaurants, because that is the only time he can go to them (he’s not interested in where they want to go)
Finally, he makes it a point to every date that he is on a date and is not interested in the relationship thing

By the time they left, it was lunch time. I almost couldn’t eat because I was so sick of hearing this guy. So, ladies, please let me apologize. We are not all like that (ask my wife). And if you run into a guy like this, drop him faster than a bad habit. You are worth so much more than this guy will ever make you feel, because you were made in the image of God.

Christ Is Not My All

2010-04-21T08:21:00.001-07:00

I have this problem (all good blog posts start out with a problem). The problem happens during “worship” when I come to a lyric that encourages me to recognize God or Christ as my everything. For most Christians, this is not problematic and seems quiet normal. For me, I can NOT honestly say that I give Christ my whole life.

I have a wife and kids. I give my life to them and not in the “we are Christians, we live to serve” sort of way. I give my life to my wife, because I love her deeply. I would be crushed if I ever lost her. When she leaves town to visit relatives, I lose myself. I don’t eat, I don’t sleep. She is my sense of direction, my voice of reason, my complaint absorption pad, my life.

My children are almost the same for me. I love them and adore them. I look forward to hearing their voices and sometimes even crave playing with them. I go to work every day to make sure they have a roof over their head and food in their stomachs.

I have heard it said before that I could do both: love my family while serving Christ. But that doesn’t feel honest to me. I don’t love my family because of Christ. I love other people because of Christ. I love my enemies and serve them because of Christ. I love democrats (and republicans) because of Christ. I love the abusers, the haters, the players, the pushers, the people who do me wrong, because of Christ.

So, when I get to those parts of the songs, I remain silent.

Anselm of Canterbury's Proof for the Existence of God

2010-04-19T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am having a hard time blogging through the this book. Part of the problem is that I am not a very rational thinker when it comes to theological issues (my wife would argue that I am not very rational for most my debates, but that is a whole other blog post). This week, I was reading through a portion of Anselm of Canterbury’s Proof for the Existence of God. I had to read it several times over to really grasp what Anselm was trying to capture in his work entitled Proslogion:

This [definition of God] is indeed so true that it cannot be thought of as not being true. For it is quite possible to think of something whose non-existence cannot be thought of. This must be greater than something whose non-existence can be thought of. So if this thing (than which no greater thing can be thought) can be thought of as not existing, then, that very thing than which a greater thing cannot be thought is not than that which a greater cannot be thought. This is a contradiction. So it is true that there exists something than which nothing greater can be thought, that it cannot be thought of as not existing.

I realize, I probably lost you (unless you are Dann, Kenneth, Leann, or ). The truth of the matter is that I have read it multiple times and am barely able to glimpse the concept. I believe Anselm is suggesting that every idea we can conceive is subject to the reality of the concept. Therefore, since we can not think of anything higher than God, God must exist because we have already have the concept. Reality is always higher than the concept. If we thought it, then some reality must already be in existence. Hmmm….this hurts my brain.

Challenge: read it over and tell me what Anselm said.

Fantastic Friday: 4-16-10

2010-04-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Punched Out - super sweet 3D font
Mobile Homeless Shelter - I don't know if the homeless could actually use this, but makes for awesome camping gear.
Firefound - Addon for Firefox to help locate your computer if it is stolen
jQuery Sliding Clock - I am probably the only nerdy one to enjoy this
Quakes - Earthquakes around the world in a snazzy interactive map
Rolling Through the Bay - Explore San Francisco in toothpicks
Under the Influence - This will make you fall in love with He-Man again
Trunk Monkey Compilation - Our beloved trunk monkey returns!
Flat Pens & Moleskins - This reminds me of the pre-blog days. I really want to pick these up again.
Fingerprint - Innovative bookmark for bibliophiles.
Ecofont - I know...2 fonts in a single FF post. But this one is environmentally friendly!
Periodic Table of Typefaces - if you are into typography (and I am), then you will love this
Creative Resumes - I respect the creative genius behind these resumes. See if you can spot the DND fan.
Invisible Children on Halogen - Watch a whole channel devoted to IC
Official Ninja Webpage - Brought to you by Shannon Smith

Jesus is a Disappointment

2010-04-15T09:24:00.001-07:00

Jesus has pretty much been a disappointment since birth. If you think about it, the Great Messiah was supposed to be a king, born of noble birth, destined to rule Israel in the same fashion of Saul, David, and Solomon. Instead, he was a carpenter’s son, born in a manger of all places. And it when it came to ruling, Jesus was a complete pushover with this “turn the other cheek” nonsense.

Kings had massive escorts that paraded them through town with servants at their beck and call. Instead, Jesus came riding through town on a donkey and all he ever seemed to talk about was “praying for our enemy” and serving each other. In fact, he even went so far as to get down on his hands and knees to wash his disciple’s feet. The guy was completely vulnerable and didn’t have the workings of a strong, diligent King who could lead an army big enough to wipe out the Romans.

In my own life, he has disappointed me time and time again. This is especially true when things do not turn out the way I expect them to. Jesus is always changing the game plan on me, so that it is difficult at best to see where I am going. In fact, it pretty much feels like I am stumbling through most of the chaos. There are times when I expect to be protected, sheltered, delivered from the storms only to find that he hands me an umbrella and says “Walk through it.” And how many countless times have I asked Jesus to deal with those who have done me wrong? You know what his reply is 9 times out of 10? “Kevin, I want you to serve them and love them.”

So, if you are thinking about following Jesus...be forewarned. He’s full of disappointment.

Reader, it doesn’t stop there. He’s also full of life changing grace. When I expect to be beaten, abused, and run through, left for dead, Jesus picks me up off the floor, forgives my sins, and carries me to some where safe. His habit of disappointing me has saved me from heartache and despair more times than I can count. And the whole “love your enemy” bit is nothing short of difficult, inspirational character building that people crave but are too stuck on being right, instead of righteous.

Jesus is full of disappointment, and I am glad.

Has he ever disappointed you?

Apostle's Creed

2010-04-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

This creed’s name is derived from the division of 12 statements. Traditionally, each statement is associated with one of the 12 disciples. There is no biblical basis for this, but that it is the story that has been passed down. Perhaps I am too post-modern, but I am apathetic about the origins of the name. However, I was a fan of Rich Mullins and now I understand where he was coming from:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of the heavens and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, the only Son, Our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary;
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried;
He descended into hell; On the third day he was raised from the dead;
He ascended into the heavens, and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
From where he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
In the holy catholic church;
The forgiveness of sins;
And resurrection of the flesh
And eternal life.

I get a little excited reading through it. It is almost like a checklist of major Christian beliefs. I think that an essential list of beliefs help us a Christians relate to one another. What do you think? Is this a summary of Christian beliefs? Can a Christian disagree with any of these and still be considered a Christian?

Reader, if you are a protestant and are reading this for the first time, let me explain the line about the catholic church. This is not referring to the Catholic church down the road that celebrates mass. Rather, it is referring to the original meaning of the word which meant “one unified church”. Before the world of denominations , all Christians were considered to be a part of the same “church” regardless of whether you lived in Africa or Italy.

Fantastic Friday: 4-9-10

2010-04-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Oldest Trick in the Book - With a new spin of course.
Homemade Goldfish - not the pet, the kind you eat. I don't know what my obsession with making stuff from home is lately. Perhaps it's cheaper?
Mark Jenkins: Street Installations - Another artist with a creative influence on street art
Comic Rack - For Kenneth and Dann. It is an eBook reader for comics.
iPhone App TV - For those lucky enough to have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can now preview an app before you install it.
Tim Macpherson - I remember trying to make scenes like this for theatre class
Man with 'Golden Arm' - The news is full of enough bad stuff. It's great to read something encouraging every now and then.
Can Pixar's idea work - According to this guy, it just might work
Secrets of the Human Body - You need some randomness back in your life
Mobile Desktop - Watch as Improv Everywhere invades a Starbucks
Haters Gonna Hate - No joke!
Spotify - What would happen if iTunes & Last.Fm combined forces? Could shake things up a bit. Too bad this isn't released in the States yet.
Nothing is Original - So true.
Open Source Open World - Wish I had this for my thesis
World of Papercraft - It's WoW, only in paper. Dedicated to the Weisses if they are reading this
Collatz Conjuncture - Some math humor

Constantine Too Human

2010-04-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

I watched Constantine for the first time last night. I know, I know…I am little behind on watching movies. I am not a movie person, unless it is something I am certain I will enjoy. I have been using my Netflix account to catch up on movies that I have missed over the years and Constantine happens to be one of them.

The entire time I was watching the movie, I kept thinking to myself that the producers/directors/actors were just being “too human” about their approach to theology. Think about it: humans crave what they can not have. God has already put into place a gloriously beautiful story where in man falls, God’s wrath & justice are tempered by mercy through Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. God loves His creation so much that He chooses to become a mortal, dwell with us as the incarnate Christ, and suffers on the cross for the sins we commit. And if the story could not get any better, Christ imparts the Holy Spirit to empower us with supernatural gifts of healing, prophecy, and so forth. The story is EPIC!

But not epic enough, at least not for the Constantine story line. Now we have angels & demons, and everything in between, fighting for the control over the separate “planes of existence”, crossing boundaries and filling the consumer with hogwash theology with a tinge of Catholic influences. Constantine is not the first and certainly will not be the last. It just amazes me that the story we have is not enough!

Note: I use the word “story” lightly, because it is more than a fairy tale for me. I believe the “story” of Christ to the point I am willing to stake my life on it.

It's A Small World After All

2010-04-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: Reader, allow me to ask forgiveness for the lack of bloggity blogness. My wife and I have been sick all week and now the little one, who just turned 4, has strep throat and pink eye.

My wife and I were talking the other night about yet another small world moment. It seems to me they are always around us, but we fail to miss them because of very busy lives. As such, I wanted to share a few of my favorite “small world” moments.

Let’s start with the most recent. Meet Carlos Whittaker. I have never met him before in real life, but I started reading his blog circa 2005, when most of my friends were on Xanga. Back then, he was just Carlos to me. Now, I see ads on his new worship album. At any rate, small world moment is when my wife met someone who knows him in real life (neighbor, if I remember right) on a Christian mom’s forum. So my blogging life meets my wife’s forum life.
Meet Anne Jackson. I found Anne’s blog through Carlos’ blog some time ago. Although, if memory serves me correct, she started on Xanga. We were in the same blogging circles and mutual online friends with Pink Haired girl, Crystal Renaud (although Anne knows her in real life). I remember being Anne’s “political side kick” on some of the discussions we three shared on voting. Anne wrote a book and was published since then. About a month ago, as I was reading a book, Anne was being quoted. From political sidekick to published author!
Anne & Crystal are real life friends with my next small world guest: Kristi Fair. Kristi and her husband Dan live in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. I was reading Kristi’s blog before the big move, back in the days when she worked at Starbucks. A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of having the Fair’s come stay in our home. The Sunday of that weekend, they spoke at our church and Kristi challenged the way we live our lives in such a powerful and simple way. I don’t think I will ever forget these guys and the way they live out their yearning for God in their daily lives.
Taking a detour from the blogging community, our next guests are Mark & Yvette Durham. Mark was the distance librarian at the Wayland Library (where I work) many years ago. They moved to Port Arthur, TX for a new job. Some years later, my wife was on one of her online forums when she made friends with another mom who lives in Port Arthur. Turns out, her new found online friend is Yvette’s next door neighbor!
My favorite small world moment happened in the library a few years ago. A girl walked up to my desk when she saw my name plate. She asked me if I was the same Kevin Leggett who worked at Possum Kingdom Lake Resort Ministries from 6 years earlier. I told her I was and she shared with me her testimony. Her family was camping one night when she came down to one of our “shows” on the lake. She became a Christian that night and remembered me as one of the actors. I was floored!

There are others like emailing Richard Foster, finding out that Jason Boyett lives about 45 minutes away (hope to have lunch some day bro), and meeting a fellow gamer while passing through Abilene. Not to mention all the Invisible Children roadies we have met through the years and to watch them on the ICC webcam is awesome! Most of these people don’t know me from Adam and I doubt they read this blog with as much enthusiasm as you or I. But my point is that we live in such a small world and it is getting smaller as technologies are making the entire world our front porch. I have always been amazed at how Christ transcends technology and brings each of us a little closer.

P.S. Scott & Shelia – I dedicate this post to you guys. While we have never met in real life, you are by far the greatest online friends we have ever had. Some day, we will meet!

Caedmon's Hymn

2010-03-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry to mislead you, but I am not referring to this Caedmon’s Hymn. Instead, I am referring to a humbling, yet awesome hymn written by son. Last night before going to bed, Caedmon asked me if he could leave the closet light on. He had several sheets of paper, a book, and a pen in his hand. He informed me that he felt like writing a song to God and wanted the closet light on so he could see. Furthermore, he asked me to turn on the radio for inspiration. This morning, we found this in his bed:

My Song for God
By Caedmon Leggett
I love God, cos he
is my saveur.
Oh I want him in my hart.
Oh I love hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim ya.

It is simple and pure. A gentle reminder of the childlike faith that I am surrounded by in the presence of my children.

Causing a Scene

2010-03-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

This book came in from interlibrary loan today and I am thoroughly excited about it. If you were ever a fan of my Fantastic Friday posts, then you have most likely seen links to videos by the group Improv Everywhere. Essentially, they are a group organized by Charlie Todd and Alex Scordelis, who play pranks in massive scale. One of the more famous pranks is when a group of 200 plus "agents" froze in Grand Central Station for approximately 5 minutes, leaving bewildered onlookers to figure out if time had actually stopped.

In this book, they cover the objective of each "mission", how many participated, and documents how they organized the pranks.It is going to be a fun read and I am so excited that I may have to go look up all their videos on YouTube!

I'm Sorry for Being a Christian

2010-03-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

A lot of this rings true for me. It's heartfelt (even the f-bombs):

Tertullian on the Relation of Philosophy and Heresy

2010-03-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

It was Tertullian who said:

“For philosophy provides the material of worldly wisdom, in boldly asserting itself to be the interpreter of the divine nature and dispensation. The heresies themselves receive their weapons from philosophy.” – de praescriptione haereticorum

This is a sharp contrast to what both Justin Martyr and Clement of Alexandria said on the matter! Justin viewed philosophy as “borrowed truth”. Clement saw philosophy as a vehicle of salvation for the Greeks. Tertullian claims it as flat out heresy! Hold up guys, why such a difference of opinion?

Well, I think part of it is culture. Tertullian is from a Latin-speaking culture, somewhere in the western Mediterranean region. Justin and Clement were both from Greek-speaking cultures in the eastern Mediterranean region. Tertullian was battling a growing epidemic of Gnosticism in the 4th Century; where as the other two philosophical homies were from the late 2nd and early 3rd Century. Times had changed and the Church found it was battling several fronts in the world of heresy.

Reader, the theological landscape is not that much different today. If you look around my hometown, you will see Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Methodists, and a Greek Orthodox with a long beard. All of these difference in opinions floating around, but all bound to the same central figure, Christ himself. I am learning that while there are some theological beliefs that are fact and cannot be compromised on. At the same time, there are other genuine Christians who may have diversely different perspectives on the same theological matter. And that’s ok.

What do you think the purpose of philosophy is?

Superfluous Saturday

2010-03-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I did not post Fantastic Friday yesterday. Rest assured, reader, I had a fantastic Friday regardless. My family hung out with our Life Group/Death Team/Bible Study in Lubbock. We went bowling, shopping, & eating (including frozen custard...Sheridan's!!!). If you want pictures, you will have to look them on Facebook. But, I will not leave you empty handed. Here's Superfluous Saturdays:

The Internet is up for a Nobel Prize: no joke.
PC Aquarium: this is for Shaddiah, but I doubt she reads my blog.
Homemade Potato Chips: well, the frappucinos from last week turned out ok, so why not?
Screwpop Tool: great tool & gift idea
Awesome Office: this should inspire some creativity. Be sure and click through the whole set.
Indy R2D2: Tell me this isn't photoshoped
Jesus & His Hydrofoil: One of those pictures taken at just the right time. Great shot!
Nail Art: Some people are ridiculously talented
Turn Old Sheets into Shopping Bags: Don't know what to do with those sheets from childhood? Turn them into reusable shopping bags!
What really happened to the router?
Old School Paper Wallet: I want one of these

Jesus Needs New PR

2010-03-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Our copy of the Answers in Genesis newsletter came in last week. I was looking forward to reading through it. I am not very familiar with Ken Ham’s works, but as I understood it, he represented a good mixture of science and theology. Within the first couple of pages, I was disgusted with the publication and threw it away.

It wasn’t his lack of scientific knowledge or the arguments against evolution (He has my support in that area). What made my stomach turn was the condescending attitude this newsletter had towards other Christians whose view varied from his. In one cartoon, the artist went so far as to make fun of “Christians” who held theistic evolution positions and hinted at the fact that they weren’t true Christians. Regardless of your perspective on the debate, we should never come to blows with other Christians because the scriptures indicate that others will know we are Christians by our love. Jesus puts it this way:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” - John 13:34-35, ESV

Mixed with this view of loving one another is tension. A quick read through the Christian Nightmares tumblr and I found video after video that either angered me or embarrassed me as a Christian. How do I respond in love to the preacher who is telling me that my “rock-and-roll” is sending me to Hell? How do I tell the person who is singing badly, very badly, that perhaps they should stop (if nothing more than to save the sanity of the listeners)?

The answer lies somewhere in the depths of love. I will have to agree to disagree with the preacher spewing his version of Christianity. I will most likely have to tell a friend that their behavior is not acceptable and have the patience to deal with the emotional reaction.

Reader, what about you? How do you respond in love?

Fantastic Friday: 3-12-10

2010-03-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

This week's line up:

Future Laptops - I can see this one becoming a reality.
Mood Turn -turn your browser into a calming, refreshing sound machine.
Just Undo It: Hoodie - never realized how a hoodie could be so versatile
DiscGear - innovative CD/DVD/Game storage (thanks to my wife for the submission)
Porcelain Paper Cup - no, seriously
Faces of the Earth - finding the extraordinary in the ordinary
God's Sense of Humor on FB - God on Facebook?
Urban Camouflage Art - Great optical illusions
How to Nap - in case you were wondering
Couches of unusual design - like I said

Library Business Cards

2010-03-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

My latest creativity project turned out to not be so hot with the boss. I designed some new business cards that included our latest Twitter & Facebook pages. Some people liked the concept The boss is still going to let me use them, but she didn't favor them.What do you think?

Clement of Alexandria on Greek Philosophy

2010-03-10T11:42:00.000-08:00

I am not much of a philosopher. I like a good theological debate every now and then, but for the most part I stay away from the philosophical jargon. However, I really like what Clement of Alexandria had to say on the issue.

Clement came a little after Justin, circa 200 AD. In his work, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria argued that God gave philosophy to the Greeks to prepare them for Christ in the same way that God gave the law of Moses to the Jews.Clement put it this way:

"Thus until the coming of the Lord, philosophy was necessary to the Greeks for righteousness...For philosophy acted as a "custodian" to bring the Greeks to Christ, just at the law brought the Hebrews."

I thought this was an interesting interpretation of the purpose of philosophy. While I do not know if I wholeheartedly agree with the concept, I do believe that God utilizes philosophy to bring others to the Gospel of Christ. I think Clement hit on something here!

Homemade Frappucino

2010-03-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

As promised, I attempted to make a frappucino over the weekend. Honestly, I think I have the formula down! I tested this with a couple of people that were over Sunday night and every one gave it a thumbs up:

12 oz hot water (almost boiling)
2 tsp instant coffee
1 tsp vanilla extract
2.5 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp half & half

I bought two Starbucks Frappucinos as control subjects to test the recipe against. Our water cooler also has a hot water button and I used that to make the instant coffee in a measuring cup. Stir in vanilla and then add sugar. Next, add the half & half (milk can be used for a substitute, but I love the cream!). Afterward, I poured the caffeinated goodness into an empty frappucino bottle.

Note: For a mocha version, substitute 1 packet of hot chocolate for the vanilla extract and reduce the sugar down to 1 tbsp.

I started making these every night so I can take one with me to work in the morning. I am also thinking about trying different flavors of coffee. If you try it or come up with a better alternative please let me know!

My Tension With Drugs & Vaccines

2010-03-08T19:31:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that we have chosen to forgo vaccinations for our children. Granted, I am no medical expert, but I keep coming across reading after reading that affirms my confidence in the decision we have made. One such article was over the sedative known as thalidomide.

In 1957, thalidomide was tested on mice as a sedative that had the surprising side effect of suppressing vomiting & nausea. As such, it was immediately marketed to pregnant women. At the time, drug administration had tested the sedative so extensively that they declared it harmless and slapped a label on it as wonder drug that had virtually no lethal dosage. A few years later, thalidomide was withdrawn from the market as medical experts discovered that the drug stunted the growth of limbs, resulting in babies being born with distorted limbs.

So, 50+ years down the road, we continue to see the same situation where drugs are being immaturely approved by the FDA (i.e. Baycol, Zelnorm, Vioxx among others). The point is we were told that these were safe and acceptable drugs that ended with fatal repercussions. It feels like pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of our ignorance in order to make a profit.

Do not mistake me as an anti-drug person. There are some medications that I would swear by! But I think in this day where information is readily accessible, we should question we give ourselves and our children. I would also push for all natural alternatives...now I am just rambling.

Fantastic Friday: 3-5-10

2010-03-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

Introduction: Before I knew of Digg & other social bookmarking sites, I had a feature on my blog called "Fantastic Fridays" in which I would post my favorite internet finds from the week. Turns out that readership enjoyed it and it is definitely time to bring it back.

Fog Free Mirrors & Potatoes - turns out that all you need for anti-fog alternative is a spud.
How to use the mustard at the bottom of the jar - Leave it to Martha to come up with a creative idea on how to use the mustard stuck to the sides and bottom of the jar.
Pajamajeans - Yes, pajamas that look like jeans.
Starbucks Fakeuccino - I fully plan on making one of these this weekend. I will let you know how it goes. Or you could try it and drop a comment!
Be A Doll-Action Figure of You - Inside all of us, there is a desire to be action figure. I can't wait to get my copy of the Curtis Beeman doll.
Google Map Crash - pretty much self-explainitory and funny
Improv Everywhere: Human Mirror - I have always been a fan of Improv Everywhere. This "stunt" is no exception.
Street Interventions by d.billy - Hilarious graffiti
Dead Sodas - anyone remember these? Crystal clear Pepsi was the best!
Barney Fossil - ROFL

Justin Martyr on Philosophy & Theology

2010-03-04T15:18:00.000-08:00

A little bit of background before I start on Justin Martyr: I started my undergraduate work in religion back 1997 and did not finish until 2003. After that, I worked on my Master's in Education focusing on Instructional Technology, which I finished in 2008. All that to say that I have been out of the realm of theological jargon for many years and I am not to sure I could read & understand it when I was studying theology.

So, back to this Justin guy - he was a theologian that emerged some where around 148 AD. I remember loving his concept of the "Logos" when I first read through it. In Greek, "Logos" literally translates to "the word" and most of you know it from the first chapter of John: In the beginning was the Word (logos) and the Word became flesh....

So Justin takes this concept and uses it to undermine some basic principles of platonism (which are above and beyond my understanding). Essentially, Justin suggests that Christ is the Logos and the foundational philosophical Platonic principles were all borrowed in the first place. Justin Martyr put it this way:

"Whatever either lawyers or philosophers have said well, was articulated by finding and reflecting upon some aspect of teh Logos...whatever all people have said well belongs to us Christians. For we worship and love, next to God, the Logos, who comes from the unbegotten and ineffable God"

This translates well into the postmodern tension between the "church" and its culture. I remember when "Wow" CDs came out among the Christian circles. These were followed by the "Now" CDs in the secular markets. Perhaps one of the only times the secular world has copied Christians. I think in light of Justin's theology, we should implement our faith with the culture around us because Christ is a natural part of our lives. And any good idea was ours to begin with!

Christian Theology Reader

2010-03-03T15:17:00.000-08:00

Over the past 2 years, I lacked the motivation to keep my blog rolling because I was so distracted by work & life. I decided that if nothing else, I could blog through a book (thanks Julie & Julia) and in doing so gain some bits of wisdom, discover something about my beliefs, and in the end gain a little more discpline in my life.

I dug up my copy of Alister McGrath's Christian Theology Reader and will be going through it over the next year. To be honest, it is not a book I would have picked up except it was required for some coursework in my undergraduate studies (almost 10 years ago!). After reading it for assignments, I decided to keep it because it covered all the basics of Christian theology from Justin Martyr to Karl Barth and then some. You an pick up a used copy from Amazon for around $30.00.

At any rate, any post labeled "Christian Theology Reader" is from this series of posts.

Fatherhood of God & Wiper Blades

2010-03-01T17:00:00.000-08:00

Most of the readership knows my father died when I was 7 years old. This drove my mother to become an alcoholic and in turn made our lives absolutely miserable. I missed out many "life lessons" that fathers pass down to their sons. One such lesson was how to change the wipers on a car.

I pulled up to the Wal-mart parking lot thinking that 45 minutes was plenty of time to go in, buy wiper blades, and switch out the old ones. I hastily made my way to the back of the store to discover that blades come in different size and lengths. Not knowing which one to pick, I decided to take off back to the car and remove the old, defunctive blade. After about 20 minutes of pulling and prying the rubber off, I thought surely there was an easier way of doing this. Meanwhile, a guy pulled up in a beat up truck. I asked him if he knew how to replace a wiper blade. He pushed a little button on the back of the blade and off it popped. He then took out a measuring tape and gave me the dimensions I needed for the new blades.

I made my way back to the wiper blades in Wal-mart. Another man was standing there looking for blades for his car. We struck up a conversation and he explained how to install them on the "J" hook. I walked away with my new blades and made it to work with 5 minutes left.

In the end, I thought about these 2 guys and how God made a promise to me as a child. He promised to be the Father I never had, even when it comes to swapping out wiper blades.

Fallen Likeness: Made Me Cry

2010-01-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

I was reading Genesis 1:26:

And God said, "Let us make man in our likeness."

I couldn't make it pass this verse during my devotional time yesterday. I just stopped at the word 'likeness' and wept. I cried until the tears fell down my cheek, wetting the top of my shirt. How far have we fallen from His likeness?