I just finished eating a delicious sandwich. Who knew that you could put ham, chicken, and salami on the same sandwich? Add a little avocado and mixed greens, and you have Josh's new favorite midnight snack.
Anyway, today I had an interesting experience. A few days ago, my friends Larry and Krista were staying in my room here at my parent's house, so I was sleeping in my sister's room. Before Larry and Krista left, we went on my computer to try to get directions. It took about 10 minutes to load up google maps.
A side note: I love all things google, so I definitely prefer google maps to mapquest. It's the best! (see 'Lazy Sunday' from SNL)
I found out the networking cable from the hub at the back of the house to my room at the front of the house had gone bad. So today, my dad and I installed a new one. This involved me crawling from one end of the house to the other in about 2 feet of clearance space between the saturated, muddy ground and the bottom of the house.
It is hard work trying to stay low, and when you have 8 or 9 pounds of mud on each foot, and 5 pounds on each hand, it is really hard to manuever over pipes and under ducts.
I realized what the soldiers in the days of trench warfare must have gone through. They too had to stay low to keep the bullets from hitting them. The mud on them probably made it hard to move quickly, and it's just a miserable time.
By the time I got to the back of the house, I also felt like I'd done about 40 pushups (not exaggerating). Right now, I still feel kind of like that, but I also feel like I backpacked about 4 miles (also not an exaggeration).
So I think I will start a business crawling under peoples' homes because I will get in really good shape. And that will have flexible enough hours to partner with my graphic design/video stuff I've been doing to compliment my income at church.
If only I enjoyed being muddy....
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
On Barack Obama part 2--is he a faker?
My last post showed a bunch of people fainting at Obama speeches, and many people are accusing him of planting fakes. I said I wasn't sure what to think.
Tonight, I was at church helping out with Youth Group, and I went into the main auditorium, where my dad was setting up for a video-based small group he does, and I heard him discussing the Obama/fainting situation with a guy named Larry. Larry works at camp and runs the kitchen and facilities staff. He's a really on-top of things kind of guy.
He said he's heard analysts talking about the whole situation, and in reality, many people faint at political rallies anyway. When you get that many people together, and they are excited and not drinking enough water or eating or whatever it may be, eventually someone passes out.
The difference is that Obama is attending to the people, so there is evidence of him helping them. Helping them might be a political move, or it might be legitimately because he cares.
Either way, it's good marketing.
I need to find out more about this explanation, but if it's right, I think that it's a good choice to vote for someone who either a. cares or b. is smart enough to pretend to care to drum up some votes. Apparently Hilary and McCain aren't doing that, which is a wasted opportunity. I'd like to see a president who seizes opportunities to both help people and improve our image in the world--Obama seems to be helping people and improving his image through these faintings (assuming they're not faked, and that what Larry heard is correct).
Tonight, I was at church helping out with Youth Group, and I went into the main auditorium, where my dad was setting up for a video-based small group he does, and I heard him discussing the Obama/fainting situation with a guy named Larry. Larry works at camp and runs the kitchen and facilities staff. He's a really on-top of things kind of guy.
He said he's heard analysts talking about the whole situation, and in reality, many people faint at political rallies anyway. When you get that many people together, and they are excited and not drinking enough water or eating or whatever it may be, eventually someone passes out.
The difference is that Obama is attending to the people, so there is evidence of him helping them. Helping them might be a political move, or it might be legitimately because he cares.
Either way, it's good marketing.
I need to find out more about this explanation, but if it's right, I think that it's a good choice to vote for someone who either a. cares or b. is smart enough to pretend to care to drum up some votes. Apparently Hilary and McCain aren't doing that, which is a wasted opportunity. I'd like to see a president who seizes opportunities to both help people and improve our image in the world--Obama seems to be helping people and improving his image through these faintings (assuming they're not faked, and that what Larry heard is correct).
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
On Barack Obama part 1 of who knows?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Jesus Walks
Nope, this isn't about an old Kanye West song.
When I was in Utah, I was reading The Voice of Luke: Not Even Sandals by Brian McLaren. It is essentially the Gospel of Luke with a lot of artistic freedom. I found it to be a really useful tool in studying Luke.
Anyway, while reading it, I had a small epiphany.
In Jesus' culture, a culture where people walked everywhere, it was easier to encounter people in passing than it is for us, who drive our windows-up cars and open our garages without getting out, etc.
In Jesus' day, he sent his disciples out on foot. Not only that, they weren't even allowed to take anything. He tells them not to take a bag or food or money--not even sandals--when they go.
That way, the have to talk to the people they come across.
I don't know how this should affect the way we live. Maybe it just means we should slow down, or say hi to every driver we pass on the freeway (which would be quite annoying for our passengers, and go unnoticed by the other drivers).
In any case, it's an interesting thought.
When I was in Utah, I was reading The Voice of Luke: Not Even Sandals by Brian McLaren. It is essentially the Gospel of Luke with a lot of artistic freedom. I found it to be a really useful tool in studying Luke.
Anyway, while reading it, I had a small epiphany.
In Jesus' culture, a culture where people walked everywhere, it was easier to encounter people in passing than it is for us, who drive our windows-up cars and open our garages without getting out, etc.
In Jesus' day, he sent his disciples out on foot. Not only that, they weren't even allowed to take anything. He tells them not to take a bag or food or money--not even sandals--when they go.
That way, the have to talk to the people they come across.
I don't know how this should affect the way we live. Maybe it just means we should slow down, or say hi to every driver we pass on the freeway (which would be quite annoying for our passengers, and go unnoticed by the other drivers).
In any case, it's an interesting thought.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Shining before men--a revolutionary thought
"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
--Matthew 5:16
We've all heard the above verse, but I don't think we get its implications. A few weeks ago, I heard Francis Chan speak about it at the Passion Conference in the city of Lost Angels (LA).
We often do good deeds, even in the name of Jesus. We might do the things he commands us to do, e.g. giving someone a cup of water or a place to stay.
But, how often do people praise our Father in heaven?
I think it's pretty hard to do things in such a way that people's instantaneous reaction is to praise God.
Maybe that's why when Jesus healed people, he commanded healing, but when we're told how to heal people, we're just told to pray.
A lot of people do command healing, because they see Jesus doing that, but we're told to ask, and it never tells us to command.
Maybe because when we command healing, we get some of the glory, even if God gets most of it, but when we ask for healing, it's pretty obvious that it was entirely God's work, and not our own.
--Matthew 5:16
We've all heard the above verse, but I don't think we get its implications. A few weeks ago, I heard Francis Chan speak about it at the Passion Conference in the city of Lost Angels (LA).
We often do good deeds, even in the name of Jesus. We might do the things he commands us to do, e.g. giving someone a cup of water or a place to stay.
But, how often do people praise our Father in heaven?
I think it's pretty hard to do things in such a way that people's instantaneous reaction is to praise God.
Maybe that's why when Jesus healed people, he commanded healing, but when we're told how to heal people, we're just told to pray.
A lot of people do command healing, because they see Jesus doing that, but we're told to ask, and it never tells us to command.
Maybe because when we command healing, we get some of the glory, even if God gets most of it, but when we ask for healing, it's pretty obvious that it was entirely God's work, and not our own.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Back to blogspot. Possibly
I haven't used this thing in over a year. Back when I tried to use blogger before, all my friends were too un-blog-savvy to know how to subscribe. It seems like all the Redding people have migrated to Blogspot finally. My girlfriend is on blogspot (but only for me to read).
I use facebook way more than myspace anyway, so maybe blogging on here will eventually enable me to just delete my myspace page. Or at least not use it very much.
Lately I've been reflecting on the first words in the book of Luke. Luke says that his book is written to "Theophilus," who we assume was an actual man. However, his name means "God-lover," so perhaps Luke had a double-meaning. Maybe he was addressing all people who already love God.
If that's the case, then the purpose of the book of Luke is not to persuade people to follow Jesus of Nazareth, but to change the perceptions of the ones who love God.
So try reading Luke and see what new things God has to say to you.
P.S. (for Julie)--I'm so cool, I was on blogspot before all my friends. I'm more indie.
I use facebook way more than myspace anyway, so maybe blogging on here will eventually enable me to just delete my myspace page. Or at least not use it very much.
Lately I've been reflecting on the first words in the book of Luke. Luke says that his book is written to "Theophilus," who we assume was an actual man. However, his name means "God-lover," so perhaps Luke had a double-meaning. Maybe he was addressing all people who already love God.
If that's the case, then the purpose of the book of Luke is not to persuade people to follow Jesus of Nazareth, but to change the perceptions of the ones who love God.
So try reading Luke and see what new things God has to say to you.
P.S. (for Julie)--I'm so cool, I was on blogspot before all my friends. I'm more indie.
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