First batch of South Africa pictures edited

I edited a bunch of pictures yesterday. It took hours, as I finally started editing my HDR shots. I haven't processed many of them, so I had to learn how to do it better through experimenting.

different exposures. This way, you can get pictures where there is detail in the shadows, midtones, and highlights, instead of just one or two of those categories. Look at any picture yIf you don't know what HDR is, it is basically taking multiple pictures of the same thing atou've taken. It will not have detail in all 3 unless you light it well and use great photography technique.

With HDR, you take usually 3 pictures and process them with a program for doing it. Photoshop has a function for processing HDR, and I'd used it a few times, but I didn't know how to make any of the cool looking images like you find when you google "HDR images."

So I got to experimenting and reading tutorials. I processed about 15 different HDR sets.

When I was shooting, I didn't use a tripod to shoot any of my pictures, and I didn't know about the Automated Exposure Bracketing (AEB) feature on the camera I was using (it takes 3 pictures at different exposures without you resetting it). So, my pictures weren't all the way lined up. Thankfully, Photoshop CS3 will align the pictures on its own. It turns out that Photoshop CS3 actually gives you the most flexibility in HDR processing according to a lot of websites.

So, they came out pretty well. I wasn't really going for a really artsy look, so they kind of just look like cool pictures where you can actually see what was hidden in the shadows.

Here's the one that came out the best (I actually didn't move too much in between pictures). Thankfully I know now how to use the AEB feature on my new camera, so I won't have the problems I used to have.

So, here are the 3 original images, and then the final picture. You can enlarge any of them.



Now I am going to edit some more and watch John Piper sermons at the same time.

O, Sebastopol. How sad for your hippie loss.

Sebastopol is a little city in Sonoma county that is full of hippies and lesbians. There are other people, but that's probably what it's known for. They decided to turn down free wi-fi because they were afraid of the radiowaves. Ridiculous.

Read about it here. Apparently this is international news.

Notably, it says the city council voted 4-0 to not approve the wi-fi. Currently 2 of the council members are in court fighting each other. One of them apparently keyed the truck of a guy who was parked in her driveway. The man says he was sleeping in the bed of his truck and heard metal scraping and saw this lady.

He was visiting her neighbor (the other councilman). Why the heck was he sleeping in HER DRIVEWAY? Why was he even in his truck if his friend lived next door?

She says she got home (it was 3 AM), and opened her car door, and that's what he heard, since it is an older car with creaky doors.

Either way, this proves that Sebastopol needs new councilmembers, since they get in court arguments about keying each other's cars that could be fixed if they let their friends sleep inside.

Maybe if they had free wi-fi they would be enlightened to the marvels of 21st century life and find out how ridiculous they all look.

Camp South Africa photos

ugh. I went to South Africa in November/December 2007 and took a few thousand pictures. Unfortunately, I was using the camp's Canon 20D camera, and being that it is a camp camera, I kept taking it places (the beach in CA, Hawaii, South Africa), that got it all scratched up. So, the sensor was pretty dirty by the time we were to day 3 in South Africa.

As a result, I have been very unmotivated to process all the images I shot. Even with the countless hours spent on that task during down time in South Africa, and in the many hours since then, it's been taking me a long time. Thankfully I found out that photoshop has a "dust and scratches" filter in the blur menu that will save me a lot of time.

Also, as a result of struggling due to a dirty sensor, I hurried out and bought a Canon 40D the day after Christmas (which was 2 days after I got back to California). The 40D cleans its sensor every time you turn it off and every time you turn it on. This is the best feature of it to me, since I have been so bugged by the 20D's dirty sensor.

Well, I am finally getting around to working on some pictures. I also have a few hundred from the last 2 months to go through. They're pretty spring-y, so I hope to get them done in the next month or so.

Here are some pictures I just worked on from CSA. I just changed the color a bit with a preset I made specifically for CSA pictures to give them that kind-of-sepia look that everyone loves. I'm trying to do different watermarks for each one with the text actually invisible (you're only seeing the effects around the text instead of the text itself).

On the left is the really great mountain at Wortelgat camp. I love the clouds in this one. They are so fluffy in contrast with the strength of the mountain. It just looks mighty.

On the right is Dane, who is one of the guys from the team. He was posing for epic pictures for Jackson and Josh Moog. Moog was the official photographer of the trip and I did the video. Between Jackson, Moog, and I we took well over 10,000 pictures in a 28 day period. Pretty amazing. Josh Mello also had an SLR camera with him, and other people had other cameras too. Pretty cool stuff.

My favorite thing about not living in Redding

Every so often I have this thought that makes me so glad I'm not living in Redding anymore. Usually, it goes something like this:

I am on my way to a concert or just on the way back, and I think to myself, "It's sooo good to not have to drive so far to shows." The same goes for sporting events, but I go to way more concerts than Sharks' games.

Take Tuesday afternoon, for instance. A little band called Augustana played a free show about 7 minutes from my house. Awesome. In Santa Rosa alone, I have now seen both Augustana and Switchfoot for free. Oh, and I went to a world-class sporting event for free in my hometown too, the Tour of California Cylcing race.

So, while there were occasional free shows when I was in college, I'm glad I didn't stick around, because there weren't major Top-40 Radio stars playing free shows. I guess the Myriad's going that way, but I haven't even scratched the surface of the entertainment benefits of Santa Rosa.

We have the whole Bay Area and all its concerts. And who can forget the hyphy movement? Should I ever become a hip-hop fan, there is a whole culture unique to this area.

Seriously, every time I go to a concert anywhere in the Bay Area, I think to myself, "I'm so glad I don't live in Redding."

In the last year, I haven't been to too many concerts, but I've seen a bunch of my favorite bands within an hour's drive (The Album Leaf, Justin King and the Apologies, Eisley, MuteMath, David Crowder Band, Phil Wickham, The Myriad, and now Augustana).

The Augustana show was good. It was a little 5 song set that started at 6 pm. There were just 2 of them on acoustic guitars. The rest of the band stayed in So-Cal. My sister is friends with one of the guys who wasn't there, so next time I see them, I will have to go with her so I can go backstage.

They only played "Boston" off their old record and 4 songs off their new one. It was just a half hour set, but it was well worth the short drive (not too much gas!) and free admission. Apparently there are free shows by pretty major artists there pretty often. I will have to check them out.

Mileage plus

I am obsessed with earning airline miles. Julie will vouch for that. I probably talk about it 5 or 6 times a month. I have managed to get a pretty decent chunk of "mileage plus" miles on United through flying to South Africa, Hawaii, and Louisiana for missions trips. I actually have enough for a free flight in the US.

One thing I did was sign up for Mileage Plus dining, so when I spend money on my credit card, it shows up as miles on United.

I just got an e-mail that the nearest Baja Fresh is now participating in that program.

Baja Fresh is my favorite chain restaurant.

I am excited...and I am soon going to have enough miles to actually go to Baja.

Fresh.

Resolving conflicts

Today I've seen some conflict resolution in action. My family went to Starbucks and ran into a family that went to our church over 10 years ago, and left for a pretty insignificant reason that blew up into a very significant, hurtful situation.

But now, after time and healing, they even said that they might stop by our church (although they are involved in another one in the area). It's cool that God uses our issues and inaccuracies and weird ideas to get us where he wants us, and then heals the rifts in the body.

Recently, I've had a pretty serious conflict with someone who is pretty close to me that will remain nameless. It's been over a theological issue that really impacts how we live, and I've tried to handle the situation as biblically as I can see how to. Although I haven't seen full resolution, I'm beginning to see how God is using my words and the situation that took place to shape the other person.

I've also been shaped as I've learned that sometimes it hurts to speak the truth, and even speaking the truth in love (Eph. 5:17) won't always be well-received. I've also learned that you can't try to be unoffensive when you're firmly convicted about the truth.

I acknowledge that no one can be perfect in dealing with any situation, and I don't claim to be 100% tactful and a perfect communicator, so God is showing me the limits of human communication once more.

Although that conflict has not yet been resolved, I'm beginning to see hope, and I'm excited about it. Unlike the other situation that's now resolving 10 years later, this one is taking a mere month.

That is teaching me about healing. I always talk about this, but once more, we must expect healing on God's terms, at God's time. We must expect to hear God's voice on His terms, at His time.

It doesn't matter what the situation is. Emotional, relational, physical healing all will come when God has used the hurt to bring Him as much glory as He can get out of it, and to shape us into being like Him as much as He can.

I feel quite encouraged. (Which is good, since Julie went back to Utah today, and that makes me sad :( ).

To Life, to Love -or- That Saturday

I wonder what that Saturday was like. Did the disciples begin to get back to normal life? Did they begin to process what had just happened the day before?

Undoubtedly they had a long time to think while they didn't do anything. It was the Sabbath, and they had to stay work-free, so what were they thinking?

I really don't have any ideas, and it's too late at night to begin to suppose those sort of things. I do hope God brings me back to this thought sometime.

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The last few days have been really great and kind of disorienting. Julie flew out on Wednesday night, and she stayed at my house that night. Then we drove to Sacramento yesterday and hung out with some friends. Neither of the girls are people I know that well, but they're Simpson people, and it was weird to see them. Good, but weird. It was also warm enough to get a smoothie and a Passion Tea Lemonade at Starbucks (first one of 2008).

Then we went to her parents' house and stayed there overnight. Friday, I drove home, went to the music store and bought some drum sticks for Josh Mello, and got a bluetooth for myself at Costco. I got to church for our Good Friday Service and it was a mad rush to get practice done on time. We had to skip some songs, and we had a few musical issues as a result (mostly I had some musical issues, actually).

But, all-in-all, it was a really great service. Chris (our youth pastor) got to baptize his foster-son Dillon. Dillon (who is 14) was just overwhelmed tonight with how great the love of Christ is for us. He accepted Christ last year, but he was just in tears tonight. Chris, too, was in tears as he prayed for and baptized Dillon.

Chris prayed something like, "Thank you for the chance to have people come into our lives and for us to love them and show them how much you love them. Thank you for the chance to see that."

From where I was on the stage, it didn't hit me that much, but later when I found out that Dillon had just decided during the service to be baptized, I was so moved. He's a punk little kid who always is trying to get me to let him play on the youth band, and I keep telling him he needs to practice. Or he's getting into some sort of trouble. But to hear that he was moved to tears just blew me away.

Also at the service were a number of friends from all parts of my life. Ike, Danielle, and James were down from Simpson (and I didn't know they were coming), my High School friend Matt was there (he worked at camp with me last spring, and his in-laws are old friends who I've known for years and go to our church), and one of the guys who worked at camp (Dan) was there tonight. Add to that my friend Aaron who is home from college, and you have a crazy flood of memories.

I told Julie tonight that I am so excited about life right now. I told her that I love life.

Spring is upon us. New life is here.
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O the joy! Resurrection Sunday is coming...

Soon wholeness will arrive and life shall spring forth.

The captives are being freed

The dead are walking around

For God is among us.

Peaceful Perplexity

I've had a number of conversations and experiences in the last 4 or 5 days that revolved around mystery.

I personally believe in a rule-of-thumb about how we view life. It's a theological idea, but it's an idea that affects all parts of our lives, because it informs our entire worldview.

We begin our outlook on any idea with confusion/lack of knowledge.

The first level of understanding, when you've come to a place where things make sense, means that you have arrived at a truth.

But, it is not the Truth. I believe that "All truth is God's truth." Rob Bell quotes that in Velvet Elvis, then goes on to say something to the effect of "every truth is God's truth." I disagree. The whole truth is God's truth, but it's easy to find a part of the truth and if we just talk about that, we could be actually talking about a lie, since we're missing the other half, or the other 99.999% of the truth, whatever the case may be for that instance.

The second level of understanding is when we say, "Oh, look...topic A and topic B are actually the same thing. I mean, they don't make any sort of sense together, but it's just...right."

Take for instance, God's grace and God's justice. I've always believed that they were true. God is a God of grace, and there is a lot of evidence for that in scripture, history, and in my own life. God is a God of justice. That is clear from the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, and history.

But, when we realize that grace and justice are joined at the hip, we come to a place of a comfortable confusion. Perhaps "peaceful" is a better word than "comfortable." It's not comfortable. But, there is a peace that it is truth. And, in the vein of good alliteration, I'll call it "peaceful perplexity." I know this is way out of context, but I still love to use this verse to describe the fact that we aren't meant to have everything figured out. Click on the link and read it.

Grace seems like forgiveness, while justice seems like consequences, but in the Cross, we see a God who demanded the consequences, so somebody died for my actions. But we see a God who forgave completely, so He paid the price Himself.

Grace and Justice are joined in the Cross and tied together for the rest of eternity.
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It seems like mystery is more popular with our postmodern culture than its modern predecessor. Younger people do seem to flock to the mysterious, and that could be attributed to a philosophical worldview alone (postmodernism).

Or, we can view it as the work of God in history, as He changes the perception of the Western World to more readily accept the fact that Christianity is an Eastern Religion, and to remember that God is infinite, and cannot be fully understood by the collective brainpower of every human being, let alone my own puny mind.

And here I sit, in another mystery--An infinite God who says He is in me and I have the mind of Christ.

Delightfully confusing. But that's what makes it true. That's what I'm calling the second level, even though "second level" sounds like Scientology. Maybe I need a better name.

Anything you can fully understand was probably invented by a human. Anything God made is more complex than you can fully understand. If you claim to understand anything completely, then you have put God in a box, and you are not giving Him the fear and respect He deserves. Even if I could understand grace (for instance) fully, I couldn't understand how God could be a God of justice and of grace. That's a separate subject altogether.

I made a logo for Easter

We finally ran out of bulletins at church. Since we have a really cool 2-sided printer, we decided to print our own so that we can change the cover whenever we want. So it's my job now to design logos for the front covers.

This was my first project ever in Adobe Illustrator besides homework for my illustrator class. I wanted to just steal a stained glass image, but there aren't really any great resurrection ones and it's illegal to use other people's pictures anyway (we just had a whole hour devoted to copyrights in class, so I'm pretty aware of copyright issues in print/web media right now--there is a lot of false information out there, too).

So, I took a little inspiration from this real stained glass window. But, I did something quite different. It took a little playing with the filters to get it just right.

I was going for a half-stained glass/half-vector logo look. So, I think I achieved it. I am mostly writing this for my own good so that a few years from now, I can look back at my first ever "commercial" project in Illustrator and smile at how bad it is.

On why I'm eating a Quesadilla even though I'm lactose intolerant

This is amazing. I seriously feel kind of emotional about it.

For the first time in 2 years, I am eating a quesadilla. I used to love quesadillas. I don't make very good ones. But every day after school all through High School, I would come home, put some shredded cheese in a tortilla and microwave it.

For a long time, it was the only "meal" I could cook.

Then I became lactose intolerant around the beginning of my senior year of college.

Recently my friends James and Weslie told me about lactose-free string cheese at Safeway. It's made by Precious, which is the famous string cheese brand.

People who are lactose intolerant do not produce the lactase enzyme, which breaks lactose down into the simple sugars glucose and sucrose. So to make a dairy product lactose-free, they just put the lactase in the milk. I hope that companies start offering more products this way.

The cool thing is that when the lactase enzyme breaks down the lactose, those sugars are left, so it is naturally sweetened. They could make healthier ice cream this way! Come on companies, do something. It's been at least a year and a half since I had ice cream, and I want it!

Of course, one problem is that my quesadilla now has mozzarella cheese on it, so it kind of tastes like pizza. But that's OK, Simpson used to make all of their quesadillas with mozzarella, so I'm kind of used to it.

And, I haven't really been able to enjoy pizza for a few years, so this kind of makes up for that.

After a couple bites...it's kind of sweet, but I'm OK with that.

Hilarious! (and sad)--"Him that pisseth against the wall"

I think this video pretty well sums up the need for good theology. It also sums up the need for less stupid Christians. I found it on David Crowder's blog

on Gordon, the man who needed gas - and - the Haves/Needs board

Whenever I have the chance to help someone in a tangible way, I like to write about them so I can remember their name and part of their story.

Tuesday afternoon I went to Wal-Mart to buy some fabric. I'm trying to create a bulletin board for church with 3 sections. 1 section will list Needs people have, 1 section will list things that people Have to give away or sell. Patrick told me about this idea last year, and I really liked it. It's really based on the principle of Acts 4:33-34 that there don't have to be needy people in the church.

I also decided there should be a third section. It will have other things that people in our church community are providing. For instance, if someone is a web designer/developer in our church, they could put that up, so then if someone else's boss is looking for a designer for their company, the churchmember can say to their boss, "Oh, I know someone who does webdesign. Let me put you in touch with her."

That's a big part of what it means to be the body of Christ and to live in community in everything.

We're even planning on letting kids who are selling magazine subscriptions or girl scout cookies put info up on there. Isn't the church their family? But at the same time, you have to balance the fact that Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple, so we shouldn't turn the church into a marketplace either.

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So here I was, putting up a bulletin board with my dad and Chris (the Youth Pastor), and we realized that we should get something to cover the bulletin board with so that it matches the look of the rest of the room it's in, which is slowly being converted into a more coffee-shop feel.

So I took some trim from the door and headed to Wal-Mart. It's only about a 3 minute drive from church. On the way into the parking lot, I saw a guy holding a huge cardboard sign about needing gas and being stranded.

I told myself I'd do something to help on the way out if he was still there.

I looked around Wal-Mart for about 15 minutes and didn't find the right color fabric, so I left.
On the way out, I smelled our brand-new Panda Express and really wanted some. I headed back to church though, since it was too early to eat (4:40 or so).

On the way out of the parking lot, I noticed the man again, and read the sign. It said something like, "Need Gas / Stranded / Trying to get home to Washington."

I felt bad as I left and didn't do anything.

Last night I asked God to start putting people in my path again. About 6 weeks ago I asked for a break from "random" encounters with people in need. I had probably half a dozen in a 2 week period, and I needed to better process them. The cool thing is that God gave me that break, and the day after I asked him to end the break, he did.

So, I went back to church and found out where another fabric store was. I had a Photoshop class that night and I wanted to go to a store near my class (15 miles south in Cotati). So I found a store in Rohnert Park, and then headed back to Panda Express. I still wasn't very confident that this guy wasn't scamming people. I mean, he had a huge sign and was standing on a street corner right across from a gas station. Sounds a little too good to be true.

So I ate and thought about it more. I thought back to Luke 6:30-31 and that I should give to everyone who asks. I remembered Luke 6:35, where it says we should loan to those who will not repay us. I've been telling people for the last 6 or 7 weeks about how these 2 passages are really telling us to give without really caring how the person is going to spend it.

So, I walked out and told the guy I'd help him out. He was standing on an island in the middle of an intersection, so we walked back to the sidewalk, and crossed the street to the gas station. I found ou his name was Gordon. He was probably around 50. A fairly small man with gray hair and a mustache. He wasn't well-dressed or poorly dressed. He was just a typical guy. I found out that he's from Washington but went to Arizona to "prospect for gold" in some streams.

He has property in Idaho that he usually pans for gold on, but this last year has been really hard, because a wildfire went through last summer, and kept him from getting to his property. I got the impression that he makes his entire living this way.

To be honest, I still don't know if he was being truthful. Gold Prospecting in 2008? That's pretty unlikely. But still, the fact that he volunteered very little information, but only answered my questions is pretty good evidence that he was being honest. Typically people who are trying to scam you have a perfect little story.

As far as him having access to cardboard for a sign, I totally understand. I've been there before. We ran out of gas when I was in Louisiana, and somehow managed to find cardboard to make a sign. I was suspicious of the fact that he had a gas can, so I asked him if someone else gave it to him or if he already had it.

He told me he keeps it in his car because he always has extra gas when he is in the back country prospecting.

That made enough sense, so I filled up his gas can. It was only $10 (gas was $3.62/gallon!!). So it's not enough to get him to Washington. But I just wanted to help him a little. It will get him started. I made sure to pay for the gas itself, and never give him any money, since I really had no clue who he was or whether he was being honest.

Towards the end of the 5 or 10 minutes I was in Gordon's life, I told him, "God bless you." I've learned that these simple 3 words are so powerful when you mean them. He changed. He told me "God bless you," 2 or 3 times in a minute. I think he knew why I was doing what I was doing.

I think that even if I didn't say anything about Jesus, he still was starting to "praise my father in heaven" in light of me "letting my works shine before men." That was really cool to see. I recently blogged about just that.

Essentially, I think God got the glory in this small act of love and not me.

I left him, headed down to class, and even had time to buy the fabric. I really don't know if I changed this man's life, but I told him that I've been in his shoes. I've been in a different state and run out of gas. And it's not fun. I encouraged him to help others in Washington whenever he has a chance. If all he got out of it was that we can "pay it forward," then that's still the Kingdom of God. That's justice. That's treating each person as an equal, which is a key part of the image of God. So even if the guy is a Satan-worshiper, I told him about justice in really sneaky terms.

This was such a small thing, that it seems not worth writing about. But God showed me a lot through it despite it's size.

"Small things done with great love will change the world," said Mother Theresa. And I know it's true, because Jesus is Great Love.

Christians in the Music Industry

For the last 6 years or so, I have believed that the majority of Christians in the music industry need to be creating 1 of 2 types of music.

First, there is music for the church, for the intent of singing along with in worship.

Secondly, there is music for everyone--Christian or not--that has a meaning for those who aren't followers of Christ, and then a deeper meaning for those who are believers.

I heard an interview with the "Christian band" Sanctus Real, where they said they really felt called to build up the church through their music, even after they had won a mainstream talent search contest in the Midwest. So I respect that a small percentage of Christian musicians should be making what is traditionally known as "Christian music." There is value to being edified through music and good, Christian lyrics (notice the comma between "good" and "Christian;" these are separate values).

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The last 24 hours have filled my head with thoughts about the role of Christians in the music industry.

Last night we talked about justice at our small group, and afterwards, I was left pondering the value of Christians creating music for entertainment's sake when there are far more important issues, e.g. putting food on the tables of the thousands of people who are starving all around the world. I didn't come to any conclusions about that thought.

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Another realization I had today is that Christians are starting to make an impact on the mainstream music industry in new genres. For the last 4 or 5 years, we've seen a huge exodus in the rock and alternative genres, as most of the talented Christians prefer to make good music for everyone. When I was on the Big Island, we were listening to a rock station, and in a span of 8 songs (about a half hour of radio programming), every other song was by a band whose members have at one point stated they are Christians (Chevelle, Mute Math, Paramore, and there was one more that I forget).

Obviously, bands like P.O.D., Switchfoot, Relient K, dc Talk, etc. have been crossing over into the mainstream (or the Myriad). But now, I'm realizing that pop artists are too. Some did a long time ago, but others are more successful now. For example, we have Kelly Clarkson, Mat Kearney, Lifehouse (which I could have put in the rock section, and Switchfoot could also go here), The Fray, Carrie Underwood (I guess she's "pop" enough that I can count her as part of this new phenomena and not just as part of the normal Christian-ness in country), and more.

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Today I was listening to the radio, and I heard that Natasha Bedingfield song "Love Like This." I found out a few months ago that she used to be involved with the Hillsong London worship albums, and I'd heard a few years earlier that she and her brother Daniel Bedingfield (who was famous for about a year in 2003) were strong Christians. Then in the December/January issue of Relevant Magazine, they had an interview with her talking about how her belief in Jesus changes everything about who she is and what she sings about. I've also noticed that the themes of her lyrics are pretty much the opposite of most popular R&B songs.

I've seen the video for "Love Like This," and Sean Kingston sings a bridge in it that doesn't really fit with the song. I'm not positive about this, but the lyrics seem to be talking about Jesus, not some regular guy that she has been in love with for years. Except, the Sean Kingston part is definitely about a guy and a girl.

Well, today I heard the song on the radio and the the Sean Kingston part wasn't there, leading me to believe that the parts of the song she wrote are about Jesus, while the part he wrote isn't.

Check out the 2nd verse, for instance...
All the guys tried to take me, you’re the one who saved me,
I feel like I owe you my life.
And as strange as it may seem, I’ll go if you take me
I'm willing to sacrifice.

"You're the one who saved me," and "I'll go if you take me/I'm willing to sacrifice" sound like Christian statements of the best type.

So, I don't know if that was the meaning of the song or not, but I bet this is an example of a Christian writing a song with 2 meanings. Like C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien writing just-plain-good fiction on one level, with tons of allegorical allusions snuck in for the Christians who read it.

I read an interview a few years ago with either Lewis or Tolkien (I forget) where they said something to the effect of "we're trying to be sneaky." That's a major paraphrase, but it stated the fact that Christian references in art should be so hidden, but so obvious.

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In Colossians 2:2-3, Paul says the purpose of his writing is (in part), "...that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

My dad read this verse at our staff meeting earlier today, and I was struck by the idea of knowing the mystery, when the mystery is that all wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ. So you know something, and what you know is that everything is hidden.

Cool paradox.

So, that kind of supports the work of Christians in the realm of the arts who try to sneak Jesus in to their work. It should be revealed and hidden. It's a paradox. That's what makes it beautiful.

One thing we decided at our staff meeting today is that the music we play after church should be lyrical. Before church it's instrumental and cranked up pretty loud. We've started doing this, because we noticed that people do that at concerts/sporting events, and it helps foster a sense of excitement. It's worked quite well in the month that we've tried it. People are ready to start, but the bustle of conversations is also more evident.

But after church, we decided that we would focus on playing "secular" music by Christians. That way, we teach a few important lessons.

1. To the people who only listen to Christian music, we teach that there is no "Christian music." There are Christians, and if they make music that is good, that's awesome. But it's not so controversial to be playing music by non-Christians after church.

2. To the people who think Christian music is poor quality, we teach that a lot of the music they already listen to was performed and/or written by Christians.

3. We show all people how some others are "being salt and light in the world," and encourage them to do the same using whatever talents and abilities they have.

Whew. That was a long one.

Globalization and our Generation

Have you seen that commercial for e-trade where the guy is talking about how he bought some shares of stock on the Hong Kong exchange? He makes a big deal about how he is buying stock all the way in China at just the click of a button. This guy is probably in his late 30s or 40s.

I've had some thoughts about this commercial, but I'll get to those after this other story...

Today my dad was telling me about how my sister got tech support from India last night, and a guy took over control over her computer. He thought it was pretty cool that someone far away was controlling my sister's computer.

My dad is really tech-smart, so one of my thoughts about the e-trade commercial was addressed.

I know that to me, it's not that big a deal, not that surprising, that you could buy stock in China with great ease. Why should it be hard? What's the big deal?

The e-trade commercial made me realize that our generation (Millennials) is so accustomed to being able to change things on the other side of the world because of the internet. The world isn't "becoming small" for us, it just has been as long as we've been capable of using a mouse and keyboard (since kindergarten for most of us).

My question was whether anyone who was tech-savvy enough to be using e-trade instead of going in to a financial office would actually be that astonished by the ease of foreign transactions. When my dad mentioned that it was pretty cool that the Indian guy was controlling my sister's computer from the other side of the world, I had my answer.

There are obviously some major benefits and major downsides to the world wide web, and the global community in which we live. But those specifics are for another blog and another day.

On Grace and Gnosticism Part 4

Part 4 in an ongoing series on the similarities and differences between “typical” Christianity, Gnosticism, and true Christianity

In the last blog in this series, we looked at how we can make the error of treating God as merely a paradigm, product, or program, instead of treating Him as a person. Both typical Christianity and Gnosticism tend to take the personality & person-ness out of Jesus.

God is not a force. He is a person. We need to treat him as such. Let him rule and decide. But, God is not merely a person. He is infinitely wiser, more powerful, and different than us.

If we focus so much on God’s immanence (living in and among us), we can easily forget to remember the opposite pole of the paradox—his transcendence. If we start being lopsided, we lose the mystery of God, and turn him into a logical construct, a philosophy. We must seek him, but also realize he exceeds our logic and understanding. God is in us and far above us. He is intimate, but at the same time, we will never fully grasp Him. No one preposition can fully capture our relationship to God.

Americans already treat God as our “cosmic buddy,”(Philip Yancey’s term) so if we focus on Grace, we must put it in the context of our great God. God doesn’t dwell in us only because he loves us. Everything is done for his glory.

God is full of himself. (see anything by John Piper). He is full of his glory. We should be full of his glory because of that. Not because we want to feel better or be healed (physically or emotionally). Our motivation for being filled with Jesus is key.

The whole reason that God chose us to be filled with him is found in Romans 1:5. “Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace.” Pretty straight-forward. God gave us grace “for his name’s sake.” Throughout the Bible, there is a phrase, “For my name’s sake,” that shows that the whole reason God does stuff is to show off. He wants people to know how great he is. Why? Because God is the best. He is better than everything in the universe. And he’s not stupid, so he knows he’s the best. And he’s not a liar, so he has to tell everyone else that he’s the best.

An added benefit of doing things for his name’s sake, is that God advertises himself. When he takes a broken person and transforms them by giving them his grace, he shows the other people that person knows that he is the best way to live. So, people come to know that Jesus wants them.

We embrace the mystery of an infinite God dwelling within finite human beings because he tells us that’s how the universe operates. If he says it’s truth, then it is truth. There need not be the word “absolute” to make it truth. It is God’s truth, and therefore we should live in it. We don’t live in it merely to know that we can have a good self-image because Jesus is within us. We don’t live in the fact that we are royal heirs of God because that enables us to carry ourselves with dignity. Rather, we live in the truth of the grace of God—the truth that his infinite breadth dwells in us—because it puts him on display for the universe around us.

It is important to discuss Grace and all theological ideas with the right terms, because only then do we live life in a way that is correct in that it glorifies God. We need to respect Jesus as the perfect man, and as the many other things he is, far above even that. To treat God as merely a product or a way of life does not give him the praise he deserves. It is an utter shame to speak of God less highly than we should—as a transcendent God who dwells within us.

On Grace and Gnosticism Part 3

Part 3 in an ongoing series on the similarities and differences between “typical” Christianity, Gnosticism, and true Christianity

In my last 2 entries, we examined the ways in which each of the 3 worldviews deals with the supernatural and natural.

Gnosticism teaches that we are saved from being captive to the material world. It teaches that matter is evil. On the other extreme, many Christians live their lives neglecting the supernatural world, and the power that is given them through the Holy Spirit. In fact, my friend Jason told me that at the Resurgence Conference in Washington State, the gathering of pastors there was told that one of the least preached about topics today is the Holy Spirit.

True Christianity believes in the work of the Holy Spirit, through natural and supernatural means. True Christianity teaches that the fullness of God has been revealed through Jesus Christ, this includes his grace. However, many “typical” Christians have neglected this grace and are simply trying to lead a better life. True Christians hold that the Holy Spirit works within us, and lives within us. It is only by his power that we live the Christian life.

Gnosticism also differs from Christianity in what it regards as the way to salvation. The idea is that there is a secret knowledge that saves us. What is happening is that Satan is latching on to our belief in grace as a revelation and then perverting our understanding of it.

Grace is no secret. It is available for all.

Understanding grace as a secret may lead us to treat some people as second-tier Christians. While it is true that many people know about grace, but do not live in it, that is not revelation when they internalize it. Let me explain.

During my time in Redding, I heard many people misuse the word revelation. I have heard the same word misused in Santa Rosa, as well, but I was exposed to its misuse far more while I was surrounded by people of all sorts of backgrounds and levels of theological training.

Throughout history, the word “revelation” has always meant “the self-unveiling of God.” When Jesus became a man, all of God came to be known by humans (because in Him, the fullness of God dwells—Col 1:19). Therefore, Christianity has always taught that revelation is complete, because Jesus has come to Earth, and in fact, because Jesus lives in us.

Then, what do we call a new understanding of something in the Bible or something about life?

Illumination is the word used to describe what God is showing me specifically. All truth has been revealed, because “All truth is God’s truth.”* Thus, whenever I learn something, it is merely being illuminated to me. I am being made conscious of an already existing truth.

These truths aren’t new. Almost anything new is false.

Because God has existed infinitely, and his Son came 2000 years ago, the truth of grace, along with all other truths have stood the test of time. That means that when I came to live out of grace in April 2005, I did not “receive a revelation of Grace.” In fact, I already knew about grace. I just reached my “dark night of the soul,” and finally moved from merely talking about my utter dependence on God to living in such a way.

You see, using the right words to describe things is more than just an issue of semantics. It is important that we use “revelation” to describe one thing and “illumination” to describe another because it does change how we understand life. Theologians have chosen throughout the millennia to use these words with their respective meanings, so we should join them in their use of each one to eliminate confusion. Theology is a really good tool, if it helps us live a life that brings glory to God, and/or if it helps us bring the glory of God to more people.

But, back to Gnosticism. Gnosticism teaches that we are saved through the revelation of a secret knowledge. Christianity teaches that we are saved through the sacrifice of God, who became a man. Gnosticism believes in a system. True Christianity believes in a person.

Many friends and people in my church have been influenced by a book called Grace Walk. This book by Steve McVey is a valuable tool in understanding the idea of Grace. If you are interested in knowing more about grace, I would recommend it to you as one avenue of learning that might benefit you. I would rather you read anything by John Piper, though.

Grace Walk has shaped a lot of my friends, but was not that revolutionary in my own life, because I already was living out of grace when I went through it. In the material, Steve McVey draws the distinction between “typical” Christianity and true Christianity. He says, essentially, that most Christians believe in a paradigm. In fact, recently, I was watching a YouTube video featuring T.D. Jakes, in which he refers to Jesus as a product. (A side note—Jakes also believes in the heresy of modalism, so he’s not exactly orthodox). McVey contrasts the belief of most Christians in a paradigm, with the reality that Christians should believe in a person.

I agree with what McVey is saying here—on the one hand, we have “traditional Christianity,” which just talks about having a way of life. It talks about principles and programs. Then, we have true Christianity. We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, who dwells within us, and empowers us by living His life through us. However, if we treat this unique way of life as merely knowledge, we make the same error as many Christians have made, by once again treating it all as a program, and not as a personal relationship. But this time, we err on the side of Gnosticism.

I think that many people who talk about Grace neglect to mention the error that they are more prone to than typical Christians. Typical Christians are already not living a life abiding in Christ. However, once we begin to live out of grace, we are prone to make the same mistake by becoming Gnostic, or at least Gnostic-like.

There is a fine line to walk, and it is important that we walk it. Why? For the glory of God. Next time we will examine that truth.

*The quote “all truth is God’s truth” is found in Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis. Bell then goes on to say that “Every truth is God’s truth.” I disagree with the latter statement, because you can have a partial truth included in “every truth.” God’s truth is the whole truth. So, there is a difference in saying that “all truth is God’s truth,” and “Every truth is God’s truth.”

Salami

Did you know Salami has milk in it? I just found that out. I'm lactose intolerant, so it's kind of an important thing to know.

On Grace and Gnosticism Part 2--Natural vs. Supernatural

Part 2 in an ongoing series on the similarities and differences between “typical” Christianity, Gnosticism, and true Christianity.

In my last blog in this series, we looked at how each of the 3 worldviews interacts with the natural and supernatural realm. I have some more thoughts on this issue.

True Christianity really does focus on both the natural and supernatural. While the gospel of John focuses on the supernatural (or Jesus as God), the other 3 gospels focus on the natural (Jesus as Man). In fact, Luke writes about the materially poor.

Or, consider Acts 4:33-4a. “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them.”

This type of writing shows that the natural conclusion of the supernatural power of the resurrection is very physical, very natural.

The strongest evidence for our need to live in our natural training as much as our supernatural is this:

The Greatest Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

To love God with your heart is emotional, with your mind is intellectual (hence the need for theology—it is commanded of us), with your soul is to let him work within and through you, and with your strength is an indication that we must be people who use our natural bodies and their capabilities. Loving God with our mind also means that we should be lifelong learners who use the things we learn for the glory of God.

As it says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I can’t think of anything more natural than eating and drinking.

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By stripping us of our natural abilities, we are telling God, “You screwed up. When you gave me this ability— when you gave me this experience, you made a mistake.”

A major point among young American Christians is that “Everything is spiritual.” Rob Bell popularized this saying, but I have to give credit to my good old Simpson University education for teaching me the idea that there is no sacred vs. secular.

In Hebrew, there is no word for “spiritual.” Why? Because if you asked Jesus or his disciples, “How is your spiritual walk?” they would laugh. Everything is part of their spiritual walk. If God has given you training in counseling or psychology, or if he has given you medical experience (like Luke, author of two gospels, and companion to Paul), those are just as spiritual as their respective spiritual gifts of exhortation and healing.

Using medicine as an example:

Tell me, what is the harder miracle? A God who can command healing? Or a God who can use broken earthly vessels like doctors to do it?

These people who are all broken. Who are all limited. 2 Corinthians 4:7 calls us “earthen vessels.” Yes, we have the glory of God in us, but we live in a paradox. We live in a kingdom that is here, but not yet here. We are sanctified, but being sanctified. We are saved by grace, but we also must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)

So, these broken people invent medicines and surgeries using the resources and creativity God has bestowed on them. Then other broken, fallen people administer those tools. Imagine a God who can create something that can take care of itself. Isn’t that a beautiful miracle? Doesn’t that display the power and sovereignty of God even more?

The problem is that we forget to give God the glory when we have medical healing or when we have a changed life through counseling. I think if we start giving God the glory he deserves for his miraculous power in the natural world he made, we will begin to see more miracles both of the “natural” and “supernatural” type.

A typical Christian response will be to turn to medicine as the answer, while a response that denies that God could use medicine is actually a simple form of gnosticism.

That's really too bad, because many great Christian teachers on healing have fallen into this error. Consider A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian & Missionary Alliance. He was healed of a medically incurable disease, and developed a really good theology of healing. However, he erred in that he taught that medical healing is not godly. This denial of God's hand in the creation of medicines and treatments robs God of his astounding creativity and his capability to use all things for his glory.

Back-Cataloging my blogs

I'm in the process of copying over all of my Myspace blogs to Blogspot. A primary reason for me to switch to blogspot is that Julie has tons of time to kill at work (not all the time, but a lot of it), and she can't get on myspace, but she can get on Blogspot. So I started at the beginning, and I am copying them over manually. So far, I'm through June of 2005, which is over 40 posts.

It's rather tedious work, but it's good because it's forcing me to read my thoughts from a few years ago. I realize how much I've grown up in those 3 years. Even after I had a month that transformed me and turned me into a better writer/thinker (and got me started blogging), I still had a long way to grow up.

Which reminds me that I still do.

If doing this screws up your blog reader, sorry!

On Grace and Gnosticsim Part 1

In the past year, many people in my life have discussed the idea of grace and the concept of sanctification.

Essentially, true Christianity teaches that humans are incapable of pleasing God, and it is only when we realize our own insufficiency and surrender to God’s grace that we can live the Christian life.

Only Jesus is capable of living the Christian life, but each Christian knows that Jesus lives through them. A great deal of writing on this topic is found in Romans.

As I’ve discussed grace with friends (particularly Josh Mello), we’ve found a few instances when the truth about grace sounds awfully close to Gnosticism. 

So, I want to start examining the similarities and differences between 3 ways of thought:

1. A “typical” view of Christianity (without enough emphasis on Grace)

2. Gnosticism

3.A correct view of Christianity (with Grace)

First off, Gnosticism needs to be defined. Gnosticism is one of the earliest Christian heresies. In fact, many of its beliefs may predate the time of Christ on the Earth. Essentially, Gnosticism is the belief that salvation is through some knowledge . This is clear from the etymology of the word (gnosis "knowledge", gnostikos, "good at knowing"). (source)

Gnosticism teaches that all matter is evil, and it is only through the secret knowledge that the soul can be freed from its slavery to matter.

The first issue to look at is the relationship between the natural and supernatural.

Typical Christianity tends to focus too much on the natural world. We think we are capable of living the Christian life. We believe we are capable of attaining holiness through our own will power and effort. This way of living neglects the supernatural empowering of the Holy Spirit and the fact that Christ lives in us. It also leaves the Cross at the moment of salvation, while in reality, we need to be constantly relying on the Cross throughout our lives—at the moment of salvation and beyond.

Gnosticism, on the other hand, rejects the natural world, and focuses solely on the supernatural. Gnostics taught that the whole point of life was to escape our trapping to the material realm. Really, this worldview is an awful lot like Hinduism/Buddhism. Both of those religions teach that beings are perpetually trapped in a variety of bodies, and it is only through Maya (Hindusim) or Nirvana (Buddhism) that the soul can be freed from its material prison.

Gnostics believe that once a secret knowledge is found, people can be freed from the material realm. Now, this sounds similar to Romans 7-8, where the flesh is talked about in great length. Essentially Paul is discussing the fact that our flesh (or as the NIV calls it “sinful nature”) still leads us to make bad decisions, despite the fact that we have died and Christ lives within us.

Again, Satan has taken a truth and twisted it. And unless we are aware of what Satan has done, we may end up falling into such a belief.

True Christianity believes that the natural and supernatural are both real and both good. You see, God says matter—the physical, natural realm—is good. Read Genesis 1. Five times he talks about physical things as good, and once as very good. Yes, we are fallen and so is the entire created order, but God has a desire to save it. Check out Romans 8:21, God desires to liberate creation, not to throw it away and start over.

Notably, this passage is found in the middle of Paul’s discourse on Grace.

So, Paul is making a point. Yes, our flesh leads us to sin, but matter is not evil. It too will be redeemed. When it is redeemed, death and decay will be done away with.

So, we live in a paradox. The doctrine of grace teaches that we used to have a sin nature. We used to be inherently sinful, but through our baptism into Christ, we now have Christ living within us. His grace permeates our being, and now our sin nature is dead. On the opposite pole, our flesh (sinful nature*) still exists, and has a tendency to lead us to sin (Romans 8:5). However, this flesh is not inherently evil, but just is an entity that is subject to decay as a result of the Fall. Eventually, we will not succumb to the desires of the flesh, and our bodies will be resurrected (Romans 8:11). The material realm will not be done away with. It will be redeemed in whole (Romans 8:21).

I believe we have a responsibility to redeem the world as much as we can. God can’t redeem the whole of material existence until the world is re-made, but for now we bear a responsibility to redeem as much as we encounter. Why? Because the Kingdom of God is within us (Luke 17:21).

*The NIV uses the term "sinful nature" where most translations use "flesh." There is a difference in the Greek word between "sin nature" and "sinful nature"/"flesh." Our "Sin Nature" is dead when we choose to live in Christ, while our flesh/"Sinful nature" still exists.

2 really good articles

I found these 2 great articles on relevantmagazine.com You may have already read them.

They say a lot of things I already believe in, with a lot of evidence/examples I was unaware of.

The first is about the difference between charity and justice. This is an issue I am passionate about. Most of American society is currently into charity. I disagree with the article when it says we need to be about charity along with justice, because I define justice differently.

I think that meeting immediate needs is part of justice. Justice from a Christian perspective boils down to "Love your neighbor as yourself," (while the twin value of righteousness boils down to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."). So, I believe that we, as Christians need to be living from a place of meeting immediate needs and solving long-term problems.

And, we need to be doing so in a way that requires sacrifice.

This next article deals with the issue that our consumerism and our belief in justice seem to be running into each other. This is not a good place to stay. We need to live justice-filled lives because we believe that Jesus loves our neighbor as much as he loves us. It also features interviews with Donald Miller, Shane Claiborne, and Tony Campolo, so of course there's great stuff in there.

Piper on the Prosperity "Gospel"

I love his passion. This is an issue that is really important. It's not just a little side thought. The glory of God is what it's all about, and if we aren't passionate about God's glory, then we are completely missing the point.

Migrant workers as a prophetic sign of blessing

We were discussing this passage at our small group tonight. It is clear from the context that having other people working for you (instead of being exiled to them) is a sign of blessing. I thought it kind of interesting that God uses migrant farm workers as a symbol of blessing in the Bible.

Isaiah 61:5

Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

I used the TNIV because I like it for most things, but I also like how most translations say "Aliens will shepherd your flocks." That just makes me want crop circles.

In any case, this adds to the thoughts in my head regarding a Christian response to legal and illegal immigration.

Sleep

On Sunday, Julie's parents came over. They ended up staying at our house after church until about 6 pm. We spent the entire time either eating outside (it's so great to eat outside in early March) or talking at the kitchen table.

After a short break where I thought about doing my homework for my JC classes, Julie and I ate dinner with my parents (around 7:30). We sat there until 11 PM, so basically, we were sitting at tables from 1 PM to 11 PM, minus an hour or so.

That meant that Julie and I wanted to spend some time just the two of us, so we stayed up until 1:45.

We had to leave for the airport at 4:50, so we got up at 4:15. And, I couldn't fall asleep at first, so I got 2 hours of sleep.

I got back from the airport around 8:15 and took a shower.

I had class at 10, but I was too exhausted to go. Instead I took a nap from 9:30 to 2:30.

So all day, I have been exhausted.

It's 1:50 AM now, but I've been staying up to do my homework for my Photoshop and Illustrator classes. We had a great small group discussion earlier tonight. Maybe I will write about it sometime soon.

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It's funny. 2 years ago, I was still in college, and getting 2 hours of sleep wouldn't stop me from going to school. Now I can't handle it.

But, at least I've returned to college form and I'm blogging instead of going to sleep despite my current state of tiredness.

The best surprise of my life (my 100th post...technically)

Today we had our reunion party for the Camp South Africa 2007 team. I was shocked when my amazing girlfriend, Julie tapped me on the shoulder.

She had been planning on surprising me at the team reunion, because it was originally going to be the weekend around Valentine's, but I sabotaged that plan through my persistence in wanting to visit her during that time.

I told myself I would still expect her to show up and surprise me at the reunion, but then I forgot about that possibility, and was completely caught off-guard today. Her parents were already planning to come here tomorrow, I knew, but I really fell for the ruse that her dad just needed to have a meeting with my dad (her dad is the District Superintendent of our area in the Christian & Missionary Alliance, so he oversees a bunch of churches, including ours, and Alliance Redwoods, and some other things).

It's funny, because last night we were on the phone, and I thought she was getting tired, but she told me today that she was just faking being tired and intentionally mumbling to trick me. But, she got up at 5 am, hopped on a plane, flew through Vegas, and got here just in time for the reunion.

Crazy. I will never forget it.

So, I persuaded her (with help from my dad) to sing and play piano with me tomorrow at church. I'm really excited about it, since I was planning on doing an acoustic week at church, and as I picked each song, I thought to myself, "I wish Julie was here, it would add so much to this song."

Tonight we went out to sushi with my parents. It's funny that Julie likes sushi, but doesn't like cooked fish.

Also tonight, I finally fixed my acoustic guitar. We'll see how long it stays in good condition.

Lastly, this is technically my 100th post on blogspot. I did post a few dozen pictures as individual blogs, though. For the middle part of 2006, I used this blog to host pictures for my myspace blog.

But, now I'm back to what my dad calls "grown-up blogging."