Not only am I skipping lunch this week, but I'm experiencing probably the coldest week I've ever felt in Sonoma County.
The plan for my fast was to help me think more about people who go without food, but I've found myself also more aware of the fact that so many people are without shelter.
I am aware that there are people living without shelter around the world, but what has really gotten to me this week is that if I was homeless, I would choose to live in a place like Santa Rosa, where it gets cold, but only freezes a handful of times each year. So an abnormally cold week like this one does matter.
I'm learning to be more thankful for the essentials: food, shelter, water.
God, help me to remember what I'm learning. I want to actually mean what I say when I pray before a meal and thank you for providing food. Don't let me forget what it feels like to be cold, hungry, or both. I know I've only experienced a small taste of what others feel for weeks or years at a time.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Monday, December 07, 2009
Fasting Day 1: Culture, Justice, Gluttony, and Football
This week, our church is spending some time fasting. I'm fasting from lunch every day to spend time reflecting on what God has provided for me and to pray for people who go without food. I don't like talking about it when I fast. In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus tells us to fast in secret.
But, as we fast as a church, it's my role to lead the group of people who are fasting from lunch all week, and one of the points of communal fasting is to be able to encourage one another and grow closer together as we fast. So, for the next few days, I'll be sharing my thought on what I'm experiencing.
Last time I did a week-long fast from lunch, I just did it on the weekdays. This week, I decided to start on Sunday.
So, as I sat and watched football after church, I lamented the fact that I couldn't snack on chips or cookies while I watched the game.
That really says something about how I have bought into American culture. Sitting on the couch, watching football on a cold day, and snacking. That's a pretty great Sunday afternoon in December for many American men.
But, I couldn't snack. It bugged me. I thought to myself, "Why did you start the fast today? That was stupid! You could be eating chips and drinking soda, but instead, you're hungry."
I realized that I have become accustomed to what my culture says is normal. It's normal to eat junk food all afternoon once a week for 16 weeks out of the year.
Is this the way we're supposed to live? I recently read a book that pointed out that as Americans, we have all sorts of new diseases that are specific to our culture. Everyone else around the world deals with things like malnutrition, anemia, dysentery, and things that stem from lack of food.
In America, the land of plenty, we die from things like obesity, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and other things that stem from having too much. You could throw in things like liver disease and alcoholism (and all related accidents) because we can afford booze.
God knows what's best for each of us. And that means He also knows what's good for our bodies. Fasting accomplishes many things. For one, it causes us to become more aware of the fact that we've been duped by culture. Our culture has made it normal to be gluttons. It's amazing that we don't ever talk about the sin of gluttony. Just as one can sin sexually by enjoying sex out of the context God made it for (marriage), one can sin through enjoying food out of the context God meant it for--when we eat to pass the time or to deal with issues or just because it's available, we have made food into a god.
Yet, most people around the world don't have enough food. 3 billion people on earth (about half of the world's population) live on less than $3 per day. Every day, 16,000 children die of starvation--that's one every 5 seconds(source).
Is this fair? Is this just?
The odd thing is that if we actually chose to live a just, fair life, we would solve many of the health issues of the poor and the rich. By fasting, we don't get to snack on artery-clogging junk food all day, and we save money that we can give to the poor. It's really a win for God, a win for the poor, and win for ourselves.
But too often, we choose to go with our culture, instead of following the Apostle Paul's exhortation in Romans 12:1-2 to no longer conform to our culture, but to be transformed.
______________________________________
Lord, I confess that I have become independent--I have ceased being dependent on you for my daily bread. I have conformed to the pattern of this world, instead of following the example of Jesus, who denied himself in order to benefit those in need.
Just as Jesus set aside His spiritual richness to save the poor in Spirit, help me to set aside my own plenty so that I have more to give those in need.
But, as we fast as a church, it's my role to lead the group of people who are fasting from lunch all week, and one of the points of communal fasting is to be able to encourage one another and grow closer together as we fast. So, for the next few days, I'll be sharing my thought on what I'm experiencing.
Last time I did a week-long fast from lunch, I just did it on the weekdays. This week, I decided to start on Sunday.
So, as I sat and watched football after church, I lamented the fact that I couldn't snack on chips or cookies while I watched the game.
That really says something about how I have bought into American culture. Sitting on the couch, watching football on a cold day, and snacking. That's a pretty great Sunday afternoon in December for many American men.
But, I couldn't snack. It bugged me. I thought to myself, "Why did you start the fast today? That was stupid! You could be eating chips and drinking soda, but instead, you're hungry."
I realized that I have become accustomed to what my culture says is normal. It's normal to eat junk food all afternoon once a week for 16 weeks out of the year.
Is this the way we're supposed to live? I recently read a book that pointed out that as Americans, we have all sorts of new diseases that are specific to our culture. Everyone else around the world deals with things like malnutrition, anemia, dysentery, and things that stem from lack of food.
In America, the land of plenty, we die from things like obesity, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and other things that stem from having too much. You could throw in things like liver disease and alcoholism (and all related accidents) because we can afford booze.
God knows what's best for each of us. And that means He also knows what's good for our bodies. Fasting accomplishes many things. For one, it causes us to become more aware of the fact that we've been duped by culture. Our culture has made it normal to be gluttons. It's amazing that we don't ever talk about the sin of gluttony. Just as one can sin sexually by enjoying sex out of the context God made it for (marriage), one can sin through enjoying food out of the context God meant it for--when we eat to pass the time or to deal with issues or just because it's available, we have made food into a god.
Yet, most people around the world don't have enough food. 3 billion people on earth (about half of the world's population) live on less than $3 per day. Every day, 16,000 children die of starvation--that's one every 5 seconds(source).
Is this fair? Is this just?
The odd thing is that if we actually chose to live a just, fair life, we would solve many of the health issues of the poor and the rich. By fasting, we don't get to snack on artery-clogging junk food all day, and we save money that we can give to the poor. It's really a win for God, a win for the poor, and win for ourselves.
But too often, we choose to go with our culture, instead of following the Apostle Paul's exhortation in Romans 12:1-2 to no longer conform to our culture, but to be transformed.
______________________________________
Lord, I confess that I have become independent--I have ceased being dependent on you for my daily bread. I have conformed to the pattern of this world, instead of following the example of Jesus, who denied himself in order to benefit those in need.
Just as Jesus set aside His spiritual richness to save the poor in Spirit, help me to set aside my own plenty so that I have more to give those in need.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Update on the tree farm
I've posted a few blogs about how my little backyard tree farm is doing (Here's the first post). To be honest, my green thumb has been hiding for a few months, as I haven't watered my plants or even had to mow the field at church for awhile. It's great having a lot of volunteers to help out there. I'm sure I'll be involved with that stuff in the future, but the weeds aren't growing too fast right now.
I figured I better post some last 2009 pictures though, since I'm sure my trees are about to lose their leaves/die due to the cold weather coming.
As usual, you can click on the pictures and see bigger versions.
This shot has the Avocado, the Silver Maple (the smallest one), and both Japanese Maples that I dug up at my parents' house in March or April.
And that last shot is of the Japanese Maple I dug up at my grandparents' house over the summer. It was dead, but came back. The dead leaves ended up getting a little bit green again, but those are the leaves that are currently reddish. Oddly, the other Japanese Maples around here are pretty much leafless, but my baby trees are still just starting to experience fall.
I figured I better post some last 2009 pictures though, since I'm sure my trees are about to lose their leaves/die due to the cold weather coming.
As usual, you can click on the pictures and see bigger versions.
This shot has the Avocado, the Silver Maple (the smallest one), and both Japanese Maples that I dug up at my parents' house in March or April.
And that last shot is of the Japanese Maple I dug up at my grandparents' house over the summer. It was dead, but came back. The dead leaves ended up getting a little bit green again, but those are the leaves that are currently reddish. Oddly, the other Japanese Maples around here are pretty much leafless, but my baby trees are still just starting to experience fall.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Should Advent start on November 1st?
A few hours ago, I posted this on Twitter and Facebook:
"Since the retail industry starts the "holiday season" at the beginning of October, should the American Church celebrate advent that early?"
I meant to write November, so that's why the title of this blog doesn't match the original question. :)
People are already thinking about Christmas, or at least the holidays, so should those of us who are Christians talk about Christmas so early as well?
I think so.
The concept of Christmas is near opposite to what the retail industry celebrates. Commercialism and Materialism emphasize spending, things, wealth, and even debt.
Here's what Christmas is about: God in flesh--the incarnation. What are the major concepts in the incarnation?
Sacrifice, people, choosing to become poor, and grace are the key concepts of the incarnation. Those are near opposite to the concepts of spending, things, wealth, and debt.
So, as Christians, we should begin to emphasize the concepts of Jesus' incarnation as much as possible, and especially to counteract society's obsession with acquiring stuff.
As my friend Juan wrote in response to my original post, "Most of the Christian holidays, if not all, were established to counteract the pagan celebrations."
We need to establish a holiday to counteract our materialistic celebration of money. Bring on the Advent Conspiracy!
"Since the retail industry starts the "holiday season" at the beginning of October, should the American Church celebrate advent that early?"
I meant to write November, so that's why the title of this blog doesn't match the original question. :)
People are already thinking about Christmas, or at least the holidays, so should those of us who are Christians talk about Christmas so early as well?
I think so.
The concept of Christmas is near opposite to what the retail industry celebrates. Commercialism and Materialism emphasize spending, things, wealth, and even debt.
Here's what Christmas is about: God in flesh--the incarnation. What are the major concepts in the incarnation?
Sacrifice, people, choosing to become poor, and grace are the key concepts of the incarnation. Those are near opposite to the concepts of spending, things, wealth, and debt.
So, as Christians, we should begin to emphasize the concepts of Jesus' incarnation as much as possible, and especially to counteract society's obsession with acquiring stuff.
As my friend Juan wrote in response to my original post, "Most of the Christian holidays, if not all, were established to counteract the pagan celebrations."
We need to establish a holiday to counteract our materialistic celebration of money. Bring on the Advent Conspiracy!
Saturday, November 07, 2009
If you're not an artist, don't compare artists
Have you ever criticized a work of art? A song? A painting? A movie? It's OK to not like something because your taste doesn't agree with it. But, it's not OK to bash it for being too much like something else or breaking rules of art, unless you actually have a background in that sort of art.
I've been reading a lot of music reviews lately because I've been buying a lot of new music. There are a lot of music snobs out there who think they know everything about music. Most music snobs aren't even musicians, much less people with any sort of experience in producing (arranging the instrumentation of a song).
They aren't songwriters, creators, or technologically informed people who know how gear works.
Here's an example. I've written about how I enjoy the new band "The Temper Trap." They had a song "Sweet Disposition" on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack. I liked it. I listened to the rest of their album and loved it. The other songs don't sound much like "Sweet Disposition." So check out this example:
When I read a review comparing The Temper Trap to U2, I find such a comparison to be partially beneficial, but also incredibly inaccurate.
Yes, both bands have lead singers with quite a big vocal range. "Sweet Disposition" uses a dotted 8th delay on the guitar (most people could recognize that distinct sound even if they didn't know how it was done). Both bands have a mixture of Christian and non-Christian band members that influences their lyrics.
But comparing them is ludicrous. U2's musical distinctives are (in order):
Another example that bugs me is in the area of electronic music. People put artists like Imogen Heap and the Postal Service in the same category. They don't sound at all alike, if you know anything about how a synthesizer works. Imogen uses what I think are more sine waves and high-pass filtered square waves. On the other hand, it sounds like the Postal Service uses a lot of low-pass filtered square waves and sawtooth waves.
You can create infinite variances of sounds based on what waveform you start with and how you filter it. But to the uneducated music critic, it sounds the same. I read one review calling Imogen's new album "Organic electronica." That has to do a lot with what sort of waveforms she uses.
We're probably beginning to see a "second generation" of indie synthpop arising, and they're going to mimic their influences. If they're decent, they can reorganize waveforms and re-voice their sounds. The average music fan still probably won't be able to tell the difference, and thus has no credibility to talk about it. They will write it off as copycat music, even though the use of synths was only new in the 70s and 80s, and some of the other muscial concepts could be attributed to 80s new wave.
There is a lot more to music theory than knowing chord progressions, rhythms, and melodic structure. Timbre and tone make a huge difference. The problem is (in this postmodern, internet age), that anyone with a blog can review stuff and feel qualified to talk about it.
As an artist, you always have to find the balance of pushing yourself experimentally and sounding somewhat like other musicians you enjoy. You don't want to come out of left field or no one will like it.
As certain styles become "pop," they become imitable. That's the reality of music. Things do start to sound more alike.
But please, if you don't know what you're talking about, turn down your critical attitude and let people express themselves. It's hard enough to write a song and arrange it without your so-called expert opinion.
______________________
I know more about music in this area, but I'm sure the same is true with everything else creative. When I take photos and edit them, I do so in a style like other photographers I like. Is this a plagiaristic insult or the highest form of compliment?
When I'm designing something (website, logo, motion graphic), I'm going to copy elements of other artists who I enjoy. It would be stupid not to.
It's scary to put your work out there for others to see. If you don't like it, just keep your mouth shut (like Thumper's mom said in Bambi). If you like it, then encourage the artist, because their taste and your taste happen to align.
I basically find no reason for the average person to discuss their dislike of art in a public forum. Of course you can dislike things, and it's good to learn why you dislike and like things (kind of--once you learn the theory, the joy of art gets lost a bit). But until you get to the point where you understand exactly what the artist was doing and exactly why they did everything, you really aren't an authority on anything, and don't deserve to pull their work down.
___________________________
This really all goes back to the idea that each of us is made in the image of God and each of us is meant to create--to express ourselves. To judge anything that someone else creates from an attitude of snobbishness is to insult the image of God in that person. It is possible to call people to really dig deep and be more creative without insulting their imago Dei, but all too often we don't do that. I know I often criticize art and I am sorry for that. Yeah, I whine about how most Christian Music is lacking. And maybe the artists could be better, but I need to acknowledge that these are ordinary people like me who are doing their best to express the thoughts and ideas they have through art. I commend them for that.
I've been reading a lot of music reviews lately because I've been buying a lot of new music. There are a lot of music snobs out there who think they know everything about music. Most music snobs aren't even musicians, much less people with any sort of experience in producing (arranging the instrumentation of a song).
They aren't songwriters, creators, or technologically informed people who know how gear works.
Here's an example. I've written about how I enjoy the new band "The Temper Trap." They had a song "Sweet Disposition" on the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack. I liked it. I listened to the rest of their album and loved it. The other songs don't sound much like "Sweet Disposition." So check out this example:
When I read a review comparing The Temper Trap to U2, I find such a comparison to be partially beneficial, but also incredibly inaccurate.
Yes, both bands have lead singers with quite a big vocal range. "Sweet Disposition" uses a dotted 8th delay on the guitar (most people could recognize that distinct sound even if they didn't know how it was done). Both bands have a mixture of Christian and non-Christian band members that influences their lyrics.
But comparing them is ludicrous. U2's musical distinctives are (in order):
- percussive, dotted 8th delay-laden guitars run through a Vox AC30 amp
- Bono's voice
- melodic bass lines
- syncopated drums
- driving drums
- Dougy's voice
- One song has a U2-like delay, but even that song has delay-free, completely different chord shapes on the pre-chorus and chorus. Not to mention that their choices of guitars and amps aren't the same as U2, which changes the tone significantly to the trained ear.
Another example that bugs me is in the area of electronic music. People put artists like Imogen Heap and the Postal Service in the same category. They don't sound at all alike, if you know anything about how a synthesizer works. Imogen uses what I think are more sine waves and high-pass filtered square waves. On the other hand, it sounds like the Postal Service uses a lot of low-pass filtered square waves and sawtooth waves.
You can create infinite variances of sounds based on what waveform you start with and how you filter it. But to the uneducated music critic, it sounds the same. I read one review calling Imogen's new album "Organic electronica." That has to do a lot with what sort of waveforms she uses.
We're probably beginning to see a "second generation" of indie synthpop arising, and they're going to mimic their influences. If they're decent, they can reorganize waveforms and re-voice their sounds. The average music fan still probably won't be able to tell the difference, and thus has no credibility to talk about it. They will write it off as copycat music, even though the use of synths was only new in the 70s and 80s, and some of the other muscial concepts could be attributed to 80s new wave.
There is a lot more to music theory than knowing chord progressions, rhythms, and melodic structure. Timbre and tone make a huge difference. The problem is (in this postmodern, internet age), that anyone with a blog can review stuff and feel qualified to talk about it.
As an artist, you always have to find the balance of pushing yourself experimentally and sounding somewhat like other musicians you enjoy. You don't want to come out of left field or no one will like it.
As certain styles become "pop," they become imitable. That's the reality of music. Things do start to sound more alike.
But please, if you don't know what you're talking about, turn down your critical attitude and let people express themselves. It's hard enough to write a song and arrange it without your so-called expert opinion.
______________________
I know more about music in this area, but I'm sure the same is true with everything else creative. When I take photos and edit them, I do so in a style like other photographers I like. Is this a plagiaristic insult or the highest form of compliment?
When I'm designing something (website, logo, motion graphic), I'm going to copy elements of other artists who I enjoy. It would be stupid not to.
It's scary to put your work out there for others to see. If you don't like it, just keep your mouth shut (like Thumper's mom said in Bambi). If you like it, then encourage the artist, because their taste and your taste happen to align.
I basically find no reason for the average person to discuss their dislike of art in a public forum. Of course you can dislike things, and it's good to learn why you dislike and like things (kind of--once you learn the theory, the joy of art gets lost a bit). But until you get to the point where you understand exactly what the artist was doing and exactly why they did everything, you really aren't an authority on anything, and don't deserve to pull their work down.
___________________________
This really all goes back to the idea that each of us is made in the image of God and each of us is meant to create--to express ourselves. To judge anything that someone else creates from an attitude of snobbishness is to insult the image of God in that person. It is possible to call people to really dig deep and be more creative without insulting their imago Dei, but all too often we don't do that. I know I often criticize art and I am sorry for that. Yeah, I whine about how most Christian Music is lacking. And maybe the artists could be better, but I need to acknowledge that these are ordinary people like me who are doing their best to express the thoughts and ideas they have through art. I commend them for that.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Live Music Week -vs.- Just Spending
A few nights ago I was lying in bed and thought, "what was I doing 24 hours ago?"
I was leaving a concert in San Francisco.
"What was I doing 7 days ago at this hour?"
I was leaving a concert in San Francisco (at the Fillmore)
"What was I doing 2 years ago today?"
I was leaving a concert in San Francisco (at the Fillmore)
That makes it sound like I go to shows all the time. While that's not true, Julie and I did just go to 3 concerts in 7 days. First, we saw Mute Math at the Fillmore, then The David Crowder Band in Sacramento, and then The Temper Trap in San Francisco.
All three shows featured some of my favorite bands, and some of the bands with the best live shows.
I think we spent almost $200 on tickets. Since we don't go to movies, or have a very good cable package, we don't spend that much on entertainment, but it still is a lot.
_____________________
On Sunday, I preached a sermon on justice. Talking about and thinking about justice makes me question the ways I spend my money. Is it worth it for me to pay $70 for 2 tickets to a concert? That provides 2 hours of entertainment for Julie and me. We have to spend even more money to drive to the city and park.
Or, I could take my $70 (more like $90 after gas and parking), and send it overseas. I wonder how much food I could buy. If over 1 billion people make less than $1 a day, then I just spent 3 months wages on 2 hours.
If half of the world's population makes under $3 per day, then I just spent a month's wages.
_____________________________
The passage I preached on (Leviticus 25) indicates that God values us treating others justly, but also values what seems fair to us--we are allowed to spend our money on ourselves, it would seem. Listen to the sermon online.
I don't feel bad about going to the concerts. But I have spent a lot of time thinking about what justice looks like in my spending habits. I think it's important for every person to think long and hard about the ways they spend their money and if they are treating others justly.
____________________________
Tonight, we're helping out at the Camp South Africa banquet. I hope they raise a lot of money.
___________________________
By the way, the concerts were all great. Mute Math is less impressive live than they used to be, but still great. David Crowder Band is funny, thoughtful, innovative, and nearly virtuosic on their instruments. And the Temper Trap is the best small band you've never heard of, and possibly my new favorite band. Since Mute Math's live show is not what it was, The Temper Trap has definitely supplanted them as my favorite live band. I love their sound, I love that an Asian frontman is rocking the mic, I love that two of them are outspoken about their faith in Jesus. I love that they have ties to a great movie--(500) Days of Summer-- (and for me, are one of the reasons the movie was great).
So there you have it--Justice and Art.
I was leaving a concert in San Francisco.
"What was I doing 7 days ago at this hour?"
I was leaving a concert in San Francisco (at the Fillmore)
"What was I doing 2 years ago today?"
I was leaving a concert in San Francisco (at the Fillmore)
That makes it sound like I go to shows all the time. While that's not true, Julie and I did just go to 3 concerts in 7 days. First, we saw Mute Math at the Fillmore, then The David Crowder Band in Sacramento, and then The Temper Trap in San Francisco.
All three shows featured some of my favorite bands, and some of the bands with the best live shows.
I think we spent almost $200 on tickets. Since we don't go to movies, or have a very good cable package, we don't spend that much on entertainment, but it still is a lot.
_____________________
On Sunday, I preached a sermon on justice. Talking about and thinking about justice makes me question the ways I spend my money. Is it worth it for me to pay $70 for 2 tickets to a concert? That provides 2 hours of entertainment for Julie and me. We have to spend even more money to drive to the city and park.
Or, I could take my $70 (more like $90 after gas and parking), and send it overseas. I wonder how much food I could buy. If over 1 billion people make less than $1 a day, then I just spent 3 months wages on 2 hours.
If half of the world's population makes under $3 per day, then I just spent a month's wages.
_____________________________
The passage I preached on (Leviticus 25) indicates that God values us treating others justly, but also values what seems fair to us--we are allowed to spend our money on ourselves, it would seem. Listen to the sermon online.
I don't feel bad about going to the concerts. But I have spent a lot of time thinking about what justice looks like in my spending habits. I think it's important for every person to think long and hard about the ways they spend their money and if they are treating others justly.
____________________________
Tonight, we're helping out at the Camp South Africa banquet. I hope they raise a lot of money.
___________________________
By the way, the concerts were all great. Mute Math is less impressive live than they used to be, but still great. David Crowder Band is funny, thoughtful, innovative, and nearly virtuosic on their instruments. And the Temper Trap is the best small band you've never heard of, and possibly my new favorite band. Since Mute Math's live show is not what it was, The Temper Trap has definitely supplanted them as my favorite live band. I love their sound, I love that an Asian frontman is rocking the mic, I love that two of them are outspoken about their faith in Jesus. I love that they have ties to a great movie--(500) Days of Summer-- (and for me, are one of the reasons the movie was great).
So there you have it--Justice and Art.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Website accomplished!
I finished my first ever real website. There will always be minor edits, and some are coming as early as this week. But, I got the bulk of it done and posted. I don't know how long I spent on it--80 hours?
The thing I feel most satisfied with is that everything is 100% compliant with the W3 standards (which are the standards of coding). I have not seen any church websites that actually are 100% compliant. But, it is hugely important. Browsers load compliant web pages more quickly, and that is especially true with Internet Explorer 8.
Also, blind computer users are able to use screen reading programs to hear what is on the page.
Sonoma County has an abnormally high number of webdesigners because the Santa Rosa Junior College is well recognized in the digital arts field as one of the most influential colleges in the world (for example, Adobe products cost less for SRJC students than for Adobe employees, and about half as much as they charge the average college student).
Because SRJC-educated webdesigners know about web standards, it's all the more important that a local organization has a validating website--or we're not maintaining a high enough quality of programming to appeal to those people who happen to know a thing or two about html. It may seem insignificant, but everything we do matters.
Design wise, we wanted to emphasize the Web 2.0 style that is popular (menu at the top, rounded edges, reflections, drop shadows, shiny stuff) because we want to express that we are committed to engaging in dialogue with culture, no matter how fast culture changes. If web styles move on in a year, then the site needs to be redone.
Relevance is more important than longevity.
Also, there is a prominent place for the church's social networks. The church does have a system of authority (pastors, elders, small group leaders, kids' leaders, etc.), but everyone is involved with the church--it's neither democracy nor dictatorship. So, involvement in each others' lives is important, hence the emphasis on social networks.
If you want to check everything out, go to http://www.mwnc.org.
_________________________
I've been getting so many long-term projects done lately that I feel like I'm getting over a year and a half long procrastination period (well starting to get over it). From wedding videos to photography editing to ordination papers, I've been a lot more focused lately.
The thing I feel most satisfied with is that everything is 100% compliant with the W3 standards (which are the standards of coding). I have not seen any church websites that actually are 100% compliant. But, it is hugely important. Browsers load compliant web pages more quickly, and that is especially true with Internet Explorer 8.
Also, blind computer users are able to use screen reading programs to hear what is on the page.
Sonoma County has an abnormally high number of webdesigners because the Santa Rosa Junior College is well recognized in the digital arts field as one of the most influential colleges in the world (for example, Adobe products cost less for SRJC students than for Adobe employees, and about half as much as they charge the average college student).
Because SRJC-educated webdesigners know about web standards, it's all the more important that a local organization has a validating website--or we're not maintaining a high enough quality of programming to appeal to those people who happen to know a thing or two about html. It may seem insignificant, but everything we do matters.
Design wise, we wanted to emphasize the Web 2.0 style that is popular (menu at the top, rounded edges, reflections, drop shadows, shiny stuff) because we want to express that we are committed to engaging in dialogue with culture, no matter how fast culture changes. If web styles move on in a year, then the site needs to be redone.
Relevance is more important than longevity.
Also, there is a prominent place for the church's social networks. The church does have a system of authority (pastors, elders, small group leaders, kids' leaders, etc.), but everyone is involved with the church--it's neither democracy nor dictatorship. So, involvement in each others' lives is important, hence the emphasis on social networks.
If you want to check everything out, go to http://www.mwnc.org.
_________________________
I've been getting so many long-term projects done lately that I feel like I'm getting over a year and a half long procrastination period (well starting to get over it). From wedding videos to photography editing to ordination papers, I've been a lot more focused lately.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
an update on my tree-growing ventures
I posted a blog awhile ago about how I've started growing trees in my back "yard"--an area that is really just a patio with a fence around it--about 12' x 20'.
Well, the biggest tree I had was a Japanese Maple that I dug up from my grandparents' house. It was about 4 feet tall. I took a picture of it and put it on the blog, and it looked nice. But, then it started to die. I cut the top foot off of it the day after I planted it. It kept dying. For the last month and a half, it's been a green stick with a bunch of brown leaves on it.
Last week I gave up on it ever making a comeback.
But there is great hope! Today I noticed new leaves. The picture at left shows you the resurrected Japanese Maple. The old leaves are starting to turn green again too, which is crazy, since they were dead and crinkled up.
This picture is of my little avocado tree, grown from a pit. It looks great. Unfortunately, I was reading yesterday that it's very easy to grow avocados from a pit, and then just have them die on you as soon as winter hits. The best part was that I was reading an article by the bassist for the David Crowder Band in the magazine that came with their new CD for all of the people who preordered it. It was the perfect magazine for someone like me--about a band I like, with articles on theology, music theory, gardening, etc., and ads for keyboards and guitars. Hopefully my tree makes it.
The other trees in the previous picture can be seen better in the one on the left. There are two little Japanese maples that I dug up from my parents' house when they were about an inch tall. They're over a foot now. I had to duct tape 2 kebab skewers together to keep the trees growing straight. There's also a little Silver Maple in there. It's growing well too.
The Japanese Maple on the left, the avocado tree, and one of my redwood trees are finally starting to look a little bit like wood instead of just like sprouts. That is promising.
I know that not very many people out there care much about my trees. But hopefully it's interesting reading anyway. Well, maybe interesting is a bit of an overstatement.
Well, the biggest tree I had was a Japanese Maple that I dug up from my grandparents' house. It was about 4 feet tall. I took a picture of it and put it on the blog, and it looked nice. But, then it started to die. I cut the top foot off of it the day after I planted it. It kept dying. For the last month and a half, it's been a green stick with a bunch of brown leaves on it.Last week I gave up on it ever making a comeback.
But there is great hope! Today I noticed new leaves. The picture at left shows you the resurrected Japanese Maple. The old leaves are starting to turn green again too, which is crazy, since they were dead and crinkled up.
This picture is of my little avocado tree, grown from a pit. It looks great. Unfortunately, I was reading yesterday that it's very easy to grow avocados from a pit, and then just have them die on you as soon as winter hits. The best part was that I was reading an article by the bassist for the David Crowder Band in the magazine that came with their new CD for all of the people who preordered it. It was the perfect magazine for someone like me--about a band I like, with articles on theology, music theory, gardening, etc., and ads for keyboards and guitars. Hopefully my tree makes it.
The other trees in the previous picture can be seen better in the one on the left. There are two little Japanese maples that I dug up from my parents' house when they were about an inch tall. They're over a foot now. I had to duct tape 2 kebab skewers together to keep the trees growing straight. There's also a little Silver Maple in there. It's growing well too.The Japanese Maple on the left, the avocado tree, and one of my redwood trees are finally starting to look a little bit like wood instead of just like sprouts. That is promising.
I know that not very many people out there care much about my trees. But hopefully it's interesting reading anyway. Well, maybe interesting is a bit of an overstatement.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Media: Information, Entertainment, or Comfort
I've been thinking about the news media a lot over the last week or so. While we were on vacation, we watched "The Soloist," and then the other night, Julie and I watched "State of Play." Then last night, I went and saw "The Informant!" The first two really dealt with the media, and then today, I was reading about the true story behind "The Informant," and it turns out that different journalists have portrayed the protagonist very differently.
I was reading the news the other day, and discovered the usual pro-conservative terminology on Fox News' website that you would expect.
I usually try to read a bunch of different news sites, so I am hearing what a variety of people think. I like to read what the Chinese (state-run) press has to say, and what Al Jazeera has to say. It's good to know what your adversaries think of you.
I also think it's valuable to watch CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. I don't particularly respect either the Drudge Report or the Huffington Post, but I'll check them out occasionally.
Now, I'm mostly surrounded by conservatives, who I'll overhear raving about how Fox News is the only legitimate station because there are things they report on that everyone else covers up. Did you ever stop to think that maybe sometimes they're spinning things, and that's the only reason the other stations aren't covering them? Or maybe the reason the other stations aren't covering something is because it legitimately isn't that big of a deal to a sensible person?
I'm sure the same goes for liberals who love MSNBC and hate the other stations. I just haven't been around that side as much.
I do think there are times that those stations report things that other stations might be hiding.
But, in reality, if you are picking sides politically, you need to understand that the big Cable News outlets don't care about your cause. The only reason they're using their dialogue and hiring talking heads you like is to get you to watch. That increases their rating, which in turn increases their advertising dollars.
So, maybe you love Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly. Maybe you love Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. And they may even legitimately be conservative or liberal. But, their bosses, who actually determine what the network says, they're just using you. They're just using you to make a buck.
I'm not saying "don't trust the media." I'm just saying that the "information" industry is really more concerned about making you feel entertained and comfortable. Their hope is that by the time you get up off your couch, you will feel like you were right all along. You'll feel validated in your staunch anti-liberal or anti-conservative beliefs. They want to strengthen your allegiance to your own position, and entrench yourself against the other side.
Not because they think the other side is wrong morally or economically, but because that creates brand loyalty, and higher advertising profits.
Just realize that whenever you pledge allegiance to a talking head or news outlet.
Proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM1f5xrOfGU
I was reading the news the other day, and discovered the usual pro-conservative terminology on Fox News' website that you would expect.
I usually try to read a bunch of different news sites, so I am hearing what a variety of people think. I like to read what the Chinese (state-run) press has to say, and what Al Jazeera has to say. It's good to know what your adversaries think of you.
I also think it's valuable to watch CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. I don't particularly respect either the Drudge Report or the Huffington Post, but I'll check them out occasionally.
Now, I'm mostly surrounded by conservatives, who I'll overhear raving about how Fox News is the only legitimate station because there are things they report on that everyone else covers up. Did you ever stop to think that maybe sometimes they're spinning things, and that's the only reason the other stations aren't covering them? Or maybe the reason the other stations aren't covering something is because it legitimately isn't that big of a deal to a sensible person?
I'm sure the same goes for liberals who love MSNBC and hate the other stations. I just haven't been around that side as much.
I do think there are times that those stations report things that other stations might be hiding.
But, in reality, if you are picking sides politically, you need to understand that the big Cable News outlets don't care about your cause. The only reason they're using their dialogue and hiring talking heads you like is to get you to watch. That increases their rating, which in turn increases their advertising dollars.
So, maybe you love Glenn Beck or Bill O'Reilly. Maybe you love Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. And they may even legitimately be conservative or liberal. But, their bosses, who actually determine what the network says, they're just using you. They're just using you to make a buck.
I'm not saying "don't trust the media." I'm just saying that the "information" industry is really more concerned about making you feel entertained and comfortable. Their hope is that by the time you get up off your couch, you will feel like you were right all along. You'll feel validated in your staunch anti-liberal or anti-conservative beliefs. They want to strengthen your allegiance to your own position, and entrench yourself against the other side.
Not because they think the other side is wrong morally or economically, but because that creates brand loyalty, and higher advertising profits.
Just realize that whenever you pledge allegiance to a talking head or news outlet.
Proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM1f5xrOfGU
Thursday, August 27, 2009
My normal/weird dream about Costco
Every once in awhile I have a dream that I actually remember for a few hours. Sometimes they're meaningful, and sometimes they're weird. This one was more weird, but not that weird.
I dreamed that I was in Costco with my mom and dad and siblings and my wife. I decided to go look at the clothes. They were displayed a little nicer than usual in Costco. I found a couple things I wanted, but then I found Julie and she pointed out that I had already spent my clothes budget for the month. By the way, I have not bought any new clothes in over a year, but I have suddenly been wanting to again.
So, we headed towards the exit. The exit looked a lot more like Home Depot mixed with Barnes & Noble. There were stacks of books. I found one for a movie we had just seen. The last movie we saw in real life was (500) Days of Summer, and in the dream, I thought that was the book I was looking at, but then I realized the book was The Time Traveler's Wife, which I haven't seen. Apparently in my dream I was confused.
The book was like a coffee-table book--really big hardcover. But, the words weren't that big. So I couldn't figure out how they made it so big.
The book also said the copyright for the book was the year 2625. That made me think that the book was written in the future and brought back by the Time Traveler. Just as I was contemplating the intricacies of time travel and how a fiction book could influence its reality within a store, I woke up.
I don't know why I'm so able to remember the details of this dream. It's not especially weird, and I don't see anything I could possibly learn from this.
Last night I looked at Relevant Magazine's movie guide, and I remember seeing "The Time Traveler's Wife" on the page. That's probably why it was in my dream.
Weird stuff. I guess I'm treating this as a "control experiment" for future dreams. I know how most of the scenarios got into my head. In the future, I'm sure I won't.
Now I'm listening to Imogen Heap's new CD Ellipse, which I like more than her previous CDs so far. Mostly I think her melodies have improved.
I dreamed that I was in Costco with my mom and dad and siblings and my wife. I decided to go look at the clothes. They were displayed a little nicer than usual in Costco. I found a couple things I wanted, but then I found Julie and she pointed out that I had already spent my clothes budget for the month. By the way, I have not bought any new clothes in over a year, but I have suddenly been wanting to again.
So, we headed towards the exit. The exit looked a lot more like Home Depot mixed with Barnes & Noble. There were stacks of books. I found one for a movie we had just seen. The last movie we saw in real life was (500) Days of Summer, and in the dream, I thought that was the book I was looking at, but then I realized the book was The Time Traveler's Wife, which I haven't seen. Apparently in my dream I was confused.
The book was like a coffee-table book--really big hardcover. But, the words weren't that big. So I couldn't figure out how they made it so big.
The book also said the copyright for the book was the year 2625. That made me think that the book was written in the future and brought back by the Time Traveler. Just as I was contemplating the intricacies of time travel and how a fiction book could influence its reality within a store, I woke up.
I don't know why I'm so able to remember the details of this dream. It's not especially weird, and I don't see anything I could possibly learn from this.
Last night I looked at Relevant Magazine's movie guide, and I remember seeing "The Time Traveler's Wife" on the page. That's probably why it was in my dream.
Weird stuff. I guess I'm treating this as a "control experiment" for future dreams. I know how most of the scenarios got into my head. In the future, I'm sure I won't.
Now I'm listening to Imogen Heap's new CD Ellipse, which I like more than her previous CDs so far. Mostly I think her melodies have improved.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Lame Behavior: Rating your indie-ness
The other day, Julie and I went and watched (500) Days of Summer at the indie movie theater in Santa Rosa--the Rialto. The last time I saw a movie there was before it was an arthouse theater--I saw The Lion King in 1995.
I wanted to go see Garden State when it came out there. I wanted to see Hotel Rwanda when it came out there. I missed both, and ended up watching the DVDs and they're among my favorites now. So is 500 Days, and we actually went and saw this one at the Rialto.
I think what makes and indie film work is the charm of the actors. Zach Braff carried Garden State on his quirkiness and charm. Even a movie like Napoleon Dynamite has a degree of loveableness to its main characters. That's why they work.
I think that both the main actors in 500 Days (Joseph Gordon-Leavitt and Zooey Deschaenel) were very charming. That's what made the movie work.
Well, that and an awesomely placed song that conveyed the building emotion of falling in love through it's mere opening riff. I realized that indie movies (which tend to have good indie soundtracks) are often a feast of good sounds. While (500) Days didn't have a huge playlist, it did have one song that was awesome. So I looked it up and discovered "the Temper Trap." This band has become one of my favorites overnight, and I know it will stay there, because it's the kind of music I've always wanted to make, not just listen to.
I feel like I've wasted time by not being up-to-date on my indie band research like I was while I was in college. But, you know, you get a real job, and get married, and you have to shift your priorities. I think that's right.
I have a tendency whenever I discover a band whose sound I love. It's not a terrible thing. But it can lead to a bad attitude.
I like to inform people of great music. But that leads to a stupid desire to be the first to discover a band. I think that's a common problem in our times--the days of iTunes and home studios. Both of those technologies mean that indie is the future of music. Every 20-something would-be hipster has their list of bands that is far superior to anything you've ever heard of. While I don't claim to be a hipster, I did used to be one of those name-dropping indie snobs.
I love to discover bands that haven't been recommended to me. I love to discover movies that haven't been recommended to me. But then I like to turn around and recommend bands and movies to other people. Weird.
Well, go enjoy some good art. Something that makes you smile. If you need somewhere to start, go listen to the song "Sweet Disposition" by the Temper Trap.
It just makes me happy. I don't care if you found it first or I found it first.
I wanted to go see Garden State when it came out there. I wanted to see Hotel Rwanda when it came out there. I missed both, and ended up watching the DVDs and they're among my favorites now. So is 500 Days, and we actually went and saw this one at the Rialto.
I think what makes and indie film work is the charm of the actors. Zach Braff carried Garden State on his quirkiness and charm. Even a movie like Napoleon Dynamite has a degree of loveableness to its main characters. That's why they work.
I think that both the main actors in 500 Days (Joseph Gordon-Leavitt and Zooey Deschaenel) were very charming. That's what made the movie work.
Well, that and an awesomely placed song that conveyed the building emotion of falling in love through it's mere opening riff. I realized that indie movies (which tend to have good indie soundtracks) are often a feast of good sounds. While (500) Days didn't have a huge playlist, it did have one song that was awesome. So I looked it up and discovered "the Temper Trap." This band has become one of my favorites overnight, and I know it will stay there, because it's the kind of music I've always wanted to make, not just listen to.
I feel like I've wasted time by not being up-to-date on my indie band research like I was while I was in college. But, you know, you get a real job, and get married, and you have to shift your priorities. I think that's right.
I have a tendency whenever I discover a band whose sound I love. It's not a terrible thing. But it can lead to a bad attitude.
I like to inform people of great music. But that leads to a stupid desire to be the first to discover a band. I think that's a common problem in our times--the days of iTunes and home studios. Both of those technologies mean that indie is the future of music. Every 20-something would-be hipster has their list of bands that is far superior to anything you've ever heard of. While I don't claim to be a hipster, I did used to be one of those name-dropping indie snobs.
I love to discover bands that haven't been recommended to me. I love to discover movies that haven't been recommended to me. But then I like to turn around and recommend bands and movies to other people. Weird.
Well, go enjoy some good art. Something that makes you smile. If you need somewhere to start, go listen to the song "Sweet Disposition" by the Temper Trap.
It just makes me happy. I don't care if you found it first or I found it first.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Webdesign stuff I've learned
In the last year and a half, I've been learning a lot about webdesign. I took some classes on how to build websites, and a few on what looks good.
I've learned some stuff, and I feel like writing it all down, so here it is (well some of it at least).
And that's probably a sufficient list for now. I've decided that making a website that is fad-free is a dumb idea. A website should need to be replaced every 2 or 3 years max. The web changes so fast that if you are actually going to do a good job staying up to date with things, then you're also going to be out of style pretty quickly. That means redesigns and redos are so important. That is yet another reason to use CSS instead of Tables. It saves hours on the redesign.
I've learned some stuff, and I feel like writing it all down, so here it is (well some of it at least).
- Positioning should be done with CSS and not with tables. Designers used to use tables to lay out websites, but you're not supposed to do that according to the w3c (the governing body of the web, who determines what html and css are meant to look like, and how web browsers display those rules). In reality, css enables you to do way more than tables do. I find it frustrating to work with tables. Don't get me wrong, sometimes css is frustrating too, but in the long run, it opens up a lot more doors, and your web pages load faster, because they are obeying the rules.
- Web 2.0 stuff is attractive to the average person. Even though Web 2.0 has been around for a few years (e.g. when YouTube and MySpace came out), the design principles haven't changed. Here are the key principles that make a website look a lot more clean and professional than a lot of other sites (which people are still making):
- Top Menu Bars--side menu bars are old school. You want to see what you're looking far at the top of the page.
- Rounded edges--these are a pain to make compared to how easy straight edges are, but they're well worth it. It's the clean web 2.0 look that everyone expects these days.
- "3D" and perspective--again, it is more time-consuming to add drop shadows and reflections, and it's really easy to screw up your reflections, but they are so ubiquitous in professional media (iPod ads started it, but now everybody uses them) that to not use these techniques leaves you with a very flat webpage.
- "Above the fold" homepages--Make everything (or 90% at least) of your homepage show up in a window so that the viewer never needs to scroll on the homepage. This also makes it so that your homepage is set up landscape instead of portrait, which is more natural to the screen and the human eye.
- Images instead of just text--I learned this in an Erwin McManus book, actually--it wasn't really web-specific. He observes that culture moved from words to pictures, and now to images. A number of successful websites use graphics in their menus.
- Shiny images--a lot of the icons for web 2.0 not only are rounded-corner buttons with drop shadows, but they look like they have a shine on them. I guess this kind of goes with the "3D and perspective" one
- Actually using web 2.0--this is true for any organization, and especially true for churches, which I've been doing the most web research on. If someone is part of an organization, they're probably not going to go check out the website nearly as often as they will go on facebook, twitter, flickr or youtube. So, placing links to social networks in very prominent places is key as well.
- Other simple design principles:
- Color contrast--colors should be evenly spread around the RGB color wheel, and a mix of darks and lights. Text needs to be different enough that it's legible
- Light colors (non grays) seem to be in for large areas.
- Too many links to the homepage are a good thing. That speaks for itself. If you can't find the homepage quickly, you'll probably leave the site
And that's probably a sufficient list for now. I've decided that making a website that is fad-free is a dumb idea. A website should need to be replaced every 2 or 3 years max. The web changes so fast that if you are actually going to do a good job staying up to date with things, then you're also going to be out of style pretty quickly. That means redesigns and redos are so important. That is yet another reason to use CSS instead of Tables. It saves hours on the redesign.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
This is so short, maybe it should be on twitter.
Leading is difficult. I don't love making spreadsheets and organizing volunteers. But, it's worth it most of the time.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Birthday stuff
Tonight I wrote thank you cards for my birthday presents. I wasn't planning on getting much for my birthday, being an adult, and all. But, I got some cool stuff. I used to feel weird sharing what I've received. But now I realize that saying "I got something as a gift" has little to no reflection on who I am, but speaks volumes about the generosity of those around me, and so it is well-worth talking about.
I asked my siblings to buy me a guitar pedal that I'd been wanting for a few years. It was on sale from over $100 to just $50. So, I got my first new guitar thing in 3 or 4 years.
People in my family also bought us a new grill. They had asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I sarcastically said "a grill, but there's no way you guys are going to buy me that." But they did. The family got together and got it for me.
It is pretty similar to the one in the picture above.
Oh yeah, we also were given a new mattress for my birthday. Crazy.
Well, we got money, and today we went and bought it. They're delivering it tomorrow afternoon. I don't get to sleep on it tomorrow night, though, because Julie and Lauren are hosting a youth group girls' night at my apartment, so I'm kicked out.
Hopefully no teenagers sleep on the bed before me.
Our old bed is a hand-me-down that was Julie's grandparents at one point. I'm sure it's 20 or 30 years old. A spring mattress is meant to last under 10 years usually. I'm looking forward to a healthier body.
Today we had to do some rearranging of our guest room/office so that we can put our old bed in here. It's going to be a tight fit, but hopefully it will work.
And, Julie took me whitewater rafting as a present. And, I bought a computer for myself.
Wow that is a lot of stuff.
God, help me to use this stuff for your Kingdom and not to become a slave to my things. It's a risk to have nice stuff. Materialism lays in wait. Keep me from its trappings.
I asked my siblings to buy me a guitar pedal that I'd been wanting for a few years. It was on sale from over $100 to just $50. So, I got my first new guitar thing in 3 or 4 years.
People in my family also bought us a new grill. They had asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I sarcastically said "a grill, but there's no way you guys are going to buy me that." But they did. The family got together and got it for me.
It is pretty similar to the one in the picture above.
Oh yeah, we also were given a new mattress for my birthday. Crazy.
Well, we got money, and today we went and bought it. They're delivering it tomorrow afternoon. I don't get to sleep on it tomorrow night, though, because Julie and Lauren are hosting a youth group girls' night at my apartment, so I'm kicked out.
Hopefully no teenagers sleep on the bed before me.
Our old bed is a hand-me-down that was Julie's grandparents at one point. I'm sure it's 20 or 30 years old. A spring mattress is meant to last under 10 years usually. I'm looking forward to a healthier body.
Today we had to do some rearranging of our guest room/office so that we can put our old bed in here. It's going to be a tight fit, but hopefully it will work.
And, Julie took me whitewater rafting as a present. And, I bought a computer for myself.
Wow that is a lot of stuff.
God, help me to use this stuff for your Kingdom and not to become a slave to my things. It's a risk to have nice stuff. Materialism lays in wait. Keep me from its trappings.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Photo editing is time consuming
Yesterday I preached a sermon at church. It was titled "What is the Church?"
A few hours later, I was exhausted. It seems weird, because public speaking doesn't burn a lot of calories, but it does leave you wiped out.
So, I decided to process HDR pictures. I worked on probably 70 pictures, and spent 5 or 6 hours straight doing it.
They were from Julie's and my honeymoon, from the day we went to Chichen Itza. I uploaded one to Flickr. If you're reading this blog on facebook, there's a good chance you already saw it.
So, here's the picture (click to enlarge):
I had to do some editing (e.g. removing people from the foreground), and I'm sure I will have many more hours of that sort of stuff (photoshop) to the other pictures I processed yesterday. I'll post more in the coming weeks.
A few hours later, I was exhausted. It seems weird, because public speaking doesn't burn a lot of calories, but it does leave you wiped out.
So, I decided to process HDR pictures. I worked on probably 70 pictures, and spent 5 or 6 hours straight doing it.
They were from Julie's and my honeymoon, from the day we went to Chichen Itza. I uploaded one to Flickr. If you're reading this blog on facebook, there's a good chance you already saw it.
So, here's the picture (click to enlarge):
I had to do some editing (e.g. removing people from the foreground), and I'm sure I will have many more hours of that sort of stuff (photoshop) to the other pictures I processed yesterday. I'll post more in the coming weeks.
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Growing Trees on my patio
This year, I've become really into a new hobby--growing trees. It is a very weird, unique hobby, I know, but I have fun doing it, and it's pretty cheap.
Basically, the way it works is this:
1. Find little tiny tree sprouts growing from seeds in the spring.
2. Pull up/dig up the trees and plant them in a pot
3. Water them
So, all you have to pay for is dirt, a few pots, and water. Except that Julie and I don't pay for water in our apartment. And, for a few of the trees, I didn't buy dirt, but used compost that was made from leaves at church and some of our fruits and veggies.
I planted around 16 Japanese Maple Trees, 2 Silver Maples, 2 Redwoods, and an Avocado earlier this year.
I still have 3 Japanese Maples, 1 Silver Maple, both Redwoods, and the Avocado died, but new shoots came out of the pit last week, and it's growing really fast. (The avocado actually started growing in a compost pile at church, and most or all of the pits in there were from avocados that Julie and I had eaten).
Here are my trees (you can enlarge these pics):
Those are the Maples and the Avocado (which is in the front row on the right).
Those are the Redwoods. I took these pictures with the webcam on my new computer, which apparently horizontally flips all the images. The word "tiki" on our tiki torch fuel is backwards. Interesting. And off-topic.
Anyway, on Sunday I was at my grandparents' house for my birthday. I got a sweet new Gas grill, which is in the background of the next picture. While we were there, I found a pretty big Japanese maple growing behind a vine on a trellis. Because of its leaves and location, it looked like marijuana.
Today, I went and dug it up and planted it in a bucket. I'm not too optimistic that it will survive the transplanting process, but I'm hopeful. Here it is.
I'm kind of afraid that a neighbor will look over our fence and think it's pot and report it to the cops. Japanese Maples do kind of look like pot. And really, who grows trees in a backyard that is probably 20' x 12'?
My plan is to get these trees to a decent size and sell them or plant them, if we own a house by then (or plant them at church, if we want to plant Japanese Maples anywhere).
Japanese Maples were going for $150 at Home Depot and $185 at Costco last I checked.
So, this is a pretty smart investment. I think I've spent about $20 on all the trees so far.
Basically, the way it works is this:
1. Find little tiny tree sprouts growing from seeds in the spring.
2. Pull up/dig up the trees and plant them in a pot
3. Water them
So, all you have to pay for is dirt, a few pots, and water. Except that Julie and I don't pay for water in our apartment. And, for a few of the trees, I didn't buy dirt, but used compost that was made from leaves at church and some of our fruits and veggies.
I planted around 16 Japanese Maple Trees, 2 Silver Maples, 2 Redwoods, and an Avocado earlier this year.
I still have 3 Japanese Maples, 1 Silver Maple, both Redwoods, and the Avocado died, but new shoots came out of the pit last week, and it's growing really fast. (The avocado actually started growing in a compost pile at church, and most or all of the pits in there were from avocados that Julie and I had eaten).
Here are my trees (you can enlarge these pics):
Those are the Maples and the Avocado (which is in the front row on the right).
Those are the Redwoods. I took these pictures with the webcam on my new computer, which apparently horizontally flips all the images. The word "tiki" on our tiki torch fuel is backwards. Interesting. And off-topic.
Anyway, on Sunday I was at my grandparents' house for my birthday. I got a sweet new Gas grill, which is in the background of the next picture. While we were there, I found a pretty big Japanese maple growing behind a vine on a trellis. Because of its leaves and location, it looked like marijuana.
Today, I went and dug it up and planted it in a bucket. I'm not too optimistic that it will survive the transplanting process, but I'm hopeful. Here it is.
I'm kind of afraid that a neighbor will look over our fence and think it's pot and report it to the cops. Japanese Maples do kind of look like pot. And really, who grows trees in a backyard that is probably 20' x 12'?
My plan is to get these trees to a decent size and sell them or plant them, if we own a house by then (or plant them at church, if we want to plant Japanese Maples anywhere).
Japanese Maples were going for $150 at Home Depot and $185 at Costco last I checked.
So, this is a pretty smart investment. I think I've spent about $20 on all the trees so far.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
a "whoops" moment, and an update
I just noticed that my blog title image has a typo. I've had it up for months. I'll have to fix it. I want to make my blog wider anyway, so that's probably a good thing.
I get a new computer tomorrow! Unless they deliver it today. That should be fun to set up.
I'm preaching this week. I spent about 4 hours making posters for an illustration yesterday. I still probably have 30 to 45 minutes of poster making left, too.
I get a new computer tomorrow! Unless they deliver it today. That should be fun to set up.
I'm preaching this week. I spent about 4 hours making posters for an illustration yesterday. I still probably have 30 to 45 minutes of poster making left, too.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Social Networking
I set up a Flickr account tonight. My photostream is here
Here are a couple of the pictures I uploaded:
I took those last year.
I've recently been catching up on a bunch of old pictures that I hadn't processed (over a year old).
I've also been getting back into the swing of social networks and adding a bunch more (like how I mentioned in my last blog that I got a twitter account--which I've used very sparingly).
Hopefully I can keep the creative energy going.
Here are a couple of the pictures I uploaded:
I took those last year.
I've recently been catching up on a bunch of old pictures that I hadn't processed (over a year old).
I've also been getting back into the swing of social networks and adding a bunch more (like how I mentioned in my last blog that I got a twitter account--which I've used very sparingly).
Hopefully I can keep the creative energy going.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Weird food craving
I was just reading Google News, and I saw this headline:
That made me want Subway really bad.
Weird.
Web site recreates Apollo 11 mission in real time
I figured it must have something to do with it being the 40th anniversary of the lunar landing. That reminded me of how Subway did a promo for the 25th anniversary. It might have been kids' meals, since I was a kid at the time.That made me want Subway really bad.
Weird.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Blogging, Facebook, Twitter
I don't blog enough. I enjoy writing, but I don't do it often enough.
I don't check my facebook very much. I still have a myspace, but I don't really check that pretty much ever.
But, I still signed up for Twitter. Why? Because I feel like I'm out of touch with technology and culture, because I didn't have one yet. I don't understand how @ and RT are used.
So, here's my Twitter.
I don't check my facebook very much. I still have a myspace, but I don't really check that pretty much ever.
But, I still signed up for Twitter. Why? Because I feel like I'm out of touch with technology and culture, because I didn't have one yet. I don't understand how @ and RT are used.
So, here's my Twitter.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The Day's Events--Awesome Manly day
Wow...what a crazy day.
Today, I finished painting my office. Then, I cut down a bunch of rose bushes, overgrown shrubs, shoots from trees that had become trees, and blackberry bushes. I got a bunch of thorns in my body.
We were working on renovating the house at church before we start renting it out to the next set of tenants.
My dad found a gopher above ground, so I got 3 shovels--one for him, one for Andrew, and one for me--and we picked up the planter boxes it was hiding under. It ran towards my dad, who scared it with his shovel towards Andrew. Andrew stabbed it a bunch, but I had to hit it couple times too.
But, about the tree cutting. Andrew had his hatchet with him, and since we didn't have a saw, we ended up cutting down a bunch of stuff the old fashioned day. The apex of our day was at the end, when Andrew, Stephen, and I cut down a 40 foot tree using nothing but the hatchet, and a rope tied to a rock that we threw over some of the top branches, and then pulled on (it was like tug-o-war versus the tree). It took a lot of energy, and I was exhausted.
I probably could have gone to sleep right then, at 6 PM. But, Julie and I had dinner plans with Michael and Kim--a couple on her soccer team. So, we went over to their house and had a great dinner. We watched "He's Just Not That Into You," which I thought was pretty good. Not great, but not bad. That was the first chick flick Julie and I have watched since we got married.
After hanging out for awhile, Julie and I came home and recorded English overdubs for a video. Julio from church is originally from Ecuador, and is doing some fundraising for a foundation in Ecuador that helps Special Needs kids. The video that he had was in Spanish, so he gave me an English script. It was definitely a first for me. Julie did a great job with the voiceovers.
Hopefully Julio is able to raise some money before he goes back to Ecuador at the end of July.
Today, I finished painting my office. Then, I cut down a bunch of rose bushes, overgrown shrubs, shoots from trees that had become trees, and blackberry bushes. I got a bunch of thorns in my body.
We were working on renovating the house at church before we start renting it out to the next set of tenants.
My dad found a gopher above ground, so I got 3 shovels--one for him, one for Andrew, and one for me--and we picked up the planter boxes it was hiding under. It ran towards my dad, who scared it with his shovel towards Andrew. Andrew stabbed it a bunch, but I had to hit it couple times too.
But, about the tree cutting. Andrew had his hatchet with him, and since we didn't have a saw, we ended up cutting down a bunch of stuff the old fashioned day. The apex of our day was at the end, when Andrew, Stephen, and I cut down a 40 foot tree using nothing but the hatchet, and a rope tied to a rock that we threw over some of the top branches, and then pulled on (it was like tug-o-war versus the tree). It took a lot of energy, and I was exhausted.
I probably could have gone to sleep right then, at 6 PM. But, Julie and I had dinner plans with Michael and Kim--a couple on her soccer team. So, we went over to their house and had a great dinner. We watched "He's Just Not That Into You," which I thought was pretty good. Not great, but not bad. That was the first chick flick Julie and I have watched since we got married.
After hanging out for awhile, Julie and I came home and recorded English overdubs for a video. Julio from church is originally from Ecuador, and is doing some fundraising for a foundation in Ecuador that helps Special Needs kids. The video that he had was in Spanish, so he gave me an English script. It was definitely a first for me. Julie did a great job with the voiceovers.
Hopefully Julio is able to raise some money before he goes back to Ecuador at the end of July.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Flying Home--Over the Grand Canyon--From the Funeral
Today Julie and I flew home from Utah. I scheduled our flight home on U.S. Airways, because it gave me enough miles on United (they're partners) for a free flight. It was only a few bucks more than the cheapest flight back to Oakland.
That meant we had to fly through Phoenix. I realized a couple days ago that we would probably fly over the Grand Canyon.
Sure enough, today we flew over the Grand Canyon.
Despite the fact that we were in Utah for a funeral, I still had a lot of good first-time experiences. I rode in a limo for the first time, stayed in a Bed and Breakfast with Julie for the first time. There were some things I did that I hadn't done in awhile--went to a viewing at a funeral, shot a gun. And there were some things I wasn't particularly looking forward to that I did, and I think I am the better for it--especially helping to carry the coffin as a pall bearer. I've never really enjoyed coffins (although I've been OK with many other aspects of death), so it was good for me to face that.
It was great to hang out with (almost) all of Julie's extended family in one place. I also saw people I hadn't seen in awhile (in Julie's family), or in a really long while (such as the guy who was my dad's Senior Pastor 25 years ago, and who did my parents' wedding). It was good to see the place Julie grew up now that I've heard more stories than I had when I visited before. I also got to meet a lot of her old friends and her second cousins and third cousins once removed who all live in the same area.
That meant we had to fly through Phoenix. I realized a couple days ago that we would probably fly over the Grand Canyon.
Sure enough, today we flew over the Grand Canyon.
The canyon looks bigger from the air than I remember it looking from the rim. The last time I was there was 10 or 11 years ago, though. I might have just forgotten about how big it was.
Despite the fact that we were in Utah for a funeral, I still had a lot of good first-time experiences. I rode in a limo for the first time, stayed in a Bed and Breakfast with Julie for the first time. There were some things I did that I hadn't done in awhile--went to a viewing at a funeral, shot a gun. And there were some things I wasn't particularly looking forward to that I did, and I think I am the better for it--especially helping to carry the coffin as a pall bearer. I've never really enjoyed coffins (although I've been OK with many other aspects of death), so it was good for me to face that.
It was great to hang out with (almost) all of Julie's extended family in one place. I also saw people I hadn't seen in awhile (in Julie's family), or in a really long while (such as the guy who was my dad's Senior Pastor 25 years ago, and who did my parents' wedding). It was good to see the place Julie grew up now that I've heard more stories than I had when I visited before. I also got to meet a lot of her old friends and her second cousins and third cousins once removed who all live in the same area.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thoughts on Death, Relationships
Recently, I've been thinking a lot about death. Now, before you think I'm suicidal, let me explain.
First, a few weeks ago, a friends' grandma died. Then, a lady from church died last week. She had just started coming in the last year, but her family has been a part of our church for some time. Then I heard early this week that another friend's grandma died. On Thursday, I ran sound at the memorial service for the lady from our church.
I've gone to a lot of memorial services because I'm a Pastor's Kid, and because I know how to run a soundboard. But, no one close to me has died since I've been old enough to understand anything. My great grandparents and my grandpa died when I was young. My mom also miscarried, and I still remember the funeral we had for my brother, David. I was 3.
But, as I sat at the memorial service the other day, I realized that I don't understand this kind of loss or grief.
________________
On Friday at noon, I got a call from Julie. I thought she was calling to let me know that she was off work. I heard her say, "my grandpa just died," through her tears and short breaths.
Just like that. Out of nowhere.
You think I would have been expecting something. I kind of was, but I still felt blindsided. And I didn't even know him very well.
_______________
There has been a lot of death around the people I know. People who I don't know very well, old friends, new friends, my wife--all of them have lost loved ones in the last 2 weeks.
All of you who have lost loved ones recently, I'm praying for you. I kind of was a couple days ago, but I saw--and began to feel--your grief as I held Julie yesterday, and now I know how to pray more.
_____________
I feel that God is reawakening my zeal for valuing every person I come into contact with.
I yearn to know the people I know more and more deeply. Today, I've been wanting to really pour into all my relationships at a degree that I'm not. I don't know how to do that. How can you increase spending time with everyone?
How can I even spend more time with those who I'm not spending a lot of time with unless I stop spending as much time with the people who I usually spend time with. I guess I don't need as much alone time.
All the wasted time could be used.
I think that part of my approach to being a full time pastor (starting in 1 week--crazy) will be to always hang out with people.
I want to spend time with people who are younger than me, people who are older than me, people I don't know yet, and people who I feel like I should know a whole lot better than I do.
First, a few weeks ago, a friends' grandma died. Then, a lady from church died last week. She had just started coming in the last year, but her family has been a part of our church for some time. Then I heard early this week that another friend's grandma died. On Thursday, I ran sound at the memorial service for the lady from our church.
I've gone to a lot of memorial services because I'm a Pastor's Kid, and because I know how to run a soundboard. But, no one close to me has died since I've been old enough to understand anything. My great grandparents and my grandpa died when I was young. My mom also miscarried, and I still remember the funeral we had for my brother, David. I was 3.
But, as I sat at the memorial service the other day, I realized that I don't understand this kind of loss or grief.
________________
On Friday at noon, I got a call from Julie. I thought she was calling to let me know that she was off work. I heard her say, "my grandpa just died," through her tears and short breaths.
Just like that. Out of nowhere.
You think I would have been expecting something. I kind of was, but I still felt blindsided. And I didn't even know him very well.
_______________
There has been a lot of death around the people I know. People who I don't know very well, old friends, new friends, my wife--all of them have lost loved ones in the last 2 weeks.
All of you who have lost loved ones recently, I'm praying for you. I kind of was a couple days ago, but I saw--and began to feel--your grief as I held Julie yesterday, and now I know how to pray more.
_____________
I feel that God is reawakening my zeal for valuing every person I come into contact with.
I yearn to know the people I know more and more deeply. Today, I've been wanting to really pour into all my relationships at a degree that I'm not. I don't know how to do that. How can you increase spending time with everyone?
How can I even spend more time with those who I'm not spending a lot of time with unless I stop spending as much time with the people who I usually spend time with. I guess I don't need as much alone time.
All the wasted time could be used.
I think that part of my approach to being a full time pastor (starting in 1 week--crazy) will be to always hang out with people.
I want to spend time with people who are younger than me, people who are older than me, people I don't know yet, and people who I feel like I should know a whole lot better than I do.
Monday, June 01, 2009
2 websites I'm loving right now
I just became aware of 2 websites. I'd heard of the second one, but never checked it out.
I was reading a photoblog that I often check out, and the guy mentioned this video:
Watch it if you have a few minutes. That video was from ted.com, which is a site for the TED conference. That conference has speakers on a variety of subjects speak for 18 minutes. That is the first site I'm really interested in. It has some good ideas for public speakers to emulate.
The other site I'm liking right now is gapminder.org, which is the site that Hans Rosling(the guy in the video above) created to help communicate statistics to the average person. In the videos on TED, he talks about how important it is to use statistics responsibly, and also the importance of using the animations to make them matter to people, and be more compelling. This is also a good principle for public speaking--relevant communication of important truth that can be overlooked if not presented in a compelling way.
I was reading a photoblog that I often check out, and the guy mentioned this video:
Watch it if you have a few minutes. That video was from ted.com, which is a site for the TED conference. That conference has speakers on a variety of subjects speak for 18 minutes. That is the first site I'm really interested in. It has some good ideas for public speakers to emulate.
The other site I'm liking right now is gapminder.org, which is the site that Hans Rosling(the guy in the video above) created to help communicate statistics to the average person. In the videos on TED, he talks about how important it is to use statistics responsibly, and also the importance of using the animations to make them matter to people, and be more compelling. This is also a good principle for public speaking--relevant communication of important truth that can be overlooked if not presented in a compelling way.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Good Music week
I bought 2 new CDs this week.
On Monday night, I bought the new Mat Kearney album. Every once in awhile, I know that an album is coming out (on a Tuesday, as most albums do), and I go on iTunes a little after 9 pm on Monday to see if they're out yet (because it's already Tuesday on the East Coast). So I did that.
The CD is really great. The guy knows how to write a catchy tune, and I liked his use of programming a lot.
Then, on Wednesday or Thursday, I heard about the band Paper Route. I wish I'd known about them sooner. They just put out their first full-length album and it's amazing. Ambient meets electronica, but still definitely pop-py enough to be enjoyable. It's the perfect blend of dissonance and smoothness. I also like their use of programming a lot.
I'm even more motivated to get back into programming sweet beats in Reason.
Hillsong United is putting out a new CD this coming Tuesday, so I'm sure I'll have a bunch of new worship songs to be learning.
On Monday night, I bought the new Mat Kearney album. Every once in awhile, I know that an album is coming out (on a Tuesday, as most albums do), and I go on iTunes a little after 9 pm on Monday to see if they're out yet (because it's already Tuesday on the East Coast). So I did that.
The CD is really great. The guy knows how to write a catchy tune, and I liked his use of programming a lot.
Then, on Wednesday or Thursday, I heard about the band Paper Route. I wish I'd known about them sooner. They just put out their first full-length album and it's amazing. Ambient meets electronica, but still definitely pop-py enough to be enjoyable. It's the perfect blend of dissonance and smoothness. I also like their use of programming a lot.
I'm even more motivated to get back into programming sweet beats in Reason.
Hillsong United is putting out a new CD this coming Tuesday, so I'm sure I'll have a bunch of new worship songs to be learning.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Jesus is God
OK, all this answering of Jehovah's Witnesses that I've been doing lately has been really good for me.
It's forced me to think. It's led me to passages I haven't read in a long time. It's made me use my mind to investigate how well I have things thought-out.
But, I also highly value the church as a body. So, I pay attention to what other Christians are thinking and saying. I recently came across this:
There is no issue in the Bible of greater importance than the identity of the one who died for us to be our Savior -- Jesus Christ. We must therefore be sure that we are accepting Jesus for who He really is, because if we are not, we are following a false Christ (2 Cor. 11:4,13). Therefore, we will examine the biblical evidence that Jesus Christ is not only fully man, but also fully God.
Is God the Savior of the world? "Before me there was no God formed and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD; and there is no savior besides Me," God tells us in Isaiah 43:10,11. This verse teaches several significant things:
1. There always has been and always will be only one true God.
2. There is no Savior of the world except for this one true God.
3. Therefore, the Savior of the world must be the one true God.
Is Jesus the Savior of the world? I do not think that anyone who has read the New Testament would dispute this. Even the Jehovah's Witnesses New World Translation (NWT) refers to Jesus as the Savior: "...and of the Savior of us, Christ Jesus" --Titus 2:13. Therefore, since: 1. The one true God is the only Savior of the world (Isaiah 43:10,11), and 2. Jesus is the Savior of the world (Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1), 3. Jesus must therefore be the one true God. To deny that Jesus is the one true God, one would either have to deny that Jesus is the Savior, or say that God is lying to us in Isaiah 43:11. Neither alternative fits with Scripture.
The above quote is taken from this site, where the author's discussion continues for a few more paragraphs.
The author also further discusses the misuse of Greek translation by JW "scholars."
The existence of the New World Translation further illustrates the need for scholars who disagree with each other to work on translations. This prevents one group's theology from hijacking the intent of the Holy Spirit in the translation process.
But, poor scholarship aside, I want to focus on the main thing: Jesus is God.
Although Jesus never said, "I am God," he pretty much did.
A number of times, people said, "You are God," or something to that effect (e.g.) John 10:33. Jesus, even if he's just a good teacher, would have clearly denied that if it wasn't the case. But he never did.
More significantly, Jesus claimed to be God in a way that was plain as day to the Jewish audience he was speaking to. Check it out in John 8:57-59:
I love that name. I love the rich meaning within it. I won't go into it here, because it's kind of off-topic. Maybe later.
The point is that we know God's name is "I AM." In John 8:58, Jesus says, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
It takes either a serious abuse or lack of logic to miss the point that Jesus claimed to be God. Often pre-conceived notions of who Jesus is and isn't fuel these abuses of logic.
It's forced me to think. It's led me to passages I haven't read in a long time. It's made me use my mind to investigate how well I have things thought-out.
But, I also highly value the church as a body. So, I pay attention to what other Christians are thinking and saying. I recently came across this:
There is no issue in the Bible of greater importance than the identity of the one who died for us to be our Savior -- Jesus Christ. We must therefore be sure that we are accepting Jesus for who He really is, because if we are not, we are following a false Christ (2 Cor. 11:4,13). Therefore, we will examine the biblical evidence that Jesus Christ is not only fully man, but also fully God.
1. There always has been and always will be only one true God.
2. There is no Savior of the world except for this one true God.
3. Therefore, the Savior of the world must be the one true God.
The above quote is taken from this site, where the author's discussion continues for a few more paragraphs.
The author also further discusses the misuse of Greek translation by JW "scholars."
The existence of the New World Translation further illustrates the need for scholars who disagree with each other to work on translations. This prevents one group's theology from hijacking the intent of the Holy Spirit in the translation process.
But, poor scholarship aside, I want to focus on the main thing: Jesus is God.
Although Jesus never said, "I am God," he pretty much did.
A number of times, people said, "You are God," or something to that effect (e.g.) John 10:33. Jesus, even if he's just a good teacher, would have clearly denied that if it wasn't the case. But he never did.
More significantly, Jesus claimed to be God in a way that was plain as day to the Jewish audience he was speaking to. Check it out in John 8:57-59:
57"You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Obviously, undoubtedly, irrefutably (by anyone who approaches this passage without bias) Jesus is claiming to be "I AM." In Exodus 3:14, God reveals that His name is "I AM."I love that name. I love the rich meaning within it. I won't go into it here, because it's kind of off-topic. Maybe later.
The point is that we know God's name is "I AM." In John 8:58, Jesus says, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
It takes either a serious abuse or lack of logic to miss the point that Jesus claimed to be God. Often pre-conceived notions of who Jesus is and isn't fuel these abuses of logic.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Answers to Jehovah's Witnesses -part 3-
A few blog posts ago, I wrote about how I need to investigate what I believe before I am qualified to teach others. I illustrated it with a realization I had based on the Jehovah's Witnesses. That led to a number of comments and questions, which I am attempting to answer.
Part 1
Part 2
Here is part 3. The third comment I received said this:
First off, Roland used the New World Translation, as far as I can tell. This is the Jehovah's Witness translation, and as I explained in Part 1, this version is full of errors that any serious Greek or Hebrew scholar would find. I will get back to this passage later in the post.
Most Christians have an incorrect view of how the laity is supposed to function. They think that the clergy is there as a go-between, an emissary between them and God--a priest. That is incorrect. The Bible says that all Christians are priests (1 Peter 2:9). We all are capable of approaching God on our own, because He has made it possible for us to do so.
Also, many clergy members don't do things correctly. They try to do everything for the people and be the top dog. I confess, at times, I don't do as good a job of empowering others as I should. But, my belief and goal is to advance the discipleship of each person around me, and not to simply create more disciples of myself.
The Bible states in Matthew 23:8-12 (which Roland cited), "But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (ESV)
In context, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. He is referring to the rabbinical method of teaching. I'll highlight some of the pertinent points. Rabbis selected disciples (learners, or followers) to follow them around and learn what they had to teach. However, the Rabbis just quoted other rabbis in varying combination to create new thoughts. Jesus was renowned for not doing that (John 7:14-16). So, Jesus is telling His disciples to not become rabbis on their own, who merely take what they've learned from Jesus, re-combine it, and repackage it with other teachings, and live for their own glory. The Rabbis of the day were all about promoting themselves, rather than the Kingdom of God.
Jesus did send his disciples out to teach, though. Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(NIV)
Because Jesus, the Rabbi, had all authority in heaven and on earth, it was His right to make us disciple-makers, which would normally be called...rabbis!. He also gave us the authority to TEACH. The significance is that He told us to teach the things He commanded, and not the things we feel like commanding.
Now, if this sounds like a contradiction, it's because you've misread the intent of Matthew 23:8-12. The point was to address the heart of the Pharisees (self-glorification rather than glorifying and advancing God's ideas). Jesus says it is possible to simply teach others His ideas. In effect, you're simply repeating, while He is teaching. How do we do this?
In Matthew 23, Jesus also says, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted"(v. 12, ESV). In John 13, Jesus washes His disciples' feet. In doing so, He sets the example of servant-leadership. Each Christian is to set others first. Naturally, this includes the clergy, which were established later, in the book of Acts, and further discussed in the Epistles.
For instance, Ephesians 4:11-13 says, "It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ"(NIV).
So, Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, decided to appoint leaders under His authority. And their purpose? To build up the body of Christ...and to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. See, it's all supposed to be about Jesus.
There are many models of how clergy and laity function. Some are good, some are bad. As long as Jesus is getting the glory, I don't think He minds much.
Roland, I'm sorry if Christian clergy have misrepresented the plan of Christian leadership that Jesus laid out in scripture. But rejecting the idea of leadership is anti-biblical.
Part 1
Part 2
Here is part 3. The third comment I received said this:
First off, Roland used the New World Translation, as far as I can tell. This is the Jehovah's Witness translation, and as I explained in Part 1, this version is full of errors that any serious Greek or Hebrew scholar would find. I will get back to this passage later in the post.
Most Christians have an incorrect view of how the laity is supposed to function. They think that the clergy is there as a go-between, an emissary between them and God--a priest. That is incorrect. The Bible says that all Christians are priests (1 Peter 2:9). We all are capable of approaching God on our own, because He has made it possible for us to do so.
Also, many clergy members don't do things correctly. They try to do everything for the people and be the top dog. I confess, at times, I don't do as good a job of empowering others as I should. But, my belief and goal is to advance the discipleship of each person around me, and not to simply create more disciples of myself.
The Bible states in Matthew 23:8-12 (which Roland cited), "But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (ESV)
In context, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. He is referring to the rabbinical method of teaching. I'll highlight some of the pertinent points. Rabbis selected disciples (learners, or followers) to follow them around and learn what they had to teach. However, the Rabbis just quoted other rabbis in varying combination to create new thoughts. Jesus was renowned for not doing that (John 7:14-16). So, Jesus is telling His disciples to not become rabbis on their own, who merely take what they've learned from Jesus, re-combine it, and repackage it with other teachings, and live for their own glory. The Rabbis of the day were all about promoting themselves, rather than the Kingdom of God.
Jesus did send his disciples out to teach, though. Matthew 28:18-20 says, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."(NIV)
Because Jesus, the Rabbi, had all authority in heaven and on earth, it was His right to make us disciple-makers, which would normally be called...rabbis!. He also gave us the authority to TEACH. The significance is that He told us to teach the things He commanded, and not the things we feel like commanding.
Now, if this sounds like a contradiction, it's because you've misread the intent of Matthew 23:8-12. The point was to address the heart of the Pharisees (self-glorification rather than glorifying and advancing God's ideas). Jesus says it is possible to simply teach others His ideas. In effect, you're simply repeating, while He is teaching. How do we do this?
In Matthew 23, Jesus also says, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted"(v. 12, ESV). In John 13, Jesus washes His disciples' feet. In doing so, He sets the example of servant-leadership. Each Christian is to set others first. Naturally, this includes the clergy, which were established later, in the book of Acts, and further discussed in the Epistles.
For instance, Ephesians 4:11-13 says, "It was he (Jesus) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ"(NIV).
So, Jesus, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, decided to appoint leaders under His authority. And their purpose? To build up the body of Christ...and to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. See, it's all supposed to be about Jesus.
There are many models of how clergy and laity function. Some are good, some are bad. As long as Jesus is getting the glory, I don't think He minds much.
Roland, I'm sorry if Christian clergy have misrepresented the plan of Christian leadership that Jesus laid out in scripture. But rejecting the idea of leadership is anti-biblical.
Answers to Jehovah's Witnesses -part 2-
A few posts ago, I wrote briefly about the Jehovah's Witnesses. This led to a few comments, which I'm responding to here and in the previous post. The second comment on my blog (two posts ago) said this:
But, let me address each of these ideas briefly.
First, regarding the idea that we can each think on our own. I fully agree with this idea. God gave each of us a mind to use. We shouldn't just accept things without carefully considering them. And once we do accept them, it is important to revisit them from time to time and ask "Why do I believe what I believe?"
Unfortunately, every single one of us is gullible. To varying degrees, we just believe stuff without investigating it. It is so easy for many Christians to point the finger at Jehovah's Witnesses, but in fact, most Christians do the same thing.
Let me address each camp:
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus and Michael (the archangel) are the same guy, and that he is the only archangel.
Daniel 10:13 says, "Then Michael, one of the chief princes..." This obviously means there are at least 2 beings on the same level as Michael. He is not on his own level of importance.
No one who just picked up a Bible on their own and read it from start to finish would come up with the idea that Jesus and Michael are the same guy. Why? Because Michael has others at the same level as Him, whereas Jesus is on his own. In Philippians 2:9, the Father "gave him (Jesus) the name that is above every name."
That is just a quick example of Jehovah's Witnesses not using their free-thinking minds, and accepting what has been spoon fed them.
Now, Christians (especially American Evangelicals, like myself) do exactly the same thing. We're told that we can be perfect little middle-class suburbanites, entitled to our nice house, gym memberships, a couple of cars, etc. On the other hand, the way Jesus lived was quite different. I write about this all the time on my blog.
Let me address the other things Jessica wrote. I do believe in the resurrection. I do believe that those who believe in the sacrifice that Jesus (who is fully God) made, will be raised to live with Him forever. However, I don't think we will care much that our loved ones are with us (cf. Matthew 22:23-30), when we are in the midst of a glorious God. So, I have to disagree with the emphasis that both the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons put on the resurrection being about family. It's more about our relationship as a single bride with our groom (Jesus) (Rev. 21:9, 22:17).
Next, Jessica mentioned the JW belief that God's Kingdom will bring untold blessing to faithful mankind, and we are to pray for it. I agree with that one. Jesus said we should pray to our Father that His Kingdom would come. And I have to compliment the Jehovah's Witnesses for doing a great job in displaying glimmers of what the Kingdom of God looks like when they go into impoverished places and commune with the poor, who have a special place in God's heart, as we see throughout the whole Bible. However, it is only a glimmer of the Kingdom, because it comes laden with false teaching.
Lastly, Jessica wrote that Jehovah's Witnesses do not engage in politics or wars, because "true Christians" will beat their swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2:2-4).
If you read my blog frequently, you know that I recently wrote a blog called, "Christians Should Be Politically Independent." However, Christians should engage in politics. Jesus said we are to be "the salt of the earth" (Mt. 5:13), and salt works its way throughout food. When we read about the prophet Daniel, we see that he not only loved God's Kingdom, but served his nation as well. I wrote another blog a couple months ago called "Don't love the USA, just serve it." Unfortunately, the predominance of the religious right has confused many people, who think that all Christians believe in the Republican Party Platform. I do not (well, I do in some areas, but not most). I also don't believe in the Democratic Party Platform in most areas.
As for war...The Bible doesn't talk about "true Christians" beating their swords into plowshares. Isaiah is writing about "the day of the Lord (Yahweh)." This is usually understood to mean the full manifestation of the Kingdom of God upon the Earth. He is saying that at that point, there will be no more war. Now, I personally believe that war should be the exception, and not the rule. I would call myself a most-of-the-time-pacifist.
However, check out Jesus' encounter with the Centurion in Matthew 8. He says, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith" (Mt. 8:10). Perhaps he's calling the Centurion a "true Christian." Or consider Paul's encounter with Cornelius (Acts 10). Cornelius is undoubtedly a "true Christian." God appeared to Him. And nothing was said of leaving his career as a soldier.
Yes, peace is always best. But I do believe in just wars. Romans 13, when taken in context, explains that while it is not appropriate for us as individuals to take vengeance, it is the role of the government to do so. That firmly establishes a biblical justification for war. However, most Christians should not be soldiers, but there is definitely biblical basis for there to be exceptions.
As for the phrase at the end of Jessica's comment about taking a stand for what I believe in, I have thought this through quite a bit. Perhaps I will post it another time when there is more space. I'll put the tag "ethics" in there to make it easier to find.
-
What about Jw's message do you find harmful and misleading?
It's unfortunate that you feel that way, but we can be grateful to Jehovah God for the gift of free will which enables you to think on your own.
I'd be curious to know if its because we teach the resurrection hope, the fact that dead loved ones will come to life in the near future - Acts 24:15 and John 5:28,29
or that God's Kingdom (that Jesus told us to pray for) will soon bring untold blessings to faithful mankind- Matt 6:9, 10
or lastly because we don't engage in politics or fight against our fellow man in wars because Isiah 2:2-4 prophesied about true Christian's beating their swords into plowshares and spears into shears
Feel free to review our beliefs at www.watchtower.org along with your copy of the bible.
Let me say this last thing if your conscious really bothers you as you print those materials why don't you take a stand for what you in believe in. Because of our faith in Jehovah and Jesus Christ and God's word the Bible, we certainly do!
But, let me address each of these ideas briefly.
First, regarding the idea that we can each think on our own. I fully agree with this idea. God gave each of us a mind to use. We shouldn't just accept things without carefully considering them. And once we do accept them, it is important to revisit them from time to time and ask "Why do I believe what I believe?"
Unfortunately, every single one of us is gullible. To varying degrees, we just believe stuff without investigating it. It is so easy for many Christians to point the finger at Jehovah's Witnesses, but in fact, most Christians do the same thing.
Let me address each camp:
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus and Michael (the archangel) are the same guy, and that he is the only archangel.
Daniel 10:13 says, "Then Michael, one of the chief princes..." This obviously means there are at least 2 beings on the same level as Michael. He is not on his own level of importance.
No one who just picked up a Bible on their own and read it from start to finish would come up with the idea that Jesus and Michael are the same guy. Why? Because Michael has others at the same level as Him, whereas Jesus is on his own. In Philippians 2:9, the Father "gave him (Jesus) the name that is above every name."
That is just a quick example of Jehovah's Witnesses not using their free-thinking minds, and accepting what has been spoon fed them.
Now, Christians (especially American Evangelicals, like myself) do exactly the same thing. We're told that we can be perfect little middle-class suburbanites, entitled to our nice house, gym memberships, a couple of cars, etc. On the other hand, the way Jesus lived was quite different. I write about this all the time on my blog.
Let me address the other things Jessica wrote. I do believe in the resurrection. I do believe that those who believe in the sacrifice that Jesus (who is fully God) made, will be raised to live with Him forever. However, I don't think we will care much that our loved ones are with us (cf. Matthew 22:23-30), when we are in the midst of a glorious God. So, I have to disagree with the emphasis that both the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons put on the resurrection being about family. It's more about our relationship as a single bride with our groom (Jesus) (Rev. 21:9, 22:17).
Next, Jessica mentioned the JW belief that God's Kingdom will bring untold blessing to faithful mankind, and we are to pray for it. I agree with that one. Jesus said we should pray to our Father that His Kingdom would come. And I have to compliment the Jehovah's Witnesses for doing a great job in displaying glimmers of what the Kingdom of God looks like when they go into impoverished places and commune with the poor, who have a special place in God's heart, as we see throughout the whole Bible. However, it is only a glimmer of the Kingdom, because it comes laden with false teaching.
Lastly, Jessica wrote that Jehovah's Witnesses do not engage in politics or wars, because "true Christians" will beat their swords into plowshares (Isaiah 2:2-4).
If you read my blog frequently, you know that I recently wrote a blog called, "Christians Should Be Politically Independent." However, Christians should engage in politics. Jesus said we are to be "the salt of the earth" (Mt. 5:13), and salt works its way throughout food. When we read about the prophet Daniel, we see that he not only loved God's Kingdom, but served his nation as well. I wrote another blog a couple months ago called "Don't love the USA, just serve it." Unfortunately, the predominance of the religious right has confused many people, who think that all Christians believe in the Republican Party Platform. I do not (well, I do in some areas, but not most). I also don't believe in the Democratic Party Platform in most areas.
As for war...The Bible doesn't talk about "true Christians" beating their swords into plowshares. Isaiah is writing about "the day of the Lord (Yahweh)." This is usually understood to mean the full manifestation of the Kingdom of God upon the Earth. He is saying that at that point, there will be no more war. Now, I personally believe that war should be the exception, and not the rule. I would call myself a most-of-the-time-pacifist.
However, check out Jesus' encounter with the Centurion in Matthew 8. He says, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith" (Mt. 8:10). Perhaps he's calling the Centurion a "true Christian." Or consider Paul's encounter with Cornelius (Acts 10). Cornelius is undoubtedly a "true Christian." God appeared to Him. And nothing was said of leaving his career as a soldier.
Yes, peace is always best. But I do believe in just wars. Romans 13, when taken in context, explains that while it is not appropriate for us as individuals to take vengeance, it is the role of the government to do so. That firmly establishes a biblical justification for war. However, most Christians should not be soldiers, but there is definitely biblical basis for there to be exceptions.
As for the phrase at the end of Jessica's comment about taking a stand for what I believe in, I have thought this through quite a bit. Perhaps I will post it another time when there is more space. I'll put the tag "ethics" in there to make it easier to find.
Answers to Jehovah's Witnesses -part 1-
I got a bunch of comments on the last blog. I want to take some time to clarify a number of things.
First off, the intended main audience for my blog is those who know me. I believe that the best use of the internet is to strengthen real-life relationships, and not to pretend that you are getting to know people through a screen and some cables. That's my philosophy, you might say.
So, I don't claim to cover everything I believe in my blog. But, since it came up, I'll try to answer some questions.
First off...
As for the former, I'm not Arabic, I'm half white and half Asian (1/4 each of Japanese and Chinese), and I know there are many (most!) Arabs who are great people who love their families and others around them. Doesn't sound like "Voice of Reason" was being very reasonable if that was what he/she meant.
If "Voice" meant that I was hateful, he/she clearly did not read the tone of what I was writing. I said what I believed about JWs, but did not feel the need to tear apart what they believed through a long discourse. At the end of the blog, I referred to the fact that some of what I believe is incorrect, and I need to carefully examine it. For "Voice" to not recognize that I was not merely pointing the finger, but examining my own beliefs, was rather irrational.
Since "Voice" said I didn't discuss what I disagreed with, let me clarify.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is God. Orthodox Christians (those who have "right belief"--the meaning of "orthodox"), believe that Jesus is fully man and fully God. For more information on what any orthodox Christian believes, check out the Nicene Creed. Of course, Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in the creeds either. How convenient.
In John 1:1, it says, "the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In the Jehovah's Witness translation, The New World Translation, the verse is translated as "the Word was with God, and the Word was a god."
This shows a fundamental abuse of the word "the" (the definite article). Any Greek scholar can show how irresponsible and infantile this rendering is.
The order of the Greek words in the second part of the phrase "the Word was God," shows that "God" is used as a name--the name of "the Word." It really should say, "the Word was with God, and God was the Word."
Thus, there is a fundamental difference between what we believe. And the most important belief in Christianity is that Jesus is God. Without that, his death and resurrection are meaningless. I know that Jehovah's Witnesses disagree with that idea completely, and I don't expect to convince any of you out there via a blog post from someone you don't know.
I do have a B.A. in Bible/Theology with 2 years of Hebrew taken from one of the leading Hebrew Scholars in the world, Dr. Kevin Spawn, but that doesn't matter either, probably.
I only mention the Hebrew thing because the very word "Jehovah" is a mis-transliteration of YHWH. I guess the name "Joshua" is too. That's trivial though.
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe in using only one translation, which unfortunately misleads many, many people.
To those of you who are Jehovah's Witnesses, I don't want to sound like I hate you guys. I only hope and pray that you will ask yourself the same question I ask myself..."why do I believe what I believe?" Is it because someone taught you? Or, is it because you took the time to doubt and reconsider everything you believed and still found it to be just as true as before?
I would encourage you to learn some Hebrew and Greek on your own, and to read the text in its original language.
First off, the intended main audience for my blog is those who know me. I believe that the best use of the internet is to strengthen real-life relationships, and not to pretend that you are getting to know people through a screen and some cables. That's my philosophy, you might say.
So, I don't claim to cover everything I believe in my blog. But, since it came up, I'll try to answer some questions.
First off...
-
You complain about Jehovah's Witnesses?
You look like a terrorist.
You say that JWs are mislead, but not how. Like many, you are just a follower of the bad publicity.
As for the former, I'm not Arabic, I'm half white and half Asian (1/4 each of Japanese and Chinese), and I know there are many (most!) Arabs who are great people who love their families and others around them. Doesn't sound like "Voice of Reason" was being very reasonable if that was what he/she meant.
If "Voice" meant that I was hateful, he/she clearly did not read the tone of what I was writing. I said what I believed about JWs, but did not feel the need to tear apart what they believed through a long discourse. At the end of the blog, I referred to the fact that some of what I believe is incorrect, and I need to carefully examine it. For "Voice" to not recognize that I was not merely pointing the finger, but examining my own beliefs, was rather irrational.
Since "Voice" said I didn't discuss what I disagreed with, let me clarify.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is God. Orthodox Christians (those who have "right belief"--the meaning of "orthodox"), believe that Jesus is fully man and fully God. For more information on what any orthodox Christian believes, check out the Nicene Creed. Of course, Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in the creeds either. How convenient.
In John 1:1, it says, "the Word was with God, and the Word was God." In the Jehovah's Witness translation, The New World Translation, the verse is translated as "the Word was with God, and the Word was a god."
This shows a fundamental abuse of the word "the" (the definite article). Any Greek scholar can show how irresponsible and infantile this rendering is.
The order of the Greek words in the second part of the phrase "the Word was God," shows that "God" is used as a name--the name of "the Word." It really should say, "the Word was with God, and God was the Word."
Thus, there is a fundamental difference between what we believe. And the most important belief in Christianity is that Jesus is God. Without that, his death and resurrection are meaningless. I know that Jehovah's Witnesses disagree with that idea completely, and I don't expect to convince any of you out there via a blog post from someone you don't know.
I do have a B.A. in Bible/Theology with 2 years of Hebrew taken from one of the leading Hebrew Scholars in the world, Dr. Kevin Spawn, but that doesn't matter either, probably.
I only mention the Hebrew thing because the very word "Jehovah" is a mis-transliteration of YHWH. I guess the name "Joshua" is too. That's trivial though.
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe in using only one translation, which unfortunately misleads many, many people.
To those of you who are Jehovah's Witnesses, I don't want to sound like I hate you guys. I only hope and pray that you will ask yourself the same question I ask myself..."why do I believe what I believe?" Is it because someone taught you? Or, is it because you took the time to doubt and reconsider everything you believed and still found it to be just as true as before?
I would encourage you to learn some Hebrew and Greek on your own, and to read the text in its original language.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
On Misleading People
When I work at the print shop, I have to work on files for all sorts of customers. One of them is the Jehovah's Witnesses in the area. They get flyers from their headquarters, and then then have to imprint specific locations and dates/times on them.
I always feel conflicted about working on those flyers. I want to do my job well, and my bosses have no reason to not print those flyers. But, I don't want to advance a message that I find harmful and misleading (which is what I believe of the Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs).
I was just sitting here thinking about the idea of misleading others. I'd bet that 99% of all Jehovah's Witnesses fully believe in what they're going door-to-door talking about. They don't set out to mislead people, but because they've been misled, when they share what they really believe, they mislead others.
How much of what I believe is right? It really hammers home the point that I need to carefully evaluate everything I believe, because it will impact what I say and teach others. This is important for everyone, but especially for me as I am a Pastor and teach others.
______________
This is also my first BOTC in a long time... (I don't count it at church).
I always feel conflicted about working on those flyers. I want to do my job well, and my bosses have no reason to not print those flyers. But, I don't want to advance a message that I find harmful and misleading (which is what I believe of the Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs).
I was just sitting here thinking about the idea of misleading others. I'd bet that 99% of all Jehovah's Witnesses fully believe in what they're going door-to-door talking about. They don't set out to mislead people, but because they've been misled, when they share what they really believe, they mislead others.
How much of what I believe is right? It really hammers home the point that I need to carefully evaluate everything I believe, because it will impact what I say and teach others. This is important for everyone, but especially for me as I am a Pastor and teach others.
______________
This is also my first BOTC in a long time... (I don't count it at church).
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Strawberry Ice Cream
My favorite Ice Cream Flavor is Strawberry. Of course, I don't get to eat much Ice Cream, since I am lactose intolerant. In the last 3 years, I've gone through two year-long spans of not having ice cream.
Breyers started making lactose free ice cream awhile ago, but they only have vanilla. A few weeks ago, I found out that Lactaid is making Ice Cream. It's real ice cream, and they just put the enzyme in so people like me can digest it. They had vanilla, chocolate, and cookie dough when I was at Raley's a few weeks ago.
Today, Julie bought me Strawberries and Cream ice cream (lactaid brand). I was so excited to finally eat strawberry ice cream and not really have to worry about it.
I also had a bunch of pizza with cheese on it in the last week. I just took some pills. It was so good.
So, if you're lactose intolerant and looking for some options, try going to Raley's. They usually have lactose free ice cream, milk, and cheese sticks. I think I'm going to eat a cheese stick right now.
Breyers started making lactose free ice cream awhile ago, but they only have vanilla. A few weeks ago, I found out that Lactaid is making Ice Cream. It's real ice cream, and they just put the enzyme in so people like me can digest it. They had vanilla, chocolate, and cookie dough when I was at Raley's a few weeks ago.
Today, Julie bought me Strawberries and Cream ice cream (lactaid brand). I was so excited to finally eat strawberry ice cream and not really have to worry about it.
I also had a bunch of pizza with cheese on it in the last week. I just took some pills. It was so good.
So, if you're lactose intolerant and looking for some options, try going to Raley's. They usually have lactose free ice cream, milk, and cheese sticks. I think I'm going to eat a cheese stick right now.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Creativity/Media stuff and me...currently
I used to call myself "an aspiring renaissance man" on my "about me" section on myspace. That was because I was trying to learn how to do so much media stuff while I was in college.
Now I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of a few useful things. I've been working at the print shop for about 9 months, and that time is coming to an end. My bosses needed to hire someone who could mostly focus on helping them run the business side of things and do some part time graphics (which is very, very part time because of the economy). Thankfully, the day they told me this, was also the same day Chris (the Youth Pastor at our church) was interviewing for a new job. After a few weeks of waiting, I learned that yes, I will be going full time at church as the Associate Pastor on July 1 (my title changed as of last Tuesday). It is weird to have that title.
So, for the past month and the next two months, I'm in this transition period. I'm not really working at the print shop much--just when they get backed up. I told them I wouldn't really be available after July 1.
Also, I have had a bunch of wedding videos piled up to edit. I just finished one, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
My mom mentioned to Kara--a webdesigner in our church--that I do webdesign, and she contacted me and asked if I could help her out a little. So I just made some pages for a website she's in the middle of re-doing. These are the first pages I've done for anyone else.
Last week, I also started using Reason again. Reason is a computer music program. I love making electronica. I worked on some loops/tracks for songs for church.
I haven't done this yet, so I'm going to do it on my blog. Here's a list of programs I've used in the last week. Adobe: Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Encore, Soundbooth, and Bridge (which barely counts). And Propellerhead Reason.
I have a lot of creative energy right now. Mostly it's being used on work. I miss the days of being creative just for fun (pre-printshop, pre-junior college, pre-media job at Alliance Redwoods). Back in those days, I edited pictures soon after I took them. I made music a lot--I even wrote songs. I blogged more too (sorry).
So, hopefully I will be better about keeping margin in my life in some form so that I have time to be creative and take joy in it, instead of making money out of it.
Now I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of a few useful things. I've been working at the print shop for about 9 months, and that time is coming to an end. My bosses needed to hire someone who could mostly focus on helping them run the business side of things and do some part time graphics (which is very, very part time because of the economy). Thankfully, the day they told me this, was also the same day Chris (the Youth Pastor at our church) was interviewing for a new job. After a few weeks of waiting, I learned that yes, I will be going full time at church as the Associate Pastor on July 1 (my title changed as of last Tuesday). It is weird to have that title.
So, for the past month and the next two months, I'm in this transition period. I'm not really working at the print shop much--just when they get backed up. I told them I wouldn't really be available after July 1.
Also, I have had a bunch of wedding videos piled up to edit. I just finished one, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.
My mom mentioned to Kara--a webdesigner in our church--that I do webdesign, and she contacted me and asked if I could help her out a little. So I just made some pages for a website she's in the middle of re-doing. These are the first pages I've done for anyone else.
Last week, I also started using Reason again. Reason is a computer music program. I love making electronica. I worked on some loops/tracks for songs for church.
I haven't done this yet, so I'm going to do it on my blog. Here's a list of programs I've used in the last week. Adobe: Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, Encore, Soundbooth, and Bridge (which barely counts). And Propellerhead Reason.
I have a lot of creative energy right now. Mostly it's being used on work. I miss the days of being creative just for fun (pre-printshop, pre-junior college, pre-media job at Alliance Redwoods). Back in those days, I edited pictures soon after I took them. I made music a lot--I even wrote songs. I blogged more too (sorry).
So, hopefully I will be better about keeping margin in my life in some form so that I have time to be creative and take joy in it, instead of making money out of it.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
TV Finales
This past year, I've actually gotten to the point where I like a whole night of TV on one channel. Wednesdays on ABC has been pretty great.
I've been a "Scrubs" fan for awhile, but this was the first time I watched new episodes. Then, they had a new show "Better off Ted," which was pretty funny--kind of like the Office, but less annoying. And, next was my favorite show, "Lost."
Well, last Wednesday, I watched the series finale of Scrubs. As my favorite comedy, I was sad that it was ending, and hopeful that it would be a happy ending. I loved how that show always had depth despite its humor.
I almost cried at the end. I couldn't believe it. But I guess that shows the power of good story-telling, and the power of time spent immersing yourself in the story.
I managed to get Julie to start watching Lost this year, and since she was at youth group last night, I agreed to wait to watch the finale. So we just watched it online tonight.
Wow, that was incredible. I love the way that Lost combines philosophy, science, religion (including elements of Christianity), science fiction, good character development (including serious flaws), and all sorts of influences. It's definitely a thinking man's show.
I've been reading some theories about the last episode, and they're so in-depth. Most likely, the creators of the show are doing even crazier things than people are guessing, with historical, literary references.
I'm excited about the last season of it that starts next year. I'm going to try to re-watch the entire show before January. I think we'll have to average about 3 episodes a week in order to pull it off.
I've been a "Scrubs" fan for awhile, but this was the first time I watched new episodes. Then, they had a new show "Better off Ted," which was pretty funny--kind of like the Office, but less annoying. And, next was my favorite show, "Lost."
Well, last Wednesday, I watched the series finale of Scrubs. As my favorite comedy, I was sad that it was ending, and hopeful that it would be a happy ending. I loved how that show always had depth despite its humor.
I almost cried at the end. I couldn't believe it. But I guess that shows the power of good story-telling, and the power of time spent immersing yourself in the story.
I managed to get Julie to start watching Lost this year, and since she was at youth group last night, I agreed to wait to watch the finale. So we just watched it online tonight.
Wow, that was incredible. I love the way that Lost combines philosophy, science, religion (including elements of Christianity), science fiction, good character development (including serious flaws), and all sorts of influences. It's definitely a thinking man's show.
I've been reading some theories about the last episode, and they're so in-depth. Most likely, the creators of the show are doing even crazier things than people are guessing, with historical, literary references.
I'm excited about the last season of it that starts next year. I'm going to try to re-watch the entire show before January. I think we'll have to average about 3 episodes a week in order to pull it off.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Tupperware
I had a realization this morning.
I was putting away the dishes in the dishwasher, when I realized that the main reason I tend to put that particular chore off for so long is the tupperware. It never dries all the way. Water drops get stuck under the edges, or sometimes it gets flipped over during the wash and is full of water.
I started thinking about how it would easier to put things away if we just didn't use any tupperware. But, that would mean no leftovers. And I like having leftovers. It saves a lot of time, it saves food, and it saves money. It's good stewardship.
I think if someone invented tupperware that dried correctly in the washer, I would like leftovers even more.
I was putting away the dishes in the dishwasher, when I realized that the main reason I tend to put that particular chore off for so long is the tupperware. It never dries all the way. Water drops get stuck under the edges, or sometimes it gets flipped over during the wash and is full of water.
I started thinking about how it would easier to put things away if we just didn't use any tupperware. But, that would mean no leftovers. And I like having leftovers. It saves a lot of time, it saves food, and it saves money. It's good stewardship.
I think if someone invented tupperware that dried correctly in the washer, I would like leftovers even more.
Friday, May 01, 2009
I almost hurt Julie really bad...
Today Julie and I went to see Wolverine at a matinee. Afterwards, we took both of our cars to Wal-Mart, since we were pretty close already, and had both of them with us.
We needed to get new wiper blades anyway, and it was raining. So, we got our wiper blades, and decided to go to the bank to deposit our paychecks.
We thought we should just leave my truck at Wal-Mart and take her car. So, I got in her car and started it, put it in reverse, and waited for some people to finish passing behind our car.
While I was waiting, I realized that I needed to get my paycheck out of the truck. So, I got out, closed the door, and started walking to my truck.
As I passed the passenger side of the car, I was looking at Julie, who was signing her paycheck, looking down.
Then, I realized the car was moving backwards. I'd put it in reverse, but since it wasn't moving when I was in it, I forgot to put it in park!
So, I tried yelling at her through the windshield, but she didn't hear me. I ran through the puddle and soaked my shoe.
I opened the driver door, jumped in the car, and stepped on the brake.
She didn't even realize it had moved until I got in. It wasn't moving very quickly yet.
Thankfully the row of spots we were in was pretty wide, and no one was coming. It could have been a lot worse.
That was one of the stupidest things I've done in my entire life.
By the way, I really liked Wolverine. Also, we were the only people to wait until the end of the credits. There's a secret scene about a minute into the credits, and another secret scene at the end of the credits, which no one else saw.
We needed to get new wiper blades anyway, and it was raining. So, we got our wiper blades, and decided to go to the bank to deposit our paychecks.
We thought we should just leave my truck at Wal-Mart and take her car. So, I got in her car and started it, put it in reverse, and waited for some people to finish passing behind our car.
While I was waiting, I realized that I needed to get my paycheck out of the truck. So, I got out, closed the door, and started walking to my truck.
As I passed the passenger side of the car, I was looking at Julie, who was signing her paycheck, looking down.
Then, I realized the car was moving backwards. I'd put it in reverse, but since it wasn't moving when I was in it, I forgot to put it in park!
So, I tried yelling at her through the windshield, but she didn't hear me. I ran through the puddle and soaked my shoe.
I opened the driver door, jumped in the car, and stepped on the brake.
She didn't even realize it had moved until I got in. It wasn't moving very quickly yet.
Thankfully the row of spots we were in was pretty wide, and no one was coming. It could have been a lot worse.
That was one of the stupidest things I've done in my entire life.
By the way, I really liked Wolverine. Also, we were the only people to wait until the end of the credits. There's a secret scene about a minute into the credits, and another secret scene at the end of the credits, which no one else saw.
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So you are a pastor. Can you show me in the Bible where there is a division between clergy and laity.
The words of Jesus come to my mind when he told his disciples;
2 “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. ... 8 But you, do not you be called Rabbi, for one is your teacher, whereas all you are brothers. 9 Moreover, do not call anyone YOUR father on earth, for one is YOUR Father, the heavenly One. 10 Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for YOUR Leader is one, the Christ. 11 But the greatest one among YOU must be YOUR minister. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
Matthew 23: 2, 8-12.