Holiday Travel=Blog Sabbatical

This will probably be the last entry for the year 2005.I am leaving soon to visit my in-laws in Kalkaska, MI. For those who don’t know much about Northern Michigan, imagine Siberia. Now think of the most desolate spot. Now add 3 feet of snow. Now drop the temperature about 15 degrees. That’s where I am heading. To say that there is no high speed internet is an overstatement. At times, my in-laws’ dial up connection transfer speed was measured in bytes. Not kilobytes. Definitely not Megabytes. So, unless I find a Starbucks where I can hook into their wireless, I will be cut off from the world of the web for at least a week. But, I am looking forward to it. All this is to say, check back next year for all new perspectives that will hopefully be fresh and full of insight. Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah. Happy New Year.

Manna from Heaven

I like to have substance on my blog and not talk about the silly events of the day, but I can’t help myself. I went to McDonalds today because I saw an add on TV that promoted 2 McGriddle sandwiches for $2. I love getting deals at fast food places, so I bit. Let me tell you, I have found manna from heaven, and is in the McGriddle sandwich. Seriously, they were amazing. They combined the spicy sausage with the sweet taste of pancakes with pockets of syrup. I know, most of you couldn’t care less, but I had to share. So get out there and get some McGriddles while the deal lasts.

Seeing God Through Different Eyes

My newest favorite artist is Matisyahu. He is a Hip-hop/Reggae musician who just happens to also be a Hassidic Jew. He has a great flow, good beats and music, and his words are very thought provoking. You can check out a video of him on the Jimmy Kimel Live show here (stick around for the interview afterward).

And I think the reason I like him so much is because of his lyrics. They remind me or even reveal to me aspects of God that I don’t normally focus on. As a Christian, my approach to God is often framed by the cross, which is not a bad thing. However, the cross which clearly depicts God’s grace, love, sacrifice, and forgiveness just tells part of the story. God has been acting and revealing himself to humanity since the beginning, and the cross is just one part. Granted, as Christians we would probably say it is the largest part, but we still cannot discount the other qualities of God’s character. Perhaps this is why I am so adamant about studying the Old Testament (which, especially in this discussion, might better be termed “The Hebrew Scriptures”).

All this is to say, God is so big that he breaks out of the boxes we try to put Him into, and defies any of our definitions. Yet, we continually try to describe Him, and should continue to. After all, He is a personal God.

From Matisyahu’s "Aish Tamid" (Perpetual Flame)

Aish tamid eternally
A fire burns continuously
Wondering where you been
Won't you come on home to me?

Lesson Learned

Today was the last day of my Old Testament Survey class. The students took the final and left. As I reflect over the semester, I can’t help but be reminded of the third day of class when there was quite a confrontation between a couple of students and myself about the historical accuracy of the Genesis creation account, specifically did Adam and Eve actually exist. It was a pretty good discussion, but it taught me a valuable lesson. Though I think I am making myself clear, sometimes people still don’t understand what I am talking about. Some of the students went from the discussion about this historicity to saying, “So the Bible is not true.” Which of course is far from my point of view. Of course I think the Bible is true, but does not have to be based purely on historical accuracy in order to be so. But that is a separate topic I have covered previously and ad nauseam on the GLCC board. Again, just because the words I speak or even write sound good in my head, they may not in other’s heads. So, I recommit to clarity and precision as much as possible. At the same time, I wish people would seek clarification if they are confused instead of just assuming that what they are hearing is correct. Such patience and attempts at understanding would go a long way in getting people on the same page.

Wasting Time...even faster

I got a cable modem installed about a week ago. I will have it free for 6-months. It was the settlement from a class action lawsuit against Charter (our monopolistic cable company) for hidden and unnecessary charges. I also hooked up a wireless router so am surfing and multi-tasking like crazy. I would like to say I am getting more accomplished, but I sort of doubt it. To be honest I feel like the guy on the commercial that has surfed the whole internet, and finally reached the end. Though I haven’t I have seen more sites that I have been avoiding since they took too long to download. Songs, videos, flash animations, you name it, I have finally been able to see all the cool things in store for me. As the title of the post says, I think I am wasting time, just at faster speeds.

But I have noticed that I am just looking and not actually contributing. I have ceased doing things like updating my blog, updating my website, updating the church website, making intelligent comments on the GLCC Forum, etc. It seems that most of my time lately is just looking and not doing. Sure, I have been busy with church, work, baby and more, but my spare time is spent checking out a website or playing online poker—both of which are a waste of time. But, I am going to go through an internet fast beginning on December 18th for at least a week. I will be in Kalkaska, MI and will have no good/easy internet access (unless I stop by Starbucks or something). Hopefully, I can churn out something to contribute to society. Perhaps not, as I have other big plans (reading “Velvit Elvis” by Rob Bell and watching past seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Either way, I have some things in the hopper, so don’t go too far.

Candle of Peace

A group of academics and historians has compiled this startling information: Since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars large and small, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed.

I am an idealist and believe that peace is attainable, but perhaps not. Perhaps greed and selfishness will always cause enmity, fighting, and war. But there is a peace that surpasses understanding. There is a peace that gives assurance even in the face of an attacking enemy. The peace is between humanity and their Creator:

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For Jesus himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility… He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
Ephesians 2:13-14; 17

I have often equated peace with safety. But safety does not exist in the absence of danger but in the presence of God. Peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble, but is rather the confidence that He is there with you always. His arrival in this world was the first step towards world peace first with the Creator, then with one another.