http://www.livescience.com/technology/destroy_earth_mp-1.html
This should once and for all prove that though nerds may be easy pickins in high school, you should be very, VERY careful. They may just spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to destroy the earth in creative yet possible ways.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
late night am radio
Every Tuesday I drive down to Orlando for classes as Asbury Theological Seminary. It's about a two hour drive. Typically I bring a couple of Podcasts with me to listen to as well as some music. For some reason, on my way home, I really enjoy listening to talk radio or Podcast sermons or something along those lines. Maybe I'm old, oh well, but talk keeps me up better at night than music, even loud music, which tends to lull me to sleep. And I'm driving from 9:00 to 11:00pm, which for me is late driving.
Anyway, after a while, the AM dial starts to go all static and I end up flipping around out of boredom (usually after I've grown tired of Podcasts). This has grown into a nerdy little hobby the past few weeks as I had forgotten that at night the AM band goes a bit crazy and signals bounce all over the place. In the past three weeks I have come across the following stations with pretty clear reception:
700 WLW - Cincinnati
870 WWL - New Orleans
1030 WBZ - Boston
1500 WTOP - Washington D.C.
750 WSB - Atlanta
I don't know why but I think this is really cool. Now I flip around trying to see which cities I can catch an AM signal from. I've tried to think about why I really enjoy this past the novelty of saying I listened to an AM station out of Boston, and I think it's being, potentially anyway, the only one to listen to that station where I am. Almost like I am privy to something that no one else knows about. So it's this 10 or 15 minute moment (usually the signal fades after a bit) where I am hearing something no one else nearby is and I'm not actually in Florida. I'm cruising along the interstate in Massachusetts or D.C. or something. Maybe it's just something different.
So that gets me thinking about how we almost always want something different than what we have and how we sometimes want something that no one else does. And I think, for the most part, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Our desires give us goals and a little piece of the world that is just ours gives us a sense of uniqueness. But it can also lead to discontentment and disillusionment (not that listening to weird AM radio stations leads me away from God, this is metaphorical at this point). If I am always looking for something different and mine and mine alone then I miss out on a lot. So when Jesus teaches about faith being like a mustard seed, I have to realize that I may want more faith, but it is not an overnight thing. Contentment with the journey that I am on is key to my sense of purpose and fulfillment. And if I think my faith is mine and mine alone, I'm going to have a hard time rectifying that with the mustard seed analogy as Jesus describes the seed growing into a towering plant that provides shade and rest for many. So my faith is not just about me and it is not something I can just toss out and trade for a new one if I want to experience a real relationship with God.
So in my wanderings around the radio dial, I enjoy the moments of discovery of a new city. But I also realize that at the end of my journey is not Boston or Washington D.C., but my home, where I belong.
Anyway, after a while, the AM dial starts to go all static and I end up flipping around out of boredom (usually after I've grown tired of Podcasts). This has grown into a nerdy little hobby the past few weeks as I had forgotten that at night the AM band goes a bit crazy and signals bounce all over the place. In the past three weeks I have come across the following stations with pretty clear reception:
700 WLW - Cincinnati
870 WWL - New Orleans
1030 WBZ - Boston
1500 WTOP - Washington D.C.
750 WSB - Atlanta
I don't know why but I think this is really cool. Now I flip around trying to see which cities I can catch an AM signal from. I've tried to think about why I really enjoy this past the novelty of saying I listened to an AM station out of Boston, and I think it's being, potentially anyway, the only one to listen to that station where I am. Almost like I am privy to something that no one else knows about. So it's this 10 or 15 minute moment (usually the signal fades after a bit) where I am hearing something no one else nearby is and I'm not actually in Florida. I'm cruising along the interstate in Massachusetts or D.C. or something. Maybe it's just something different.
So that gets me thinking about how we almost always want something different than what we have and how we sometimes want something that no one else does. And I think, for the most part, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Our desires give us goals and a little piece of the world that is just ours gives us a sense of uniqueness. But it can also lead to discontentment and disillusionment (not that listening to weird AM radio stations leads me away from God, this is metaphorical at this point). If I am always looking for something different and mine and mine alone then I miss out on a lot. So when Jesus teaches about faith being like a mustard seed, I have to realize that I may want more faith, but it is not an overnight thing. Contentment with the journey that I am on is key to my sense of purpose and fulfillment. And if I think my faith is mine and mine alone, I'm going to have a hard time rectifying that with the mustard seed analogy as Jesus describes the seed growing into a towering plant that provides shade and rest for many. So my faith is not just about me and it is not something I can just toss out and trade for a new one if I want to experience a real relationship with God.
So in my wanderings around the radio dial, I enjoy the moments of discovery of a new city. But I also realize that at the end of my journey is not Boston or Washington D.C., but my home, where I belong.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Abraham's Test
So I was heading back from Orlando yesterday after my seminary class got out and I popped in a CD of a PODcast of a Rick McKinley sermon at the Imago Dei Church in Portland, OR. If you are not familiar with that particular church, you might also know it as Donald Miller's church (author of Blue Like Jazz). Rick has done a series on the faithfulness of Abraham and this one had to do with Abraham's test of faith, offering to sacrifice his son.
I won't go into the entire sermon but one of the most startling points for me was that Rick began to distinguish between believing in God and believing in God's promises. In other words, are we more interested in just hanging onto the benefits, the good stuff that comes with knowing God or are we willing to travel the long and difficult road that requires us to lay down those very benefits, those good things so that nothing comes in the way of our relationship with God. That struck me kind of hard and I had to think about it for a while.
I like to think that I am willing to endure difficulty, that I will not always just choose the easy road. But I also know that as God blesses me (my wonderful wife, my kids, my job, school, etc.) it is increasingly easy for my relationship with God to be more about those blessings than God himself. And is God just interested in giving me things or does he want an actual relationship with me, one that is unimpeded by "stuff"? Not that God may ask me to destroy those blessings, but perhaps God wants me to keep things in perspective, the blessings are the side benefit of KNOWING God and being in relationship with God. It's not that God is a miser but God is not just a sugar daddy. If my kids only loved me because I bought them toys and ice cream, that's indicative of a very shallow relationship. So the blame either lies with me thinking that I can buy their love or they are satisfied with temporary, shallow things. Because I believe God is perfect and would not condescend to buy my love, I am left to conclude that I am often satisfied with temporary things, things that though beautiful and fulfilling to a degree are only reflections of a greater love, a greater reality.
Those of you who know me kind of well know that I bristle at most TV preachers (just read back a few posts to my thoughts about Rev. Rod). I think this sermon helped me to see why I bristle but also helped me to extend a little more grace. So much of TV preaching centers on what God wants to give us; money, power, prestige, debt relief, better sex, better lives, etc. (yes I have heard sermons on better sex). And yes, to some extent that is true (though power is probably not at the top of God's list of blessings, at least in the western context in which we understand power). But God is more interested in a relationship with us, with me, with you. The blessings are natural outpourings of God's love for his creation just as I love to give special treats to my wife and children, but it is not he focus of my love for them.
So, the message is often less than it should be, shallower if you will. But as I mentioned, I am also guilty of viewing God in that same light which means that I am a lot closer to many TV evangelists than I might want to believe. If I want grace than I should be willing to extend it. That doesn't mean you won't find the occasional rant here but hopefully I will be a bit more forgiving.
In other news I have a ticket to the UF/Tennessee game this Saturday and I am seriously pumped. Go Gators!!!
I won't go into the entire sermon but one of the most startling points for me was that Rick began to distinguish between believing in God and believing in God's promises. In other words, are we more interested in just hanging onto the benefits, the good stuff that comes with knowing God or are we willing to travel the long and difficult road that requires us to lay down those very benefits, those good things so that nothing comes in the way of our relationship with God. That struck me kind of hard and I had to think about it for a while.
I like to think that I am willing to endure difficulty, that I will not always just choose the easy road. But I also know that as God blesses me (my wonderful wife, my kids, my job, school, etc.) it is increasingly easy for my relationship with God to be more about those blessings than God himself. And is God just interested in giving me things or does he want an actual relationship with me, one that is unimpeded by "stuff"? Not that God may ask me to destroy those blessings, but perhaps God wants me to keep things in perspective, the blessings are the side benefit of KNOWING God and being in relationship with God. It's not that God is a miser but God is not just a sugar daddy. If my kids only loved me because I bought them toys and ice cream, that's indicative of a very shallow relationship. So the blame either lies with me thinking that I can buy their love or they are satisfied with temporary, shallow things. Because I believe God is perfect and would not condescend to buy my love, I am left to conclude that I am often satisfied with temporary things, things that though beautiful and fulfilling to a degree are only reflections of a greater love, a greater reality.
Those of you who know me kind of well know that I bristle at most TV preachers (just read back a few posts to my thoughts about Rev. Rod). I think this sermon helped me to see why I bristle but also helped me to extend a little more grace. So much of TV preaching centers on what God wants to give us; money, power, prestige, debt relief, better sex, better lives, etc. (yes I have heard sermons on better sex). And yes, to some extent that is true (though power is probably not at the top of God's list of blessings, at least in the western context in which we understand power). But God is more interested in a relationship with us, with me, with you. The blessings are natural outpourings of God's love for his creation just as I love to give special treats to my wife and children, but it is not he focus of my love for them.
So, the message is often less than it should be, shallower if you will. But as I mentioned, I am also guilty of viewing God in that same light which means that I am a lot closer to many TV evangelists than I might want to believe. If I want grace than I should be willing to extend it. That doesn't mean you won't find the occasional rant here but hopefully I will be a bit more forgiving.
In other news I have a ticket to the UF/Tennessee game this Saturday and I am seriously pumped. Go Gators!!!
Monday, September 10, 2007
goodbye my old friend
Evidently this song is roughly a year or so old but I heard it for the first time yesterday and I have to say, it made me sad.
You’ll be fine tomorrow
The sun will rise again
It’s never easy to say goodbye
You know I’ll always love you
You know I always will
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye my old friend (my old friend)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, we’ve reached the end (we’ve reached the end)
I don’t cry with sorrow,
I cry with joy
The memories we made can’t be destroyed
You know I won’t forget you
You know I never could
And when I said I loved you
You know I meant for good
This evidently is the final single from Audio Adrenaline. I knew that lead singer Mark Stuart had been having vocal problems and it was obvious based on other members doing more of the singing as time went on that Mark's ability to sing would be limited. But there's this part toward the end of the song (which is sung primarily by another member) when it slows and quiets and Mark comes in for the first time and sings the chorus in this broken, raspy, sad voice, and it definitely got to me a little bit. How hard that must have been for him to have sung those words, written this song, and decided that it was time for Audio A. to end.
I'm not big into the "Christian" music scene these days, but I also realize that Audio A. to some extent transcended that subculture that tends to be somewhat uninspired and unoriginal and did some really good music for a long time. I remember in 1996-97 listening to their album Bloom and realizing that within the Christian music scene there were some really good musicians who were trying to do something different ("Jesus Freak" broke a little before that, Jars of Clay was coming up, Caedmon's Call had recently broke, Switchfoot was starting to make some noise). Their cover of "Free Ride" is ridiculous. Great guitar and great vocals.
Well, anyway, it was a sad moment as I thought back over the years of hearing Audio A., playing their songs on guitar, listening to youth choirs sing their songs, and seeing them perform on probably 4 or 5 occasions. Thanks for the music guys.
You’ll be fine tomorrow
The sun will rise again
It’s never easy to say goodbye
You know I’ll always love you
You know I always will
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye my old friend (my old friend)
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, we’ve reached the end (we’ve reached the end)
I don’t cry with sorrow,
I cry with joy
The memories we made can’t be destroyed
You know I won’t forget you
You know I never could
And when I said I loved you
You know I meant for good
This evidently is the final single from Audio Adrenaline. I knew that lead singer Mark Stuart had been having vocal problems and it was obvious based on other members doing more of the singing as time went on that Mark's ability to sing would be limited. But there's this part toward the end of the song (which is sung primarily by another member) when it slows and quiets and Mark comes in for the first time and sings the chorus in this broken, raspy, sad voice, and it definitely got to me a little bit. How hard that must have been for him to have sung those words, written this song, and decided that it was time for Audio A. to end.
I'm not big into the "Christian" music scene these days, but I also realize that Audio A. to some extent transcended that subculture that tends to be somewhat uninspired and unoriginal and did some really good music for a long time. I remember in 1996-97 listening to their album Bloom and realizing that within the Christian music scene there were some really good musicians who were trying to do something different ("Jesus Freak" broke a little before that, Jars of Clay was coming up, Caedmon's Call had recently broke, Switchfoot was starting to make some noise). Their cover of "Free Ride" is ridiculous. Great guitar and great vocals.
Well, anyway, it was a sad moment as I thought back over the years of hearing Audio A., playing their songs on guitar, listening to youth choirs sing their songs, and seeing them perform on probably 4 or 5 occasions. Thanks for the music guys.
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