Come Now Sleep

Tonight, I think I learned a very important reality.

I think caffeine might keep me from sleeping.

I have always operated under the assumption that I am impervious to this chemical. However, it appears that the time has come for me to be a scientist and do what every good scientist does - experiments.

So, here I am, sitting around, trying to make myself sleepy. I am trying to connect some dots about coffee's role in this turmoil, because I have one of these nights every once in a while, but I thought sometimes I just had trouble sleeping.

Soon I will figure out. That's another thing scientists do - figure stuff out.

In the meantime, I will provide you with 2 things:
1.) a poem by Walt Whitman
2.) a picture of one of my favorite animals

1. "Over the Carnage Rose Prophetic a Voice"

Over the carnage rose prophetic a voice,
Be not dishearten'd, affection shall solve the problems of freedom
yet,
Those who love each other shall become invincible
They shall yet make Columbia victorious.

Sons of the Mother of All, you shall yet be victorious,
You shall yet laugh to scorn the attacks of all the remainder of
the earth.

No danger shall balk Columbia's lovers,
If need be a thousand shall sternly immolate themselves for one.

One from Massachusetts shall be a Missourian's comrade,
From Maine and from hot Carolina, and another an Oregonese,
shall be friends triune,
More precious to each other than all the riches of the earth.

To Michigan, Florida perfumes shall tenderly come,
Not the perfumes of flowers, but sweeter, and wafted beyond death.

It shall be customary in the houses and streets to see manly
affection,
The most dauntless and ruse shall touch face to face lightly,
The dependence of Liberty shall be lovers,
The continuance of Equality shall be comrades.

These shall tie you and band you stronger than hoops of iron,
I, ecstatic, O partners! O lands! with the love of lovers tie you.

(Were you looking to be held together by lawyers?
Or by an agreement on a paper? or by arms?
Nay, nor the world, nor any living thing, will so cohere.)

2.

Be thou My Vision

Currently Hearing: Heart of Glass by Blondie
Currently Feeling: Like Someone Put Drugs in My Coffee
Currently Wanting: To Ride My Bike
Currently Desiring: A Desk for My Apartment

So, I tried to put up some videos from the El Ten Eleven show I went to last night, but my computer did something crazy and I didn't feel like trying again.
Maybe later.

This morning, I went to an Episcopal church here in Pasadena for their service.

I had wondered what the church would be like, considering I had heard it was one of the most liberal churches in America.
It was quite an interesting experience. First of all, my friend and I went early to listen to a man from Little Rock who had been one of the first black students in their attempt to integrate the school system in Arkansas. He was very kind and humorous, and had some good things to say about racial relations. After that, I strolled out onto the lawn to see an assortment of booths for church "clubs" and communities. Being raised in the South, it was definitely surprising to see the Gay and Lesbian Association with their booth on the church lawn. Then, we went inside for Eucharist. The service had some good songs, including a personal favorite of mine - Be Thou My Vision. The liturgical aspect is always interesting to experience, considering I was raised in a totally different tradition. But, I can definitely appreciate it and really enjoy some of it. After that, I basically heard a sermon that would have passed over well among any religiously tolerant audience - as one of my friends put it - it was a good "moral lecture." It was definitely shocking to hear the priest refer to people who are against homosexual ordination as "morally blind."

The whole experience just got me thinking about the role of the Spirit in guiding believers. This is something that plagues my mind quite regularly. It seems that people from so many different camps and "wings" of Christianity believe they are living lives guided by the Spirit, yet people believe such diametrically opposed ideas. It is all so confusing to me. I guess none of that stuff won't be sorted out until the eschaton (maybe not even then, depending on what you believe!).

Am I Speaking For You?

Currently Loving: Green Apple Tart Yogurt + Toppings by Cherry On Top Yogurt
Currently Hearing: Man on the Moon by Kid Cudi
Currently Reading: A Plethora of Textbooks by My Professors and Their Required Reading Lists
Currently Praying: For My Nana and the Pasadena Acts29 Church Plant

Tonight, I thought it would be pleasing to share one of my favorite poems with you. I used to keep a written copy of it at my desk in Korea and read it every once in a while.

"When We Sold the Tent"
by Rhina P. Espaillat

When we sold the tent
we threw in the Grand Canyon
with its shawl of pines,
lap full of cones and chipmunks
and crooked seams of river.

We let them have the
parched white moonscapes of Utah,
and Colorado's
magnificat of flowers
sunbursting hill after hill.

Long gentle stretches
of Wyoming, rain outside
some sad Idaho
town where the children, giddy
with strange places, clowned all night.

Eyes like small veiled moons
circling our single light, sleek
shadows with pawprints,
all went with the outfit; and
youth, a river of campfires.

"When We Sold the Tent" by Rhina P. Espaillat from Playing at Stillness. © Truman State University Press.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start!

Currently Hearing: Where the Wild Things Are by Karen O and the Kids
Currently Reading: Theology for the Community of God by Stanley Grenz
Currently Anticipating: A Life-Changing IMAX Experience

Think about this quote from the book I am reading (see above):

"The Bible's authoritative status radiates outward from any narrow conception of 'faith and practice,' until it encompasses all of life. This phenomenon is a function of the all-encompassing nature of human religious convictions. Try as we will, we cannot successfully marginalize our religious orientation to the fringes of life. Such commitments ultimately affect all areas of personal and corporate existence. This means, however, that whatever is determinative of these convictions will exercise ultimate authority over our entire being. Consequently, to confess that the Bible is authoritative for 'faith and practice' means that Scripture must saturate all of life. Placing ourselves under the teaching of the Bible commits us to confessing a biblical world view. A biblically informed outlook, in turn, will eventually permeate our attitudes and actions in every facet of life" (404).

Good. Now think about how good Where the Wild Things Are is going to be.

Currently Hearing: Destructor by E-Pop
Currently Reading: Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen
Currently Believing: Riding My Bike Is Incredible

"Neither do the effects of the death of Christ rest here; they leave us not until we are settled in heaven, in glory and immortality for ever." - John Owen

For this I am grateful.
Praise be to God.

Would You Always maybe sometimes make it easy

Currently Reading: The Global Dictionary of Theology
Currently Hearing: Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
Currently Anticipating: Cornel West at Pepperdine and Friday Sabbath

I am sitting in the library currently preparing for Systematic Theology.
Right now, all I can think about is how helpful being able to explain the use of analogies during the rise of modernism and "metaphysical reductionism" to my church members is going to be to their troubled marriage and/or rebellious pre-teen son. I mean, can't little Derrick see how modernist ideals have caused him to build a metaphorical roof over himself, leading to a privatization of his own person, ultimately causing him to adopt the understanding that perverted ideals have no bearing on his ability to judge things objectively? Clearly, if he can understand this, he is well on the way towards spiritual and emotional healing - even flourishing.

My New Favorite Band: El Ten Eleven

My Only Swerving


Hot Cakes

What a beautiful nightmare:

Two Things:

1.) Read this:
"Since God's sovereign rule and all the benefits for our material needs come from God to us, this passage [Matthew 6:19-34] suggests by implication that we can become a part of God's redemptive force in history by sharing these benefits with those who are in need.... Part of the presence of the Kingdom is indeed material blessings. Therefore, we can hardly live under God's reign, receive his blessings, and not use them to help alleviate the evil of hunger and need elsewhere.... Not only do we recognize that all we have comes from God, but we also recognize that sharing that with others to remove their suffering is to defeat the enemy and to 'seek the Kingdom... on earth as in heaven'" (Guelich, Sermon on the Mount, 373).

2.) Watch this:
If you like Bon Iver, then you will obviously like this (recognize the voice?)

I'm a Nice Dude, with Some Nice Dreams...

Currently Reading: Textbook after textbook
Currently Hearing: Unwed Sailor Radio Station on Pandora
Currently Wishing: Humans Didn't Require Sleep, but Could Enjoy it When Desired

Pasadena Life = sleeping on the couch + the 99 cent store + reading + Pandora radio + no rain + wearing a backpack again + eating a wild amount of granola bars + meeting some great people

Who ever said math was hard?