yourmoneyisours

Update

2010-11-14T17:02:00.004+09:00

Hello, everyone.

I may or may not have decided to make my new home over at my Tumblr.
If you would like, you can look at it here.
It's just so much cleaner and easier to use. I don't know if it is possible to import my old posts, so I may be just choosing the favorites and making them as new posts, or forgetting about it all together and starting fresh...
We'll just have to see.
In the mean, check out what I have.

yourmoneyisours.tumblr.com

Can I Call You Mine?

2010-11-04T03:39:00.000+09:00

What amazing talent.

Art for Heart's Sake

2010-10-21T13:15:00.003+09:00

"Whether one is an artist or not, I think as Christians we are all implicated in the horrendous deficiency of imagination, the visual illiteracy, the dispassionate celebrations of ‘the joy of our salvation,’ the uncaring lamentations of our sorrow for the oppressed and wounded, our lack of protest for the destruction of our ecosystem and the consumerist kitsch that is the predominant expression of faith in most of the Christian community." - Betty Spackman

This quote is a stunning portrayal of what seems to be a continuing idea that looms over the Christian world. Christians are so often accused of putting out sub-standard art (of varying types), and this accusation does not come from the 'secular' realm alone. Rather, Christians who emphasize the church's engaging in culture are quick to make this point. In addition, I wonder if culture as a whole is guilty of losing its imagination. The movie industry seems to be pumping out tons of remakes, making me wonder if there is anything new under the sun at all. If Christians are living the best life possible, and bearers of the best news possible, shouldn't we be putting out the most fresh art possible? My guess is that there is a nagging sense of separatism that continues to eat away at the Christian artistic enterprise.

What do you think?

Man, This Lady

2010-10-10T03:03:00.001+09:00

2010-10-07T04:43:00.002+09:00

"In Luke's version of the story of Jesus' summary of the law, the teacher asks him to obvious follow-up question, 'who is my neighbour?' Jesus replies with the story of the Good Samaritan. A man, lying dying in the road having been brutally beaten and robbed, is ignored by two righteous but fearful priests, but then helped by a passing Samaritan. At different points of history he might have told the story in terms of Protestants and Catholics, or Sunnis and Shias, or Americans and Communists, or Evangelicals and gays - the point remains the same. The person who acted with grace and mercy towards 'the other' was the one who was the true neighbour.
This is another strange answer from Jesus. He had been asked who his neighbour was; the reply he gave was to explain how to be a good neighbour, the implication being that there is no one who is not our neighbour, no one to whom we should not show mercy. The 'other' in the world around me is everyone around me."

Other: Loving Self, God, and Neighbour in a World of Fractures by Kester Brewin, pp. 9-10

2010-10-06T13:36:00.002+09:00

"Here is the most important verse in the Bible about new creation: 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!' (2 Corinthians 5:17). Christian men and women are to live a life that moves beyond the fall, beyond the battle of wills. If new creation does anything, it unleashes the power to undo the fall in our world. I cannot emphasize this enough: the story of the Bible is the story of new creation in Christ" (189).

This is a excerpt from Scot McKnight's The Blue Parakeet, a book that I have been reading through over the past few weeks. McKnight's whole point is to try and show readers a new way of viewing the Bible (which, he suggests, is not really new at all). In this method of reading, we see the Bible for what it is - the story of God. In reading the Bible as Story, we are able to see an account that moves from oneness (creation) to brokenness (fall), and back towards oneness in Christ that will be fully realized in the eschaton. With this understanding as our interpretive lens, we can see the Bible for what it is - not a puzzle or book of laws, but as an account of what God is doing in history and how he has spoken to various people in various times and places. Indeed, God still speaks to us today (as McKnight would say) in our days and our ways. So, let's accept the invitation to be wrapped up in this story.

This Just Felt Right

2010-09-30T12:43:00.002+09:00

Currently Reading: The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible by Scot McKnight

I have been reading McKnight's The Blue Parakeet for a little while now, and it has really been refreshing. Scot McKnight invites the reader into the Story of God as interpreted by the inspired biblical authors. It's a holistic way to see and engage Scripture. You should check it out.

Also, I drew a picture on the internet:

Clean Clothes and Closed Books

2010-09-19T07:07:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: Hammock Radio on Pandora
Just Finished Reading: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Just Started Reading: Works of Love by Søren Kierkegaard

So, now that my summer classes are finally wrapped up, I have been able to remember what it feels like to not operate under an ominous, ticking clock that is ready to explode as soon as it strikes "0."

That being said, I have enjoyed my days and nights by getting laundry done, reading, writing, and trying to shrink a pair of leather shoes. The War of Art, which I just finished at LaunderLand that other afternoon, was a great inspiration. I am hoping that it will serve as a sort of catalyst to win some inner creative battles, as Pressfield puts it.

School begins in ten days or so, which should be interesting. It feels like forever since Spring quarter let out. As Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." I guess I had better use this time off to settle in and do some gazing.

Better Off Alone Together

2010-09-07T16:53:00.004+09:00

Currently Hearing: I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone by Crime in Stereo

I had totally forgotten about this poem. It's way too good, and, God willing, I hope to be able to recite this to my wife one day.

"Wound" by Larry Levis

I’ve loved you
the way a man loves an old wound
picked up in a razor fight

on a street nobody remembers.
Look at him:
even in the dark, he touches it gently.

Brought to Life

2010-09-07T06:17:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: The Cradle by Colour Revolt

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - Henry David Thoreau

This quote is resonating with me today. It seems, as of late, that God has been reaching in to places of my heart that I had been so out of touch with for the past few years. I think God is pricking these places because he wants to heal them - to make me fully alive and remind me that this side of me exists. The most significant periods of my life are those times when I have felt the most deeply. When I think back, I can remember those seasons with somewhat astonishing detail (for how bad my memory is). I am thankful that God is healing me so that I can view life a certain type of eyes and develop a fresh way of "seeing," taking less and less for granted and having a heart that swells with amazement at the story in which God has chosen to place me. I don't want to look back at my life only to see a dull, amorphous blob of years.

God, give us grace.

Godless Chicken or Godless Egg?

2010-09-03T09:01:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: xx by The xx

"My own proposition, derivative from the Bible, is that atheism is never the conclusion of any theory, philosophical or scientific. It is a decision, a free act of choice that antedates all theories. There are indeed philosophies that are atheist in the sense that they are incompatible with faith in God. But they are reached only by a will to atheism. This will, and the animation into which it is translated ('There is no God'), are the inspiration of these philosophies, not a conclusion from them."

From John Courtney Murray's The Problem of God, p. 95.

What are your thoughts?

Danny and Annie

2010-09-02T05:52:00.000+09:00

I dare you to watch this and not feel.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

This Is for the Days

2010-08-26T07:25:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: We've Been Talking by Enemies

This is for the days when
everything feels
as if it’s kissing you with
an open mouth.
For the days when girls’
eyes seem brighter
and their faces take on
the perfect shape.
And watching the neighbor’s
son on his skateboard
is like looking at a film
from your past.
For the days that seem to
write their own
soundtrack – the grass
scratches your skin like
a needle on a record.
May we forever feel that
we are virgins,
and that these days are more
than numbers falling
off of a calendar
and onto the dusty floor.

Won't You Come Down, Heaven. Won't You Cut Through the Clouds...

2010-08-25T08:41:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: Come Now Sleep by As Cities Burn
Currently Reading: Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell and The Problem of God by John Courtney Murray

I have been having some really incredible conversations lately with friends that have made me experience all sorts of emotions - anger, hurt, confusion, frustration, excitement - and the list goes on. It has, in many ways, made me see my own sin and impatience in dialogue for which I need to repent and grow, and has also reminded me of the importance of community in one's spiritual formation.

So much of our conversations, which have, for me, been largely sparked by a course I am taking this quarter in seminary entitled "Christian Worldview and Contemporary Challenges." I have been exposed to some books and articles written by Christians showing the seeming flaws in atheist/agnostic logic, and some books and articles written by atheists/agnostics showing the seeming flaws in Christian logic. I'm not exactly sure exactly how to articulate everything, especially considering I have been reading for about four hours now, and I can barely write my name.

One issue that has been particularly interesting to me for a while has been the idea of interpretation and one's view of Scripture. There are so many differing interpretations of Scripture in Christendom, and this is something that is praised for the freshness that is brought to the table and feared when it seems to step beyond the bounds of traditional interpretation. Is there a place to draw the line? Christianity has become so diverse that anything seems fair game. In addition, it can hardly be argued that one person is able to read the Bible as a pure document without bringing their own baggage to the text. The early church worked very hard to establish confessions for the sake of "gate-keeping," but the boards in the fence seem to be slowly being removed in order to make way for more and more who profess to believe in Jesus - a figure whose life, divinity, actions, and state after his death are topics of much debate among those who all claim to be a part of the Church.

I hope I don't sound like I am walking away from my faith. That is hardly true at all. Rather, I am mostly just pondering the state of God's people and thinking out loud. I also hope I don't sound like a fearful isolationist Christian that would rather hide in a group of like-minded fellows than ever think about the reality of the current situation of his faith. Again, that is hardly the case. Really, I suppose I'm just widening the circle of my community for some more of that good old fashioned faith-shaping.

2010-08-24T07:09:00.003+09:00

This is one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets. It might be the only poem in my life that I have ever memorized.

Should the wide world roll away
Leaving black terror
Limitless night,
Nor God, nor man, nor place to stand
Would be to me essential
If thou and thy white arms were there
And the fall to doom a long way.

- Stephen Crane

1. Push Play 2. Pedal

2010-08-20T07:00:00.002+09:00

Currently in the middle of making a playlist for solo dolo rides:

1. "Goodbye" by Toe
2. "Sad Girls Por Vida" by Pretty Girls Make Graves
3. "Boneless Voice" by Manacle
4. "Diamonds on the Face of Evil" by Ugly Casanova
5. "Why They" by Camron
6. "Stars" by Warpaint
7. "Elevens" by With Honor
8. "End of a Spark" by Tokyo Police Club
9. "Move Somethin'" by Reflection Eternal
10. "Given the Chance" by The Starting Line
11. "Going Camping" by The Cool Kids

More to come...

2010-08-13T16:28:00.002+09:00

Every once in a while, I rediscover the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. I have recently been reading through a book titled Strength to Love, which is a collection of some of his sermons. Here is a brief section from the sermon "The Death of Evil upon the Seashore."

"Above all, we must be reminded anew that God is at work in his universe. He is not outside the world looking on with a sort of cold indifference. Here on all the roads of life, he is striving in our striving. Like an ever-loving Father, he is working through history for the salvation of his children. As we struggle to defeat the forces of evil, the God of the universe struggles with us. Evil dies on the seashore, not merely because of man's endless struggle against it, but because of God's power to defeat it."

The implications of a God that works in such a way against evil are unbelievable - this means I worship a God who works in the hearts of people, and that true change lies not in my ability to persuade or convince, but in the unrelenting pursuit of the Being from whom and for whom everything finds its existence.

Thanks be to God.

Mee-Yow

2010-07-03T08:08:00.004+09:00

Here is a post for all the cat lovers in the world.

The following is an 8th or 9th century Irish poem written by a monk whose name is unknown.
I have also included a little sketch I drew of Dewey the Library Cat last night while laying in my bed. I don't have access to a scanner, so I had to just snap a shot of it in Photo Booth in order to get it on here. Enjoy!

"Pangur Ban"

I and Pangur Ban, my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at;
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will;
He, too, plies his simple skill.

'Tis a merry thing to see
At our task how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray
Into the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.

When a mouse darts from its den.
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!

So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine, and he has his.

Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade ;
I get wisdom day and night,
Turning Darkness into light.'

2010-07-02T16:36:00.004+09:00

I'm living the life of dreams.
I'm living the life of dreams.
With good people all around me, I'm living the life of dreams.
- Julie Doiron

2010-06-27T05:43:00.001+09:00

Hey Guys:

Sorry my blog looks wack. I am redesigning it, and trying to figure everything with Google search as my only tutor. Be patient, please!

You KNOW You Love These:

2010-06-08T17:09:00.001+09:00

Currently Hearing: The Four Trees by Caspian

2010-05-27T03:58:00.001+09:00

"It seems the real revolution, which we still have trouble accepting, is the Gospel, which tells us to work for justice for others but not to demand, expect, or even need it for ourselves. That is extraordinary freedom."
- Richard Rohr, Job and the Mystery of Suffering, 77

Fix2Six

2010-05-18T06:03:00.002+09:00

So, I just began a project that I hope to complete by summer. I started building a bicycle from scratch, which, if all goes according to plan, will be a fixed gear vehicle. Here are some pictures after a friend and I stripped off all the parts and cleaned it. Sorry they aren't the best quality, the only camera I have is on my phone. Regardless, this is the start of something beautiful. Don't you agree?

2010-04-16T13:56:00.001+09:00

Julie Doiron - "Heavy Snow"

Way too good to even be real.

2010-03-16T17:26:00.002+09:00

One of my favorite books of Scripture has always been Hebrews. I don't really know why - it is incredibly intense with tons of imagery related to the sacrificial system and lots of statements that are difficult to interpret with confidence. Perhaps it is the intense language that I love, or maybe it is the metaphors that seem to resonate with me. Whatever it is, I started reading through it this past week along with a commentary (to try and make some sense of it), and here is a beautiful chunk of thought:

"The Preacher is not preaching into a vacuum; he is addressing a real and urgent pastoral problem, one that seems astonishingly contemporary. His congregation is exhausted. They are tired - tired of serving the world, tired of worship, tired of Christian education, tired of being peculiar and whispered about in society, tired of the spiritual struggle, tired of trying to keep their prayer life going, tired even of Jesus. Their hands droop and their knees are weak (12:12), attendance is down at church (10:25), and they are losing confidence. The threat to this congregation is not that they are charging off in the wrong direction; they do not have enough energy to charge off anywhere. The threat here is that, worn down and worn out, they will drop their end of the rope and drift away. Tired of walking the walk, many of them are considering taking a walk, leaving the community and falling away from the faith.

We recognize the problem, of course, but the Preacher's response may astound us. What is most striking about Hebrews is that the Preacher, faced with the pastoral problem of spiritual weariness, is bold enough, maybe even brash enough, to think that christology and preaching are the answers. The Preacher does not appeal to improved group dynamics, conflict management techniques, reorganization of the mission structures, or snappy worship services. Rather, he preaches - preaches to the congregation in complex theological terms about the nature and meaning of Jesus Christ.

This Preacher does not float around on the surface where the desires of people cluster eagerly around this or that fad; he dives to the depths, to the hidden places where profound symbols work on the religious imagination to generate surprise, wonder, gratitude, and finally obedience. As strategies go, the Preacher's approach to ministry is so out of phase, so counter-intuitive, so in violation of the notion that congregations are allergic to serious theological thinking, that it probably should be seen as refreshing, and maybe even revolutionary."

- Thomas G. Long, Interpretation: Hebrews

Homage Post

2010-02-19T07:32:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: Duh, Look Below

This post is in honor of one of the best musicians of all time. There is something so awesome about Bruce Springsteen, I can't even describe it. And, if you don't get it from listening to him, then there is no use in even trying to explain it to you. Thanks for doing your thing, Bruce. Thanks.

The Reason We Don't Count Wikipedia As a Scholarly Source

2010-02-17T05:27:00.002+09:00

Thanks to Justin Taylor for this (check it out in its entirety here)

This quote is located in the Wikipedia entry for Jonathan Edwards:
"His sermons such as 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' inspired his parishioners to coin what has now become an American colloquialism: 'Ain’t no sermons like a J. Edwards sermon, ’cause dem J. Edwards sermon don’ stop.'"

This is almost too good to be true.

Assistant Regional Manager

2010-02-09T13:53:00.002+09:00

Was bored in the library, and this was the result.

Hello, Sir

2010-02-09T01:16:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: In a Safe Place by The Album Leaf

Saw a photo of some guy this is how it came out on paper.

pen in sketch pad

Hey, Puppy

2010-02-06T03:46:00.004+09:00

I have decided to start posting some of my sketches on here for all the world to see.
The first is this cute little guy - his name is Linus, and lives with some of my friends. I think he has a learning disability.

pen on sketch pad

Never Not Funny

2010-01-27T15:15:00.001+09:00

I'm At My Best When I'm At My Worst

2010-01-22T10:35:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: Mama, I'm Swollen by Cursive
Currently Wanting: A New Digital Camera

So, here is a brief catch-up of life events:

1. In love with Frightened Rabbit
2. Drawing
3. Using iTunes Gift Cards
4. Slipping into obsession with graphic novels
5. Wanting to take advantage of the Pasadena Public Library more often
6. Job hunting
7. Getting my hair cut

Things aren't too bad around here, even though it has been raining like mad.

working, but not employed

2010-01-15T08:57:00.003+09:00

Finding a job is quite possibly more work than the responsibilities one has when they are actually employed.

That's all I have to say right now.

As my Orthodox brothers and sisters say: "Lord, have mercy."

The Book of God

2010-01-06T13:02:00.002+09:00

Currently Reading: Lectures for my Students by Charles Spurgeon

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, thorugh whom also he created the world (Heb 1.1-2).

in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps 16:11).

The vast treasure and beauty that is the Word of God is seemingly unfathomable. When we step away from the Bible and fail to let ourselves be saturated in it, we can't help but become malnourished and feel spiritually anemic. There is a "warmth" that comes from being acquainted with the Scriptures and reading the book of God that is unlike any other. It re-presents to us the promises of God's grace that are so easy for us to forget.

Since the idea of grace is so counterintuitive to our very nature, we must constantly be reminded of what God says about us rather than what we say about ourselves. Being alone with my Bible after a dry spell does much for my conscience. Through the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit reveals to me my sin and applies the healing medicine of the gospel to my heart. Simply put, when I am not immersed in the Bible, it is immensely more difficult for me to preach the gospel to myself, which I need to hear daily.

“I have thought I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God, and returning to God, just hovering over the great gulf, till a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing—the way to heaven, how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end He came from heaven. He has written it down in a book. O give me that Book at any price, give me the Book of God”
- (from the preface of Sermons on Several Occasions by John Wesley, originally published in 1771).

2010

2010-01-01T16:41:00.003+09:00

It's the New Year!
Also, it's the birthday of J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, one of the greatest books ever written.
Check out this letter.

2009-12-05T16:14:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: The Eventually Home by Right Away, Great Captain!
Currently Reading: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

I did it.

My first quarter is basically over. Well, all the hard parts, at least.

After meeting with my pastor today, I really want to speak a little bit about some passages from Hebrews and 1 John, but I am way too tired right now. So, I will use this post as a note to remind myself about it later when my nose is less runny and I have gotten a chance to sleep in.

Instead, I will give you this quote from a book I read that has probably changed the way I will read Revelation forever:

“…every faithful Christian must be prepared to die. The call to conquer allows no middle ground where Christians may hope to avoid death by compromising with the beast. In the situation John envisages, martyrdom belongs, as it were, to the essential nature of faithful witness. Not every faithful witness will actually be put to death, but all faithful witness requires the endurance and the faithfulness (13:10) that will accept martyrdom if it comes.” – Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, 93-94.

That's tasty. Tasty and convicting.

2009-11-29T16:34:00.001+09:00

For all my brothers and sisters who have ever felt the burden of false guilt (a.k.a. everyone)

"As we come, week after week, to confess our sins, we need to learn to make certain fine distinctions. In one direction is the peril of a false scrupulousness, and in the other we see the error of rejecting that, and settling in complacently to substandard Christian living.

We don’t want hyper-scrupulousness of conscience, but not because it is too sensitive to sin—that would be impossible. We reject this error because it is not nearly sensitive enough, and constantly charges off after the wrong thing. It insists on feeling bad for sins that were not committed, and neglects those sins which were. Hyper-scrupulousness is usually little other than a life-long exercise in changing the subject. So we don’t want that. But this does not mean the alternative is callousness.

Spirit-led sensitivity to sin is always and everywhere a good thing. To notice the first stirrings of pride in ordinary conversations is a good thing. To mortify lusts when they have just begun to stir is nothing but a blessing. To refuse to live in the suburbs of sin is all to the good.

So as we come to confess our sins, make sure to confess the minor industry of false guilt that so easily springs up in our hearts. And at the same time, confess the breezy disregard of what God describes as actual sin, real sin, whether or not it has made it out of your internal attitudes yet. Guard your hearts. Guard your hearts really. Don’t be distracted by an external Advent penitence. Confess your sins, and make sure they are the real ones."

This is a post from Doug Wilson over at his blog.

2009-11-24T18:14:00.002+09:00

“But if, as some affirm who are without God – that is, unbelievers – he [(Christ)] only seemed to suffer (but it is they who only seem to be!), why am I a prisoner, and why do I even long to fight with the beasts? In that case I am dying in vain." – Ignatius (bishop of church of Antioch in Syria, martyred in Rome ca. 110)

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." - 1 Cor 15:17-19

I love the idea of the resurrection of Christ being God's "Yes" to Jesus. The resurrection was God validating the life and even death of Christ, God's divine stamp of approval that Jesus was not just another insurrectionist stirring up trouble in the empire. If the resurrection isn't true, then it's all pointless. Jesus' teachings, his miracles, his death. It's all pointless. The resurrection is a message of hope - the hope that the kingdom ushered in by Christ is growing, and it will continue to grow until Christ returns to make all rulers and authorities subject to himself. The resurrection is proof that our labor is not in vain.

its the reincarnation of raekwon in an apron

2009-11-23T17:58:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: Road to Till the Casket Drops by The Clipse
Currently Reading: The Theology of the Book of Revelation by Richard Bauckham
Currently Glad That: I Got to Drink Baja Blast Mountain Dew Tonight by Taco Bell
Currently Watching: Fringe and it makes me lose my mind
Currently Contemplating: How to Become a Famous Rap Producer

WARNING: The thoughts of this blog post are being improvised.

With that being said, I shall now begin.

These days I feel like things make sense and things don't make sense. Does that make sense?
In other words, i am realizing that this is probably how I will feel for the rest of my life. I operate as such: it seems like at least 85% of my thought life is consumed by thinking of God or something spiritual. It seems like I am always trying to figure out how something works out in your faith. And, I am glad (most of the time). My brain basically is always looking for answers, and I don't think it will ever stop. So, this means that I have to be confident in myself and my convictions while understanding that my life is one of development and growth. This is uncomfortable sometimes, because I basically would love to have a really good answer to every question that comes up in my mind. However, this seems impossible (at least, this is what my experience has taught me thus far in my life). I have such deep appreciation (and a dash of envy) for people who are so adamant about the theological systems to which they "adhere." I don't mean to say that I really love people who are arrogant or elitist or judgmental towards those who don't think the same way they think. I do mean to say that I love to see the devotion and confidence that I see of those ministers and scholars who I respect. I guess that is a confidence that comes with much prayer and study. As usual, those are the key ingredients of being "successful" in any spiritual endeavor.

How Do You Feel About This?

2009-11-21T19:11:00.002+09:00

“The Stories of our Youth”

From their windows, all the young girls
see midnight’s white confetti
when it’s flung against the sky
like pebbles down a well.
It is here they make their wishes, and
dream dreams of raising children;
they reach their fingers towards
the heavens as if to touch a tiny face.

In the alleys, all the young boys
hurl insults at each other
and put on faces like their fathers
as they learn to act like men.
It is here that their reflections
will age in dirty puddles;
they stretch their hands out to
the ladies who forgot about the stars.

Thanks, Doug

2009-11-17T15:08:00.002+09:00

I just read this over at Doug Wilson's blog, which you can find on the right hand column of this page if you feel like checking it out (go to the one titled Blog and Mablog or click here). I love this guy:

"Not a person in this room has to struggle with the temptations that other people have. And every person in this room does in fact have to struggle against the temptations that present themselves, daily, to you.

Now as we all seek to establish our walk with Christ, one of the perennial temptations will be to evaluate ourselves based upon our relative freedom from the snares that have caught others. All of us could be hanging upside down, every ankle ensnared by the devil’s traps, and all of us gently bobbing, and our temptation would still be to think, "Well, at least I wasn’t caught by a gray rope like he was." Or "at least I wasn’t caught by a three/quarter inch rope." Well, good job all around! Shall we have prizes?

The lustful man tells himself that at least he is not proud. The proud man tells himself that at least he is not lazy. The vain woman is pleased that she is, at least, not a slattern. The diligent woman despises the one who keeps a low tone.

Now there is a standard that applies to all. The realization for us ought not to be a relativistic one. But the standard that applies to all is the holy Scripture, as interpreted and applied by Christ. And there is no way to place anyone else under that standard without coming under it yourself. There is a way to quote snippets out of the Bible, about lust or laziness, covetousness or pride, whatever the other guy is doing, in order to manufacture a convenient standard that has the veneer of holiness all over it. So as we guard our hearts against this, remember that we must bow before Christ, and He is not a territorial god. He is the Lord of heaven and earth."

Tay In a Win

2009-11-14T14:52:00.000+09:00

I can't not laugh at this:

Is that Toto I hear?

2009-11-11T03:02:00.007+09:00

Whenever I feel inadequate about my intellectual capability or anything in general, I know the one thing that can make me feel better. Without a doubt, this one thing is "Garfield Minus Garfield" comic strips. Here is the description from the website:

"Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb."

worship the empire much?

2009-11-04T17:53:00.002+09:00

Stuff like this literally makes me sick.

Oh, hello there.

2009-11-04T07:31:00.001+09:00

I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks that small groups can be really awkward.

Here's what Jon Bloom (Desiring God) has to say:

"Small groups should never be confused with the deep, organic fellowship we have with our closest friends. Small groups are simply bite-sized portions of a larger church where we seek to carry out the one another commands with other believers. We ought to expect some awkwardness in them because, like any church, they should include some people we would likely never choose as our intimates, but who still need to be loved and cared for, especially the needy who we naturally shy away from. And we need something in our lives to put us near to them because those people require a kind of sanctifying love from us that is rarely if ever called out of us with those with whom we share a natural chemistry. SG’s can be hard because loving one another can be hard."

A new way

2009-11-03T05:56:00.002+09:00

I read this story today for one of my classes here. It was cited in the book Kingdom Ethics by Glen Stassen and David Gushee, and is unbelievably touching. In this section, the authors are discussing the need for transformation in society that can come through spirituality, and it comes from the chapter entitled "Sowing the Seeds of Peace."

"Robert Coles tells how an eight-year-old black girl's faith in God transformed a violent situation to one of peace:

I was all alone and those [segregationist] people were screaming, and suddenly I saw God smiling and I smiled.... A woman was standing there [near the school door], and she shouted at me 'Hey you little nigger, what you smiling at?' I looked right at her face and I said, 'At God.' Then she looked up at the sky, and then she looked at me, and she didn't call me any more names. (Hampton et al., Preventing Violence in America, 124-27)"

Happy Birthday

2009-11-02T04:52:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: Dear Science by TV On the Radio
Currently Sitting: At My Desk in My Apartment
Currently Writing: A Paper Explaining the Problem of Evil from the Perspective of Process Theology
Currently Waiting: For My Macaroni to Cool Down

Today, ladies and gentlemen, is the birthday of Stephen Crane, a wonderful author, and one of my favorite poets. He died when he was only 28, but obviously did not die without making literary waves. Here are a few of my favorite Crane poems for you to enjoy:

Should the wide world roll away,
Leaving black terror,
Limitless night,
Nor God, nor man, nor place to stand
Would be to me essential,
If thou and thy white arms were there,
And the fall to doom a long way.
------------------------------
Supposing that I should have the courage
To let a red sword of virtue
Plunge into my heart,
Letting to the weeds of the ground
My sinful blood,
What can you offer me?
A gardened castle?
A flowery kingdom?

What? A hope?
Then hence with your red sword of virtue.
------------------------------
A slant of sun on dull brown walls
A forgotten sky of bashful blue.
Toward God a mighty hymn
A song of collisions and cries
Rumbling wheels, hoof-beats, bells.
Welcomes, farewells, love-calls, final moans,
Voices of joy, idiocy, warning, despair,
The unknown appeals of brutes,
The chanting of flowers
The screams of cut trees,
The senseless babble of hens and wise men-
A cluttered incoherency that says at the stars:
"O, God, save us."
------------------------------
Ah, God, the way your little finger moved
As you thrust a bare arm backward
And made play with your hair
And a comb a silly gilt comb
Ah, God - that I should suffer
Because of the way a little finger moved.

Come Now Sleep

2009-10-27T18:27:00.005+09:00

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

2009-10-26T07:47:00.002+09:00

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?

2009-10-21T13:41:00.002+09:00

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!

2009-10-14T07:38:00.002+09:00

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.

2009-10-10T16:41:00.002+09:00

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

2009-10-09T03:34:00.003+09:00

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

2009-10-06T15:03:00.000+09:00

My Only Swerving

Hot Cakes

What a beautiful nightmare:

2009-10-06T06:10:00.001+09:00

Two Things:

2009-10-04T05:09:00.002+09:00

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...

2009-10-01T14:28:00.002+09:00

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?

Uh Oh.

2009-09-21T09:54:00.002+09:00

School starts in a little over a week.

Please, Please, Please.

2009-09-02T13:37:00.002+09:00

I just want to take a moment of silence to pay tribute to seriously one of the dopest CDs.

Please, please, please - don't hate on me for what I am about to say.

Just listen to Louder Now by Taking Back Sunday. I am sorry if they are too popular for me to really enjoy. However, I can't help it. I almost talked myself out of saying this, but then I took my iPod off of pause and couldn't hold back.

On a smarter note, I finished reading Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington. It was great. I chomped through the 240-something pages in a cool day and a half. In the book, Covington recounts his coverage and involvement in snake-handling congregations in the Southeast. It was a great read - and an added bonus that most of the places he mentions in Alabama, I have visited. Anyways, if you are looking to read some wild, true stories from a first-hand perspective, check out the book. You won't be disappointed.

Also, go listen to that Taking Back Sunday album. If you don't like it, then feel free to throat-punch yourself at the end of your listening session.

Buh-bye.

A.D.I.D.A.B.B.Q.

2009-08-31T13:27:00.003+09:00

Currently Reading: The Right Doctrine from the Wrong Text by several different theologians
Currently Hearing: Eingya by Helios
Currently Feeling: Intense Muscle Soreness and Fatigue by My Increased Workout Regimen as of Late

It's t-t-t-time for a light, catch-you-up-to-date-on-all-things-Brandon-post...

First of all, if you can't tell by the title, All Day I Dream About BBQ. It's just too true to even make sense at this point.
BBQ.H.B.M.N.M.F. (BBQ Has Become My New Mexican Food) - Ok, I will stop now.

I am also listening to a band that you need to do yourself a favor and hear. If you have a soul and half of a working set of anvils and stirrups (they are parts in your ear), then you will feel an immediate connection when you hear this CD. It has already become my new album for the Fall (not the biblical Fall, the season. My album for the biblical Fall would probably be anything by Weird Al Yankovich, because he, if nothing else, is proof of the folly of mankind).

The book I am reading discusses the use of the Old Testament by the New Testament authors. It handles issues like reasons the authors could interpret the Old Testament in the ways they did and why they did so, if the authors were faithful to the intentions of the Old Testament authors, and several other juicy items up for debate. I love when you have a question about something in the Bible and you find a book that addresses the thoughts you are pondering.

I move to California in roughly two weeks, but before that I am headed to Alabama to see some family and enjoy the beach for a short time. Wish me luck.

Un. Be. Leave. A. Bull.

2009-08-28T13:37:00.001+09:00

Please click this link to read an absolutely incredible story over at The New York Times.

Wow.

God, help us.

The Great Tension

2009-08-27T03:29:00.003+09:00

It seems like with so many things in the Christian faith, there is a tension that just seems to rest over everything - a difficult balance that, if not properly understood, can lead many people to unhealthy extremes or cause them to abandon valuable tenets of the faith completely.

Think about it.

Love and Justice.
Grace and Discipline.
Sovereignty and Freedom.
Imago Dei and Depravity.

It's the "already-not yet" tension that plays out in everything we believe and do.

I was reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton this morning when I came across a quote that got all these thoughts brewing. He describes it well:

"We have said that we must be fond of this world, even in order to change it. We now add that we must be fond of another world... in order to have something to change it to" (p. 102).

Paul says:

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." Philippians 1:21-24 ESV

Let's pray that the Holy Spirit helps us to maintain that delicate balance that allows us to joyfully expect and emulate that time when all things will be made new and we see Christ in His fully glory.

Your Piper Fix

2009-08-18T01:11:00.001+09:00

John Piper's "Happy Confession of Having No Merit"

posted over at Desiring God.

This is my confession:

I was born into a believing family through no merit of my own at all.

I was given a mind to think and a heart to feel through no merit of my own at all.

I was brought into the hearing of the gospel through no merit of my own at all.

My rebellion was subdued, my hardness removed, my blindness overcome, and my deadness awakened through no merit of my own at all.

Thus I became a believer in Christ through no merit of my own at all.

And so I am an heir of God with Christ through no merit of my own at all.

Now when I put forward effort to please the Lord who bought me, this is to me no merit at all, because

...it is not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

...God is working in me that which is pleasing in his sight. (Hebrews 13:21)

...he fulfills every resolve for good by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

And therefore there is no ground for boasting in myself, but only in God’s mighty grace.

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Half Snake, Half Cat...

2009-08-16T10:00:00.001+09:00

Run for your life.
Cat python on the loose...

Cat in jacket sleeve @ Yahoo! Video

2009-07-29T13:33:00.002+09:00

Just got 4 new books (one in the mail and three from Tattered Cover Bookstore - a completely splendid independent bookstore out here in Colorado)!

- Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
- The Little Flowers of Saint Francis
- Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon
- The Right Doctrine from the Wrong Text? edited by G.K. Beale

Add them to the stack...
Add them to the stack...
Add them to the stack...

Fascinating

2009-07-28T15:18:00.000+09:00

Prepare for your mind to be blown...

Hurray!

2009-07-17T03:47:00.002+09:00

Happy Anniversary, favorite book.

On this day in 1951, J.D. Salinger's book The Catcher in the Rye was published.
Thank you, you old hermit, you.

Just In Case You Hadn't Heard...

2009-07-08T15:00:00.002+09:00

I am home.

My life has consisted of:
- eating delicious foods
- sleeping in a real bed
- purchasing a beautiful new road bike
- reading for pleasure/personal growth
- hanging out/hiking with my parents
- exploring Denver

Call me!

Beautiful, Humbling Words

2009-06-20T01:48:00.003+09:00

I am currently reading a "modernized" version of William Wilberforce's book titled Real Christianity. If you want the original title, Google it - it is pretty lengthy. Anyways, I came across this passage in the second chapter, and absolutely had to put it up here...

"It is my opinion that the majority of Christians overlook, deny or, at the very least, minimize the problems of what it means to be a fallen human being. They might acknowledge that the world has always been filled with vice and wickedness and that human behavior tends towards the sensual and selfish. They might admit that the result of these facts is that in every age we can find innumerable instances of oppression, cruelty, dishonesty, jealousy and violence. They might also admit that we act this way even when we know better. These facts are true; we don't deny them. They are so obvious that it is a mystery why so many still believe in the goodness of human nature. But even though the facts might be acknowledged, the source of the facts is often still denied. These things are rationalized as small failures or periodic problems. Other explanations are given that fail to get to the heart of the matter. Human pride refuses to face the truth. Even the majority of professing Christians tend to think that the nature of humanity is basically good and is only thrown off course by the power of temptation. They believe that sin and evil are the exception, not the rule. The Bible paints a much different picture. The language of Scripture is not for the faint of heart. It teaches that man is an apostate creature, fallen from his original innocence, degraded in his nature, depraved in his thinking, prone toward evil, not good, and impacted by sin to the very core of his being. The fact that we don't want to acknowledge these truths is evidence of their veracity" (28).

But, the Question that Plagues My Mind...

2009-06-18T13:34:00.002+09:00

"Is grace enough?"

It will never cease to amaze me how much the natural mind fights against the concepts that the Bible promulgates. Ideas like grace are seemingly unfathomable - almost too simple to even grasp. Truly, our Savior has made foolish the wisdom of the "wise."

Peace.

Do Not Try to Go Beyond this Gospel, Brethren

2009-06-17T11:51:00.002+09:00

Phil Johnson over at the Pyromaniacs Blog shares the weekly dose of Spurgeon, in which the sermon chosen deals with the importance of substitution in the atoning work of Jesus.

Here's some notable excerpts:

"He was there, on the cross, in our room, and place, and stead; and as the sinner, by reason of his sin deserves not to enjoy the favor of God, so Jesus Christ, standing in the place of the sinner, and enduring that which would vindicate the justice of God, had to come under the cloud, as the sinner must have come, if Christ had not taken his place."

"The modern doctrine of the apostles of 'culture' is that Jesus Christ did something or other, which, in some way or other, was, in some degree or other, connected with our salvation." (I love that one)

"...if you bring me a gospel which can only be understood by gentlemen who have passed through Oxford or Cambridge University, I know that it cannot be the gospel of Christ."

You can read the whole sermon here.

Some Real Gems

2009-06-16T10:27:00.004+09:00

Currently Hearing: Rain City Hymnal by Mars Hill Church
Currently Reading: The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo
Currently Awaiting: Finals Week by Global Vision Christian School

Bored?
Why don't you head on over to Pros Apologian and check out some sweet views on the atonement by some great, godly men.
There's some nice quotes to throw up on the refrigerator...

Peace.

The Definition of Epic

2009-06-14T13:29:00.001+09:00

Please enjoy this with me.

Where Do We Draw the Line?

2009-06-13T00:58:00.003+09:00

Why is this cool?

And this is not?

Shipwrecked Faith

2009-06-09T11:26:00.006+09:00

Sometimes I think about the state of Christianity, and I see all of the positive things. Those positive things make me feel really good and happy and confident.

Other times, like today, I see lots of negative stuff and, simply put, sad things about people that profess to be Christians, and it hurts. In the back of my mind, I have a nagging fear that I am being overly religious or judgmental. But, judging by these feelings, it doesn't seem like a prideful or haughty attitude that is meant to belittle others or make myself look invincible.

Today, I feel hurt.

I look at the lives of several people who say they are Christians, but simply cannot be so. Friends of mine that have just floated to God-knows-where in their beliefs and practices. Maybe you will read this and think that I have no right to say that about people, and that I am missing my own flaws and elevating myself, and that the journey is beautiful, and I agree to some extent. It's hard to speak this way, because it automatically triggers this weird connotation that people just don't like. I am not claiming my own superiority or greatness. In fact, I feel a sense of guilt over my own sin as I write this, knowing that I am more than deserving of devastating punishment for my foolishness.

However, I look out on the horizon of "Christianity" and can't help but see some people who have fed their own ears, minds and passions with ideas, philosophies, and blasphemous claims about God. So much so that they would die for what theologian X said about God or what they would like to believe about Him.

All I can do is have faith in the grace and power of a sovereign God that will shatter false ideologies and blind us with the glorious light of the gospel.

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

- 2 Timothy 3:1-5

I feel like I could keep talking about this for a while, but I don't want you to lose interest in what I am saying...

Just Look Around

2009-05-31T22:19:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: husband&wife
Currently Reading: Romans
Currently Excited About: Returning to the USA

5 EXAMPLES OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY

1.) Reality TV
2.) Children's Playgrounds
3.) History
4.) Black Friday
5.) Traffic Jams

Can you think of any more?

It Is Finished...

2009-05-29T12:04:00.001+09:00

Ok, so the video graphics are cheezy (in my opinion), but get a load of what he has to say about the ascension...
Wow...

Please Explain...

2009-05-22T13:17:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: Canopy Glow by Anathallo
Currently Reading: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

What?

Some Wonderful Korean Phenomena

2009-05-18T13:18:00.007+09:00

1.) Cell Phone Charms

2.) Couple Clothes

3.) Various Animal Hats

4.) "Fear of the Sun" Visors

5.) Various Seafood Flavored Snacks

Ra, Ra, Sis-Boom-Ba

2009-05-11T10:51:00.002+09:00

Currently Reading: 1 and 2 Timothy
Currently Learning: The Arcing Bible Study Method
Currently Dreaming Of: This Summer with My Family

Ahem, ahem... I have an announcement to make...

June 7, I will be running a half-marathon on Jeju Island here in Korea.
I have been training for the marathon for roughly 8 or 9 weeks, and I am getting closer and closer to the day of the race.
I have uploaded a Nike+ widget onto this blog page, so if you get curious, you can look at my latest runs and cheer me on until the big day!
I didn't want to write anything about it until I made sure that I would go through with signing up for the marathon (so that is why you haven't heard anything about it for the past month). Yesterday was my first double-digit run ever (10 miles)! It was pretty tough, seeing as it was in the hot afternoon sun in the middle of the day, but I finished, and am one step closer to 13.1! Wish me luck!

Sorry for the lame update, but I was feeling bad for depriving you of what's floating around in my head. It seems like I always have something to write about until I sit down at the keys (then it all escapes me)...
If only there were a way to connect my brain to the Web.

Kisses,
Brandon

Oh, the Possibilities...

2009-04-22T09:32:00.003+09:00

So, today I was talking to one of my friends over a delicious peanut butter & jelly sandwich and our dialogue turned to the newest exoplanet that has been discovered as of late.

Well, we are both Bible teachers, so you can imagine where the conversation started to float...

We started talking about the possibility of another planet being discovered that supports sentient, soul-possessing beings. What kind of implications does this have for Christians? My friend holds the position (though we both admit it is nothing more than speculation lacking any biblical evidence whatsoever - but hey, it's fun to talk about) that because of the nature of who God is, it is no doubt possible that he could have created other "worlds." I mean, He can do whatever pleases Him. I then mentioned what this might mean about an Incarnation of the Son of God, redemptive history, etc. My friend noted that it is possible for this/these other world(s) to be sinless and to have never experienced a Fall.

To me, this seems to raise all sorts of questions about the nature of God's revelation - but I guess Edwards' ideas of how "proper and excellent" it is to behold God's "awful majesty" through moral and natural evil in order to better know who God is wouldn't be too applicable to Zaxquod and Numbio in the Garden of Yexherti137 that never were tempted by the evil unicorn and didn't partake of the moon fruit from the forbidden tree.

But what if they did sin? What does this mean for their redemption? I could type for WAY longer, but I have to head to class, but have fun chewing on this.

Live Long and Prosper,
Brandon

Who Do You Work For?

2009-04-21T14:09:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: Of Dangers and Ditches by Matt Chandler
Currently Hoping: I Don't Get Sick by A Plea to My Immune System

1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

What is the reason you do the things you do?
Do you do them for yourself?
Do you do them for the glory of God?
Is self promotion your motivation?
Do you seek to proclaim Christ in all things you do?

Chances are, the answers are usually as follows:
Myself.
More often than not.
Not normally.
Often.
Rarely.

It seems that almost daily I am further convinced of the depravity of humanity, and it is quite beautiful that in the midst of my certainty regarding the inherently sinful nature of mankind and the misappropriation of glory and worship on creation rather than Creator that I can find such graditude and praise for Christ welling up in the deepest parts of my heart.

I am a sinner.
I am guilty of glorifying myself or created things rather than Creator.

This is why I need the gospel.
This is why the Spirit tears off the blinders covering my eyes to show me my sin.
This is why Christ crucified frees me from fear and gives me joy unspeakable.
Now I am freed from sin, death, and punishment for my rebellion.
Now I am free to live a life that gives God glory and to pray that all the false security of earthly things would be stripped away.

May We Throw Ourselves Before the Cross of Christ,
Brandon

Were You There?

2009-04-17T14:12:00.002+09:00

Currently Hearing: The Atonement by Shai Linne
Currently Reading: Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem
Currently Preparing For: A 10K on Sunday by the Annual Ban Ki Moon Marathon

It is so amazing and embarrassing to me that it wasn't until the past year or so that I realized that the whole story of the Bible/creation is about Jesus and his soul-saving work for his sheep.

What was I doing for 20-something years?
Does this seem problematic for anybody else?
What was I thinking? Has anyone else had a similar experience?
When I reflect on this, it sort of makes me short-circuit...
Sheesh...
Mmm - thank you Reformed theology

Slowly Being Conformed,
Brandon

Hablo Espanol...

2009-04-13T13:36:00.001+09:00

I think this is one of the greatest things I have ever seen...
I can't even think of what to say to preface this...
As 238 says, the song will write the words...
Enjoy...

Partaking or Peddling?

2009-04-09T14:24:00.003+09:00

It is my firm belief that as a minister of the gospel, I should live a life that is full of partaking in the glorious riches of the grace of God so that I am so engulfed in passion that I can do nothing but herald the beauty and all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

It is so easy to fall into the temptation of peddling Christ and preaching a message that I sometimes fail to delight in. May my love for Christ always be the driving force behind my proclamation.

"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.... For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5: 11a, 14-15 NIV).

Depravity, Stay the H#ll Away from Me...

2009-04-01T11:48:00.004+09:00

Currently Viewing: My Class Completing a Writing Assignment on the Whiteboard
Currently Hearing: The Unicorn EP by Colour
Currently Wishing: My Brain was a Computer Hard Drive so I Could Remember Everything I Read and/or Hear

I came to a realization today that I think has been in formation for a while.

Often, those that seem least affected by the gut-wrenching yet awe-inspiring gospel aren't the ones who spit in the face of evangelists or those who perform the Blasphemy Challenge. Rather, it is the kids who were raised in church their whole lives and are infected with morality-based religion.

In other words - my students. Today, this hit me really hard, so hard it felt crushingly discouraging and convicted me as their teacher. Getting these students (and people in general) to see their utter "lostness" is such a brutal task.

But, Paul puts it like this:
"For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one;no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one'" (Romans 3:9-12 ESV)

Pretty clear.

This whiteboard and front of the classroom is my pulpit, and because of the lack of zeal flowing from some jaded kids who would rather shop online for Dolce & Gabbana eyeglasses in their $175 shoes, sometimes I sin, lose patience, and give up. Sometimes I lose patience and energy in spreading the beauty and necessity of the gospel, and for that I had to repent. At times like this, I am thankful that it isn't by my ability that people accept the claims of God through his Word and the testimony of the biblical text. I can only pray that the Holy Spirit opens everyone's hearts to understanding the utterly lost state that we are all in. So, I will do my part to speak the truth and present these crucial ideas in a way that reaches these students, and pray that God touches their hearts.

John Piper says:
"...the big problem is not getting people saved but getting them lost. People who really feel lost reach for the gospel."

So, that is my task, and this is my ministry.

Trusting in God to give growth to that which I water,
Brandon

For Me, It's Oh So Right...

2009-03-31T09:31:00.000+09:00

Watch. Laugh. Enjoy.

Ignatius from travis hawkins on Vimeo.

The Wizard of Oz

2009-03-30T14:01:00.002+09:00

Well, I am back from Australia, and it was one of the most incredible places I have ever been in my life. From the Manly Beach ferry to scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, I can honestly say that I didn't want to come back (sorry, Korea). Hopefully I will be able to post some videos soon of all of the adventures (I think I wore my flip out - 58 videos or so).

So, I know you 3 followers missed me a lot, but I am back and full of smiles. So, I am brewing up some posts, but too busy listening to Matt Chandler to get it out on the keys.

Peace.

When All is Said and Done...

2009-03-17T18:07:00.000+09:00

Contending Earnestly for the Faith

2009-03-16T13:40:00.002+09:00

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes...

I am SO stoked right now.

Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington is hosting a debate about the existence of Satan that will be aired on NBC in several segments. Pastor Mark Driscoll will be arguing for the existence of Satan against Deepak Chopra and another gentleman. You can read about it here at the Mars Hill Blog or here at the ABC Nightline website.

Evening

2009-03-16T09:34:00.002+09:00

"Think how much grace one saint requires - so much that nothing but the infinite could supply him for one day, and yet the Lord spreads His table not for one, but many saints. Not for one day, but for many years. Not for many years only, but for generation after generation."

- C.H. Spurgeon

Dust off Your Hymnals

2009-03-13T13:34:00.003+09:00

I caught this today on the Desiring God blog. It is a project from Page CXVI (apparently the page number where C.S. Lewis' character Aslan breathes Narnia into existence).

They have taken some beautiful old hymns and put them to modern music/instruments. This CD is pretty beautiful. Obviously, for anybody that knows me, I love music. So, take delicious delayed guitar and a Rhodes piano and combine that with some lyrics that are oozing with sound, God-honoring theology and you have yourself a hit.

So, if you would like to check out this album, you can download it for free here.

Enjoy with me as we bask together in the greatness of a merciful and holy God.

The Beauty of Self-Sufficiency

2009-03-12T20:10:00.004+09:00

Often, one of the greatest flaws in the realm of theology is robbing God of His infinite greatness and glory by equating the characteristics of a created being to God, the Creator.

Jonathan Edwards says, when speaking of God:

"Being thus infinite in understanding and power, he must also be perfectly holy; for unholiness always argues some defect, some blindness. Where there is no darkness or delusion, there can be no unholiness. It is impossible that wickedness should consist with infinite light. God being infinite in power and knowledge, he must be self-sufficient and all-sufficient; therefore it is impossible that he should be under any temptation to do any thing amiss; for he can have no end in doing it. When any are tempted to do amiss, it is for selfish ends. But how can an all-sufficient Being, who wants nothing, be tempted to do evil for selfish ends? So that God is essentially holy, and nothing is more impossible than that God should do amiss" (The Sole Consideration, That God is God, Sufficient to Still All Objections to His Sovereignty, Sermon II, June 1735).

So,
- God has infinite understanding (Heb 4:15)
- God has infinite power (Ps 115:3)
- God is perfectly holy (Rev 4:8)
- God has infinite knowledge (Is 46:10)
- God is completely self-sufficient (Acts 17:25)
- God cannot be tempted or sin (James 1:13)

When I look at my life, it doesn't even take much introspection to realize that my list doesn't look anything even close to what I see above. If anything, my life seems to be the antithesis of this list. It is only when we realize how opposed our flesh is to the very nature and attributes of godliness that we realize how utterly lost and hopeless we are without the redeeming work of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about santification and change, and how transcendent the Creator God is over His creation.

Thanks to the horrendous, blood-drenched cross, Christians are now undeservingly ushered into freedom from death and have become objects of God's mercy through Christ's atonement. Let us join with the apostle in saying, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Peter 1:3-5 NIV).

Now that's good news for sinners like you and me.

The Mint on the Pillow...

2009-03-11T13:39:00.001+09:00

"For those who think the Bible is infallible and authoritative in matters of faith and practice, good exegesis becomes a very humbling task. It demands that our own ideas take second place. The way we feel and think about life is restrained as we allow ourselves to listen to what the author feels and thinks. Good exegesis becomes a threat to our pride. By it we run the risk of honestly discovering that the prophetic and apostolic view of life is different from our own, so that our view — and with it our pride — must crumble."

- John Piper, Biblical Exegesis, p. 6

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus...

2009-03-11T11:05:00.003+09:00

O, the rest that flows from believing in the unchanging goodness of an everlasting Father! The burden is lifted when obeying God rather than man. May we accept the Word of God with reverence and appreciation, so that by the guidance of His sacred promises, we might fulfill our duty to God in good conscience.

Edison: The New Rubick's Cube

2009-03-09T13:27:00.008+09:00

Currently Hearing: Only by the Night by Kings of Leon (thank you, Jesse)

Photo Representations of What I Will Be Seeing Over Spring Break (I will take one photo to represent each city that I will be visiting over the 7-day vacation):

1.) Melbourne

2.) Sydney

3.) Cairns

Needless to say, I am a little excited (and definitely ready for a break).

Much Love.

Chopped and Screwed

2009-03-01T21:59:00.001+09:00

This is an incredible article.

How many of you are curious enough to read it?

Full and Paid

2009-02-26T12:03:00.003+09:00

Currently: Grading Mad Assignment and Entering Scores into My Gradebook
Currently Reading: Excerpts from Like Fourteen Books by My Insatiable Quest for Understanding

I think one of the greatest things to realize is that since Christ's death effectively absorbed the wrath of God that was focused on individuals prior to regeneration and this removal of wrath allows for salvation that is "applied" at a certain point in time, children of God no longer experience punishment in the same manner as those who remain "objects of wrath."
Thanks be to God for his free gift of mercy and salvation given to all that believe.

Zappy!

2009-02-25T07:15:00.001+09:00

Bible Study Magazine and Mars Hill are giving away 20 copies of Mark Driscoll’s new book, Vintage Church. Not only that, but they are also giving away five subscriptions to Bible Study Magazine and a copy of their Bible Study Library software! Enter to win on the Bible Study Magazine Mark Driscoll page, then take a look at all the tools they have to take your Bible study to the next level!

Come Original

2009-02-24T15:04:00.003+09:00

Currently Hearing: Greatest Hits 1995-2003 by 311
Currently Reading: Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Let's get mindless for a while.
I haven't posted a life update in what seems like ages - just intense theological quotes and scrumptious sections of what I have been reading (dee-lish).
Anyways, I am currently sitting in my "I" period 11th grade Bible class watching over them as they take an exam. I am really proud of this test - just the right amount of information to keep their minds and hands working for the whole period.

On a more nauseating note, I have been trying to get my financial information squared away for my enrollment at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California for this upcoming September. That has sucked (duh). Anything having to do with government forms and red tape makes me cringe. Needless to say, I will be elated when it is complete and I can consummate my academic and spiritual relationship with this fine institution.

While I am at it, let's keep rambling (I can picture my Mom reading this screen - so, if you are out there, Mom, imagine my voice uttering these words - this is for you). I think one of the worst parts about being in a foreign country is the frustration of not being able to get books. I will say that it has forced me to find tons of internet sites, archives, and resource libraries that are public domain (a.k.a., "free"). Anyways, I feel like I am compiling a monstrous list of "must-reads" that will cause me to just snap when I get back to the old red, white, and blue. I could order them off of Amazon and pay the intense shipping tax, but then I would have to buy three suitcases and pay to bring them home in a few months. So, I will continue to stare at a computer screen, download free books from Desiring God's Resource Library, read endless articles on Monergism, and bide my time until I can reak havoc in America and test the strength of my bookshelves.

I guess that is all for now. In closing, I would like to recommend some great websites where any other "God-dorks" can find some pretty nifty stuff for Free-Ninety-Nine.

Desiring God - go here and click the "Resource Library" tab for tons of sermons, articles, and whole books!
Monergism - a killer website with TONS of Reformed resources (this is for the Calvinist in you)
Christian Classics Ethereal Library - awesome site for primary resources and early Church writings (thank you, Dr. Jenkins)
Project Gutenberg - a site with some books that are public domain
Online Christian Library - decent site with some Christian stuff to read
Christian Publication Resource Foundation - A solid compilation of Reformed essays
The Gospel Coalition - Themelios Magazine is an online publication headed up by some solid, Bible-believing scholars and reputable contributors from all over the world