Apparently, Nehalem mobile processors won't be released until Q4 2009... or even Q1 2010.
What does this mean for Richard?
I have to be patient for 1 year.
I guess I am not the only one being taught patience. :P
(Granted, I feel kinda silly comparing my situation....it is like comparing a puddle of water to a lake.)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ten Deadly Trappings of Evangelism
By Joe Carter
[Note: This is a compilation of several previous posts.]
"Virtually all the people on Time magazine’s list of ‘The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals’ share at least one glaringly significant trait," said pastor Phillip Johnson in 2005, "For the most part, these are the fadmakers." Phil goes on to list a number of "cheerleaders for whatever is fashionable", including the usual suspects such as Rick Warren and Tim LaHaye, and explains why their programs are fads:
Not one of those movements or programs even existed 35 years ago. Most of them would not have been dreamed of by evangelicals merely a generation ago. And, frankly, most of them will not last another generation. Some will last a few short months (like the Jabez phenomenon did); others may seem to dominate for several years but then die lingering deaths (like Bill Gothard’s movement is doing). But they will all eventually fade and fall from significance. And some poor wholesale distributor will be left with warehouses full of Jabez junk, Weigh-Down Workshop paraphernalia, "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelets, Purpose-Driven" merchandise, and stacks and stacks of "emerging church" resources.
Like Johnson, I’m concerned about the way in which evangelicals tend to embrace whatever trends and kitsch happen to be hot sellers at "Christian" bookstores. But while Johnson laments that most of the "stuff you are currently being told you must read and implement will soon seem as hopelessly out of date" I take comfort in knowing that most of this stuff is nothing more than a passing trend. It is not the dernier cri that will soon be gone that concerns me but the faddage that becomes a fixture. Fads still receive scrutiny while fixtures remain largely unquestioned.
#1 The Sinner’s Prayer — The gates of hell have a special entrance reserved for people who thought that they had a ticket into heaven because someone told them all they needed to do was recite the "sinner’s prayer." I’ve searched through the entire New Testament and can’t find an example of anyone who was "saved" after reciting such a prayer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that such prayer is worthless or that it can’t be used by the Holy Spirit. But salvation is not obtained by reciting a magical incantation as many, many, "Christians" will discover after it’s far, far, too late.
#2 Making Converts — I’ve always felt uneasy about the idea that Christians should be seeking to make converts. Am I wrong in thinking that the making of converts is a task associated with Islam, rather than Christianity? Perhaps I have a flawed understanding of the Gospel, but I always thought the purpose of evangelism is not to make converts but to make, as Christ commanded, disciples. Indeed, my primary complaint against each of the other nine methods on this list is that they are usually ineffective in instigating true conversion, much less helping make true disciples.
Over the next few days I’ll mention the others. None of them are inherently pernicious (well, except for #10) but they have a tendency to be used in ways that are counterproductive to their intended purposes. I’d be interested in hearing what would make your list.
#3 "Do you know Jesus as…" — In the fall of 1987 I began my freshman year of college. I was far from home, overwhelmed and lonely on a campus of 20,000 students. While sitting alone in the cafeteria one afternoon, an older student walked up, smiled and asked if he could join me. I was starved for conversation and thrilled to have the company. He sat his tray down in front of mine and took a seat as I prepared to engage him in a heady discussion of his choosing. Politics, philosophy, science. I was mentally preparing for anything he threw at me.
Glancing up from his plate of spaghetti, he asked, "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?"
For a few seconds I was stunned, completely at a loss for a response. "I’m, yeah, actually I have." I finally managed in reply.
"Oh," he said, visibly disappointed. "Okay, that’s good." He wore a look of minor defeat. He had chosen the wrong table; no soul would be won for Christ over this lunch. We chatted politely while I finished my burger. He ate quickly and excused himself. After that lunch, I never saw him again.
This is one question that needs never be asked for it shows (a) you do not know the person well enough, (b) the answer is yes and the person is a lousy Christian, or (c) the answer is no in which case you just activated their Fundie-alert system and caused them to switch their brains into ignore mode. Instead of asking about a "personal savior" you might want to simply try to get to know the person.
#4 Tribulationism — Ask a non-believer to give a rudimentary explanation of "the Rapture" and chances are they can provide a fairly accurate description of that concept. Ask the same person to give a basic explanation of the Gospel message, though, and they are likely to be stumped. The reason for this curious state of affairs is that evangelicals have promoted what I refer to as "Tribulationism" — an overemphasis on pre-millenial eschatology that overshadows the Gospel. I’m sure that somewhere in the three dozen novels that comprise the Left Behind series the Gospel message is presented. But there is something horribly wrong when the greatest story ever told is buried beneath a third-rate tale of the apocalypse.
#5 Testimonies — Several years ago, during a job interview for a Christian organization, my prospective employer asked me to tell him my "testimony." The fact that I was a Christian apparently wasn’t enough. I had to have a good conversion story to go along with my faith. Now you may have a great story about how the hound of Heaven" chased you down and gnawed on your leg until you surrendered. No doubt your story would make for a gripping movie of the week on Lifetime and lead to the making of numerous converts (see #1). But the harsh truth is that your story doesn’t much matter. You are only a bit player in the narrative thread; the main part goes to the Divine Protagonist. In fact, He already has a pretty good story so why not just tell that one instead?
#6 The Altar Call - In the 1820’s evangelist Charles Finney introduced the "anxious seat," a front pew left vacant where at the end of the meeting "the anxious may come and be addressed particularly–and sometimes be conversed with individually." At the end of his sermon, he would say, "There is the anxious seat; come out, and avow determination to be on the Lord’s side." The problem with this approach, as theologian J.I. Packer, explains is that,
The gospel of God requires an immediate response from all; but it does not require the same response from all. The immediate duty of the unprepared sinner is not to try and believe on Christ, which he is not able to do, but to read, enquire, pray, use the means of grace and learn what he needs to be saved from. It is not in his power to accept Christ at any moment, as Finney supposed; and it is God’s prerogative, not the evangelist’s, to fix the time when men shall first savingly believe. For the latter to try and do so, by appealing to sinners to begin believing here and now, is for man to take to himself the sovereign right of the Holy Ghost. It is an act of presumption, however creditable the evangelists motive’s may be. Hereby he goes beyond his commission as God’s messenger; and hereby he risks doing incalculable damage to the souls of men. If he tells men they are under obligation to receive Christ on the spot, and demands in God’s name that they decide at once, some who are spiritually unprepared will try to do so; they will come forward and accept directions and "go through the motions" and go away thinking they have received Christ, when all the time they have not done so because they were not yet able to do so. So a crop of false conversions will result from making such appeals, in the nature of the case. Bullying for "decisions" thus in fact impedes and thwarts the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. Man takes it on himself to try to bring that work to a precipitate conclusion, to pick the fruit before it is ripe; and the result is "false conversions," hypocrisy and hardening. "For the appeal for immediate decision presupposes that men are free to "decide for Christ" at any time; and this presupposition is the disastrous issue of a false, un-Scriptural view of sin.
My friend Jared Bridges has pointed out another reason for me, as a Baptist, to despise the term "altar call": We don’t believe in transubstantiation and we don’t burn offerings, so we have no need for an "altar."
#7 Witnessing — Evangelism ain’t Amway. It is not a form of Multi-Level Marketing in which you get extra credit for the number of people in your network and you don’t get a great commission for the Great Commission. If you want to sell something door-to-door make it Amway products not the Good News.
If you want to be a more effective "witness for Christ" then start by doing what Christ did and love other people. Start by loving the "unlovable" — the smelly, unbathed men down at the mission, the annoying kids at church, the bonehead who cuts you off in traffic. Yes, you need to tell people about the Gospel. But that is evangelism, not "witnessing." In the context of the Christian life, "witness" should be a noun more often than a verb.
#8 Protestant Prayers — Last week one of my fellow coworkers, a young Catholic man, was asked to open our meeting with a prayer. Without hesitation he began reciting the "Lord’s prayer." Afterward I joked that, having come up with such a fine prayer, he might want to write it down for future use. What I didn’t say what how his recitation of the prayer made me uncomfortable.
First, I’m not used to hearing prayers that don’t contain the word "just" (as in "We just want to thank you Lord…") so it had an odd ring to it. Second, it seemed to violate the accepted standards for public prayer. I had always assumed that praying in public required being able to interlace some just-want-to’s in with some Lord-thank-you-for’s and be- with-us-as-we’s in a coherent fashion before toppping it all with an Amen. Third, I thought that prayers are supposed to be spontaneous–from the heart, off the top of the head–emanations, rather than prepackaged recitations. If it ain’t original, it ain’t prayer, right? Can I get an amen?
But where did this idea come from? We have entire books to teach us how to pray yet Jesus managed to wrap up the lesson in less than forty words. Why isn’t that prayer good enough for evangelicals to use? Why do our prayers sound nothing like His example? (And if you are wondering what prayer is doing on a list of evangelistic fixtures then we are really in trouble.)
#9 The Church Growth Movement — Sadly, this has moved from fad to fixture. Think I’m wrong? Ask the next person you see to define that phrase. In fact, ask the next 100 people you see. Let me know if you find anyone that tells you they think the church growth movement is a movement in the church to grow disciples.
#10 Chick Tracts — Chick Tracts are a tool of the devil. That fact — and yes it is a fact — is not changed just because you know a guy who knows a guy who heard testimony about a guy who said the Sinner’ Prayer after finding "The Long Trip" on the floor of a truck stop restroom.
***
The term evangelism derives from the Greek word evangel–"good news." So it’s rather odd how so much evangelism appears to be about "selling" Jesus and hoping that you can convince the unsaved heathen to buy into salvation. This was the way I had been taught during Vacation Bible School classes at the First Baptist Church of Fire and Brimstone. Pass out Chick tracts, recite the canned "how to get saved" speech, get them to say the sinner’s prayer. Above all, close the deal for Jesus. They may die at any time and their souls would be lost to eternal damnation if I didn’t "make the sell." By the age of eight I’d become a cross between Billy Graham and Willy Loman.
Whenever I began to seriously read the Gospels, though, I noticed something strange. People constantly flocked to Jesus despite the fact that he never passed out a single tract. He would walk up to people and say "Follow me" and the next thing you know they’re giving up their lives to follow him around the countryside.
The people responded to Jesus the way they did because he is God. He is what our hearts have always been seeking. When we come face to face with him we may accept or reject him. But we can’t not know him. John Calvin claimed that there is an awareness or sense of God (sensus divinitatis) implanted in all people by nature. The context of this universally distributed belief being rather minimal: there is a God, He is the Creator, and that He ought to be worshiped. The Gospel, though, fills in the essential details.
We evangelicals don’t need tools of evangelism. We don’t need fads and fixtures. We don’t need anything more than the Gospel. For that is one fixture of our faith that will never go out of style.
SourceWednesday, February 25, 2009
The Rhyme of the Modern Parishioner
THE RHYME OF THE MODERN PARISHIONER
Michael Brown
It happened in the vestibule at ten one Sunday morn;
A haggard-looking church-goer sat plaintive and forlorn.
Then suddenly he rose and found a hungry-looking Christian;
He took his hand, took him aside, and asked him a straight question:
"You've read the Word; you know the Book; the promises are clear.
But have you seen the living God? Have you found Him here?
Have you experienced holy fire, the Spirit in His power,
A mighty wave, a rushing wind, a flame that does devour?
Is there something more you're seeking, so high, so wide, so deep?
Do you find yourself frustrated? Is church putting you to sleep?
Then listen well, you heart is ripe; my tale I will tell.
This story is your story too, and it's your tale as well.
For thirty years I've been in church, it seemed like a good show.
But now I've got to meet with God, do you know where to go?
I'm trapped in mundane worship times, the praises have grown cold;
The preaching's dry and dusty. The teaching is stale like mold.
Each service feels like a rerun, the songs all sound the same;
The prophecies so hollow, not worthy of the name!
Words, more words, they're everywhere, but oh there is a stink!
Words, more words, they're everywhere, but none to make us think!
We lack the heavenly Presence, it's clear we're in a rut;
I'm desperate for revival, it burns within my gut!
I'm love-sick for my Jesus, so hungry for my Lord;
Just longing for my Savior; God knows that I'm so bored!
Is there someone who can help me, who's touched the real thing?
A man who's heard from heaven, with a word from God to bring?
Are there prophets burning with fire, servants who are ablaze?
Anointed and overflowing, appointed for these days?
Do they carry the Spirit's burden, and breathe the Lord God's breath?
Are they set apart and holy, obedient to death?
I hear the words of the Master, 'Come follow Me,' He said.
If some Christians go their own way; I'll go with Him instead!
Oh please, don't do as I have done, and waste so many years.
Don't wait and wait for endless months; move on, outgrow your fears!
Forget the twelve step programs; a seminar won't do.
You need a touch from heaven, to fill you through and through.
There must be change in your life, a work of God that's real.
Don't fool yourself with worn clichés, don't let the devil steal!
Don't miss out on God's Presence or let those hours pass;
Don't stop your soul from hungering, get out of the morass!
Dear friend, you are not crazy; dear saint, you are not mad;
There truly is a problem, it's true, you have been had!
There's more! There's more, Believe it! There is that place in God.
There are holy visitations, new paths that must be trod.
Will you get up like old Pilgrim, and seek that better way?
Will you go forth on that journey no matter what men say?
Will you go out now and meet Him, and leave the crowd behind,
Forsaking dead traditions, if Jesus you will find?
It's not in another meeting, a nicely packaged hour;
Another harmless service, devoid of heaven's power.
It's not in another teaching, three points to fill your head.
The Word is always vibrant; but this stuff is so dead!
We need God to send His Spirit, to fully take control,
To transform every member, to come and make them whole!
Enough with man's religion; enough with earthly plans;
Enough with our new programs; produced by fleshly hands."
Just then in strode the pastor his calling to fulfill;
Just doing his weekly duty, then he became frozen still.
For astir was that parishioner he grasped the preacher's clothes,
And grasped the preacher's soul as well, and in that grasp he froze.
"Oh pastor, enter the prayer room and shut yourself inside.
Be emptied of competition, and crucify your pride!
Pray for holy visitations, caught up alone with Him,
Consumed with heavenly vision, that's where you must begin!
You won't find Him in a textbook, buried on page twenty-two.
He is the living God who acts, He wants to move in you!
It's not only the 'apostles', He'll bless and send and use;
He will saturate your own soul, if you will not refuse.
So arise, get up, and pursue Him, Jesus your true best Friend!
He is worthy of devotion; He's faithful to the end!
Why should you starve on crusty bread, and crawl along the ground?
Your Savior is your source of life, see Him, let joy abound!
Renew your life, refresh your heart, press in, take hold, pray through.
Put first things first, make God your goal; what else have you to do?
Your Bible schooling stole your zeal, church life has drained you dry;
You used to have such childlike faith, now budgets have your eye!
You used to be so passionate, so innocent and free.
Now you've become professional; you'll preach for a good fee!
Oh, set your sights on higher goals and not on dollar bills,
Live in the light of Judgment Day; ambition always kills!
Let Jesus be your daily Guide, put Him where He belongs;
And soon His presence will arrive; His praise will fill your songs!
Simplicity will be your style, devotion your new goal:
Communion will become your aim, God's life will flood your soul!
Oh, take your eyes off numbers, church growth can be a trap!
Go out and make disciples, go out and bridge the gap!
Pour out your life for broken lives, let God your heart break too.
Take up the cross, deny yourself; just live His will to do!
Wake up, be brave, be honest; today - oh hear His voice!
Be ruthless with your schedule; seek GOD. Make that your choice.
You won't find Him in your planner, no committee has the key.
You'll find Him when your soul cries out, 'There must be more for me!'
'There must be more than building funds, and sessions past midnight,
And endless talks with leadership, disputing who is right.
Somehow I know I've been misled; the model doesn't work.
I'm not called as executive, nor should I be a clerk.
I'm called to be a man of God, a man who's Spirit-led,
A healer of the sick and lame someday to raise the dead!'
And with that cry new life will rise, your heart will be revived;
Heaven's light will flood your soul, you will not be denied!"
The parishioner then turned his gaze away from flesh and blood:
He looked to Him who sends the showers, to Him who sends the flood.
"Today, oh Lord, do you hear our voice, and pour Your Spirit out.
Saturate the thirsty ground. End this spiritual drought!
Revive us with Your Presence, renew us from above;
Touch the flock called by Your name; come fill us with Your love!
Do greater works in our day than that which you have done.
Bring the fullness of Your rains, and glorify Your Son!"
That old church-goer spoke no more. Another voice was heard.
Yet not the voice of flesh and blood: It was our Father's word.
And if you listen closely, beyond this little rhyme,
You'll hear Him speaking clearly: "MY CHILDREN, IT IS TIME."
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Mission
Okay friends,
Your mission is simple. I really want to buy a laptop. But, you must stop me! I cannot buy a laptop until...
Nehalem processors get into laptops.
DDR3 ram becomes more mainstream.
Solid state drives go down in price.
Thanks,
Richard
Your mission is simple. I really want to buy a laptop. But, you must stop me! I cannot buy a laptop until...
Nehalem processors get into laptops.
DDR3 ram becomes more mainstream.
Solid state drives go down in price.
Thanks,
Richard
Monday, February 23, 2009
QOD
"Any worship song that can be sung to your lovestruck girlfriend with a few pronoun switches don't deserve to be a worship song."
Joi
Joi
The RCCF Winter Retreat (Part 3 of 3)
Sunday //
Reluctantly, I got some sleep both nights. I like staying up, but I had to drive.
Sunday morning, I woke up early. Showered, went to the main common area. I found Allan, Brian Lee, and Felix sleeping there. After talking with Allan, I found that Brian and him were sharing about Christianity to Felix. Felix is non-Christian. From his own words, he is about 75% convinced about Christianity. Praise the Lord! :) I was sad that I had to sleep, and missed it. But, it is okay. The joy of knowing that someone is close is worth singing about! And sing I did. I was pretty much singing all retreat. My voice is hoarse.
Allan was tired, so he went back to his room and shower and sleep for a little while. There was an hour til breakfast, and most of the ccfers were in blissful sleep. I decided to go write on "The Wall". Instead of the usual warm fuzzies bag, we had a mural of a puzzle board with different pieces belonging to different ccf members. Fifteen minutes later, I was done.
I decided to go to the dining hall early. On the way, I passed by some other campers. Someone had shoveled a huge pile of snow blocking the doorway out of one of the cabins. There were some girls furiously shovelling, trying to dig their way out. I wished them "Good morning" and treked on.
In the dining hall, there was an area for books that I guess you could borrow. I was reading one called "Power Evangelism" while I waited for people to show up for breakfast. It was pretty interesting. If what it says is true, we have a lot more power through the Spirit than we realize. 8:30 AM rolls around. Alone, I sit in the dining hall. No one is up yet. It's breakfast time, people!
A little while longer and people slowly start filing in. Breakfast consisted of french toast, sausages, and hash browns. I had built up the hash browns in my mind, it did not taste as good as I wished.
After breakfast, was devotional time. Allan and I played foosball. Danielle told us to stop playing foosball. So we talked about random stuff instead. It was good. Allan and I always have good talks about spiritual stuff. It is amazing how much he grows despite being in what I would call a spiritually deprived situation. He has a lot of self-discipline (at least in spiritual things - school is another matter :P) that I wish I had, too.
Afterwards, we had worship. Worship was good. Singing praises to God is always good. Following this, was our last small group time. We were to reflect on the different things that happened at retreat. I pray that my group is truely affected by the things that were spoken for and prayed here. I do not know what God has in store for them.
Lunch was pasta, and salad, and double chocolate chip cookies that when broken apart, the chocolate oozes out. Throughout retreat, we were clapping for random people. (I dunno, we're weird. We clap for food. We clap when a person exits the washroom.) This time, we gave respect to our small group leaders, worship team, committee, and workshop leaders.
When lunch was over, it was pretty much time to go home. We took some pictures, had a couple more laughs, threw a couple more snowballs, and packed up our gear. I will miss ccf. I do not think that I will attend another retreat unless God tells me otherwise. I'll feel too old. :P
Talks:
While everyone was packing, I also had a chance to talk to a friend of mine about what is going in his life. He is a very generous brother, very hospitable. I pray that things will pick up with his spiritual life, and that he finds the mentor he is looking for.
Reflections:
I think one of the major things I got there, was a sense of peace. God gave me a clear sign about somethings, and took burdens off my heart. I was pretty pleased with the growth that is being experienced in CCF, and I know that there will be some upstanding leaders in a year or two's time. Now, I need to re-dedicate myself to Him. :)
Reluctantly, I got some sleep both nights. I like staying up, but I had to drive.
Sunday morning, I woke up early. Showered, went to the main common area. I found Allan, Brian Lee, and Felix sleeping there. After talking with Allan, I found that Brian and him were sharing about Christianity to Felix. Felix is non-Christian. From his own words, he is about 75% convinced about Christianity. Praise the Lord! :) I was sad that I had to sleep, and missed it. But, it is okay. The joy of knowing that someone is close is worth singing about! And sing I did. I was pretty much singing all retreat. My voice is hoarse.
Allan was tired, so he went back to his room and shower and sleep for a little while. There was an hour til breakfast, and most of the ccfers were in blissful sleep. I decided to go write on "The Wall". Instead of the usual warm fuzzies bag, we had a mural of a puzzle board with different pieces belonging to different ccf members. Fifteen minutes later, I was done.
I decided to go to the dining hall early. On the way, I passed by some other campers. Someone had shoveled a huge pile of snow blocking the doorway out of one of the cabins. There were some girls furiously shovelling, trying to dig their way out. I wished them "Good morning" and treked on.
In the dining hall, there was an area for books that I guess you could borrow. I was reading one called "Power Evangelism" while I waited for people to show up for breakfast. It was pretty interesting. If what it says is true, we have a lot more power through the Spirit than we realize. 8:30 AM rolls around. Alone, I sit in the dining hall. No one is up yet. It's breakfast time, people!
A little while longer and people slowly start filing in. Breakfast consisted of french toast, sausages, and hash browns. I had built up the hash browns in my mind, it did not taste as good as I wished.
After breakfast, was devotional time. Allan and I played foosball. Danielle told us to stop playing foosball. So we talked about random stuff instead. It was good. Allan and I always have good talks about spiritual stuff. It is amazing how much he grows despite being in what I would call a spiritually deprived situation. He has a lot of self-discipline (at least in spiritual things - school is another matter :P) that I wish I had, too.
Afterwards, we had worship. Worship was good. Singing praises to God is always good. Following this, was our last small group time. We were to reflect on the different things that happened at retreat. I pray that my group is truely affected by the things that were spoken for and prayed here. I do not know what God has in store for them.
Lunch was pasta, and salad, and double chocolate chip cookies that when broken apart, the chocolate oozes out. Throughout retreat, we were clapping for random people. (I dunno, we're weird. We clap for food. We clap when a person exits the washroom.) This time, we gave respect to our small group leaders, worship team, committee, and workshop leaders.
When lunch was over, it was pretty much time to go home. We took some pictures, had a couple more laughs, threw a couple more snowballs, and packed up our gear. I will miss ccf. I do not think that I will attend another retreat unless God tells me otherwise. I'll feel too old. :P
Talks:
While everyone was packing, I also had a chance to talk to a friend of mine about what is going in his life. He is a very generous brother, very hospitable. I pray that things will pick up with his spiritual life, and that he finds the mentor he is looking for.
Reflections:
I think one of the major things I got there, was a sense of peace. God gave me a clear sign about somethings, and took burdens off my heart. I was pretty pleased with the growth that is being experienced in CCF, and I know that there will be some upstanding leaders in a year or two's time. Now, I need to re-dedicate myself to Him. :)
The RCCF Winter Retreat (Part 2 of 3)
Saturday //
For breakfast on Saturday, we had eggs, bacon, and freshly baked croissants. It was delicious! The food kept coming, so we kept eating. After breakfast, we had devotional time. The devotion was on Hosea 3, I was tempted to talk about what Pastor Scott talked about, but I did not. I think that was a definite quenching of the Spirit. So I resolved to talk more...(until people get bored of me.)
After devotional time, we had worship, small group time, followed by lunch time. My small group consisted of Howard, Philip, Andrew, and Vivian. Howard was our small group leader. It is safe to say that I hijacked a lot of the small group meetings. Because, I talk too much.
It is important to note that while walking towards a dining hall two blocks away (or what would be equivalent to two blocks -- it is a campsite.) with plenty of fresh snow on the ground, stuff will happen. Stuff of the snowball throwing variety. I am pleased to note that no one tried throwing any at me. Actually a correction, no one hit me. The current chair, Danielle tried a sneak attack from several feet away. I did not realize that I was under attack until the third or fourth snowball. :P
For lunch, we had salad, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, there was ketchup. Yes, I put ketchup on my grilled cheese, it was awesome. There were also these really really good brownies.
Theresa led a group talk on prayer. There were games and illustrations to show how God speaks to us through prayer, how He hears us, and practical guidelines on prayer. Also, there was PRAYER. It was good. I think she was a little nervous, but I can understand... there are 30 people listening to you. Everyone would be nervous. ^_^ Following her talk, my 2nd workshop.
Workshop:
The audience for this workshop was a little more intimidating. Among the participants, Danielle, Allan, Alex, and some more. These are people well-versed in Scripture, all perfectly capable of making call outs, if I am Biblically inaccurate. I prayed that God will help me out earlier, so I delivered pretty confidently. It was good, the people liked it. Now, application. :P
Now thinking back, I should have probably stated some more definite things to do. Yes, I mentioned things to do, but I should have stressed the importance and listed out the practical things they can do to improve their spiritual life. It is okay. God will convict their hearts if anything.
After the workshop, there was free time. We played snow football. I was not as useful as past retreats. There were a couple tackles here and there, but the major plays went to other players. Tony was our all-star, making an interception and catches out of impossible scenarios. Angie was another all-star on the opposing team, making the longest reception in the game.
Dinner followed football. We had chicken, really good mashed potatoes, and veggies. The Salvation Army worker was building up this story of how the kids raising the chicken over the summer. The chicken tasted really good. I am pretty sure he was joking.
After dinner time, we had some more small group time, worship, girls vs. guys time and free time. At this point, I started hunting for people to talk to about stuff. It is included below in the talk-section.
Guy time was good. They talked about love, life, and Jesus. You can guess what they talked about. I am glad that people are honest and things, but Jesus needs to be the primary motivator in their lives. I hope that message stuck to their core.
Free time! A definite highlight of the free time was playing Risk 2210. There are some slight variations, the only major one you need to know is that there are water colonies, and that you must keep your base alive (you start off with two). The bases are randomly drawn, my team ended up on asia (fail) and south america...right next to another person's base. In fact, we were paired off with another team, our bases were right next to each other in asia and south america.
There were five teams total, consisting of two people a team. At about the midpoint in the game, lines had been drawn. Allan and Richard Chan's team had the largest army within North America. There one base existed in a territory within what was once USA. (All the names for places are different). Patrick controlled Africa. Danielle and Jacky controlled Europe and Australia. Philip and Brian Tse's team shared Asia and South America with Elijah and I. Philip's team and my team were definitely the weakest. Why do you ask?
There is a small water colony off the coast of China called Sung Tzu. Elijah and I decided that we should add it to our empire. Allan owned Sung Tzu. "WE DECLARE ATTACK ON SUNG TZU", I declared passionately! And after sending waves after waves of our army. Allan still occupied the little colony of Sung Tzu. Despite being heavily outnumbered, those poor farmers managed to fend off our invading army. We had to wait another turn..before we finally took it over...after losing some more men, despite it being a 6 on 1 dice battle.
I think that over the course of the game, Elijah and I roll a consistent average of 2.3. It was pretty sad.
Anyways, the most exciting part is yet to come! Allan thought it was prudent to invade Europe, because Danielle and Jacky were set to become the next superpower. So he lined up his troops along the edge and was preparing to attack. He ends his turn.
Philip's turn next. At once, Danielle and I started to convince him to attack Allan's weakly defended base! Granted, it was still a larger army then what Philip possessed. Philip went for it. Next, it can only be described as intervention of God...as Philip's small army managed to defeat Allan's defenders and destroy his only base. Allan was out!
Our turn came next, in which we ruthlessly killed Philip's remaining base. It was in the interest of ending our long game. We also fortified Sung Tzu. We just got it last turn, after all.
Danielle and Jacky were up next, it was decided they had to attack Patrick's base, because their bases were so close together. They both had one base each. We told them to take over various parts of Asia, so that they can build an army big enough to kill Patrick. (You get reinforcements each time you take a territory). Again, what happened can only be described as miraculous. Danielle and Jacky send their troops to take over Sung Tzu, and we started rolling high numbers to defend against their advance. This is despite, trying to LOSE.
Anyways, they took over some of our land, and overthrow Patrick's base. Now it was just Danielle's team and my team. For some reason, we had a path directly to their base! So we sent all the troops from our base, and managed to win! At this point, people started accusing me of being manipulative and unfairly taking advantage of different situations. That's preposterous.
Talks:
A couple of good talks, Saturday night. We had a discussion thing going on with Thaddeus, Anna, Alex, and some sitting in and out about random Christian stuff. It was pretty cool, I did not know that Thaddeus was so well versed in Bible stuff. So that was encouraging. We talked about spiritual gifts, random movements going on in Canada, Jesus as our high priest, infant baptism, dynamic faith, and more. Anna is always cool, because she wants to know more Jesus stuff.
Also spent some time talking to a girlfriend of mine. Just hearing the things that are going on in her life, as well as other stuff was good. I pray that she just continues to live for Christ and be good with all the difficulties that she is experiencing. Also, this answered some of my own questions about things I was praying about. It reminded me about how awesome God is in that he plans so much and his reasoning for telling me to do things is for my benefit! Oh, how I pray that I become more obedient and quick to it, too!
End of Part 2
For breakfast on Saturday, we had eggs, bacon, and freshly baked croissants. It was delicious! The food kept coming, so we kept eating. After breakfast, we had devotional time. The devotion was on Hosea 3, I was tempted to talk about what Pastor Scott talked about, but I did not. I think that was a definite quenching of the Spirit. So I resolved to talk more...(until people get bored of me.)
After devotional time, we had worship, small group time, followed by lunch time. My small group consisted of Howard, Philip, Andrew, and Vivian. Howard was our small group leader. It is safe to say that I hijacked a lot of the small group meetings. Because, I talk too much.
It is important to note that while walking towards a dining hall two blocks away (or what would be equivalent to two blocks -- it is a campsite.) with plenty of fresh snow on the ground, stuff will happen. Stuff of the snowball throwing variety. I am pleased to note that no one tried throwing any at me. Actually a correction, no one hit me. The current chair, Danielle tried a sneak attack from several feet away. I did not realize that I was under attack until the third or fourth snowball. :P
For lunch, we had salad, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, there was ketchup. Yes, I put ketchup on my grilled cheese, it was awesome. There were also these really really good brownies.
Theresa led a group talk on prayer. There were games and illustrations to show how God speaks to us through prayer, how He hears us, and practical guidelines on prayer. Also, there was PRAYER. It was good. I think she was a little nervous, but I can understand... there are 30 people listening to you. Everyone would be nervous. ^_^ Following her talk, my 2nd workshop.
Workshop:
The audience for this workshop was a little more intimidating. Among the participants, Danielle, Allan, Alex, and some more. These are people well-versed in Scripture, all perfectly capable of making call outs, if I am Biblically inaccurate. I prayed that God will help me out earlier, so I delivered pretty confidently. It was good, the people liked it. Now, application. :P
Now thinking back, I should have probably stated some more definite things to do. Yes, I mentioned things to do, but I should have stressed the importance and listed out the practical things they can do to improve their spiritual life. It is okay. God will convict their hearts if anything.
After the workshop, there was free time. We played snow football. I was not as useful as past retreats. There were a couple tackles here and there, but the major plays went to other players. Tony was our all-star, making an interception and catches out of impossible scenarios. Angie was another all-star on the opposing team, making the longest reception in the game.
Dinner followed football. We had chicken, really good mashed potatoes, and veggies. The Salvation Army worker was building up this story of how the kids raising the chicken over the summer. The chicken tasted really good. I am pretty sure he was joking.
After dinner time, we had some more small group time, worship, girls vs. guys time and free time. At this point, I started hunting for people to talk to about stuff. It is included below in the talk-section.
Guy time was good. They talked about love, life, and Jesus. You can guess what they talked about. I am glad that people are honest and things, but Jesus needs to be the primary motivator in their lives. I hope that message stuck to their core.
Free time! A definite highlight of the free time was playing Risk 2210. There are some slight variations, the only major one you need to know is that there are water colonies, and that you must keep your base alive (you start off with two). The bases are randomly drawn, my team ended up on asia (fail) and south america...right next to another person's base. In fact, we were paired off with another team, our bases were right next to each other in asia and south america.
There were five teams total, consisting of two people a team. At about the midpoint in the game, lines had been drawn. Allan and Richard Chan's team had the largest army within North America. There one base existed in a territory within what was once USA. (All the names for places are different). Patrick controlled Africa. Danielle and Jacky controlled Europe and Australia. Philip and Brian Tse's team shared Asia and South America with Elijah and I. Philip's team and my team were definitely the weakest. Why do you ask?
There is a small water colony off the coast of China called Sung Tzu. Elijah and I decided that we should add it to our empire. Allan owned Sung Tzu. "WE DECLARE ATTACK ON SUNG TZU", I declared passionately! And after sending waves after waves of our army. Allan still occupied the little colony of Sung Tzu. Despite being heavily outnumbered, those poor farmers managed to fend off our invading army. We had to wait another turn..before we finally took it over...after losing some more men, despite it being a 6 on 1 dice battle.
I think that over the course of the game, Elijah and I roll a consistent average of 2.3. It was pretty sad.
Anyways, the most exciting part is yet to come! Allan thought it was prudent to invade Europe, because Danielle and Jacky were set to become the next superpower. So he lined up his troops along the edge and was preparing to attack. He ends his turn.
Philip's turn next. At once, Danielle and I started to convince him to attack Allan's weakly defended base! Granted, it was still a larger army then what Philip possessed. Philip went for it. Next, it can only be described as intervention of God...as Philip's small army managed to defeat Allan's defenders and destroy his only base. Allan was out!
Our turn came next, in which we ruthlessly killed Philip's remaining base. It was in the interest of ending our long game. We also fortified Sung Tzu. We just got it last turn, after all.
Danielle and Jacky were up next, it was decided they had to attack Patrick's base, because their bases were so close together. They both had one base each. We told them to take over various parts of Asia, so that they can build an army big enough to kill Patrick. (You get reinforcements each time you take a territory). Again, what happened can only be described as miraculous. Danielle and Jacky send their troops to take over Sung Tzu, and we started rolling high numbers to defend against their advance. This is despite, trying to LOSE.
Anyways, they took over some of our land, and overthrow Patrick's base. Now it was just Danielle's team and my team. For some reason, we had a path directly to their base! So we sent all the troops from our base, and managed to win! At this point, people started accusing me of being manipulative and unfairly taking advantage of different situations. That's preposterous.
Talks:
A couple of good talks, Saturday night. We had a discussion thing going on with Thaddeus, Anna, Alex, and some sitting in and out about random Christian stuff. It was pretty cool, I did not know that Thaddeus was so well versed in Bible stuff. So that was encouraging. We talked about spiritual gifts, random movements going on in Canada, Jesus as our high priest, infant baptism, dynamic faith, and more. Anna is always cool, because she wants to know more Jesus stuff.
Also spent some time talking to a girlfriend of mine. Just hearing the things that are going on in her life, as well as other stuff was good. I pray that she just continues to live for Christ and be good with all the difficulties that she is experiencing. Also, this answered some of my own questions about things I was praying about. It reminded me about how awesome God is in that he plans so much and his reasoning for telling me to do things is for my benefit! Oh, how I pray that I become more obedient and quick to it, too!
End of Part 2
The RCCF Winter Retreat (Part 1 of 3)
This past weekend, I went on a retreat with the Ryerson University Chinese Christian Fellowship. The retreat was at Jackson's Point Salvation Army camp, and spanned several days. I have decided to split up my thoughts by days, as I have a lot to write about.
Friday //
After picking up my passengers, I drove to our meeting place (a Harvey's in Newmarket). We would drive up together as a caravan to the camp site. I wish I brought my radios, that would have been hilarious.
The camp site was pretty neat. I realize now I should probably buy a camera, to take pictures of things. My only complaint would be that the cabins are designed for a children's camp. So there is one washroom, one shower for 10 kids and 2 counselors. Our arrangement of several cabins for guys and one cabin for girls did not bode well for the girls. Otherwise, we had pretty much everything we needed. Two meeting places, a dining hall for our meals was a short walk away, plenty of fields to play stuff in. God also blessed us with a steady stream of fresh snow.
This retreat was a little different, because we had no speaker. So there was a lot more small group time, and group activities. That is cool, because A) There was no way that people were going to way people were going to wake up Sunday Morning. B) The schedule was pretty packed as is. The theme was on Unity.
Workshop:
I led a workshop on the Word. How it works is the workshop leader ends up teaching half of the group on Friday, and the other half on Saturday. Brian Yee led the other workshop (on love) opposite of me. A breakdown of my workshop is that Scripture is Inspired, We need the Holy Spirit to help us understand things in the Word, a short bible study on Matt 4:1-11, and finally our response (especially drawing from points discovered in Matt 4). I like to think that I made an impact with the group, but you never know...only God does.
I was flattered to discover that an AFC worker by the name of David was amongst those that participated in the first rendering of the workshop. I got to talk to him a little, he is pretty cool. I think he is planning to go to seminary. He was there to make sure that we were not doing anything sketch. He usually works with the University of Toronto: CCF. He did not talk to me after, so I am assuming that I am not sketch. Or that he is writing up a super large case against me and my interpretation of Scripture.
Talks:
I am extremely blessed and fortunate to speak with a brother in Christ about his testimony. His fervour for God is admirable. Everything that he had gone through with his parents, his schooling, his need for love, and more was insane. His desire and demonstrated willingness to be a servant for Christ (and as an extension - towards his brethren) is amazing. Even though, he would consider himself a newer Christian... his passion for Jesus far outstrips my own.
End of Part 1
Friday //
After picking up my passengers, I drove to our meeting place (a Harvey's in Newmarket). We would drive up together as a caravan to the camp site. I wish I brought my radios, that would have been hilarious.
The camp site was pretty neat. I realize now I should probably buy a camera, to take pictures of things. My only complaint would be that the cabins are designed for a children's camp. So there is one washroom, one shower for 10 kids and 2 counselors. Our arrangement of several cabins for guys and one cabin for girls did not bode well for the girls. Otherwise, we had pretty much everything we needed. Two meeting places, a dining hall for our meals was a short walk away, plenty of fields to play stuff in. God also blessed us with a steady stream of fresh snow.
This retreat was a little different, because we had no speaker. So there was a lot more small group time, and group activities. That is cool, because A) There was no way that people were going to way people were going to wake up Sunday Morning. B) The schedule was pretty packed as is. The theme was on Unity.
Workshop:
I led a workshop on the Word. How it works is the workshop leader ends up teaching half of the group on Friday, and the other half on Saturday. Brian Yee led the other workshop (on love) opposite of me. A breakdown of my workshop is that Scripture is Inspired, We need the Holy Spirit to help us understand things in the Word, a short bible study on Matt 4:1-11, and finally our response (especially drawing from points discovered in Matt 4). I like to think that I made an impact with the group, but you never know...only God does.
I was flattered to discover that an AFC worker by the name of David was amongst those that participated in the first rendering of the workshop. I got to talk to him a little, he is pretty cool. I think he is planning to go to seminary. He was there to make sure that we were not doing anything sketch. He usually works with the University of Toronto: CCF. He did not talk to me after, so I am assuming that I am not sketch. Or that he is writing up a super large case against me and my interpretation of Scripture.
Talks:
I am extremely blessed and fortunate to speak with a brother in Christ about his testimony. His fervour for God is admirable. Everything that he had gone through with his parents, his schooling, his need for love, and more was insane. His desire and demonstrated willingness to be a servant for Christ (and as an extension - towards his brethren) is amazing. Even though, he would consider himself a newer Christian... his passion for Jesus far outstrips my own.
End of Part 1
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Day in Short
Went d/t to evangelize (Party consisted of Vince, Kelly, Felix, and myself)
Shared with Nicholas (bought food and the like), he did not want us to pray for him at that moment....but to pray for him and his girlfriend (Linda) in future. Ran into highschooler, Henry. Talked to him for a bit. Adventures to get him boots, socks, gloves, and a hat. We got socks, gloves, and hat. Left Felix with Henry, went home to prep some stuff for retreat this weekend. [Dare I say - future post?]
Ran into Justin Loo on the bus ride home. Talked to him for a bit. Decided to have highschool gang meet up, or that he should come play hockey.
Went to go get Gas
Get a XL cup of Hot Chocolate from Timmies
There was the incident....
[cue ff7 battle music]
Crazy Chinese Guy: Yo, %U*(%! YOU !%!^@( hit my car! You !%@%!!!
Irate Indian Guy: I did not hit your car! &(^!*!!!
*more racial slurs flung*
At this point, the crazy chinese guy's wife comes out and starts throwing slurs, too. All the other drivers fueling up gas, look at each other...wondering what to do? It did not help that the gas came out EXTRA slow, I swear. It took me 15 minutes to fill up my car. So it was the weirdest thing, watching these two angry men fuming at each other...filling up their car...staring and swearing at one another, a mere 10 yards away.
Richard drives away! Richard gets 0 exp! 0 gil! Seriously, was there anything I could have done?
Random Memories of the night:
Phone tag with friend - She called me while I was at Esso. And 5 minutes into convo, I look up at the "no cell phones allowed" sign, and told her I would call her back.
Packed for retreat - I always pack too much. My clothes are just huge.
Shared with Nicholas (bought food and the like), he did not want us to pray for him at that moment....but to pray for him and his girlfriend (Linda) in future. Ran into highschooler, Henry. Talked to him for a bit. Adventures to get him boots, socks, gloves, and a hat. We got socks, gloves, and hat. Left Felix with Henry, went home to prep some stuff for retreat this weekend. [Dare I say - future post?]
Ran into Justin Loo on the bus ride home. Talked to him for a bit. Decided to have highschool gang meet up, or that he should come play hockey.
Went to go get Gas
Get a XL cup of Hot Chocolate from Timmies
There was the incident....
[cue ff7 battle music]
Crazy Chinese Guy: Yo, %U*(%! YOU !%!^@( hit my car! You !%@%!!!
Irate Indian Guy: I did not hit your car! &(^!*!!!
*more racial slurs flung*
At this point, the crazy chinese guy's wife comes out and starts throwing slurs, too. All the other drivers fueling up gas, look at each other...wondering what to do? It did not help that the gas came out EXTRA slow, I swear. It took me 15 minutes to fill up my car. So it was the weirdest thing, watching these two angry men fuming at each other...filling up their car...staring and swearing at one another, a mere 10 yards away.
Richard drives away! Richard gets 0 exp! 0 gil! Seriously, was there anything I could have done?
Random Memories of the night:
Phone tag with friend - She called me while I was at Esso. And 5 minutes into convo, I look up at the "no cell phones allowed" sign, and told her I would call her back.
Packed for retreat - I always pack too much. My clothes are just huge.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Heart.
There's an icebox where it used to be....
I'll explain later. No, this is not just a reference to Omarian.
I'll explain later. No, this is not just a reference to Omarian.
Outsource
I am slowly coming to a point in my life where I realize I cannot do everything. Thus, I am going to start outsourcing various parts of my life for other people to handle. Here are the positions that you can apply for: (Hopefully, our slow decline into a depression will increase the number of applicants)
Technology Advisor:
The ideal candidate for this position must be observant of current and future technological innovations. The key is to discover pieces of technology that would improve Richard's standard of living. Thus, the person who will be hired must also be able to sniff out a deal once it has been decided to add a particular technology to Richard's repertoire.
Market Analyst/Portfolio Advisor:
This position involves paying constant attention to economic news in the hope to expand Richard's assets. This individual should be well-versed in financial matters. All of this will be in effort to acquire the funding for the technology advisor's purchases.
Translator:
This individual will follow Richard around all day to avoid awkward social situations involving ordering food in a Chinese restaurant. Preference will be given to candidates that know multiple languages. Furthermore, if an individual knows ancient Hebrew, Aramic, and Greek... he/she will be catapulted to the shortlist.
Richard Impersonator: [Multiple positions available]
Perhaps the hardest position to fill, the Richard impersonator must possess similar rugged good lucks, undeniable intelligence, unbelievable charisma, etc. The Richard impersonator must be ever vigilant when called upon to replace Richard in awkward situations, situations involving work, faking my death, and in events where having a body double would prove to be hilarious.
Technology Advisor:
The ideal candidate for this position must be observant of current and future technological innovations. The key is to discover pieces of technology that would improve Richard's standard of living. Thus, the person who will be hired must also be able to sniff out a deal once it has been decided to add a particular technology to Richard's repertoire.
Market Analyst/Portfolio Advisor:
This position involves paying constant attention to economic news in the hope to expand Richard's assets. This individual should be well-versed in financial matters. All of this will be in effort to acquire the funding for the technology advisor's purchases.
Translator:
This individual will follow Richard around all day to avoid awkward social situations involving ordering food in a Chinese restaurant. Preference will be given to candidates that know multiple languages. Furthermore, if an individual knows ancient Hebrew, Aramic, and Greek... he/she will be catapulted to the shortlist.
Richard Impersonator: [Multiple positions available]
Perhaps the hardest position to fill, the Richard impersonator must possess similar rugged good lucks, undeniable intelligence, unbelievable charisma, etc. The Richard impersonator must be ever vigilant when called upon to replace Richard in awkward situations, situations involving work, faking my death, and in events where having a body double would prove to be hilarious.
My Friend
Pray Without Ceasing
What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.
Joseph Medlicott Scriven
Written to comfort his mother after the death of his 2nd fiancée.
Heretical
My book list has...
"A New kind of Christian" - Brian McLaren
"Culture" - Brian McLaren
Apparently, McLaren is heretical.
I have "A New Kind of Christian" which I have been slowly reading through. I do not think I will be reading it anymore.... Maybe when I feel like trying to understand the emerging church movement more.
"A New kind of Christian" - Brian McLaren
"Culture" - Brian McLaren
Apparently, McLaren is heretical.
I have "A New Kind of Christian" which I have been slowly reading through. I do not think I will be reading it anymore.... Maybe when I feel like trying to understand the emerging church movement more.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Our Current Mess
From a sociological standpoint... (if it were up to me.. I would just say, because we have turned away from God.)
DISCLAIMER: This is my viewpoint as a result of reading a number of news articles over time. I haven't included any references, but I'm sure I could dig up some if I wanted to. Take it with a grain of salt, as revealing this sort of stuff usually flies in the face of what everyone is being taught.
I was talking to a friend of mine about child abuse. She was wondering how a parent could do such things. I responded that it was a result of growing up in a broken home. I then blamed the government, she did not follow. Here is my explanation.
Child abuse happens most in the broken home. The step-father is the typical perpetrator. This is followed by the single mother, and the least likely is the biological father. (I have not seen any studies involving stepmothers - probably due to the small sample size of biological fathers actually winning custodial rights over the biological mother.) My take is that a man would want to raise kids his own instead of another man's kids.
How do broken homes happen? Divorce. We currently have a divorce rate of 50%. Why is it so high? I state that the economic incentive to divorce is a more attractive option to riding out the rough patches in marriage. Especially, since 70% of marriages are dissolved on the request of the woman, and 90% of the time, the child goes with the mother. The money flows with the kid.
Take away economic incentives to divorce, you end up with less broken homes. However, the government does not want to do this. The government is benefitted by divorce (at least in their perverted thinking). "In the best interest of the child" is the motto of the courts. So garnishing the wages of the ex-husband, giving it to the mother is perfectly acceptable. Even if it leads to financial slavery.
Of course, the ex-husband cannot stand for this. So the court cases continue, lawyers are hired, claims made, and more. All the while, the government makes money. Not only that, what of the mother? Do you think she will vote for taking away her benefits? Will she not vote for more government?
So the government wins in two counts. There is income generated from the trials and tribulations of the ex-husband. Furthermore, the government wins a loyal voter, the mother.
Take away any economic incentive to divorce. In fact, the government should stay out of marriage all together. If people learn that there are consequences to their actions (none of this starter marriage crap), they'll actually put more thought into things that are supposed to be a life-altering decision.
QUESTIONS //
What about domestic violence? Shouldn't a woman be allowed if not entitled to financially destroy the man who beats her?
First of all, the male batterer is a myth. Domestic violence is a human issue, not a gender issue. The instances of DV perpetrated by males and females are equal. (Some laugh at the idea of a woman beating up a man...you have to take into consideration, women are more prone to use a weapon. Ie. Throw stuff.)
Second of all, what of false allegations? We recently had a news article of a woman who claimed that a man was the father of her children. He paid for it with wages for 18 years of his life. Now, they find out... it ain't his kids. What punishment is there for her? Nada. What justice is there for him? Nada.
What about cheaters? Those cheating men should be financially ruined (ie. punished).
I think all cheaters suck. So shouldn't they all be "financially ruined"? Why is there the assumption that only men cheat? Thanks to No-Fault Divorce...a woman can cheat, still win the kids, and custody support. That isn't really fair, now is it?
You're just bitter towards women.
No, I'm just trying to provide some perspective on things. I love women, and I hope to marry a God-fearing woman one day, if so He wills. :)
DISCLAIMER: This is my viewpoint as a result of reading a number of news articles over time. I haven't included any references, but I'm sure I could dig up some if I wanted to. Take it with a grain of salt, as revealing this sort of stuff usually flies in the face of what everyone is being taught.
I was talking to a friend of mine about child abuse. She was wondering how a parent could do such things. I responded that it was a result of growing up in a broken home. I then blamed the government, she did not follow. Here is my explanation.
Child abuse happens most in the broken home. The step-father is the typical perpetrator. This is followed by the single mother, and the least likely is the biological father. (I have not seen any studies involving stepmothers - probably due to the small sample size of biological fathers actually winning custodial rights over the biological mother.) My take is that a man would want to raise kids his own instead of another man's kids.
How do broken homes happen? Divorce. We currently have a divorce rate of 50%. Why is it so high? I state that the economic incentive to divorce is a more attractive option to riding out the rough patches in marriage. Especially, since 70% of marriages are dissolved on the request of the woman, and 90% of the time, the child goes with the mother. The money flows with the kid.
Take away economic incentives to divorce, you end up with less broken homes. However, the government does not want to do this. The government is benefitted by divorce (at least in their perverted thinking). "In the best interest of the child" is the motto of the courts. So garnishing the wages of the ex-husband, giving it to the mother is perfectly acceptable. Even if it leads to financial slavery.
Of course, the ex-husband cannot stand for this. So the court cases continue, lawyers are hired, claims made, and more. All the while, the government makes money. Not only that, what of the mother? Do you think she will vote for taking away her benefits? Will she not vote for more government?
So the government wins in two counts. There is income generated from the trials and tribulations of the ex-husband. Furthermore, the government wins a loyal voter, the mother.
Take away any economic incentive to divorce. In fact, the government should stay out of marriage all together. If people learn that there are consequences to their actions (none of this starter marriage crap), they'll actually put more thought into things that are supposed to be a life-altering decision.
QUESTIONS //
What about domestic violence? Shouldn't a woman be allowed if not entitled to financially destroy the man who beats her?
First of all, the male batterer is a myth. Domestic violence is a human issue, not a gender issue. The instances of DV perpetrated by males and females are equal. (Some laugh at the idea of a woman beating up a man...you have to take into consideration, women are more prone to use a weapon. Ie. Throw stuff.)
Second of all, what of false allegations? We recently had a news article of a woman who claimed that a man was the father of her children. He paid for it with wages for 18 years of his life. Now, they find out... it ain't his kids. What punishment is there for her? Nada. What justice is there for him? Nada.
What about cheaters? Those cheating men should be financially ruined (ie. punished).
I think all cheaters suck. So shouldn't they all be "financially ruined"? Why is there the assumption that only men cheat? Thanks to No-Fault Divorce...a woman can cheat, still win the kids, and custody support. That isn't really fair, now is it?
You're just bitter towards women.
No, I'm just trying to provide some perspective on things. I love women, and I hope to marry a God-fearing woman one day, if so He wills. :)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
QOD
"Lies are like children: they're hard work, but it's worth it because the future depends on them."
Pam Davis
Pam Davis
Monday, February 9, 2009
Purify
"For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit." 1 Thes. 4:7-8
He drags me into the light, a child kicking and screaming. I know it is for my own good, but I don't want to. I do not want to give up my pride. I do not want to follow....and then He goes and blows my mind again, and I come a child chastened.
When will I grow up?
He drags me into the light, a child kicking and screaming. I know it is for my own good, but I don't want to. I do not want to give up my pride. I do not want to follow....and then He goes and blows my mind again, and I come a child chastened.
When will I grow up?
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Bible Explorer 4!
ZOMG! My Bible Explorer 4 IS SO AWESOME.
Confessions,
Pilgrim's Progress,
The Imitation of Christ,
Practice of the Presence of God...
there's a book of martyrs...
the complete works of Flavius Josephus...
10+ Bibles...
15+ Commentaries!
The Treasury of David!?!!
I have so been underutilizing this thing. And just when I thought I freed myself from the PC. :P
Confessions,
Pilgrim's Progress,
The Imitation of Christ,
Practice of the Presence of God...
there's a book of martyrs...
the complete works of Flavius Josephus...
10+ Bibles...
15+ Commentaries!
The Treasury of David!?!!
I have so been underutilizing this thing. And just when I thought I freed myself from the PC. :P
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Vista
I had training at Microsoft in Mississauga today. They gave me a free copy of Windows Vista: Basic. They probably could not sell it.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Heroics
Six or seven years ago, there was a video game called Final Fantasy IX. Perhaps you've heard of it? Anyways, it's an rpg. You level up your characters, and as you progress in the game you unlock more abilities. Some abilities include getting money when you attack, auto-healing when getting hit, extra damage, etc. (Don't roll your eyes, girls, I'm getting to the point.)
One of the characters had something called "Protect Girls", and when enabled... he would jump in front of any female character in your party and take the hit. This was done regardless of the amount of hp that he had. So even if the girl had full hp, and he would die if hit once more, he would still automatically jump in front and take the blow to his demise.
It is funny. For a long time, I lived life with that ability enabled. Classic nice guy-ism. I have learned to stop doing it indiscriminately, but time and time again I still find myself trying to protect the girls around me. God is gracious though. I find that in more and more situations, it is impossible for me to protect them.
So what is there to do? I learn to stop relying on my strength to protect, and learn to trust in God. He is a shield and fortress. Those who put their trust in Him are well protected, indeed.
One of the characters had something called "Protect Girls", and when enabled... he would jump in front of any female character in your party and take the hit. This was done regardless of the amount of hp that he had. So even if the girl had full hp, and he would die if hit once more, he would still automatically jump in front and take the blow to his demise.
It is funny. For a long time, I lived life with that ability enabled. Classic nice guy-ism. I have learned to stop doing it indiscriminately, but time and time again I still find myself trying to protect the girls around me. God is gracious though. I find that in more and more situations, it is impossible for me to protect them.
So what is there to do? I learn to stop relying on my strength to protect, and learn to trust in God. He is a shield and fortress. Those who put their trust in Him are well protected, indeed.
Battleawesome Awesomestar
So on Saturday, I went to see an improv show with my friends, Elaine, Marc, Aaron, and some others. It was based off of the hit tv series, Battlestar Galactica. The show was called Battleawesome Awesomestar and was hosted at Bad Dog Theatre Company.
While we were waiting for the show to start, one of the actors came in looking for someone to play Gaius Baltar. Elaine, Mark, and Aaron found it hilarious to point to me. So it was decided that I would participate in their show.
"Not to worry", Elaine said. "Just follow the girl around and do what she tells you to."
Not realizing that I had just been offered up as a sacrifice on the altar of comedy, I settled into my seat hoping that perhaps by clipping the "Gaius Baltar" name tag on Elaine, they would take her instead. She was not amused.
The show started with a woman asking the audience for an object that would be the main focal point of the production. "Swords" won the draw. The story begins with someone having stolen all the swords off our ship leaving us defenseless against the robots (called cylons) that wanted to extinguish human civilization. Yes, that is right: We upgraded our guns to swords, then threw our guns out of the airlocks.
My opening scene begins with the President seeking my counsel (I play a prominent scientist) on what to do about this matter of being sword-less, and thus defenseless. The president (Lee) and his aide (Billy) stared at me while waiting for my response. It was at that moment, I realized that Elaine was probably wrong and that I had to say something. Keeping in mind, I have to figure out a response WHILE this woman (someone that resembles her including the very low cut dress) is caressing me. (In the show, Gaius is delusional and sees this woman in his mind when no one else does.)
I somehow manage to stumble out that we should combine sticks with knives to make SPEARS! Apparently, the sword robber decided to steal only all our swords, and we had plenty of sticks and daggers. They also wondered how my progress was for detecting the cylons that could look like humans (the woman is one of them). I suggested that my "preliminary" research indicated that they were most likely to be left-handed. The president and his aide found this to be a stroke of genius, and I was mercifully allowed off the stage.
My second scene included the admiral (Adama) of the Battlestar Galactica, his drunkard executive officer (Tigh), the president, his aide, and the cylon woman in my mind. They asked me why I kept saying "preliminary". In my defense, I was nervous. In my response, I said that it was for the research grants. The audience really liked my reply. The XO asked me how I was doing with my cylon-detecting machine. I asked him if he should be getting another drink. The cast really liked that answer. :P
All in all, it was a pretty fun experience. I have to thank God that it wasn't too embarrassing. And that He gave me a couple of lines to make it memorable.
Notable Moments: (In no particular order)
- Kara cutting off Gaeda's leg. Gaeda had to act with one leg for the rest of the night.
- Billy, the president's aide, always following the president around. ALWAYS. He also tape records awkward stuff. He was video-recording the president making out with Kara for his collection.
- Gaeda, forgetting that all the guns were gone, holds an invisible gun to a cast member's head. He is reminded and switches his gun to a pointy stick.
- Flat Top, with his irritable bowel syndrome. Yes, fart and poo jokes are funny.
- The president forgetting the admiral's name (the admiral is his father in the show).
While we were waiting for the show to start, one of the actors came in looking for someone to play Gaius Baltar. Elaine, Mark, and Aaron found it hilarious to point to me. So it was decided that I would participate in their show.
"Not to worry", Elaine said. "Just follow the girl around and do what she tells you to."
Not realizing that I had just been offered up as a sacrifice on the altar of comedy, I settled into my seat hoping that perhaps by clipping the "Gaius Baltar" name tag on Elaine, they would take her instead. She was not amused.
The show started with a woman asking the audience for an object that would be the main focal point of the production. "Swords" won the draw. The story begins with someone having stolen all the swords off our ship leaving us defenseless against the robots (called cylons) that wanted to extinguish human civilization. Yes, that is right: We upgraded our guns to swords, then threw our guns out of the airlocks.
My opening scene begins with the President seeking my counsel (I play a prominent scientist) on what to do about this matter of being sword-less, and thus defenseless. The president (Lee) and his aide (Billy) stared at me while waiting for my response. It was at that moment, I realized that Elaine was probably wrong and that I had to say something. Keeping in mind, I have to figure out a response WHILE this woman (someone that resembles her including the very low cut dress) is caressing me. (In the show, Gaius is delusional and sees this woman in his mind when no one else does.)
I somehow manage to stumble out that we should combine sticks with knives to make SPEARS! Apparently, the sword robber decided to steal only all our swords, and we had plenty of sticks and daggers. They also wondered how my progress was for detecting the cylons that could look like humans (the woman is one of them). I suggested that my "preliminary" research indicated that they were most likely to be left-handed. The president and his aide found this to be a stroke of genius, and I was mercifully allowed off the stage.
My second scene included the admiral (Adama) of the Battlestar Galactica, his drunkard executive officer (Tigh), the president, his aide, and the cylon woman in my mind. They asked me why I kept saying "preliminary". In my defense, I was nervous. In my response, I said that it was for the research grants. The audience really liked my reply. The XO asked me how I was doing with my cylon-detecting machine. I asked him if he should be getting another drink. The cast really liked that answer. :P
All in all, it was a pretty fun experience. I have to thank God that it wasn't too embarrassing. And that He gave me a couple of lines to make it memorable.
Notable Moments: (In no particular order)
- Kara cutting off Gaeda's leg. Gaeda had to act with one leg for the rest of the night.
- Billy, the president's aide, always following the president around. ALWAYS. He also tape records awkward stuff. He was video-recording the president making out with Kara for his collection.
- Gaeda, forgetting that all the guns were gone, holds an invisible gun to a cast member's head. He is reminded and switches his gun to a pointy stick.
- Flat Top, with his irritable bowel syndrome. Yes, fart and poo jokes are funny.
- The president forgetting the admiral's name (the admiral is his father in the show).