Take this heart of darkness
I give it up
And all the emptiness
You fill it up
The times that I feel nothing
You bring enough
So I can live for something
You lift me up!
And all these bad dreams
I wake up to the light
And when I can't see
I wake up to your eyes
Wake me up
There's a light up ahead
There's a light up ahead (yeah)
There's a light up ahead
Wake me up
There's a light up ahead
Wake me up
It gets so complicated
If you live enough
Turn in to what you hated
You're breaking up
The times I feel like nothing
You bring enough
So I can live for something
You lift me up!
Laughter As a Remedy
Laughter is God's remedy for life...
I was talking with Chelsea tonight and we got on the subject of laughter (how, I do not know). I told her the line above and then made a comment about when someone begins to talk about laughing, you can't help but begin to let it out. Everyone has had those times when something so funny happened that everyone had no choice but to laugh. Everyone falls on the floor, rolling around, clenching their abs and gasping for breath. After what seems like an eternity of painful laughter, no one remembers what it was that was being laughed at to begin with. It is merely the sounds of others belting it out that fuels the fire. After a great, from-the-very-fiber-of-your-being laugh, there comes a great sense of peace, like everything is right in the world. It's like if everything ended right then and there, it would be ok.
Sometimes in life there come obstacles, setbacks, hardships, rough-patches, foggy times, bogs, hills, mountains, and just overall crappy stuff. It is in those times that someone's true character begins to really shine. A true, loving person is one who can look at all of the darkness and gloom surrounding a rough time and find that little glimmer, however small, and smile at it. Sometimes that smile turns into laughter, and it is that laughter that makes it easier to escape the mire. A laugh can brighten someone's day and touch someone in such a profound way that there has to be something more than just a funny sound coming out of the vocal chords.
How can one say that laughter is a gift from God? Well, what have we as humans ever brought to this world of our own accord other than filth and pain? Being able to laugh takes a great deal of love for a difficult life, and that is something nobody has on their own. True peace is impossible without God, and true love is impossible without the realization of what Christ did for us on Calvary. With peace comes an understanding that this world is just a part of the big picture, and love brings a compassion and caring for others and for oneself. Since both of these are essential for a true laugh to come out of one's being, laughter has to be a gift from God. Therefore...
...laughter is God's remedy for life.
I was talking with Chelsea tonight and we got on the subject of laughter (how, I do not know). I told her the line above and then made a comment about when someone begins to talk about laughing, you can't help but begin to let it out. Everyone has had those times when something so funny happened that everyone had no choice but to laugh. Everyone falls on the floor, rolling around, clenching their abs and gasping for breath. After what seems like an eternity of painful laughter, no one remembers what it was that was being laughed at to begin with. It is merely the sounds of others belting it out that fuels the fire. After a great, from-the-very-fiber-of-your-being laugh, there comes a great sense of peace, like everything is right in the world. It's like if everything ended right then and there, it would be ok.
Sometimes in life there come obstacles, setbacks, hardships, rough-patches, foggy times, bogs, hills, mountains, and just overall crappy stuff. It is in those times that someone's true character begins to really shine. A true, loving person is one who can look at all of the darkness and gloom surrounding a rough time and find that little glimmer, however small, and smile at it. Sometimes that smile turns into laughter, and it is that laughter that makes it easier to escape the mire. A laugh can brighten someone's day and touch someone in such a profound way that there has to be something more than just a funny sound coming out of the vocal chords.
How can one say that laughter is a gift from God? Well, what have we as humans ever brought to this world of our own accord other than filth and pain? Being able to laugh takes a great deal of love for a difficult life, and that is something nobody has on their own. True peace is impossible without God, and true love is impossible without the realization of what Christ did for us on Calvary. With peace comes an understanding that this world is just a part of the big picture, and love brings a compassion and caring for others and for oneself. Since both of these are essential for a true laugh to come out of one's being, laughter has to be a gift from God. Therefore...
...laughter is God's remedy for life.
Of Dead Trees and Tree Swings, 7.28.07
In a dying forest there stood a lonesome tree, aged and scarred. The fallen, lifeless branches of its comrades littered the leafy floor. As far as the eye could see there stood stumps innumerable, tombstones that stood as reminders of a once greater time. No longer did the wind rustle through the leaves of the pines, oaks, or redwoods. No more was a greenish hue cast upon the grassy ground through the budding spring leaves. Now, all that was left was the dying tree.
It stood up out of the wasteland like a cold stone tower, alone and vulnerable to enemies’ attacks. It had no leaves, for they had fallen off during the fall season and winter was quick on its way. Its bare limbs made it look skinny and naked, like a grandfather taking his last breaths. The roots protruded from the ground surrounding the tree, like bony fingers searching for new life. The trunk of the tree was dented with numerous axe marks from children taking their first swings. Giant knots were forming all around it, making it look like a swollen mass of tumors. Some limbs had already fallen to the ground, weathered from many years of being tortured by the wind and rain of merciless Mother Nature.
It seemed like an eternity since the sun had shone down upon the barren valley. The tree had not seen any signs of life for many years…until that day. The sound of feet rustling through the dead leaves echoed throughout the valley. The tree had no idea what was making the sound or from where it came, so it waited. Finally, after what seemed like days of anticipation, a little boy crowned a nearby hill with a rope in hand.
The tree’s remaining limbs perked up as it felt a cool breeze start to slowly blow through the naked valley…the first sign of change in a long while. The boy approached the tree with caution, seeming to inspect the tree for some unknown quality. He circled the tree, eying it up and down. Finally, he stopped, took his rope in hand, and threw it over a branch. The tree finally realized…the boy was building a swing.
He did some creative tying of knots, looped on the wooden seat, and sat. The tree winced from supporting the weight of the boy, but managed to hold him up. It watched as the boy imagined himself flying through the air with the eagles, swinging back and forth just above the Earth. After nearly an hour of quiet swinging, the boy stopped, jumped off, and approached the tree trunk. He felt the scars and stared at the tree for a long time before, all of a sudden, he started to sob. With one shaking hand against the trunk, the tree supported the weakened boy. The tree knew that the boy understood the pain and suffering it had endured. It had seen its friends falling all about, either from not having a strong foundation, or from being chopped into pieces by the men. It had had its share of trials, and the boy knew it.
After he had cried for a little while more, the boy pulled himself up to his own support, wiped his eyes, and walked away back over the hill; but that wasn’t the last of him. The boy came back everyday for a month, occasionally swinging, occasionally climbing, and sometimes just lying near the tree for shelter, strengthening the tree until it felt almost better than before. During the hard, cold winter, the boy came less occasionally, but it was always a treat when the tree spotted him coming over the hill, his thick breath leading the way through the thin winter air. Finally, the snow started to melt and the weather began to warm, but like the years previous, that was the only change.
Then, one day, the tree could hear something, a sound so pleasant that it almost jumped out of its roots in excitement…laughter. It watched as a group of children came over the hill smiling and laughing, with the boy leading the way. They all ran towards the tree and began to climb and play. The warmth and laughter of the children filled the tree with happiness until it reached a bursting point. Finally, it couldn’t hold it in any longer…it let out a deep, bellowing laugh that echoed throughout the valley.
All the children stopped and waited until the echo had subsided. All surprised, and yet expectant, the children themselves started to giggle and allowed it to grow into a tumultuous sound of joy and laughter. By the end of the day, all of the children had left but the one boy. He stood staring up at the tree, smiling. He finally pointed up to one of the branches at something the tree had not noticed before…a single, tiny, green bud.
Years passed and different children began to play with the tree, whose name had become the Laughing Tree, for obvious reasons. More peaceful humans had made their way into the valley, which had become as lush and green as it had been before. The Laughing Tree stood high among the saplings as a guardian or parent among children. It was content with its fruitful life now and swayed back and forth in the wind as it thought of so many trials and troubles it had overcome.
One moonlit night as the forest grew increasingly quieter, the Laughing Tree heard someone approach. Out of the darkness walked a man with his son in his arms. He walked over to the swing which had survived all those years and sat his son down in it. He started swinging his son and singing songs to him, all the while watching the tree. After an hour of gentle swinging, the man grabbed his dozing boy and walked back into the darkness. A few minutes later, the Laughing Tree saw the man and his boy reach the top of the hill and turn around. The man looked at the tree and winked as he dropped down the other side. It was then that the tree recognized the man…he was the boy from long ago who had come to the tree in the darkest of times…the boy who had given hope to the Laughing Tree.
It stood up out of the wasteland like a cold stone tower, alone and vulnerable to enemies’ attacks. It had no leaves, for they had fallen off during the fall season and winter was quick on its way. Its bare limbs made it look skinny and naked, like a grandfather taking his last breaths. The roots protruded from the ground surrounding the tree, like bony fingers searching for new life. The trunk of the tree was dented with numerous axe marks from children taking their first swings. Giant knots were forming all around it, making it look like a swollen mass of tumors. Some limbs had already fallen to the ground, weathered from many years of being tortured by the wind and rain of merciless Mother Nature.
It seemed like an eternity since the sun had shone down upon the barren valley. The tree had not seen any signs of life for many years…until that day. The sound of feet rustling through the dead leaves echoed throughout the valley. The tree had no idea what was making the sound or from where it came, so it waited. Finally, after what seemed like days of anticipation, a little boy crowned a nearby hill with a rope in hand.
The tree’s remaining limbs perked up as it felt a cool breeze start to slowly blow through the naked valley…the first sign of change in a long while. The boy approached the tree with caution, seeming to inspect the tree for some unknown quality. He circled the tree, eying it up and down. Finally, he stopped, took his rope in hand, and threw it over a branch. The tree finally realized…the boy was building a swing.
He did some creative tying of knots, looped on the wooden seat, and sat. The tree winced from supporting the weight of the boy, but managed to hold him up. It watched as the boy imagined himself flying through the air with the eagles, swinging back and forth just above the Earth. After nearly an hour of quiet swinging, the boy stopped, jumped off, and approached the tree trunk. He felt the scars and stared at the tree for a long time before, all of a sudden, he started to sob. With one shaking hand against the trunk, the tree supported the weakened boy. The tree knew that the boy understood the pain and suffering it had endured. It had seen its friends falling all about, either from not having a strong foundation, or from being chopped into pieces by the men. It had had its share of trials, and the boy knew it.
After he had cried for a little while more, the boy pulled himself up to his own support, wiped his eyes, and walked away back over the hill; but that wasn’t the last of him. The boy came back everyday for a month, occasionally swinging, occasionally climbing, and sometimes just lying near the tree for shelter, strengthening the tree until it felt almost better than before. During the hard, cold winter, the boy came less occasionally, but it was always a treat when the tree spotted him coming over the hill, his thick breath leading the way through the thin winter air. Finally, the snow started to melt and the weather began to warm, but like the years previous, that was the only change.
Then, one day, the tree could hear something, a sound so pleasant that it almost jumped out of its roots in excitement…laughter. It watched as a group of children came over the hill smiling and laughing, with the boy leading the way. They all ran towards the tree and began to climb and play. The warmth and laughter of the children filled the tree with happiness until it reached a bursting point. Finally, it couldn’t hold it in any longer…it let out a deep, bellowing laugh that echoed throughout the valley.
All the children stopped and waited until the echo had subsided. All surprised, and yet expectant, the children themselves started to giggle and allowed it to grow into a tumultuous sound of joy and laughter. By the end of the day, all of the children had left but the one boy. He stood staring up at the tree, smiling. He finally pointed up to one of the branches at something the tree had not noticed before…a single, tiny, green bud.
Years passed and different children began to play with the tree, whose name had become the Laughing Tree, for obvious reasons. More peaceful humans had made their way into the valley, which had become as lush and green as it had been before. The Laughing Tree stood high among the saplings as a guardian or parent among children. It was content with its fruitful life now and swayed back and forth in the wind as it thought of so many trials and troubles it had overcome.
One moonlit night as the forest grew increasingly quieter, the Laughing Tree heard someone approach. Out of the darkness walked a man with his son in his arms. He walked over to the swing which had survived all those years and sat his son down in it. He started swinging his son and singing songs to him, all the while watching the tree. After an hour of gentle swinging, the man grabbed his dozing boy and walked back into the darkness. A few minutes later, the Laughing Tree saw the man and his boy reach the top of the hill and turn around. The man looked at the tree and winked as he dropped down the other side. It was then that the tree recognized the man…he was the boy from long ago who had come to the tree in the darkest of times…the boy who had given hope to the Laughing Tree.
Staring at the Light, The Wedding; I Saw the Light, David Crowder Band
Two songs that have really spoken to me recently...can you find the underlying theme here?
Redemption is waiting at your doorstep
He is begging you to let him in now
You can put all of it off again
But where's it gonna get you in the end?
The time is now so maybe you should think things out,
Yea, take some time and think about it now.
This is the only chance to do something about it (something about it)
And don't you put it off (cause you can't live without it)
Cause the time is now
And take your life back with a vengeance
For the first time you cannot have true love
Promise me you'll never sleep again
Cause until you find the answers there's no rest.
To put to death the life you've lived in doubt
I'll show you all the things you've heard about
This is the only chance to do something about it (something about it)
Don't you put it off (cause you can't live without it)
You are on the verge
Let go
Go on staring at the light
If you let go and just believe
You won't make a liar out of me
Come try and show me what you see
What I have is what you need
This is the only chance to do something about it (something about it)
And don't you put it off (cause you can't live without it)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve wandered so aimless, life filled with sin
I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
I saw the light, I saw the light
No more darkness, no more night
Now I’m so happy, no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
I’ve walked in darkness, clouds covered me
I had no idea where the way out could be
Then came the sunrise and rolled back the night
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
Just like a blind man I wandered alone
Worries and fear I claimed for my own
Then like a blind man who God gave back his sight
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
When death takes me down and I breath here no more
My anthem will sound on that eternal shore
When I join with the angels in heaven on high
Singing “Praise the Lord, I saw the light”
Redemption is waiting at your doorstep
He is begging you to let him in now
You can put all of it off again
But where's it gonna get you in the end?
The time is now so maybe you should think things out,
Yea, take some time and think about it now.
This is the only chance to do something about it (something about it)
And don't you put it off (cause you can't live without it)
Cause the time is now
And take your life back with a vengeance
For the first time you cannot have true love
Promise me you'll never sleep again
Cause until you find the answers there's no rest.
To put to death the life you've lived in doubt
I'll show you all the things you've heard about
This is the only chance to do something about it (something about it)
Don't you put it off (cause you can't live without it)
You are on the verge
Let go
Go on staring at the light
If you let go and just believe
You won't make a liar out of me
Come try and show me what you see
What I have is what you need
This is the only chance to do something about it (something about it)
And don't you put it off (cause you can't live without it)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve wandered so aimless, life filled with sin
I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in
Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
I saw the light, I saw the light
No more darkness, no more night
Now I’m so happy, no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
I’ve walked in darkness, clouds covered me
I had no idea where the way out could be
Then came the sunrise and rolled back the night
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
Just like a blind man I wandered alone
Worries and fear I claimed for my own
Then like a blind man who God gave back his sight
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
When death takes me down and I breath here no more
My anthem will sound on that eternal shore
When I join with the angels in heaven on high
Singing “Praise the Lord, I saw the light”
Home, Foo Fighters; Including My Most Needed Confessions
I wish I were with you, I couldn't stay
Every direction leads me away
Pray for tomorrow, but for today
All I want is to be home
Stand in the mirror, you look the same
Just looking for shelter, from the cold and the pain
Someone to cover, safe from the rain
All I want is to be home
Echoes and silence, patience and grace
All of these moments I'll never replace
Fear of my heart, absence of faith
All I want is to be home
People I've loved, I have no regrets
Some I remember, some I forget
Some of them living, some of them dead
All I want is to be home...
I heard this song tonight on ER and it just seemed to touch me. Yes, I understand the Foo Fighters are not a Christian band, but who cares? God uses non-religious and secular evidence to bring glory back to His name.
I'm in this place in life where it feels like I just can't escape. I seem to be holding onto my sin and myself, not letting God change me into the man He wants me to be. I am just tired of it and I want to come home...just like the ER episode was about.
Abbey had made a mistake by sleeping with another man while she was drunk, a sin which she easily falls into as an alcoholic. So, after making the mistake, her husband comes home from Croatia and she thinks that just because he's home, everything will fall back into place. She had been helping a patient who's father was a parapalegic. Abbey had been distracted by her guilt and temptations and had let it affect her work.
As she apologized to the father near the end of the episode, she made a profound statement..."we all make mistakes; it's just that we have to learn how to not make the same one twice." By coming to this realization, Abbey made us examine the inner workings of humans and of God's grace for us. God is incapable of hating us as individuals. He does, however, hate the sins we commit. So, by Christ's death on the cross, we are now able to find salvation from our sins and forgiveness in God's eyes, which as humans we could not possibly have gained from a perfect God.
Forgiveness does not entail perfection. It is inevitable that we should fail, because we are mere humans. However, that gives us no right to keep on living in sin. Forgiveness, rather, entails striving for perfection and admitting that our lives, motives, and actions are inadequate to meet the needs of admittance into heaven.
So, I come now before God and my fellow man, broken, tired, and wanting to return home...God forgive me! Forgive me for forsaking you and for thinking that I can do this alone. Forevermore I will strive for perfection in all aspects and will completely lean on you as my foundation and rock through all my trials, until the time you finally lead me home...oh what a day that will be!
Every direction leads me away
Pray for tomorrow, but for today
All I want is to be home
Stand in the mirror, you look the same
Just looking for shelter, from the cold and the pain
Someone to cover, safe from the rain
All I want is to be home
Echoes and silence, patience and grace
All of these moments I'll never replace
Fear of my heart, absence of faith
All I want is to be home
People I've loved, I have no regrets
Some I remember, some I forget
Some of them living, some of them dead
All I want is to be home...
I heard this song tonight on ER and it just seemed to touch me. Yes, I understand the Foo Fighters are not a Christian band, but who cares? God uses non-religious and secular evidence to bring glory back to His name.
I'm in this place in life where it feels like I just can't escape. I seem to be holding onto my sin and myself, not letting God change me into the man He wants me to be. I am just tired of it and I want to come home...just like the ER episode was about.
Abbey had made a mistake by sleeping with another man while she was drunk, a sin which she easily falls into as an alcoholic. So, after making the mistake, her husband comes home from Croatia and she thinks that just because he's home, everything will fall back into place. She had been helping a patient who's father was a parapalegic. Abbey had been distracted by her guilt and temptations and had let it affect her work.
As she apologized to the father near the end of the episode, she made a profound statement..."we all make mistakes; it's just that we have to learn how to not make the same one twice." By coming to this realization, Abbey made us examine the inner workings of humans and of God's grace for us. God is incapable of hating us as individuals. He does, however, hate the sins we commit. So, by Christ's death on the cross, we are now able to find salvation from our sins and forgiveness in God's eyes, which as humans we could not possibly have gained from a perfect God.
Forgiveness does not entail perfection. It is inevitable that we should fail, because we are mere humans. However, that gives us no right to keep on living in sin. Forgiveness, rather, entails striving for perfection and admitting that our lives, motives, and actions are inadequate to meet the needs of admittance into heaven.
So, I come now before God and my fellow man, broken, tired, and wanting to return home...God forgive me! Forgive me for forsaking you and for thinking that I can do this alone. Forevermore I will strive for perfection in all aspects and will completely lean on you as my foundation and rock through all my trials, until the time you finally lead me home...oh what a day that will be!
On the Nature of Humanity
So, today we had a heated debate in British literature about human nature. We started speaking about freedom of the press and its application today because of Milton's "Areopagitica." Somehow the discussion turned into a debate about human nature. It made me start thinking...what is the nature of humans?
Well, there are three trains of thought: human beings are inherently good, human beings are inherently neutral, and human beings are inherently evil. All three have good points for and against, but I feel as though one must be true based off of Biblical, experential, and secular proofs. Let me expand on my idea: humans are inherently, or naturally, evil.
Let's start by establishing the idea that we can all agree that humans are capable of both good and evil, almost equally in some areas, and in others in a more lop-sided way. Humans are not perfect, and never can be (except Christ, which is a completely different discussion). Therefore, we can establish the understanding that all humans are potentially good and potentially evil, which all people can agree on with little debate.
Next, we must determine if the natural state of humans is chaos or order, evil or good. Take a child, for our example. A child (until a certain age) is innocent and cannot comprehend the difference between good and evil. They must be taught and disciplined in order to distinguish between the two. Do we teach a child how to do evil or how to do good? That is the question. By examining a child's inherent habits, one can see that we must teach a child how to do good, not how to do evil.
For example, if one child brings a toy car over to play with another child, it does not take very long until the second child begins to covet what he does not have. He tries to steal the other child's toy car and is therefore doing evil. No one tells him that he is doing wrong, or even that there will be consequences. He only does what he knows how to do and doesn't analyze his actions. Children are innocent, not being socialized or affected by their surroundings, and they are therefore the most natural state of humanity that can be found.
So, even if the child doesn't know that what he is doing is wrong, does that make it wrong? The answer is yes, of course. If a person grew up in a society where morality was not taught, or better yet, where the good was taught and not the bad, and the person grew angry with another person and killed him/her, would that not be wrong? It's like this..."If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Of course, because that is the natural state of things. That's why they are called NATURAL LAWS.
Let me pose another question: is it easier to do wrong or right? Is it easier to tell a lie to someone in order to gain an advantage over them? Or is it easier to apologize after hurting someone by lying? The lie takes less effort and feels natural at the time, while the apology is harder but is more beneficial in the long run.
I know I have come to this conclusion in a roundabout way, but it's the best I could do. Post any comments with thoughts, refutations, or revelations from God (jk) that you might have.
Well, there are three trains of thought: human beings are inherently good, human beings are inherently neutral, and human beings are inherently evil. All three have good points for and against, but I feel as though one must be true based off of Biblical, experential, and secular proofs. Let me expand on my idea: humans are inherently, or naturally, evil.
Let's start by establishing the idea that we can all agree that humans are capable of both good and evil, almost equally in some areas, and in others in a more lop-sided way. Humans are not perfect, and never can be (except Christ, which is a completely different discussion). Therefore, we can establish the understanding that all humans are potentially good and potentially evil, which all people can agree on with little debate.
Next, we must determine if the natural state of humans is chaos or order, evil or good. Take a child, for our example. A child (until a certain age) is innocent and cannot comprehend the difference between good and evil. They must be taught and disciplined in order to distinguish between the two. Do we teach a child how to do evil or how to do good? That is the question. By examining a child's inherent habits, one can see that we must teach a child how to do good, not how to do evil.
For example, if one child brings a toy car over to play with another child, it does not take very long until the second child begins to covet what he does not have. He tries to steal the other child's toy car and is therefore doing evil. No one tells him that he is doing wrong, or even that there will be consequences. He only does what he knows how to do and doesn't analyze his actions. Children are innocent, not being socialized or affected by their surroundings, and they are therefore the most natural state of humanity that can be found.
So, even if the child doesn't know that what he is doing is wrong, does that make it wrong? The answer is yes, of course. If a person grew up in a society where morality was not taught, or better yet, where the good was taught and not the bad, and the person grew angry with another person and killed him/her, would that not be wrong? It's like this..."If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Of course, because that is the natural state of things. That's why they are called NATURAL LAWS.
Let me pose another question: is it easier to do wrong or right? Is it easier to tell a lie to someone in order to gain an advantage over them? Or is it easier to apologize after hurting someone by lying? The lie takes less effort and feels natural at the time, while the apology is harder but is more beneficial in the long run.
I know I have come to this conclusion in a roundabout way, but it's the best I could do. Post any comments with thoughts, refutations, or revelations from God (jk) that you might have.
Solution, Hillsong United
It is not a human right
To stare not fight
While broken nations dream
Open up our eyes, so blind
That we might find
The Mercy for the need
It is not too far a cry
To much to try
To help the least of these
Politics will not decide
If we should rise
And be your hands and feet
Singing Hey Now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey Now
As we hold to our confession
Woah-oh-oh, God be the solution
Woah-oh-oh
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.
Yeah, yeah
Higher than a circumstance
Your promise stands
Your love for all to see
Higher than protest line and dollar signs
Your love is all we need
Only you can mend the broken heart
And cause the blind to see
Erase complete the sinners past
And set the captives free
Only you can take the widows cry
And cause her heart to sing
Be a father to the fatherless
Our savior and our king
We will be your hands, we will be your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place, we will be your light
We will be your light
We will be your hands , we will be your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place, we will be your light
We will be your light
We will run we will run
We will be your hands we will be your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place we will be your light
We will be your light
To stare not fight
While broken nations dream
Open up our eyes, so blind
That we might find
The Mercy for the need
It is not too far a cry
To much to try
To help the least of these
Politics will not decide
If we should rise
And be your hands and feet
Singing Hey Now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey Now
As we hold to our confession
Woah-oh-oh, God be the solution
Woah-oh-oh
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.
Yeah, yeah
Higher than a circumstance
Your promise stands
Your love for all to see
Higher than protest line and dollar signs
Your love is all we need
Only you can mend the broken heart
And cause the blind to see
Erase complete the sinners past
And set the captives free
Only you can take the widows cry
And cause her heart to sing
Be a father to the fatherless
Our savior and our king
We will be your hands, we will be your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place, we will be your light
We will be your light
We will be your hands , we will be your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place, we will be your light
We will be your light
We will run we will run
We will be your hands we will be your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place we will be your light
We will be your light
"Be Obscure Clearly" - E.B. White
I had to go help out with my little brother's fourth grade class today. I taught them how to write from a prompt, how to get that first good idea from the many floating around in their heads, and how to elaborate on their ideas that they came up with. We did some free-writing, clustering, and brain-storming until something donned on me...I love to write!
"Really, David?" you may ask. "Well that is the world's greatest and most controversial discovery since sliced bread!" (too cliche?) Well, thank you readers for that sarcastic comment...but it's really true.
I asked the kids why we write. What is the purpose of writing things down on a piece of paper, stringing along words into phrases and sentences and paragraphs and essays? I had to answer this question myself, because what kind of teacher goes up in front of his or her students and asks a question that they themselves have no answer to? A bad kind. I thought about why I, David, me, personally, like to write and my answer...there are too many reasons.
I write because I can.
I write because I need to.
I write to express myself.
I write to glorify my Father.
I write because it's easier than talking about stuff sometimes.
I write because I'm gifted at it.
I write because I suck at it.
I write because it makes no sense, and all the sense in the world.
I write because I'm told to.
I write because no one tells me to.
I write to feel.
I write to escape.
I write to find myself and lose myself at the same time.
I write...
"OK, David, you must be going crazy." you may be saying with wrinkles forming on your forehead. "How can you be gifted at something and yet still suck? How can you make no sense, but also all the sense in the world?" Good questions. The answer is...the answer is...what is the answer?
Well, let's see. We are all imperfect. Correct? So, that means we have indefinitely screwed up before, right? Well, I may have gotten a lot right in writing, maybe even only made one mistake ever (extremely hypothetically). But, it only takes one mistake to make you imperfect in that subject. Whether it be lying, or helping, or basketball, we have all screwed up in every aspect of our lives. Therefore, we eternally suck, no matter how gifted we are at something. There is always someone better than us out there in the world at something...and we'll never find them.
I may have come to that conclusion in a roundabout way, but that was my goal, I think. The truth is, writing is now an integral part of me. I've been published once, and I may never be published again. And if I'm not, oh well...I can write about it.
"Really, David?" you may ask. "Well that is the world's greatest and most controversial discovery since sliced bread!" (too cliche?) Well, thank you readers for that sarcastic comment...but it's really true.
I asked the kids why we write. What is the purpose of writing things down on a piece of paper, stringing along words into phrases and sentences and paragraphs and essays? I had to answer this question myself, because what kind of teacher goes up in front of his or her students and asks a question that they themselves have no answer to? A bad kind. I thought about why I, David, me, personally, like to write and my answer...there are too many reasons.
I write because I can.
I write because I need to.
I write to express myself.
I write to glorify my Father.
I write because it's easier than talking about stuff sometimes.
I write because I'm gifted at it.
I write because I suck at it.
I write because it makes no sense, and all the sense in the world.
I write because I'm told to.
I write because no one tells me to.
I write to feel.
I write to escape.
I write to find myself and lose myself at the same time.
I write...
"OK, David, you must be going crazy." you may be saying with wrinkles forming on your forehead. "How can you be gifted at something and yet still suck? How can you make no sense, but also all the sense in the world?" Good questions. The answer is...the answer is...what is the answer?
Well, let's see. We are all imperfect. Correct? So, that means we have indefinitely screwed up before, right? Well, I may have gotten a lot right in writing, maybe even only made one mistake ever (extremely hypothetically). But, it only takes one mistake to make you imperfect in that subject. Whether it be lying, or helping, or basketball, we have all screwed up in every aspect of our lives. Therefore, we eternally suck, no matter how gifted we are at something. There is always someone better than us out there in the world at something...and we'll never find them.
I may have come to that conclusion in a roundabout way, but that was my goal, I think. The truth is, writing is now an integral part of me. I've been published once, and I may never be published again. And if I'm not, oh well...I can write about it.
Fall in Line, Seven Places
If you're sitting down on your feet
Let's wake up those who are asleep
March on, left to right to left again
Our feet in sync to this rhythym
Conducted by the hand of the saving One
Report, fall in line, big mission with little time
Salute, stand tall, with one voice answers the call
Hear us say Jesus (We've got something to say)
Where are we while the world caves in?
Are we showing love or hate, are we enemy or friend
What was black and white has now turned grey
Let's right this wrong with love today
Stand our ground but with a helping hand
Hallelujah!
So sing it out now, with one voice loud and clear
Sing hallelujah, for our Redemption's near
It's time for us to stand up and speak the truth of His love
It's time to let the world know we've got something to say
It's time for us to lift our hands until the world understands
Jesus the reigning King is alive and well today.
Let's wake up those who are asleep
March on, left to right to left again
Our feet in sync to this rhythym
Conducted by the hand of the saving One
Report, fall in line, big mission with little time
Salute, stand tall, with one voice answers the call
Hear us say Jesus (We've got something to say)
Where are we while the world caves in?
Are we showing love or hate, are we enemy or friend
What was black and white has now turned grey
Let's right this wrong with love today
Stand our ground but with a helping hand
Hallelujah!
So sing it out now, with one voice loud and clear
Sing hallelujah, for our Redemption's near
It's time for us to stand up and speak the truth of His love
It's time to let the world know we've got something to say
It's time for us to lift our hands until the world understands
Jesus the reigning King is alive and well today.
Open Wide, Future of Forestry
You have walked so deep a canyon
Deep a canyon now
In the end you know that you've been found
You're found
Heaven sure fell hard upon you
Hard upon you now
In the end you know that you've been found
You're found
Oh, you belong now
Oh, you are free
So open wide the arms you're given
You're too alive to just stand still
Open wide your heart as you breathe in
You're too alive to just stay here
You wondered how your searching heart
Your searching heart would roam
Coming to the place that you'd call home
You're home
You're shaken up
Awaken
You gotta live, you gotta love
Deep a canyon now
In the end you know that you've been found
You're found
Heaven sure fell hard upon you
Hard upon you now
In the end you know that you've been found
You're found
Oh, you belong now
Oh, you are free
So open wide the arms you're given
You're too alive to just stand still
Open wide your heart as you breathe in
You're too alive to just stay here
You wondered how your searching heart
Your searching heart would roam
Coming to the place that you'd call home
You're home
You're shaken up
Awaken
You gotta live, you gotta love
Soccer Practices, Dance Recitals, and Dentists' Appointments
Did you ever see that movie, "The Phantom Toll Booth"? This normal kid finds an extraordinary box in his room and it turns into a toll booth to another demension. He drives in and turns into a cartoon (every kid's dream) and finds himself in this fantastical world with strange characters and animals. Somewhat early on, as he is driving along, minding his own business, he takes a wrong turn and finds himself in a place called the "Doldrums." It is a place full of do-nothings and have-nots, a horrible waiting place where time seems to slow to a standstill and you have not a care in the world...which can become dangerous. It reminds me of a part in one of Dr. Seuss's books:
"The Waiting Place……for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come,
or a plane to go
or the mail to come,
or the rain to go
or the phone to ring,
or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil,
or a Better Break
or a string of pearls,
or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls,
or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting."
It's a horrid place to be in, but we all have to be there at one time or another. People wait for their lives to get spiced up, to get knocked off their feet, for a change, when in reality, what they were waiting for was already in their lives to begin with. That's another mistake people make: looking into the future rather than acknowledging that what they truly want and need is in the here and now.
Our culture has become so dependent on time and the go, go, go mentality that it's easy to get caught up in the moment, to look too far ahead. Heck, I'm guilty of it a lot of the time. I fail to look around me and really be thankful for what I have been given, and I begin to want a change because my life is boring and stagnant. No one has any right to say that life is boring and stagnant (except if you're sitting in Algebra class, but that's another story). There is just no excuse. Life is vibrant, colorful, and energizing. Don't believe me? Watch a sunrise, or dive into a waterfall, or play with a butterfly, or smell a flower, or breathe. Just slow down for God's sake!
God has so gifted us with so many gifts of life that we are always looking to him for change, and sometimes he's telling us to smell the roses...literally! Maybe the waiting place isn't that bad after all. I mean, it seems like it can get boring, but in reality, we need to take one look around and thank God for the short, fleeting chance he has given us to admire His creation before we have to go back to a routine of soccer practices, dance recitals, and dentists' appointments...
"The Waiting Place……for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come,
or a plane to go
or the mail to come,
or the rain to go
or the phone to ring,
or the snow to snow
or waiting around for a Yes or a No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil,
or a Better Break
or a string of pearls,
or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls,
or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting."
It's a horrid place to be in, but we all have to be there at one time or another. People wait for their lives to get spiced up, to get knocked off their feet, for a change, when in reality, what they were waiting for was already in their lives to begin with. That's another mistake people make: looking into the future rather than acknowledging that what they truly want and need is in the here and now.
Our culture has become so dependent on time and the go, go, go mentality that it's easy to get caught up in the moment, to look too far ahead. Heck, I'm guilty of it a lot of the time. I fail to look around me and really be thankful for what I have been given, and I begin to want a change because my life is boring and stagnant. No one has any right to say that life is boring and stagnant (except if you're sitting in Algebra class, but that's another story). There is just no excuse. Life is vibrant, colorful, and energizing. Don't believe me? Watch a sunrise, or dive into a waterfall, or play with a butterfly, or smell a flower, or breathe. Just slow down for God's sake!
God has so gifted us with so many gifts of life that we are always looking to him for change, and sometimes he's telling us to smell the roses...literally! Maybe the waiting place isn't that bad after all. I mean, it seems like it can get boring, but in reality, we need to take one look around and thank God for the short, fleeting chance he has given us to admire His creation before we have to go back to a routine of soccer practices, dance recitals, and dentists' appointments...
The Best Thing, Relient K
It's been a year filled with problems
But now you're here, almost as if to solve them
And I can't live in a world without you, now
All my life I've been searching for you
How did I survive in this world before you?
'Cause I don't want to live another day without you, now
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to you and me
All I want to have is all that you can give me
And I'll give right back everything I've kept in me
'Cause nothing ever felt as right as this does right now
I'll go back to before we met
Try and erase the past, try harder to forget
'Cause nothing will ever be as good as here and now
'Cause when I looked into your eyes and you dared to stare right back
You should have said, "Nice to meet you, I'm your other half"
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to you and me
The best thing is that it's happening to you and me
I always knew
I'd find someone
I never dreamt
It'd be like this
'Cause you've surpassed all that I'd hoped for and ever wished
And I'm trying so hard, with all my heart and mind
To make your life as good as you've made mine
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to you and me
The best thing is that it's happening to you and me
The best thing is that it's happening to you and me
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to me
But now you're here, almost as if to solve them
And I can't live in a world without you, now
All my life I've been searching for you
How did I survive in this world before you?
'Cause I don't want to live another day without you, now
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to you and me
All I want to have is all that you can give me
And I'll give right back everything I've kept in me
'Cause nothing ever felt as right as this does right now
I'll go back to before we met
Try and erase the past, try harder to forget
'Cause nothing will ever be as good as here and now
'Cause when I looked into your eyes and you dared to stare right back
You should have said, "Nice to meet you, I'm your other half"
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to you and me
The best thing is that it's happening to you and me
I always knew
I'd find someone
I never dreamt
It'd be like this
'Cause you've surpassed all that I'd hoped for and ever wished
And I'm trying so hard, with all my heart and mind
To make your life as good as you've made mine
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to you and me
The best thing is that it's happening to you and me
The best thing is that it's happening to you and me
This is the best thing, the best thing that could be happening
And I think you would agree, the best thing is that it's happening to me
Foam Swords, Hot Wheels, and Mystery Shoppers
Surprisingly, tonight ended up being quite an adventure. You see, it all started when I wanted to go to my brother's school's haunted house. I had gotten home late from work and called my younger brother, Paul, to see if he wanted to tag along and go to the haunted house. He said sure, so I got home, changed, and was out of the house in a matter of ten minutes. We stopped by the 7-Eleven nearby to get some energy drinks to get the utmost scare-ability out of the ghoulish school activity.
After that quick refuel, we were on our way. Since it was Paul's birthday, I let him do all the talking. He told me about the presents he had gotten (new shoes, a new basketball, the "Transformers" DVD...I can see a green-eyed monster!) We talked and listened to music for most of the twenty-minute trip. I decided to call one of my friends who had called me earlier to see what was up and, lo and behold, "the haunted house was closed," he said. "They closed down early cuz' there wasn't enough people." Crap! I thought.
"Well, Paul, what do you want to do?" I asked as we made a quick U-turn. "I mean, do you really want to go...Krispy Kreme!!! (sp?)" The perfect place to get a late night doughnut fix! So we set our sights on the nearest KK and just drove, becoming one with the road. We arrived at the doughnut shop, only to find that it too was closed (not surprisingly...who in their right mind would eat a fried piece of batter dipped in heart-wrenching amounts of sugar that late?) So, we settled on the next best thing...a Wal-Mart Supercenter!!!
We drove over and walked in with a strut in or step like we owned the place. We saw the old, gray-haired greeter smiling gaily, as if it were the middle of the day rather than 11:00 o'clock at night...I would hate that job. Anyways, we decided on our plan: walk to the toy section, buy random gifts for each member of our family, and have fun doing it. Once we found the toy section it was all smooth sailing from there. We found some foam pirate swords, complete with daggers, and commenced to have a sword fight right in the middle of the aisle [Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home. Random foam sword fights can result in excessive yelling, laughing, or rolling on the ground and side-effects may include drooling, biting, hitting, clawing, or gouging out of the eyes. May result in fun.]
We found our gifts somewhat easily: a toy car for our sister, because she has been wanting a real car since she got her permit, but we all vowed to keep the peace on the road for as long as we could, so we got her the next best thing; two dolls for our littlest brother because we knew he would either make fun of them and have fun or genuinely play with them and have fun, either one worked for us; a set of instant model locomotives that are in pill form (I have no idea...) and a Nickelodeon "Smell-O-Meter" for our mom, because she likes the most random things, and what is more random than pills that turn into trains; head- and armbands for our dad because he is active and we truly thought he would use them.
So we bought the gifts, got home, made up poems for each of our family members signed by the "Mystery Shoppers" so that they would know who's was who's, and put them on the counter with a note to "wait to open until the morning". Altogether it was a pretty productive night. I really love random events. They keep you on your toes and keep your life from getting stagnant, especially foam sword fights. You should try them sometime...a foam sword fight will really wake you up.
After that quick refuel, we were on our way. Since it was Paul's birthday, I let him do all the talking. He told me about the presents he had gotten (new shoes, a new basketball, the "Transformers" DVD...I can see a green-eyed monster!) We talked and listened to music for most of the twenty-minute trip. I decided to call one of my friends who had called me earlier to see what was up and, lo and behold, "the haunted house was closed," he said. "They closed down early cuz' there wasn't enough people." Crap! I thought.
"Well, Paul, what do you want to do?" I asked as we made a quick U-turn. "I mean, do you really want to go...Krispy Kreme!!! (sp?)" The perfect place to get a late night doughnut fix! So we set our sights on the nearest KK and just drove, becoming one with the road. We arrived at the doughnut shop, only to find that it too was closed (not surprisingly...who in their right mind would eat a fried piece of batter dipped in heart-wrenching amounts of sugar that late?) So, we settled on the next best thing...a Wal-Mart Supercenter!!!
We drove over and walked in with a strut in or step like we owned the place. We saw the old, gray-haired greeter smiling gaily, as if it were the middle of the day rather than 11:00 o'clock at night...I would hate that job. Anyways, we decided on our plan: walk to the toy section, buy random gifts for each member of our family, and have fun doing it. Once we found the toy section it was all smooth sailing from there. We found some foam pirate swords, complete with daggers, and commenced to have a sword fight right in the middle of the aisle [Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home. Random foam sword fights can result in excessive yelling, laughing, or rolling on the ground and side-effects may include drooling, biting, hitting, clawing, or gouging out of the eyes. May result in fun.]
We found our gifts somewhat easily: a toy car for our sister, because she has been wanting a real car since she got her permit, but we all vowed to keep the peace on the road for as long as we could, so we got her the next best thing; two dolls for our littlest brother because we knew he would either make fun of them and have fun or genuinely play with them and have fun, either one worked for us; a set of instant model locomotives that are in pill form (I have no idea...) and a Nickelodeon "Smell-O-Meter" for our mom, because she likes the most random things, and what is more random than pills that turn into trains; head- and armbands for our dad because he is active and we truly thought he would use them.
So we bought the gifts, got home, made up poems for each of our family members signed by the "Mystery Shoppers" so that they would know who's was who's, and put them on the counter with a note to "wait to open until the morning". Altogether it was a pretty productive night. I really love random events. They keep you on your toes and keep your life from getting stagnant, especially foam sword fights. You should try them sometime...a foam sword fight will really wake you up.
Puzzles: Lessons in Our Origins
Hey! So, long time no talk! Nothing really has been going on over here...seriously. The sky is blue, the Earth is round, and I am just as clueless as ever, but I'm still loving it. That reminds me: Has it ever occurred to you how much (or how little) we actually know about what's going on in our lives and around us? I mean, seriously! We have the beautiful Internet, high-speed phones, and good, old-fashioned speech, and yet nobody on Earth knows every little thing going on at that very second in time. It blows my mind.
Ok, think about this. Take a single moment in time and pause it. Now dissect it in your mind. What time is it here? What time is it in the next time zone? What time is it on the other side of the world? While you are over here, eating breakfast and wiping away eye boogers, there's someone on the other side of the world fast asleep dreaming of who knows what. And don't forget those people in between. There are people walking, talking, napping, eating, studying, crying, laughing, reading, waiting, going, yelling, soothing, living, dying, healing, hurting, and yes, as strange as it is, even pooping. At this very moment, all of those things are happening someplace here on Earth, and not one person can tell you exactly what so-and-so is doing this very moment...at least no one we can see.
There is God. Now we can argue for the absence or presence of God for hours and get nowhere. Truthfully, I can't make you believe in Him at all, not even his message. But think about this...for all those evolutionists out there. How easy is it to put together a 100 piece jig-saw puzzle? Not too hard, it takes a little time, but you can get it. What about 1,000 pieces? A little harder, but still doable? One million? One billion? We still haven't even touched the number of cells in a SINGLE HUMAN!
Now think about doing that 1,000,000-piece puzzle with no picture and no way of knowing the final result...nearly impossible. Now create your own puzzle from scratch. One that fits seamlessly together. It has to make sense. There can be no pieces missing. It has to have a big picture. I know I couldn't do that, not on my own. And there is no way it "just happened." Puzzles are made. Anything of complexity has to be created by someone. Puzzles don't finish themselves. And what is more complex than the universe? You have the universe made up of galaxies made up of solar systems made up of stars and planets, and some (at least one) of these planets have life and that life is made up of millions of species made up of trillions of individuals and we are each Homo sapiens each made up of different kinds of parts like a brain and muscles and organs each made up of tissues made of cells made of organelles and proteins and carbs and lipids and DNA made of molecules made of atoms made of electrons and protons and neutrons and other subatomic materials, all tied together, perfectly balanced so that the slightest change in pressure or temperature or pH or concentration or distance or time or volume or whatever would throw off the balance and destroy the status quo...and I happen to like the status quo.
So, for all you out there who say there is no God, I'm not going to argue. Look at creation if you don't believe me. Never believe me, if that suits you. But I'm called to point out the obvious. So look at a tree, your pet, your loved one, the stars. Look at anything, really! All I have to say is at least look in the mirror and you can see His image, right there down to the atomic level.
Ok, think about this. Take a single moment in time and pause it. Now dissect it in your mind. What time is it here? What time is it in the next time zone? What time is it on the other side of the world? While you are over here, eating breakfast and wiping away eye boogers, there's someone on the other side of the world fast asleep dreaming of who knows what. And don't forget those people in between. There are people walking, talking, napping, eating, studying, crying, laughing, reading, waiting, going, yelling, soothing, living, dying, healing, hurting, and yes, as strange as it is, even pooping. At this very moment, all of those things are happening someplace here on Earth, and not one person can tell you exactly what so-and-so is doing this very moment...at least no one we can see.
There is God. Now we can argue for the absence or presence of God for hours and get nowhere. Truthfully, I can't make you believe in Him at all, not even his message. But think about this...for all those evolutionists out there. How easy is it to put together a 100 piece jig-saw puzzle? Not too hard, it takes a little time, but you can get it. What about 1,000 pieces? A little harder, but still doable? One million? One billion? We still haven't even touched the number of cells in a SINGLE HUMAN!
Now think about doing that 1,000,000-piece puzzle with no picture and no way of knowing the final result...nearly impossible. Now create your own puzzle from scratch. One that fits seamlessly together. It has to make sense. There can be no pieces missing. It has to have a big picture. I know I couldn't do that, not on my own. And there is no way it "just happened." Puzzles are made. Anything of complexity has to be created by someone. Puzzles don't finish themselves. And what is more complex than the universe? You have the universe made up of galaxies made up of solar systems made up of stars and planets, and some (at least one) of these planets have life and that life is made up of millions of species made up of trillions of individuals and we are each Homo sapiens each made up of different kinds of parts like a brain and muscles and organs each made up of tissues made of cells made of organelles and proteins and carbs and lipids and DNA made of molecules made of atoms made of electrons and protons and neutrons and other subatomic materials, all tied together, perfectly balanced so that the slightest change in pressure or temperature or pH or concentration or distance or time or volume or whatever would throw off the balance and destroy the status quo...and I happen to like the status quo.
So, for all you out there who say there is no God, I'm not going to argue. Look at creation if you don't believe me. Never believe me, if that suits you. But I'm called to point out the obvious. So look at a tree, your pet, your loved one, the stars. Look at anything, really! All I have to say is at least look in the mirror and you can see His image, right there down to the atomic level.
Lost in Translation
Have you ever wanted to tell someone something so badly that it hurt, but you knew that if you told them, nothing would come of it, or they wouldn't understand? And then you decide, against your better judgement, to tell them anyways and, just like you thought, the crap hit the fan and it all flew back in your face? Yeah, that sucks...
But which is better, keeping your mouth closed, never letting this person know what you want them to know, and hurting forever for keeping it back, or telling them what you need to, only to find out they didn't want to hear what you had to say and you're in a worse place for it? It's a choice of the lesser of two evils. You can be in pain and keep the relationship in its original state, or you can let it all out and risk hurting the relationship.
Sometimes you tell your friends something, and it goes fine in your head, but when it comes out something gets lost in translation and what you thought to be something trivial is taken in the wrong way and is blown into something way bigger and uglier than you ever meant it to be. Our words have minds of their own...and they're on steroids.
There is a broken connection somewhere between my mind and my mouth, and I don't know who to call to fix it. I mean, what would I tell my plumber, "Hey, how do I fix a leaky brain?" Or would I tell my electrician, "Do I have an off switch somewhere? Because it seems as though my filter is broken..." They would think I was crazy if I asked questions like that. But sometimes I really do wonder.
Like in those movies, where the main guy sees his dream girl and he knows the best pickup line that would have her drooling all over him (figuratively), and yet when he goes over to her, all that comes out is...poop. That guy, that geek who never gets the girl because of his big mouth...that's me.
So what am I getting at? I have no clue. All I know is that I wish I could get my point across sometimes, especially with the opposite sex. Don't get me wrong, I'm a great communicator of the little things, it's just the big things that I wish I could get out in a less awkward way. Maybe I'll find a speech doctor in the yellow pages...let me go check!
But which is better, keeping your mouth closed, never letting this person know what you want them to know, and hurting forever for keeping it back, or telling them what you need to, only to find out they didn't want to hear what you had to say and you're in a worse place for it? It's a choice of the lesser of two evils. You can be in pain and keep the relationship in its original state, or you can let it all out and risk hurting the relationship.
Sometimes you tell your friends something, and it goes fine in your head, but when it comes out something gets lost in translation and what you thought to be something trivial is taken in the wrong way and is blown into something way bigger and uglier than you ever meant it to be. Our words have minds of their own...and they're on steroids.
There is a broken connection somewhere between my mind and my mouth, and I don't know who to call to fix it. I mean, what would I tell my plumber, "Hey, how do I fix a leaky brain?" Or would I tell my electrician, "Do I have an off switch somewhere? Because it seems as though my filter is broken..." They would think I was crazy if I asked questions like that. But sometimes I really do wonder.
Like in those movies, where the main guy sees his dream girl and he knows the best pickup line that would have her drooling all over him (figuratively), and yet when he goes over to her, all that comes out is...poop. That guy, that geek who never gets the girl because of his big mouth...that's me.
So what am I getting at? I have no clue. All I know is that I wish I could get my point across sometimes, especially with the opposite sex. Don't get me wrong, I'm a great communicator of the little things, it's just the big things that I wish I could get out in a less awkward way. Maybe I'll find a speech doctor in the yellow pages...let me go check!
Love and Radiation, All Star United
You're electric
And I'm out in the rainstorm
You're the virus
That's running through my veins
You're a danger
Like love and radiation
Seeping into my brain
You're the one I've been waiting for
You're my rocket to the sky
You're the diving board
Standin' seven stories high
You're the thrill of love
Like a jet on fire
Push me out and see if I can fly
You're the ocean
About to pull me under
You're the surgeon
Who says it's got to bleed
You're the true love
I've always been afraid of
But you're the one that I need
You're the one I've been waiting for
You're my rocket to the sky
You're the diving board
Standin' seven stories high
You're the thrill of love
Like a jet on fire
Push me out and see if I can fly
You're the passion Crashin' my defenses
And I'm defenceless to you
You're the one I've been waiting for
You're my rocket to the sky
You're the diving board Standin' seven stories
high You're the thrill of love
Like a jet on fire
Push me out and see if I can fly
And I'm out in the rainstorm
You're the virus
That's running through my veins
You're a danger
Like love and radiation
Seeping into my brain
You're the one I've been waiting for
You're my rocket to the sky
You're the diving board
Standin' seven stories high
You're the thrill of love
Like a jet on fire
Push me out and see if I can fly
You're the ocean
About to pull me under
You're the surgeon
Who says it's got to bleed
You're the true love
I've always been afraid of
But you're the one that I need
You're the one I've been waiting for
You're my rocket to the sky
You're the diving board
Standin' seven stories high
You're the thrill of love
Like a jet on fire
Push me out and see if I can fly
You're the passion Crashin' my defenses
And I'm defenceless to you
You're the one I've been waiting for
You're my rocket to the sky
You're the diving board Standin' seven stories
high You're the thrill of love
Like a jet on fire
Push me out and see if I can fly
The Ever-Changing Humanity
I just thought about this today as I was at lunch with my grandfather. We were talking about fossils, important events, civilizations, and other historical facts and ideas. We both agreed that a lot of the time there is no real way of knowing 100% what is true and what is false. For example, as far as we know, there were not human beings around to see the dinosaurs. All we have to go off of are the fossils we have found around the world. The only thing these fossils represent is the skeletal structure of these immense creatures. We have no way of knowing the color of their skin, the texture of their scales, or even what they ate. We can make hypotheses based on what we know to be true and on other well-documented facts, but that is all we have...educated guesses.
"You know, there is one thing that we know for certain about those times, " I said to my grandfather as I took a bite of my cheeseburger.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Well, the sun still rose every morning the dinosaurs were alive, and it set every night." He laughed when he heard me say this and we both agreed about this. "The ways of nature have always been the same," I continued. "Trees have always made oxygen, stars have always shone in the night sky, and the world has always revolved around the sun. The only thing that has changed all these years is humanity and its ideas." (When I say always here I do not mean that nature and the universe have continued infinitely back in the past. I use always to refer to the time that God created the universe until now).
I mean, think about this. Every chemical reaction and natural happening that we know of today has not changed in hardly any way. Fire still gives off heat, water, and CO2. Plants still undergo photosynthesis. Even the cells in our body (since the beginning of humanity) have gone through the same daily reactions needed to sustain us. It is merely our ideas and attitudes that have changed. We do not share many of the same ideas as the ancient Romans or Greeks, nor will the people in coming generations share exactly the same ideology as us, and yet, we are all human beings. We all eat, breath, sleep, and die the same way.
I guess what I'm trying to get at is why in the world did God, an infinite, never-changing being, decide to send His Son to die for us finite, ever-changing beings? Was it pity? No. Was it necessity? No. There is one reason God sent Christ to die for us...grace. This entails love for, faith in, and kindness towards the ever-changing humanity. And that fact will never change...
"You know, there is one thing that we know for certain about those times, " I said to my grandfather as I took a bite of my cheeseburger.
"What is that?" he asked.
"Well, the sun still rose every morning the dinosaurs were alive, and it set every night." He laughed when he heard me say this and we both agreed about this. "The ways of nature have always been the same," I continued. "Trees have always made oxygen, stars have always shone in the night sky, and the world has always revolved around the sun. The only thing that has changed all these years is humanity and its ideas." (When I say always here I do not mean that nature and the universe have continued infinitely back in the past. I use always to refer to the time that God created the universe until now).
I mean, think about this. Every chemical reaction and natural happening that we know of today has not changed in hardly any way. Fire still gives off heat, water, and CO2. Plants still undergo photosynthesis. Even the cells in our body (since the beginning of humanity) have gone through the same daily reactions needed to sustain us. It is merely our ideas and attitudes that have changed. We do not share many of the same ideas as the ancient Romans or Greeks, nor will the people in coming generations share exactly the same ideology as us, and yet, we are all human beings. We all eat, breath, sleep, and die the same way.
I guess what I'm trying to get at is why in the world did God, an infinite, never-changing being, decide to send His Son to die for us finite, ever-changing beings? Was it pity? No. Was it necessity? No. There is one reason God sent Christ to die for us...grace. This entails love for, faith in, and kindness towards the ever-changing humanity. And that fact will never change...
Work, Jars of Clay
Just in case, I will leave my things packed
So I can run away
[Verse 1]
I cannot trust these voices
I don't have a line of prospects that can give some kind of peace
There is nothing left to cling to that can bring me sweet release
I have no fear of drowning
It's the breathing that's taking all this work
[Chorus]
Do you know what I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"?
What I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"
[Verse 2]
Empty spaces with shadows hit by streetlights
Warnings signs and weight of tired conversations
In the absence of a shoulder, in the abscess of a thief
On the brink of this destruction, on the eve of bittersweet
Now all the demons look like prophets and I'm living out
Every word they speak, every word they speak
[Chorus]
Do you know what I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"?
What I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"
What I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"
Do you know what I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"?
What I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"
What I mean when I say, "I don't want to be alone"
Alone, alone, I don't want to be alone
I have no fear of drowning
It's the breathing that's taking all this work
All Creatures #2, David Crowder
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him, alleluia
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along
O praise Him, alleluia
Thou rising moon in praise rejoice
Ye lights of evening find a voice
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O praise Him, alleluia
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, three in One
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, three in One
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
O, alleluia, alleluia
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O praise Him, alleluia
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along
O praise Him, alleluia
Thou rising moon in praise rejoice
Ye lights of evening find a voice
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O praise Him, alleluia
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, three in One
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, three in One
O praise Him, O praise Him
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
O, alleluia, alleluia
Golden Beam
The other day as I was driving to class, dreading the two upcoming tests for which I had so "fervently studied," I began to think about the past few weeks of my life. I had a short psych session with myself in my car and realized something...I had lost my fire. It was gone, vamoosh, extinguished. I thought I could never get it back. For a fleeting moment, I thought that I was going to become a drifter in this life, a man with no hopes, no ambition, no future. I had become numb to this fact until that very moment when it hit me hard.
I was merely going through the motions, smiling and saying I was happy (which I was most of the time...no worries, I didn't go crazy or become suicidal). I had no peace. I felt like nothing was anchoring me down, like I was an old flag flapping in the winds of life, giving into my desires and emotions.
As I came down one of the hills on the way to school, I looked over to the West and saw the full Moon in the sky, shining as bright as if it were midnight. It was a peculiar sight to see the Moon lingering so long in the morning sky. But I just shrugged it off and drove on, staring blankly ahead at the oncoming road. I turned at the next light and made it down one more hill and around a bend.
The whole trip takes about ten minutes, but the whole time the Eastern sky is blocked by trees, houses, and 7-Elevens. As I rounded the bend I gasped...the sunrise was brilliant! The Sun was just coming up and there were clouds in the East. The great golden orb shone brilliantly, illuminating the clouds with beams of warm sunlight, painting them pink, purple, and dark blue. Right where the crest of the Sun and the bottom of the clouds met there were strands of gold, like a necklace over the sky.
I was speechless and tried to balance my eyes between the beautiful sunrise and the road. I hadn't seen such a beautiful sunrise my whole life. I found myself with tears streaming out of my eyes. I thought of Who had made such a beautiful sunrise, and how small I was in comparison. I thought of the past few weeks that I had selfishly taken and wasted, playing a game of life and not living it for my created purpose. I cried in sorrow for forgiveness...but I also cried in joy, finally realizing I had found my peace and fire again.
No matter how hard life gets, or how much I think I can do on my own, He has, is, and will always be there in brilliance like that sunrise. Like the full Moon I saw in the West, we sometimes are lingering, hanging around, waiting for the sunrise. Sometimes, it takes a revelation to change us and turn us back around. This was my revelation...this was my turning point.
I was merely going through the motions, smiling and saying I was happy (which I was most of the time...no worries, I didn't go crazy or become suicidal). I had no peace. I felt like nothing was anchoring me down, like I was an old flag flapping in the winds of life, giving into my desires and emotions.
As I came down one of the hills on the way to school, I looked over to the West and saw the full Moon in the sky, shining as bright as if it were midnight. It was a peculiar sight to see the Moon lingering so long in the morning sky. But I just shrugged it off and drove on, staring blankly ahead at the oncoming road. I turned at the next light and made it down one more hill and around a bend.
The whole trip takes about ten minutes, but the whole time the Eastern sky is blocked by trees, houses, and 7-Elevens. As I rounded the bend I gasped...the sunrise was brilliant! The Sun was just coming up and there were clouds in the East. The great golden orb shone brilliantly, illuminating the clouds with beams of warm sunlight, painting them pink, purple, and dark blue. Right where the crest of the Sun and the bottom of the clouds met there were strands of gold, like a necklace over the sky.
I was speechless and tried to balance my eyes between the beautiful sunrise and the road. I hadn't seen such a beautiful sunrise my whole life. I found myself with tears streaming out of my eyes. I thought of Who had made such a beautiful sunrise, and how small I was in comparison. I thought of the past few weeks that I had selfishly taken and wasted, playing a game of life and not living it for my created purpose. I cried in sorrow for forgiveness...but I also cried in joy, finally realizing I had found my peace and fire again.
No matter how hard life gets, or how much I think I can do on my own, He has, is, and will always be there in brilliance like that sunrise. Like the full Moon I saw in the West, we sometimes are lingering, hanging around, waiting for the sunrise. Sometimes, it takes a revelation to change us and turn us back around. This was my revelation...this was my turning point.
Death by Silence, 8.29.07
This idea came to me one night before bed and I had to jot it down before I lost it. I'm thinking about expanding the character and plot in order to submit it to North Lake's literary contest:
There once lived a man who lived through a song. This wasn’t like other songs with an immediate beginning and an end…this was a life-song. A life-song connects all of the happenings of a man’s life through a melody. A man’s first kiss may be marked by a romantic violin solo. A man’s first heartache could be signified by a solemn and ugly trumpet. All aspects of life have their own distinct sounds.
You can’t go in search of a life-song; it is a gift from the gods. Only the very few are lucky enough to hear its beautiful melody and its unforgettable harmony. It is a continual reminder of the beauty and fragility of life, and only those gifted with a life-song can hear it.
The music kept this man alive. Each note moved with the rhythm of his breaths. As all of the instruments mixed together to form one fluid, graceful song, so did his heart and lungs and mind all work in sync with one another. He felt tied to the music, as if his life hung in the balance with the song…little did he know that it did. As the song grew quiet, his life too grew quiet and calm. His surroundings seemed to slow down completely. As the song roared to its peak, his life became chaotic and loud, like the crashing cymbals of the orchestra.
One day flowed into another, like the measures of a composed song fit seamlessly together. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months became years, and still the song progressed, as constant as the sun rising in the East. But there came a day in the man’s life when the song grew strangely dim and quiet, more so than usual. He ignored it in the beginning, but after a week of continual softness, he started to strain his ears in search of the melody. Like a man in search of answers, this man was in search of his song.
After another week of searching, the song had become so quiet that it was near silence. The man had never experienced the sounds of the outside world because his life-song had drowned them out. Now he could experience the harsh words of an angry friend, the screaming in agony of pain and sorrow, the dry wind blowing through the leaves of the dead trees in winter. All this he had never experienced before, and he became overwhelmed…and then depressed.
He could no longer find the beauty in life because he had no music to reveal to him nature’s mysteries. He became ill, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. He lay in bed beneath the thick blankets, trying to protect his now frail and aged body from the cold world. He stared out the window, in search of inspiration or hope, but could find none. All he could see was a frosty window with leafless branches flailing out in the yard.
One month past and he became worse. He had become so weak that he could no longer turn his head to look out the window, but he had to look out of the corner of his eye. He would fall asleep and have nightmares of death and disease and pain and wished that it could all be over, but he would wake up the next cold morning and once again live through an unbearably silent day.
One morning he woke up and knew that he would die that day; he could feel it within his body. So, with all the strength he could muster, he turned his head to the side in search of one more sight of life before he passed on. The window was no longer frosted over, but was clear enough to see the leafless tree outside. There, on the top branch of the tree, was a single pink flower, and beside it was a mockingbird, singing the welcome-song of spring. Seeing this, the man smiled, closed his eyes, and once more heard his life-song quietly before he died.
There once lived a man who lived through a song. This wasn’t like other songs with an immediate beginning and an end…this was a life-song. A life-song connects all of the happenings of a man’s life through a melody. A man’s first kiss may be marked by a romantic violin solo. A man’s first heartache could be signified by a solemn and ugly trumpet. All aspects of life have their own distinct sounds.
You can’t go in search of a life-song; it is a gift from the gods. Only the very few are lucky enough to hear its beautiful melody and its unforgettable harmony. It is a continual reminder of the beauty and fragility of life, and only those gifted with a life-song can hear it.
The music kept this man alive. Each note moved with the rhythm of his breaths. As all of the instruments mixed together to form one fluid, graceful song, so did his heart and lungs and mind all work in sync with one another. He felt tied to the music, as if his life hung in the balance with the song…little did he know that it did. As the song grew quiet, his life too grew quiet and calm. His surroundings seemed to slow down completely. As the song roared to its peak, his life became chaotic and loud, like the crashing cymbals of the orchestra.
One day flowed into another, like the measures of a composed song fit seamlessly together. Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months became years, and still the song progressed, as constant as the sun rising in the East. But there came a day in the man’s life when the song grew strangely dim and quiet, more so than usual. He ignored it in the beginning, but after a week of continual softness, he started to strain his ears in search of the melody. Like a man in search of answers, this man was in search of his song.
After another week of searching, the song had become so quiet that it was near silence. The man had never experienced the sounds of the outside world because his life-song had drowned them out. Now he could experience the harsh words of an angry friend, the screaming in agony of pain and sorrow, the dry wind blowing through the leaves of the dead trees in winter. All this he had never experienced before, and he became overwhelmed…and then depressed.
He could no longer find the beauty in life because he had no music to reveal to him nature’s mysteries. He became ill, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. He lay in bed beneath the thick blankets, trying to protect his now frail and aged body from the cold world. He stared out the window, in search of inspiration or hope, but could find none. All he could see was a frosty window with leafless branches flailing out in the yard.
One month past and he became worse. He had become so weak that he could no longer turn his head to look out the window, but he had to look out of the corner of his eye. He would fall asleep and have nightmares of death and disease and pain and wished that it could all be over, but he would wake up the next cold morning and once again live through an unbearably silent day.
One morning he woke up and knew that he would die that day; he could feel it within his body. So, with all the strength he could muster, he turned his head to the side in search of one more sight of life before he passed on. The window was no longer frosted over, but was clear enough to see the leafless tree outside. There, on the top branch of the tree, was a single pink flower, and beside it was a mockingbird, singing the welcome-song of spring. Seeing this, the man smiled, closed his eyes, and once more heard his life-song quietly before he died.
The Thing Which Holds You
It's like it holds onto you, grabs hold and never let's go...a skin that is not your own, and yet you cannot shed it. It becomes a part of you, an enemy within your own soul. No matter how hard you try to separate yourself from it, it is relentless. You run as fast and as far away from home as you can, only to find yourself a hundred miles away from a warm fire and your family, and no further away from the thing which holds you.
It is black, dark, evil, overbearing, taking over every fiber of your being, invading your most personal and innermost thoughts, leaving no stone unturned. It destroys what you once knew to be true and replaces your world with ceramic figures, easily shattered and difficult to repair. It's path of destruction is obvious and leaves nothing but bitterness, confusion, sadness, and lostness. It is the worst feeling in the world to know that you cannot get away from it, to escape it no matter how much you want to. This evil driving force has a name...sin.
And then, one day, you wake up and see the sun. You realize that the trees no longer seem gray and dead, but vibrant and alive. You hear the bird's song anew and know that everything will be ok. Why do you know that? Where does that feeling of reassurance come from? Maybe the sun, maybe yourself. But why is it now that you can feel alive again? What did the sun do to make your world better, or even, what did you do?
No...it has to be something more. Something bigger out there than what you or this world has to offer. And then you smile as you think of what all this means. You finally have hope and peace again, still acknowledging that the road will be tough, and yet no longer having to feel that unending sense of despair...you have let go of the thing which holds you.
It is black, dark, evil, overbearing, taking over every fiber of your being, invading your most personal and innermost thoughts, leaving no stone unturned. It destroys what you once knew to be true and replaces your world with ceramic figures, easily shattered and difficult to repair. It's path of destruction is obvious and leaves nothing but bitterness, confusion, sadness, and lostness. It is the worst feeling in the world to know that you cannot get away from it, to escape it no matter how much you want to. This evil driving force has a name...sin.
And then, one day, you wake up and see the sun. You realize that the trees no longer seem gray and dead, but vibrant and alive. You hear the bird's song anew and know that everything will be ok. Why do you know that? Where does that feeling of reassurance come from? Maybe the sun, maybe yourself. But why is it now that you can feel alive again? What did the sun do to make your world better, or even, what did you do?
No...it has to be something more. Something bigger out there than what you or this world has to offer. And then you smile as you think of what all this means. You finally have hope and peace again, still acknowledging that the road will be tough, and yet no longer having to feel that unending sense of despair...you have let go of the thing which holds you.
Untitled, Part 1
A work in progress; written during the church service this morning on the back of my and John's sermon notes...I am such a heathen:
Sobs echoed throughout the empty cathedral. Within the empty hall, merely a skeleton of ribbed vaults and stained glass windows, there stood a large stone table, an altar upon which many sacred rites had taken place. The gray stone floor made the hall feel cold and uninviting, and the soft pitter-patter of rain drops created a low hum on the shingled roof, somewhat filling the seemingly endless void of silence. A large, wooden cross loomed over the altar, intimidating and cold.
The man sitting in the empty pew at the front of the hall didn't notice these details. He couldn't, because he was too preoccupied with the thoughts flooding his mind. He stared at the cold floor through his fingers, not really seeing the individual stone blocks due to the many tears welling up in his eyes. His emotions were about to boil over as he thought of all the wrongs done against him, and of the many wrongs he too had done to others. Harsh words, bad looks, evil thoughts all collided in his heart, creating a tumult, a tempest of feelings and regrets all mixed together. Then he finally couldn't keep it all in...
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" he screamed as he jumped up, shaking rebellious fists at the heavens, being brought down as he saw that all he was yelling at was the ceiling. "They all lied...there's no one out there!" His voice echoed throughout the hallowed hall, confined to the empty space within, just like he was confined to the empty body he lived in.
After the echoes had resided, giving way to the silence, he plopped back down into the pew, tired and defeated. Slumped over in the pew, he was too tired to cry anymore. He felt like nothing mattered, like he was in a hole that he himself had dug, in which he could no longer see the light of day or feel the cool breeze on his face. He closed his eyes and dreamed of death, longing for it to take him away from this wretched world. He was so caught up in his deathly dreams that he didn't even notice the man walking in through the doors in the back of the cathedral. It wasn't until the large wooden doors had bolted back that he heard any trace of anything else in that hall. He jumped up with a startled countenance as he turned around and was met face-to-face with a man in tattered, weather-worn clothes.
His face was rugged and wrinkled with age and strife. His unkempt brown hair was wet with rain, dripping down onto his shoulder, soaking his already damp rags. However, in spite of his obvious hardships, there was a peace on this man's face and an air of kindness about him. He only gave the man in the pew a quick glance as he walked past. The man in the pew watched, wondering what this man was doing. The homeless man walked with confidence to the steps of the altar and the intimidating cross and knelt there with his head bowed low. The man in the pew waited a few seconds to compose his thoughts until finally he began to feel anger, not towards the man, but towards what he was doing. He ran to the altar and began a tirade.
"Don't you know that doesn't work?! Who's listening to you? It's hopeless, pure stupidity, to pray! You could speak to the birds and they would listen better to your problems...there is no God!!!" That last word lingered in the air longer than any other. The man was red-faced and out of breath, looking down at the homeless man still kneeling there. "Are you listening to me, old man?" At that, the homeless man stood up with his eyes still closed and a look of reverence on his face. Then he looked up at the cross, seeming to try to communicate with it in some way. Finally, after a few long seconds of silence, he looked over at the angry man standing next to him with a piercing gaze and spoke in a low, raspy voice.
"What is your name, son?" he asked...
(to be cont'd)
Sobs echoed throughout the empty cathedral. Within the empty hall, merely a skeleton of ribbed vaults and stained glass windows, there stood a large stone table, an altar upon which many sacred rites had taken place. The gray stone floor made the hall feel cold and uninviting, and the soft pitter-patter of rain drops created a low hum on the shingled roof, somewhat filling the seemingly endless void of silence. A large, wooden cross loomed over the altar, intimidating and cold.
The man sitting in the empty pew at the front of the hall didn't notice these details. He couldn't, because he was too preoccupied with the thoughts flooding his mind. He stared at the cold floor through his fingers, not really seeing the individual stone blocks due to the many tears welling up in his eyes. His emotions were about to boil over as he thought of all the wrongs done against him, and of the many wrongs he too had done to others. Harsh words, bad looks, evil thoughts all collided in his heart, creating a tumult, a tempest of feelings and regrets all mixed together. Then he finally couldn't keep it all in...
"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" he screamed as he jumped up, shaking rebellious fists at the heavens, being brought down as he saw that all he was yelling at was the ceiling. "They all lied...there's no one out there!" His voice echoed throughout the hallowed hall, confined to the empty space within, just like he was confined to the empty body he lived in.
After the echoes had resided, giving way to the silence, he plopped back down into the pew, tired and defeated. Slumped over in the pew, he was too tired to cry anymore. He felt like nothing mattered, like he was in a hole that he himself had dug, in which he could no longer see the light of day or feel the cool breeze on his face. He closed his eyes and dreamed of death, longing for it to take him away from this wretched world. He was so caught up in his deathly dreams that he didn't even notice the man walking in through the doors in the back of the cathedral. It wasn't until the large wooden doors had bolted back that he heard any trace of anything else in that hall. He jumped up with a startled countenance as he turned around and was met face-to-face with a man in tattered, weather-worn clothes.
His face was rugged and wrinkled with age and strife. His unkempt brown hair was wet with rain, dripping down onto his shoulder, soaking his already damp rags. However, in spite of his obvious hardships, there was a peace on this man's face and an air of kindness about him. He only gave the man in the pew a quick glance as he walked past. The man in the pew watched, wondering what this man was doing. The homeless man walked with confidence to the steps of the altar and the intimidating cross and knelt there with his head bowed low. The man in the pew waited a few seconds to compose his thoughts until finally he began to feel anger, not towards the man, but towards what he was doing. He ran to the altar and began a tirade.
"Don't you know that doesn't work?! Who's listening to you? It's hopeless, pure stupidity, to pray! You could speak to the birds and they would listen better to your problems...there is no God!!!" That last word lingered in the air longer than any other. The man was red-faced and out of breath, looking down at the homeless man still kneeling there. "Are you listening to me, old man?" At that, the homeless man stood up with his eyes still closed and a look of reverence on his face. Then he looked up at the cross, seeming to try to communicate with it in some way. Finally, after a few long seconds of silence, he looked over at the angry man standing next to him with a piercing gaze and spoke in a low, raspy voice.
"What is your name, son?" he asked...
(to be cont'd)
Job 26: A Rendition
“The dead tremble—those who live beneath the waters.
The underworld is naked in God’s presence.
The place of destruction is uncovered.
God stretches the northern sky over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,
And the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
He covers the face of the moon, shrouding it with his clouds.
He created the horizon when he separated the waters;
He set the boundary between day and night.
The foundations of heaven tremble; they shudder at his rebuke.
By his power the sea grew calm.
By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.
His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
And his power pierced the gliding serpent.
These are just the beginning of all that he does,
Merely a whisper of his power.
Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”
God is so powerful it is incomprehensible! We can say that we understand his ways, but by saying that we are merely highlighting our own ignorance. Isaiah talks about how God's ways and thoughts are higher than our own. That means that we cannot fully understand him, no matter how hard we try. Job's friends were trying to convince him that they knew God, or at least knew him enough to tell Job how he should act in his present situation. Then in chapter 38, God challenges Job by pretty much giving a resume of his accomplishments, not because he is cocky, but because God is allowed to reveal to us his glorious nature in order to help us move into a better (and yet not full) understanding of his power, our purpose, and Christ's promise.
So, let me give a rendition of Job 26 as I can see it:
"Everything ever created, whether living or dead, past or present, fears God.
There is nothing God can't see or hear, because he has a hand in his creation.
He took the sky and made it our ceiling, stretching as far as the eye can see.
He suspends the Earth in space, in a seemingly endless nothingness.
He gives the rain a blanket in the clouds,
Harboring it from the elements until its anointed time.
And even with their great and precious cargo, the clouds don't falter.
He created the dark side of the moon,
Hiding it from prying eyes and keeping it as one of his many mysteries.
He made the horizon when he created the seas,
So that human beings could look to it for hope of things to come.
He tells the sun where to rise and where to rest,
And he holds the moon in the clear night sky.
Everything ever created, whether living or dead, past or present, fears God.
All creation trembles at God's anger, for he is immensely powerful.
When the waves became rowdy, he comforted them with sweet whispers.
He slayed the great sea dragon, Rahab, controlling chaos and bringing order.
His Spirit was the inspiration for the great painted sunsets and the beautiful cloudy skies.
And even more amazing is that these are merely a few of his creations,
Only a touch of his glory, a taste of his Spirit, a whisper of his power.
Again, I say, his ways are incomprehensible. Oh! What a beautiful God!"
The underworld is naked in God’s presence.
The place of destruction is uncovered.
God stretches the northern sky over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
He wraps the rain in his thick clouds,
And the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
He covers the face of the moon, shrouding it with his clouds.
He created the horizon when he separated the waters;
He set the boundary between day and night.
The foundations of heaven tremble; they shudder at his rebuke.
By his power the sea grew calm.
By his skill he crushed the great sea monster.
His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
And his power pierced the gliding serpent.
These are just the beginning of all that he does,
Merely a whisper of his power.
Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of his power?”
God is so powerful it is incomprehensible! We can say that we understand his ways, but by saying that we are merely highlighting our own ignorance. Isaiah talks about how God's ways and thoughts are higher than our own. That means that we cannot fully understand him, no matter how hard we try. Job's friends were trying to convince him that they knew God, or at least knew him enough to tell Job how he should act in his present situation. Then in chapter 38, God challenges Job by pretty much giving a resume of his accomplishments, not because he is cocky, but because God is allowed to reveal to us his glorious nature in order to help us move into a better (and yet not full) understanding of his power, our purpose, and Christ's promise.
So, let me give a rendition of Job 26 as I can see it:
"Everything ever created, whether living or dead, past or present, fears God.
There is nothing God can't see or hear, because he has a hand in his creation.
He took the sky and made it our ceiling, stretching as far as the eye can see.
He suspends the Earth in space, in a seemingly endless nothingness.
He gives the rain a blanket in the clouds,
Harboring it from the elements until its anointed time.
And even with their great and precious cargo, the clouds don't falter.
He created the dark side of the moon,
Hiding it from prying eyes and keeping it as one of his many mysteries.
He made the horizon when he created the seas,
So that human beings could look to it for hope of things to come.
He tells the sun where to rise and where to rest,
And he holds the moon in the clear night sky.
Everything ever created, whether living or dead, past or present, fears God.
All creation trembles at God's anger, for he is immensely powerful.
When the waves became rowdy, he comforted them with sweet whispers.
He slayed the great sea dragon, Rahab, controlling chaos and bringing order.
His Spirit was the inspiration for the great painted sunsets and the beautiful cloudy skies.
And even more amazing is that these are merely a few of his creations,
Only a touch of his glory, a taste of his Spirit, a whisper of his power.
Again, I say, his ways are incomprehensible. Oh! What a beautiful God!"
so the year passes into many yesterdays...
I was reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for my british lit class today and came across this little descriptive passage. Notice the alliteration line by line, those poets had some talent:
"But then the weather of the world chides with winter;
the cold withdraws itself, the clouds uplift,
and the rain falls in warm showers on the fair plains.
Then the flowers come forth,
meadows and grove are clad in green,
the birds make ready to build,
and sing sweetly for solace of the soft summer
that follows thereafter.
The blossoms bud and blow
in the hedgerows rich and rank,
and noble notes enough
are heard in the fair woods.
After the season of summer, with the soft winds,
when zephyr breathes lightly on seeds and herbs,
joyous indeed is the growth that waxes thereout
when the dew drips from the leaves
beneath the blissful glance of the bright sun.
But then comes harvest and hardens the grain,
warning it to wax ripe ere the winter.
The drought drives the dust on high,
flying over the face of the land;
the angry wind of the welkin wrestles with the sun;
the leaves fall from the trees and light upon the ground,
and all brown are the groves that but now were green,
and ripe is the fruit that once was flower.
So the year passes into many yesterdays,
and winter comes again, as it needs no sage to tell us."
I love the description in this passage, talking about the movement between seasons. It really emphasizes the beauty and liveliness of spring, the growth of summer, autumn's harvest, and both literal and figurative death experienced in winter. The author talks about how "the year passes into many yesterdays, / and winter comes again, as it needs no sage to tell us." It is so true. Years in our lifetime seem to mix seamlessly together. We can't distinguish one from the other because time, in our sense of the word, is a human invention.
Before human beings were around, the world moved on as it always had. The birds kept no records of history, the squirrels didn't have their own timeline, and the fish couldn't tell each other the exact date the new coral reef came into being, because that is not how nature worked. It is a cycle of life and death, continually moving forward. When those on the earth now die off, the world doesn't cease to exist. It goes on like it always has.
That is why this passage touched me so much. The author captured the beauty of nature, of its life-cycle, and came to grips with the fact that even though humanity is not eternal, there are natural things (and many things super-natural) that ARE eternal, the seasons being one of many.
The beauty of nature is great, but it is no accident. Time didn't just come into being, it has a purpose. Human beings are not merely on Earth to live and die, we have a meaningful life. All of these facts can be debated, but I have no doubt in my mind that there is something (or someone) greater out there to live for, and the beauty of nature just makes that idea seem so much more true.
"But then the weather of the world chides with winter;
the cold withdraws itself, the clouds uplift,
and the rain falls in warm showers on the fair plains.
Then the flowers come forth,
meadows and grove are clad in green,
the birds make ready to build,
and sing sweetly for solace of the soft summer
that follows thereafter.
The blossoms bud and blow
in the hedgerows rich and rank,
and noble notes enough
are heard in the fair woods.
After the season of summer, with the soft winds,
when zephyr breathes lightly on seeds and herbs,
joyous indeed is the growth that waxes thereout
when the dew drips from the leaves
beneath the blissful glance of the bright sun.
But then comes harvest and hardens the grain,
warning it to wax ripe ere the winter.
The drought drives the dust on high,
flying over the face of the land;
the angry wind of the welkin wrestles with the sun;
the leaves fall from the trees and light upon the ground,
and all brown are the groves that but now were green,
and ripe is the fruit that once was flower.
So the year passes into many yesterdays,
and winter comes again, as it needs no sage to tell us."
I love the description in this passage, talking about the movement between seasons. It really emphasizes the beauty and liveliness of spring, the growth of summer, autumn's harvest, and both literal and figurative death experienced in winter. The author talks about how "the year passes into many yesterdays, / and winter comes again, as it needs no sage to tell us." It is so true. Years in our lifetime seem to mix seamlessly together. We can't distinguish one from the other because time, in our sense of the word, is a human invention.
Before human beings were around, the world moved on as it always had. The birds kept no records of history, the squirrels didn't have their own timeline, and the fish couldn't tell each other the exact date the new coral reef came into being, because that is not how nature worked. It is a cycle of life and death, continually moving forward. When those on the earth now die off, the world doesn't cease to exist. It goes on like it always has.
That is why this passage touched me so much. The author captured the beauty of nature, of its life-cycle, and came to grips with the fact that even though humanity is not eternal, there are natural things (and many things super-natural) that ARE eternal, the seasons being one of many.
The beauty of nature is great, but it is no accident. Time didn't just come into being, it has a purpose. Human beings are not merely on Earth to live and die, we have a meaningful life. All of these facts can be debated, but I have no doubt in my mind that there is something (or someone) greater out there to live for, and the beauty of nature just makes that idea seem so much more true.
Ode to a Broken Heart, 6.25.07
Has it ever occurred to you how fragile the human heart can be, or how unsettled it is at discerning true and false feelings? The heart is the spring from which all emotions flow…love, hate, confusion, understanding. It’s no wonder so many people can’t make up their minds! How is it that one second we feel enamored by our significant other, on the top of the world with them (in our minds of course), and the next we harbor a deep and devouring hatred toward another person (or even the same person)?
Oh, God! If only you had not created such wretched things as the heart and emotions! Things on this earth would be so much less complicated. There would not be the ache of a broken heart, which brings life’s fire burning down to a mere ember among the hearts of men. And would there not be confusion between feelings? The mind would no longer spin at the daunting task of discerning whether or not what we feel is love or lust, or compassion or jealousy, for there would not be emotions to compare.
And yet, is that not what makes us human? Is the idea of emotions not at the core of humanity and morality? Even though the pain of a broken heart may sometimes seem unbearable, does it not make the world seem alive and new? When one finally overcomes the pain and suffering of having their very lifeblood drained from them, one can find that the trees seem greener than usual, or that the sparrows’ song is much merrier, or that the warm spring rains bring more healing and love than any human could ever bring.
So, here’s to a broken heart! If I must choose between trudging through this life feeling numbness and running through this life feeling alive…I would choose a broken heart any day. Besides, how then could I finally find the love I was looking for in the first place without first finding the pain which I am so eagerly avoiding?
Oh, God! If only you had not created such wretched things as the heart and emotions! Things on this earth would be so much less complicated. There would not be the ache of a broken heart, which brings life’s fire burning down to a mere ember among the hearts of men. And would there not be confusion between feelings? The mind would no longer spin at the daunting task of discerning whether or not what we feel is love or lust, or compassion or jealousy, for there would not be emotions to compare.
And yet, is that not what makes us human? Is the idea of emotions not at the core of humanity and morality? Even though the pain of a broken heart may sometimes seem unbearable, does it not make the world seem alive and new? When one finally overcomes the pain and suffering of having their very lifeblood drained from them, one can find that the trees seem greener than usual, or that the sparrows’ song is much merrier, or that the warm spring rains bring more healing and love than any human could ever bring.
So, here’s to a broken heart! If I must choose between trudging through this life feeling numbness and running through this life feeling alive…I would choose a broken heart any day. Besides, how then could I finally find the love I was looking for in the first place without first finding the pain which I am so eagerly avoiding?
Martian Excursion
I actually wrote this for my college application...go figure. Anyways, I was happily pleased with the way it turned out.
Stardate: Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2107
Dear Mom and Dad,
What a day it was! Today, I took an excursion to Mars on the new Hyperspace Dart Line. The ride was a little rough due to the meteor shower we flew through, but the turbulence subsided in a matter of minutes. As we flew over the Red Planet, I couldn’t help but gasp at first glance. I had seen it numerous times on CNN, the Cyber News Network, but only in conjunction with information about the new Mars colony. It was so tremendously red (obviously). As I watched the sand storms roll across its surface, it reminded me of the waves on the shores of a desert island, powerful yet peaceful, a monster with the gracefulness of a ballerina.
As we descended, I heard the hiss of the brakes and then…thud, we had landed. I stepped out and right away I was bombarded with a wave of salesmen, all ready to prey on the tourists coming to the Martian colony. I hurriedly walked past them and when I got past the crowd I caught a glimpse of the monstrosity of the structure in which I stood. The giant Biodome stood twenty stories high, and from its ceiling hung numerous green plants: ferns, trees, bushes, flowers, all being held in hanging pots, reminding me of Babylon’s Hanging Gardens.
This little metropolis was teeming with life, people were running around frantically, heading to work, visiting friends, going to find the best bargains at the nearest outlet mall, and it was all too much for me. So after a mere five minutes of being on the surface, I turned around and headed back for the Dart station. I boarded the next ship and sat quietly at the back, watching the diverse people stream in and sit down also.
I thought about home on Earth and the way it was changing for the future. The moon had been colonized twenty years before, and now Mars was being inhabited. “What is the fate of Earth?” I thought. “What if it becomes merely a relic of the long-forgotten past?” And almost immediately after I asked myself that question, I got an answer…the Earth will never be forgotten. Just because times change, doesn’t mean the past is gone. Sure there are colonies on the Moon and Mars, and Donald Trump III is thinking about going for Jupiter next because it’s “the best real estate in the galaxy,” but it will all fade away. People will get tired of being so isolated and they will become sick, longing for their home and heritage…Earth.
So, Mom and Dad, Mars was fun, if only for a short time, but I think I’ll stick with Earth. It’s my home, and it will always have a place in my heart.
Terminate
transmission,
David
P.S. Maybe next weekend I’ll visit the Moon…
Stardate: Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2107
Dear Mom and Dad,
What a day it was! Today, I took an excursion to Mars on the new Hyperspace Dart Line. The ride was a little rough due to the meteor shower we flew through, but the turbulence subsided in a matter of minutes. As we flew over the Red Planet, I couldn’t help but gasp at first glance. I had seen it numerous times on CNN, the Cyber News Network, but only in conjunction with information about the new Mars colony. It was so tremendously red (obviously). As I watched the sand storms roll across its surface, it reminded me of the waves on the shores of a desert island, powerful yet peaceful, a monster with the gracefulness of a ballerina.
As we descended, I heard the hiss of the brakes and then…thud, we had landed. I stepped out and right away I was bombarded with a wave of salesmen, all ready to prey on the tourists coming to the Martian colony. I hurriedly walked past them and when I got past the crowd I caught a glimpse of the monstrosity of the structure in which I stood. The giant Biodome stood twenty stories high, and from its ceiling hung numerous green plants: ferns, trees, bushes, flowers, all being held in hanging pots, reminding me of Babylon’s Hanging Gardens.
This little metropolis was teeming with life, people were running around frantically, heading to work, visiting friends, going to find the best bargains at the nearest outlet mall, and it was all too much for me. So after a mere five minutes of being on the surface, I turned around and headed back for the Dart station. I boarded the next ship and sat quietly at the back, watching the diverse people stream in and sit down also.
I thought about home on Earth and the way it was changing for the future. The moon had been colonized twenty years before, and now Mars was being inhabited. “What is the fate of Earth?” I thought. “What if it becomes merely a relic of the long-forgotten past?” And almost immediately after I asked myself that question, I got an answer…the Earth will never be forgotten. Just because times change, doesn’t mean the past is gone. Sure there are colonies on the Moon and Mars, and Donald Trump III is thinking about going for Jupiter next because it’s “the best real estate in the galaxy,” but it will all fade away. People will get tired of being so isolated and they will become sick, longing for their home and heritage…Earth.
So, Mom and Dad, Mars was fun, if only for a short time, but I think I’ll stick with Earth. It’s my home, and it will always have a place in my heart.
Terminate
transmission,
David
P.S. Maybe next weekend I’ll visit the Moon…
It's a Breeze...
It's amazing what a cool breeze can do to improve one's morale. Just to feel the wind's soft touch can make someone feel one hundred times better. On a sticky, stagnant summer day, there is nothing better than looking up at the roofs of the rustling trees and hearing the quiet whisper of the wind. Mother Nature's Spirit comes and caresses our faces, comforting us and giving us hope.
Sometimes, our lives can become stagnant too. We seem to be going through the motions, never finding an escape from that humidity of life. Many people just check out and decide to stop living their lives, so they sit under a shady tree, waiting until that heat gives way to a cool day. But what if the heat never stops? What if everyday of our lives becomes hotter and hotter until the heat waves coming off the scalding Earth engulf and burn us? What if...
But that's just it, merely a what if. Our lives don't always turn into a metaphorical desert (no matter how much we think they may). There will always be hot days and always be cold days, but that doesn't give us an excuse to give up and wait under a tree. A life lived in waiting is better than no life at all. Sitting still in our lives doesn't do us any good, especially when there is plenty of work to do. Why be afraid of the heat at midday when there is a chance the breeze will catch us?
We don't know when exactly those breezes will come, but when they do there is no better feeling. So why not get out into the world and sweat in the heat? Maybe one day we will feel God's Spirit refresh our lives, and when it does, it will be the most hope-giving feeling we have ever experienced.
Sometimes, our lives can become stagnant too. We seem to be going through the motions, never finding an escape from that humidity of life. Many people just check out and decide to stop living their lives, so they sit under a shady tree, waiting until that heat gives way to a cool day. But what if the heat never stops? What if everyday of our lives becomes hotter and hotter until the heat waves coming off the scalding Earth engulf and burn us? What if...
But that's just it, merely a what if. Our lives don't always turn into a metaphorical desert (no matter how much we think they may). There will always be hot days and always be cold days, but that doesn't give us an excuse to give up and wait under a tree. A life lived in waiting is better than no life at all. Sitting still in our lives doesn't do us any good, especially when there is plenty of work to do. Why be afraid of the heat at midday when there is a chance the breeze will catch us?
We don't know when exactly those breezes will come, but when they do there is no better feeling. So why not get out into the world and sweat in the heat? Maybe one day we will feel God's Spirit refresh our lives, and when it does, it will be the most hope-giving feeling we have ever experienced.
Knights, Dragons, and Used Car Salesmen
What ever happened to chivalry? Where are the days of old when the valiant knights in shining armor used to rescue the fair maidens from the clutches of a ferocious dragon, an ugly troll, or an evil witch? Ok, so maybe that never really happened except in fairy tales, but there did used to be a time when a man would lay down his comfort, time, or even life in order to show compassion and love for someone less fortunate.
Nowadays, so many people are out merely to please themselves, to make a profit, or to get revenge. It saddens me to think of the numerous women who are holding out hope for that knight to ride in on his white horse and sweep them off their feet and whisk them away to a castle in a faraway land to live happily ever after, only to find that the so-called "knight" is really a slime-ball who could really talk a big game, but when it came down to it he was about as chivalrous and gentlemanly (sp?) as a used car salesman.
What about the guys who really do care? Sure, they will eventually win out, hopefully, but why does it take the fair maidens so long (if ever) to realize that what the "nice guys" have to offer is just as good if not better than what the "knights" have to offer. I may be interpreting reality far from what it is, but can we give the good guys a break? They bend over backwards to please the woman-folk, only to get excuses like, "listen, I really like you, but I guess we'll always just be really good friends," or how about, "I just look at you like my brother; we've been good friends for too long," or my personal favorite, "you're such a nice guy, really, and you will find someone later in life who is so much better than me, believe me..."
So, all I'm saying is that just because a man doesn't wear a suit of armor, or ride a beautiful stallion, or can slay the ferocious dragon, it doesn't make him any less of a man. Sometimes you will find a knight in the places (or people) you would least expect to look.
Nowadays, so many people are out merely to please themselves, to make a profit, or to get revenge. It saddens me to think of the numerous women who are holding out hope for that knight to ride in on his white horse and sweep them off their feet and whisk them away to a castle in a faraway land to live happily ever after, only to find that the so-called "knight" is really a slime-ball who could really talk a big game, but when it came down to it he was about as chivalrous and gentlemanly (sp?) as a used car salesman.
What about the guys who really do care? Sure, they will eventually win out, hopefully, but why does it take the fair maidens so long (if ever) to realize that what the "nice guys" have to offer is just as good if not better than what the "knights" have to offer. I may be interpreting reality far from what it is, but can we give the good guys a break? They bend over backwards to please the woman-folk, only to get excuses like, "listen, I really like you, but I guess we'll always just be really good friends," or how about, "I just look at you like my brother; we've been good friends for too long," or my personal favorite, "you're such a nice guy, really, and you will find someone later in life who is so much better than me, believe me..."
So, all I'm saying is that just because a man doesn't wear a suit of armor, or ride a beautiful stallion, or can slay the ferocious dragon, it doesn't make him any less of a man. Sometimes you will find a knight in the places (or people) you would least expect to look.
People-watching: A Lesson in Life
Have you ever gone people-watching? You know, when you just sit down somewhere in a public spot with a lot of pedestrian traffic and watch people as they pass. You may not be looking for anything, or you may be focusing on one thing. Whatever the case may be, you will always find that human beings are just plain-old weird!
It's not that I am calling the individuals strange beings, but that all of humankind itself is weird. Everybody has that weird niche that sets them apart, whether it be an extra bounce in one's step, the way one talks on a cell phone, the sounds one makes while eating, or the uncanny ability to fall asleep on a park bench with not a care in the world about who around is watching as small drops of drool drip onto one's newly bought Lacoste polo. It is just a natural phenomena. Since Homo sapiens do not live by mere instinct, we all have that free will and reason that the rest of the organisms in nature lack, giving us a chance to make different choices and to develop different habits than our fellow animals.
My apologies for boring you with a biology lesson in the middle of my story, but I think I proved my point. The beauty of people-watching is that it teaches you how best to interact with other people, but more so how to really appreciate the beauty of diversity. If everyone walked the same, talked the same, ate the same, and slept the same the world would be a rather boring place. It is that one person I see falling asleep on the park bench drooling on theirself that makes me smile and say to my Father, "Thank you, God, for creating me the way I am, even if I smack when I eat a hot dog!"
It's not that I am calling the individuals strange beings, but that all of humankind itself is weird. Everybody has that weird niche that sets them apart, whether it be an extra bounce in one's step, the way one talks on a cell phone, the sounds one makes while eating, or the uncanny ability to fall asleep on a park bench with not a care in the world about who around is watching as small drops of drool drip onto one's newly bought Lacoste polo. It is just a natural phenomena. Since Homo sapiens do not live by mere instinct, we all have that free will and reason that the rest of the organisms in nature lack, giving us a chance to make different choices and to develop different habits than our fellow animals.
My apologies for boring you with a biology lesson in the middle of my story, but I think I proved my point. The beauty of people-watching is that it teaches you how best to interact with other people, but more so how to really appreciate the beauty of diversity. If everyone walked the same, talked the same, ate the same, and slept the same the world would be a rather boring place. It is that one person I see falling asleep on the park bench drooling on theirself that makes me smile and say to my Father, "Thank you, God, for creating me the way I am, even if I smack when I eat a hot dog!"
The Nebula, 11.8.06
The Nebula swirls.
All pink, dark blue, and black,
Vague; it marauds my mind with thoughts unseen,
Unfelt for centuries.
I think of all the men who have sailed its rolling waves before,
Both great and meek.
I think of all the tragedies, comedies, romances
Played out beneath its billowing clouds of dust and ash.
Then I think of its vastness,
How small I am in comparison to its seamlessly fashioned sky.
All the achievements are mere dust,
All the buildings, the families, the wealth,
The love, the loss, the happiness, the sadness,
The thoughts and emotions of the human race are fleeting
In comparison to the Nebula.
And yet, the Nebula is also mere water, dirt, grass, air, heat, cold.
Nothing that matters or can be really felt in comparison with HIM.
I see only a taste of HIS greatness everyday,
Among HIS creation, within my body, in a breath, in a thought.
And yet, HE stoops to hear me.
HE bends down and listens to me as if I were nothing but an ant.
And still, HE loves me more than anything else in HIS creation.
The Nebula still swirls,
But it moves slower now.
Maybe because I understand just a little bit of it.
Maybe because HE wants it to.
Or maybe because of a sign of the times to come,
When we will truly see HIM
In all HIS awesome splendor.
All pink, dark blue, and black,
Vague; it marauds my mind with thoughts unseen,
Unfelt for centuries.
I think of all the men who have sailed its rolling waves before,
Both great and meek.
I think of all the tragedies, comedies, romances
Played out beneath its billowing clouds of dust and ash.
Then I think of its vastness,
How small I am in comparison to its seamlessly fashioned sky.
All the achievements are mere dust,
All the buildings, the families, the wealth,
The love, the loss, the happiness, the sadness,
The thoughts and emotions of the human race are fleeting
In comparison to the Nebula.
And yet, the Nebula is also mere water, dirt, grass, air, heat, cold.
Nothing that matters or can be really felt in comparison with HIM.
I see only a taste of HIS greatness everyday,
Among HIS creation, within my body, in a breath, in a thought.
And yet, HE stoops to hear me.
HE bends down and listens to me as if I were nothing but an ant.
And still, HE loves me more than anything else in HIS creation.
The Nebula still swirls,
But it moves slower now.
Maybe because I understand just a little bit of it.
Maybe because HE wants it to.
Or maybe because of a sign of the times to come,
When we will truly see HIM
In all HIS awesome splendor.
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