Some of you may not know that I am a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Well, I am, and I am not a happy one...the game I just finished watching where they played against Arizona was possibly one of the most pathetic attempts at Defense on the Steelers' behalf I have possibly ever seen. After Palomalu left, everything fell apart. Combine that with some absolutely trash offensive drives by Roethlesburger & Parker and what you get is a loss like what they just suffered. Why the heck did Troy Palomalu leave so early? If he was injured, why was he pacing on the side lines with his helmet on half the time? And, finally, why does the Steelers have so many players with funny last names that I don't quite know how to spell?
Thankfully, they didn't thoroughly embarrass themselves, and manage to close their loss to only a 7 point difference.
Anyway, back to my regularly scheduled Geology lab...
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Let God Invade Your World
You know, my experiences in the past few weeks academically have really thrown me for a loop. As damage control, I tried my best to put my "spiritual life" in a different category from my "academic or 'real' life", so that my personal problems wouldn't affect my ministry work.
No wonder I've been so messed up this past month!
One thing that seems to happen to me and I am sure happens to some of you is that we let the world invade our "spiritual life", our relationship with God. Or, if we can see that will be a problem, we separate God from our "real world" to avoid letting bad things leech into our spiritual life and as a result don't let Him out to change things.
We should be doing the reverse. I should be letting my relationship with GOD invade my world. When I feel stupid as I'm beating my head against Geology lab work, I should let the truth of how much I am loved and valued drive out dark thoughts of inferiority. When I feel overwhelmed as I try to juggle an endless onslaught of Chinese homework with imposing Geology labs, work study, ministry, and Lord knows what else, I need to let my knowledge that God will care for me as he cares for the sparrows invade my life. When I feel lonely, I need to let the knowledge that I am loved by the Most High invade my heart.
We KNOW so many things about what God thinks about does, and does for us. But to we take it to HEART? Do we let it come true in our lives?
I try so hard to fight back against problems. But this much is true: The battle is the Lord's. It's time to let the Lord fight back for me. I want God to invade my life completely. Will you let him invade yours?
No wonder I've been so messed up this past month!
One thing that seems to happen to me and I am sure happens to some of you is that we let the world invade our "spiritual life", our relationship with God. Or, if we can see that will be a problem, we separate God from our "real world" to avoid letting bad things leech into our spiritual life and as a result don't let Him out to change things.
We should be doing the reverse. I should be letting my relationship with GOD invade my world. When I feel stupid as I'm beating my head against Geology lab work, I should let the truth of how much I am loved and valued drive out dark thoughts of inferiority. When I feel overwhelmed as I try to juggle an endless onslaught of Chinese homework with imposing Geology labs, work study, ministry, and Lord knows what else, I need to let my knowledge that God will care for me as he cares for the sparrows invade my life. When I feel lonely, I need to let the knowledge that I am loved by the Most High invade my heart.
We KNOW so many things about what God thinks about does, and does for us. But to we take it to HEART? Do we let it come true in our lives?
I try so hard to fight back against problems. But this much is true: The battle is the Lord's. It's time to let the Lord fight back for me. I want God to invade my life completely. Will you let him invade yours?
Monday, September 24, 2007
Action and Reaction
I noticed a peculiar pattern in how I view the way I communicate with people.
For me, it's more like "the reaction is up to the other person" not "my action automatically will cause a reaction in another person, so I should walk on eggshells". A friend of mine once had an argument with me about this issue; I believe that, for example, if someone punched me in the face, I have every right to be angry about it and that there is nothing wrong with it.
My friend proceeded to argue that actually I had a choice whether to be angry or not. And that, ultimately, I should choose not to be angry that somebody hit me, because my religion dictates that I deal with people with grace and love, not anger and hate. I told him that it's pretty hard to make the choice not to be angry right then and there. He told me that when somebody does something to you, the "ball is in your court, and you have to choose what you're going to do with it, regardless of what the other person has done." I may have a right to choose to be angry, but should I allow myself to be such in light of what I believe?
But instead of applying this good lesson to myself, I applied it to all Christians and expected them to react with love and grace even though I do not. Hence me telling people the truth without love. It's the lazy way out. When I wrote a letter to my dad about my beliefs, I spent days on it and had people read it to see if it would be provoking in a bad way. I never do such things when communicating with Christian brothers and sisters.
So in other words, I've been punching people in the face and expecting them to smile about it and give me a pat on the shoulder. It's actually a pretty funny image, but the fact that I'm actually doing that figuratively is not a good thing. There may come a point where someone I communicate to in this poor way may not be able to handle what I say gracefully.
Ah. I just thought of something. I realized that I only "say" dumb, angry, hurtful things when I write. My Dad did a great job of conditioning what I say to people, and that isn't too much of a problem for me. But I never conditioned myself how to write, and therefore I never did control myself in quite the same way as a writer. Looking back now, a lot of my essays of argumentation came laden with warnings from my instructors about using demeaning language meant to personally attack the other person/idea instead of focusing on the point. The way I write was distracting people from the main point of the essay.
Well, at least I'm getting somewhere.
For me, it's more like "the reaction is up to the other person" not "my action automatically will cause a reaction in another person, so I should walk on eggshells". A friend of mine once had an argument with me about this issue; I believe that, for example, if someone punched me in the face, I have every right to be angry about it and that there is nothing wrong with it.
My friend proceeded to argue that actually I had a choice whether to be angry or not. And that, ultimately, I should choose not to be angry that somebody hit me, because my religion dictates that I deal with people with grace and love, not anger and hate. I told him that it's pretty hard to make the choice not to be angry right then and there. He told me that when somebody does something to you, the "ball is in your court, and you have to choose what you're going to do with it, regardless of what the other person has done." I may have a right to choose to be angry, but should I allow myself to be such in light of what I believe?
But instead of applying this good lesson to myself, I applied it to all Christians and expected them to react with love and grace even though I do not. Hence me telling people the truth without love. It's the lazy way out. When I wrote a letter to my dad about my beliefs, I spent days on it and had people read it to see if it would be provoking in a bad way. I never do such things when communicating with Christian brothers and sisters.
So in other words, I've been punching people in the face and expecting them to smile about it and give me a pat on the shoulder. It's actually a pretty funny image, but the fact that I'm actually doing that figuratively is not a good thing. There may come a point where someone I communicate to in this poor way may not be able to handle what I say gracefully.
Ah. I just thought of something. I realized that I only "say" dumb, angry, hurtful things when I write. My Dad did a great job of conditioning what I say to people, and that isn't too much of a problem for me. But I never conditioned myself how to write, and therefore I never did control myself in quite the same way as a writer. Looking back now, a lot of my essays of argumentation came laden with warnings from my instructors about using demeaning language meant to personally attack the other person/idea instead of focusing on the point. The way I write was distracting people from the main point of the essay.
Well, at least I'm getting somewhere.
Like a Diamond
I am not clay. Far from it. I am diamond. Formed under unimaginable pressure and made of that which is as common as charred firewood and ash or your very exhaling breath. Like a diamond, I am filled with fire at my core that emanates out. And, like I diamond, I am transparent, and people can see right through me. And, like a diamond, I am without value, even for saw blades, unless I am cut in the right way.
When God shapes me, it isn't like a potter shaping clay, but a jeweler cutting a diamond, the hardest substance known to man. Because I am a stubborn man who does change shape easily. The good news, though, is that like a diamond, I do not lose my shape once I am cut. I do not take steps backwards and be what I was. I do not break under pressure (except that which God applies, which can crush anything). I do not lose my loyalty when I have been shaped. And I am being shaped by the greatest jeweler there ever was.
When God shapes me, it isn't like a potter shaping clay, but a jeweler cutting a diamond, the hardest substance known to man. Because I am a stubborn man who does change shape easily. The good news, though, is that like a diamond, I do not lose my shape once I am cut. I do not take steps backwards and be what I was. I do not break under pressure (except that which God applies, which can crush anything). I do not lose my loyalty when I have been shaped. And I am being shaped by the greatest jeweler there ever was.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Compliments vs. Thanks
The Thought Engine is roaring at full speed today. Here is another thing that has been on my mind since last night, when I was acting Roadie for the IVCF Skit/Gift night.
First, let me start with a definition (this is my definition, I don't have a dictionary handy):
Complement v/n: a comment made form one person to another indicating that the recipient has not only met the standard, but that they have exceeded the standard and have done better than what was expected or required.
Thanks v/n: An expression of gratitude for an effort made, regardless of its quality or inherent value.
On Compliments:
I have a couple of problems with them. The first is that they are often done out of flattery, and flattery is absolutely useless to me. The second problem is that one person's idea of what is extraordinary and above the standard does not always align with what another person's idea of what is above the standard. The third is that I hate when they are done in a public manner, because they feel...patronizing. If someone were to seriously sit down with me and compliment what I have done, then that is different. My gripe is about public compliments.
As an example, I remember someone complemented me for "being brave" and stuff like that when I went up to read poetry (probably because I sometimes stammer or screw lines up, and so they think that me going up there is an act of bravery because I sound like somebody who is terrified of public speaking). I don't give a crap about whether I'm brave or not, that's besides the point. I didn't go up on stage to be "brave" I went up there to read my poem and get the point across! I went there because God called me to, and I need to be sure that I did a good job doing it. So telling me I was brave isn't helping me do a good job.
And, I have to admit, I do appreciate complements on what I create itself. It is my hope that perhaps in the future I will be able to do things that are worthy of compliments. Given how high I set the standard for myself, I doubt that time will ever come. I guess what I mean to say is that I use how I am right now as the standard. So if I do a great guitar lick on stage, I would consider that compliment worthy because I have never done it before. Now that the bar is raised, I wold expect no compliments if I did it again. I don't compare myself to people other than me.
I guess my point is, unless I have done something you deem truly extraordinary, do not compliment me out of hand in public. Compliment me because I did something that moved you or because you thought it was awesome, and compliment me in private, because the most honest, flattery-free kind of compliments are done where no one else can see. If something as easy as moving boxes is awesome to you...you must be easily impressed, in which case you should come listen to me play guitar sometime. I'll have a small following of groupies in no time :D
Really, I think the only person that deserves public complements and praise is God. Because God does the impossible every day. So if you are about to give me some kind of public praise...praise God instead.
On Criticism:
If there is one great thing about criticism, it is that it is never flattering, so it can be done publicly or privately, though doing it publicly is humiliating on the part of the recipient of criticism. I take pride in my work, and so I value constructive criticism above all things, because it helps me do my job better. If you are telling me things which will help make me do my job better, please, by all means speak up. Nobody criticized me for how I moved stuff, because that's a pretty hard job to mess up *smiling* but if they did, I would try to do it better. But I would no more want someone to tell me "You move boxes great!" publicly anymore than I would want them to say "You suck at moving boxes" publicly.
On to Thanks.
I see thanks as being different. "Thanks" means that the person was happy that you did something regardless of what it was and doesn't imply that you are somehow great or exceeding the standard. What it means is that the person sees that you care and did something. Thanks is something I am willing to accept, even if I was only doing some basic thing. Some people have thanked me, like Grace, Mitch, and Jen (for some reason...). I greatly appreciate this and take it to heart. I like it when I am recognized for what I have done without it being glorified, flattered, or patronized with unnecessary or public complements.
I feel it is also easier for me to remain humble when given thanks instead of complements.
So, for those I in turn thank people for their thanks. Thank you for having something for me to do for the kingdom, even if it was only something as rudimentary as moving mics and speakers around. It is my hope that someday, I will be able to do even more.
First, let me start with a definition (this is my definition, I don't have a dictionary handy):
Complement v/n: a comment made form one person to another indicating that the recipient has not only met the standard, but that they have exceeded the standard and have done better than what was expected or required.
Thanks v/n: An expression of gratitude for an effort made, regardless of its quality or inherent value.
On Compliments:
I have a couple of problems with them. The first is that they are often done out of flattery, and flattery is absolutely useless to me. The second problem is that one person's idea of what is extraordinary and above the standard does not always align with what another person's idea of what is above the standard. The third is that I hate when they are done in a public manner, because they feel...patronizing. If someone were to seriously sit down with me and compliment what I have done, then that is different. My gripe is about public compliments.
As an example, I remember someone complemented me for "being brave" and stuff like that when I went up to read poetry (probably because I sometimes stammer or screw lines up, and so they think that me going up there is an act of bravery because I sound like somebody who is terrified of public speaking). I don't give a crap about whether I'm brave or not, that's besides the point. I didn't go up on stage to be "brave" I went up there to read my poem and get the point across! I went there because God called me to, and I need to be sure that I did a good job doing it. So telling me I was brave isn't helping me do a good job.
And, I have to admit, I do appreciate complements on what I create itself. It is my hope that perhaps in the future I will be able to do things that are worthy of compliments. Given how high I set the standard for myself, I doubt that time will ever come. I guess what I mean to say is that I use how I am right now as the standard. So if I do a great guitar lick on stage, I would consider that compliment worthy because I have never done it before. Now that the bar is raised, I wold expect no compliments if I did it again. I don't compare myself to people other than me.
I guess my point is, unless I have done something you deem truly extraordinary, do not compliment me out of hand in public. Compliment me because I did something that moved you or because you thought it was awesome, and compliment me in private, because the most honest, flattery-free kind of compliments are done where no one else can see. If something as easy as moving boxes is awesome to you...you must be easily impressed, in which case you should come listen to me play guitar sometime. I'll have a small following of groupies in no time :D
Really, I think the only person that deserves public complements and praise is God. Because God does the impossible every day. So if you are about to give me some kind of public praise...praise God instead.
On Criticism:
If there is one great thing about criticism, it is that it is never flattering, so it can be done publicly or privately, though doing it publicly is humiliating on the part of the recipient of criticism. I take pride in my work, and so I value constructive criticism above all things, because it helps me do my job better. If you are telling me things which will help make me do my job better, please, by all means speak up. Nobody criticized me for how I moved stuff, because that's a pretty hard job to mess up *smiling* but if they did, I would try to do it better. But I would no more want someone to tell me "You move boxes great!" publicly anymore than I would want them to say "You suck at moving boxes" publicly.
On to Thanks.
I see thanks as being different. "Thanks" means that the person was happy that you did something regardless of what it was and doesn't imply that you are somehow great or exceeding the standard. What it means is that the person sees that you care and did something. Thanks is something I am willing to accept, even if I was only doing some basic thing. Some people have thanked me, like Grace, Mitch, and Jen (for some reason...). I greatly appreciate this and take it to heart. I like it when I am recognized for what I have done without it being glorified, flattered, or patronized with unnecessary or public complements.
I feel it is also easier for me to remain humble when given thanks instead of complements.
So, for those I in turn thank people for their thanks. Thank you for having something for me to do for the kingdom, even if it was only something as rudimentary as moving mics and speakers around. It is my hope that someday, I will be able to do even more.
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