What is this, the fifth time?

I’ve realized over the course of the past few months that I have more things to say than ever, but inadequate words and lack of focus have stymied any desire to update. So, until I determine what the grand purpose of this blog is, I must bid adios.

What breaks yours?

I’ll let you know, there is nothing more convicting than walking at night in downtown, with nothing more than Hosanna in your ears and lost souls everywhere.

Motivations

Conventional wisdom says that one does what they love, what they’re passionate about. While this is true, it’s not the whole picture from a Biblical viewpoint, as follows:

Does God call you to do something that you don’t feel a passion for?

Good question, Ross. Run it by biblical examples: - Do you think Abraham had a passion to leave Ur and strike out, “not knowing where he went”? - Do you think Jonah has a passion to preach to Nineveh? - Do you think the 12 disciples had a passion to be fishers of men when Jesus first called them? - Do you think Jeremiah had a passion to give a message to his people that God would judge them? In my experience, God calls us and we respond with obedience. As we do so and get involved, He begins to work in our hearts. What do you think God is calling you to do? (It doesn’t sound like you are passionate about it!) Source: http://www.urbana.org/ns.aj.showall.cfm?RecordId=2863

There’s two significant points behind this. The first point is that passion can be created from a human perspective. Much like how happiness can be a state of mind that one puts himself or herself into, one can also generate passion within themselves for a certain topic. The second point is that God is a major, if not the only driving force behind creating this passion, through obedience of His will. It all boils down to putting Christ as the Lord in your life.

In other news, for these next few weeks, I’m seriously reflecting and thinking on my motivations for applying for law school, and my career and life goals in general. Any and all advice is welcome.

I hope not everyone from China is this creepy

Session Start: April 15, 2008

• kw..KW..?ok – heading back to TO this weekend anyone? (*****@hotmail.com)
• Storm (*******@hotmail.com)

(12:34 AM) Storm:	hi
(12:35 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	hey who is this?
(12:35 AM) Storm:	oh ,I’m from China
(12:35 AM) Storm:	see?
(12:37 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	cool
(12:37 AM) Storm:	Haven’t seen you for a long time
(12:37 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	sorry do i know you?
(12:38 AM) Storm:	I knew yu last year
(12:38 AM) Storm:	remember?
(12:38 AM) Storm:
(12:38 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	don’t recall man
(12:38 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	where did we meet?
(12:39 AM) Storm:	I didn’t mean we met before.\
(12:39 AM) Storm:	Just knew on the net
(12:40 AM) Storm:	see?
(12:40 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	where did we meet on the net?
(12:40 AM) Storm:	msn You know that
(12:40 AM) Storm:	haha
(12:41 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	i don’t think i know who you are
(12:41 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	sorry
(12:42 AM) Storm:	That doesn’t matter.
(12:42 AM) Storm:	we can know each other again,huh
(12:43 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	i don’t talk to strangers on msn
(12:43 AM) Storm:	oh
(12:43 AM) Storm:	I see
(12:43 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	sorry!
(12:43 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	maybe you can meet someone else who’s more open
(12:43 AM) Storm:	Would you say “goodbye”
(12:44 AM) Storm:	bye
(12:44 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	sure thing
(12:44 AM) kw..KW..?ok – he:	later, nice talking to you
(12:44 AM) Storm:	me too
(12:44 AM)	Storm has been blocked

Materialism vs Spirituality: Chicken or the Egg?

Warning – This may be a bit high level for y’all

Some very interesting observations came to me recently, when I experienced first-hand that church and culture directly clashing within what I was learning.

We’ve been studying Marx as a political philosopher,  and I must say it’s some challenging reading, to boil down his theoretical framework to more practical terms. Marx, as we all knowed, advocated a grand vision of economic bliss far different than what capitalism has done today. Time has proven which philosophy was the correct one. Today, Marx exists only as a footnote, and a critic to the capitalist tradition.

One of his beliefs I took particular issue with was his stance on materialism, as follows:

It is a truism that our material needs must be satisfied before any other form of life (e.g. political, intellectual) can exist. - German Ideology

Now, I’m familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and consequent philosophies that have basically stated to take care of your physical needs as a primary concern before addressing other higher level concerns. However, something still irks me about these philosophies in how exclusive they are in saying that material needs come first. Add in examples of priests who have sacrificed themselves in Nazi death camps, or countless martyrs throughout history, and this claim becomes less clear. Finally, in one of his sermons, the famous Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias declared that through Jesus resisting the temptation of Satan to attend to all his materialistic needs (“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4). From all this, it’s obvious that there are serious flaws with this belief of a merely material-focused reality.

I talked to my professor about this dilemma, and his reply was this – Marx’s materalism was merely from a scientific and historical perspective, not a normative perspective. Societies only progress once they have met their physical needs. However this was merely his own opinion. But to argue that people can only progress linearly through physical needs before thinking of spiritual ones seriously discredits human ingenuity. Where are the experts, the secondary sources to confirm my professor’s ideas? Why does Marx not elaborate on this further, and explain that that there was a spiritual dimension to life? Was there even vision for spirituality and faith in Marx’s ideas? And why is there such a disconnect from the ideal production-based future that Marx envisioned and the terrible realities of the twentieth century?

While Marx may have some plausible truth in his claims of materialistic needs, like the rest of his philosophy, it is questionable how practical his theory here is. Marx may have had good intentions, but all this only proves is that the philosophies of man cannot fill a deeper sense of purpose and longing that God provides.

More Than Ever

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

It’s so easy to get lost in the details and forget the big picture, the direction that this is headed sometimes.

In which we deduce American politics is infinitely more interesting than Canadian

Obama Speech at Pennsylvania

Transcript

This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy — particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction — a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people — that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

Wow. This is one of the most eloquent, thoughtful, well-reasoned, direct speeches on racial issues ever. Obama actually sounds as if he’s speaking from the heart, not stringing together soundbites for the evening news. Can I trade my Canadian vote for an American one yet?

Not back yet

A bottle of Sleeman’s + hot, steaming chicken soup with pepper –> Realization that relationships are called that, for the very reason of having to relate to people.

Too busy…

’scuse me, would you like to hear about the word of God?

I was already late on my way to class, as usual, but the earnest tone of his voice, and the look he had as if he had been standing out there in the unseasonably warm weather for the past hour or so, made me jolt to a stop.

Thanks… I’m just here to tell you about the wonderful plan that God has for me and everyone else around the world and

I fumbled for my Ipod controls and turned it off. If he was going to launch into a presentation the least I could do was listen. Unfortunately, things wouldn’t turn out as well as either of us intended.

“What denomination are you from again?”

…Church of Latter Day Saints…

My mind had already triggered into its base instincts, and flight was the solid option. A litany of excuses poured out of my mouth. “Sorry man, I don’t have the time, I’m late for class already”, I said, half ready to break into a run. I really didn’t want to miss this class.

Well, thanks, it was nice meeting you.

Likewise… though I couldn’t walk away without feeling a tangible sense of disappointment. Is my life so important that I couldn’t spare some time for him? What excuse can I make to God? I’m sorry, I don’t have the time? That someone else would be able to talk with him?

Troubling thoughts indeed.

Bookmarks dump

Here’s some cool links I’ve meant to blog about for the past few months, but have never found the time to… until now. (Well technically, I still haven’t found the time, but whatever) In no particular order:

Politics in America – Robert L. Kocher: This seemingly fringe writer is easy to dismiss. He espouses a brand of conservatism that seems intent on undoing all the changes of the past 50 years, and even Wikipedia doesn’t have an entry for this man. It would be a shame not to read his material though – Kocher raises some troubling valid questions regarding topics such as the Sexual Revolution, and where liberalism is taking Western society. The amount of effort he’s put into his writing warrants at least a skimming.

Elucidate Mixes: This 2-man DJ crew has been topping my playlists for the past few months now. Their mixes are perfect – they know just when to pump out the beats and get you grooving, and when to pull back and hit that euphoric state that trance is renowned for. I recommend the Lucid Dream set of mixes, particularly the 2AM and 5AM mixes.

WHTour: It’s like travelling to a bunch of famous places in the world without actually being there. Great 360 degree panoramic pictures, it’s a good resource for scouting out some of the most famous landmarks on the planet.

The Independent Gaming Source: If you’ve ever wondered where I get all my dumb games, here’s a good resource : )

Goodbye to All That: Anyone with a passing interest in American politics should read this. This is how rhetorical pieces should be done, people. An article like this would inspire voters far more than attacking the other candidate ever could. Obama all the way, please.

The Bible According to Google Earth: Definitely an interesting approach to envisioning events of the Bible. The first picture is astounding in how it portrays the Crucifixion. For a secular person, it simply puts into perspective that Jesus was a common man who died in a very painful manner, but for a Christian, it conveys the amazing love and pain God must have experienced, to appear as a simple human condemned to die for unworthy reasons.

Toodles! ‘Til next time!