Guide

I am writing a climbing guide to the University of Florida campus. Hopefully it will be completed in a matter of months. Anybody that would be willing to help photograph and/or loan me a camera would be more than welcome. Although, of course, nobody reads this blog...

Rationality

So apparently (according to the study this summer with Dr. Horner) the Bible affirms the work of the mind: rationality, reason, logic, thought, discourse, etc.

But whose mind are we talking about? The past 100 years of thought have taught us a lot about the mind -- its dark corners, dead ends, and contradictory. The limits and fallacies of Western habits of reason (inherited from the Greeks) have never been more fully explored. Does Paul reason the way he does because that's the right way to do it; or is he only thinking that way because he is living in 1st Century Hellenistic culture?

Destruction

It is constantly presented to me that God is a creative Being and that we, as creatures made in His image are also creative. When we produce art we are bearing His image by being, ourselves, creative.

Much 20th-21st Century art, however, is quite destructive. Although some of this art seeks to be "creative" in its destructiveness, I would argue that a substantial amount of art from the past 100 years, at its core, pits itself against anything that would try to create. It destroys --frequently for no reason, or for the simple pleasure of tearing something apart.

Does such art cast off the image of God? Or does it simply bear the image in a different way? Couldn't God also be considered a Destroyer? Genesis tells us He destroyed the world with water once. He scattered the nations by confounding their speech. He obliterated Sodom and Gomorra, commanded the Israelites to wipe their enemies off the face of the earth, nearly eliminated the tribe of Benjamin, and has promised to destroy the world again. But it is striking that God is often called the Creater, and never (to my knowledge) the Destroyer.

MJ

The Michael Jackson memorial concert was on 17 out of a possible 67 channels in my house yesterday.

Crash

I totalled my car today. It's wierd cause I'm really tired, but also still so amped up I can't sleep. I keep vascillating between being angry at God for taking my car, grateful to Him for sparing my life, and feeling apathetic towards the whole thing.

Effected

I'm usually too emotionally effected by really good art to be able to discuss it intelligently. Particularly with movies.

Kids

It is interesting to me how much stuff is marketed to adults that was originally marketed to kids: Transformers, Xmen, Batman, etc. Also that TV show Wipeout (which is basically the same as those obsticle course shows on Nickelodien I remember from my childhood). And these things don't change much from child version to adult version. I suspect that this may be evidence that the sharp division between child and adult in American society may be artificial.

Billy Idol

I'd give my soul
For money to burn with you.
I'd give you all and have none, babe
To have you here by me.

Crumble

When the world comes crashing down around our heads, everyone will head to McDonald's for comfort.

Macro

From what I can gather on TV and documentaries and books, all the basic things that happen at the macro level in big, powerful, high-paying jobs happen at the micro level at an entry-level job at McDonald's.

Catholic

"...one holy catholic and apostolic church..." Do we really believe this part of the creed? If we didn't believe it would we behave differently than we do now?

I

7 of my last 20 posts begin with the word 'I.'

GRG

My climbing shoes came in today. Also, I bought a membership through the end of the year at the Gainesville Rock Gym.

Maine

There is a slim chance that I may move to Maine in the next 6 months to play bass in my friend Naveed's band, Felt Cock.

Germanium

I need to know where to get a matching pair of Germainium transistors. One with a gain value around 90, the other with a gain value around 120. Preferably AC128s.

Skills

In order to be fully prepared for life, I need to learn how to:

- Construct simple circuit boards
- Make and use a Molotov cocktail
- Hotwire a car

- Write basic computer programs
- Pick most locks

Texting

Text messages are abused. They should only be used for brief logistical messages, but instead are used for personal communication. This does a couple things.

- We are never unavailable. Doesn't matter if we are in class, at dinner, alone, workings, whatever. We are always available to send and recieve text messages.

- It is difficult to be fully present in any situation when we are so easily available to others.

- We interact impersonally with others when we should interact personally.

Each of these has major consequences that could be discussed more at length, but right now I don't feel like it. Maybe a blog isn't the appropriate place?

Selfish

I'm a lot more selfish and self-centered than I used to be. I wonder why that is.

Love. Obey.

Love God, Love neighbor.

1 John 1, 4, 5 Circle. How do we love God? By obeying His commands. What does he command? That we love Him and others. How do we know we are loving others? We love God and obey his commands.

Peter, do you love me?...Feed my sheep.

Woman

At work the other week, I asked a woman if she wanted whole or non-fat milk in her mocha and she said whole milk. Then she said "I've only got a year left to live so it doesn't really matter." We were slammed with people so I just had to keep taking orders and did not get to follow up.