posting. settings. layout. monetize?

hmmmmm... so, i'm currently burping up sushi flavoured stomach gas, and it's delicious.

but, thats not the point of this blog. to quote He Is Legend's 'china white": "OH NO!"

the point of this blog is love.

that all encompassing cure-all that gets posted and reposted more than news of justin biebers relationship status. (still single, if i'm lucky)

anyways, love is all everything ever seems to boil down to. reading 'sex god' by Rob Bell really hammers home the point: the bible is just one, long, convoluted and supremely layered love story. albeit in 66 parts.

also, marriage.

life is marriage. of course, since you are you and i am me, you don't understand entirely what i mean by that. (i think this relates to Deconstructionist philosophy, but i've been drifting in philo lately, so i dont really know)

the bible is really a story of God proposing to us and following through.

marriage is just a way that it is explained to us.

of course, marriage has been completely bastardized by modern society, and most societies really, so the statement that 'life is marriage' is even more confusing and meaningless.

i guess to say 'this is that' is misleading. 'life is all about marriage' makes more sense. but, it's too wordy.

hence.

life is marriage.

(i doubt this made much sense, but i hope you understood on some level.)

music to find:

China White

by

He Is Legend.

awesome breakdown at the end.

a weeks worth of silence

so, hopefully something of meaning comes out of this blog update.

nothing was thrown up here last week because i had a life. i was out living. i came home exhausted and very early in the morning.

i loved it.

to me, summer is exhaustion with the option of being able to sleep whenever or wherever you'd like.

nothing to do, nowhere to be consistently, heat everywhere. heaven. or something supremely positive.

but yeah, another reason was, that since it was march break, i didnt have as many youth related things going on, so sadly, less group oriented spirituality to dissect.

however, i did read 'velvet elvis' by rob bell. good book, nice and challanging. some of his theology seems screwed up, and apparently he pisses off fundamentalists, which makes the little anarcho-punk in me happy.

but in all honesty, fundamentalists are people too. they just dont know how to have fun.

i kid.

anyways, he paints a nice analogy about how the christian faith should be more like a trampoline then a brick wall. we can't make the assumption we know everything definitively, because, we don't. not to say that there is no way of knowing anything (because how could we know that?) but being mule-headed and unflexing in your beliefs isnt going to do anything. and if one brick is taken out, the entire thing is weakened.

besides, it's way more fun to bounce on a trampoline then it is to run into a brick wall.

aside from the content, he also had an interesting writing style. he had a habit of saying something in a very wordy way, then going down a line

and reiterating it in a simple sentence.

possibly with the intention of being quotable, which he usually succeeds at.

anyways, it was an interesting read. but, on to more fun things:

homework

the dichotomy of flesh and spirit

tonight at youth they continued with the whole 'stories' theme, and two of the stories had a shared theme of flesh vs spirit(another one referenced ewoks (win) while another said the word l'like' incorrectly 57 times). it's a rather intrinsic idea to christianity, with the eventual conclusion being that we sacrifice desires of the flesh to advance spiritually.

i think most christians come to the point where they have to make an actual decision to live up to their former decision to be a christian, and decide on flesh or spirit. for some people it's one 'do-or-die' moment, other people it's a process, but i think it's something everyone goes through.

anyways, one of the stories also talked about love (and misused 'like' 57 times).

something that is also fairly basic in christianity is the commandment to love God. it's an interesting concept, to love God. once again, it's something we've grown up with, but, to realize that God is God, and He does love us and wants us to love Him is rather staggering.

let it sink in.

breathe.

so, how to love God? i was thinking about how we express love for other people. there are, of course, the 5 love languages, which is a point that just occurred to me that i'll have to meditate more on.

but i guess for me, when i want to be better friends with someone, or when i care about someone, i want to know. i think desire for knowledge of someone or something is a form of love. i have a voracious and insatiable love of personality theory. it fascinates me to no end how people can be classified, but simultaneously break free of those classifications easily and still fit into them.

yes, that last sentence makes no sense, but this is life; get used to it.

so, i think away to love God is to know as much about Him as you can. obvious source: the bible. it would be, to use super-duper smart terminology, a primary source.

there are other ways to learn about God though. there is introspection, to see how He is working in your life. there is extrospection (new word coinage ftw) which is to see, or discuss how He is working in other peoples lives. there are also other 'supplementary' reads, people like Donald Miller or C.S. Lewis who write things to help clarify God. but, being God, the picture is still indiscernible on a certain level.

so, my original point was that love seems to be the point where flesh meets spirit. it's a basic, human need. arguably the most basic. i'm not sure if there is scriptural backing for this, but it'll make for good conversation in the future.

things of the spirit are more eternal, ethereal and existential.

things of the flesh are more immediate and intoxicating on a shallow level.

love seems to fit into all these categories.

(i realize i have not articulated what i wanted to say precisely, but i dont really have an issue with that. i've given you the foundation for some introspection. hopefully. that is enough. hopefully.)

a song to leave you with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_E9FoyUsA8

artist: the classic crime

title: the ascent

album: the silver chord

lyrics: none

a parable and a conversation

so, tonight at youth, we discussed the parable in

Matthew 13:31-33

which is

³¹He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

³³He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount^{a]" style=" line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]} of flour until it worked all through the dough."

the general deduction was that the kingdom of God starts small, then explodes and expands exponentially. based on that, i've decided that christianity, is, for the most part, dead in north america. bit of a shocking claim, but really, think about the christians you know. think about yourself. probably not living the way a christian should. sure, there are the exceptions, but they're usually ostracized because they make people feel awkward.

but, fortunately, empires collapse eventually. the hegemonic westernized society that is currently choking the planet, has, tops, 100 years left in it before it must give way to something else. not greater or better, just different. no empire lasts forever, as history has shown us. and, weird as this may sound, i kind of hope the next super power isn't so lenient on christians. hearing about the faith that believers from other countries have is staggering. the fact that they could die for what they believe makes it so much more important. here, we get to become one of a thousand faceless individuals with some sort of spiritual belief.

my cynicism is not really fully explained here, but maybe in a later post i'll expand on this topic.

for now though, i leave you with this song:

song: listening to freddie mercury
artist:emery
album: the question (where were You when i was...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F61B_O3R9SE

lyrics:

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858553204/

excerpt of notice:

You're a Christian/ tell the sinner: "find repentance" "it's your last chance."
You believer, where's your patience?

lyric of the day - mid-day update

song: every thought a thought of You
band: mewithoutYou
album: it's all crazy! it's all false! it's all a dream! it's alright

lyrical excerpt of excellance:

"when we swear, my love is real,

we mean, i like the way you make me feel"

full lyrics:

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858770595/

actual song:

http://www.purevolume.com/mewithoutyou

(it's the first song)

individuality in a copy and paste society

society has skewered the concept of individuality so much that i'm not even sure where to begin.

...

hmm.

lets skip the introduction and just get on with it.

in life, you always have to make choices. whether physical or mental, choices are the basis of day to day life and are arguably the most important part of human existence.

so, in regards to other humans, there is a mental choice that must be made in regards to how you view them.

they can either be senseless clones with no real originality and therefore no objective or subjective value because they are a dime a dozen.

or

you can view them as unique individuals.

thats it. you can't say certain people are one, and others the other. it's one or the other.

i recently came to this conclusion through using my observation skills! inductive logic FTW!

the more i talk to people, the more i see that yes, there are generalities that are connected, hence the usefulness of things like MBTI, but even within there, the possibility for difference is infinite.

i'm starting to come to the conclusion that every person is one in a million. or rather, one in six billion.

and, its exhausting. life is so much easier when you can view crowds as disposable. to realize that everything person in your school, that you pass on the street, that you ignore in an elevator, that each one has objective value as a person, has a unique story, a unique view point, the ability to bring you to tears with a story from their lives. well, thats an incomplete sentence, but thats how i feel whenever i think of that. incomplete. knowing that there is such a myriad of connections to be made, to be had. it is tiring.

friendships, strong friendships, lasting friendships, take a lot of work. getting to know one person well is oftentimes a struggle. but, getting to that layer, getting under the epidermis and into their innermost chambers is always worth whatever frustration or trials were in the way.

so yeah, this lacked an introduction and any real supporting facts or such. it's just me, stating whats been on my mind. a relevant verse that comes to mind is psalms 136:13-15 (NIV)

for you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

i praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

i know that full well.

my frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

the innermost being... such a titillating concept.

and, the song of the day:

desolate earth; the end is here -by- underoath

link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbJaPDZH7cQ

lyrics:

You said there was nothing left down here
Well I roamed around the wasteland
And I swear I found something
I found hope, I found God
I found the dreams of the believers

Oh, God! Save us all

(best part of the song is around 3 minutes in where the violin carries it into the drums... guh. beauty)

life or something

i swear, somewhere in my mind, a truly awesome blog is forming slowly like a monster out of miry clay.

but in the meantime, real life is getting in the way and i can't focus enough to pour it onto the page.

so, for now, i will re-edit my english essay.

listen to:

forever young

by

youth group

(no link available)

tonight was the start of marchs theme at my yg. the theme is 'stories' or something like that.

right now i'm way, way to tired to go into detail, but i probably will at a later date.

i'd just like to share with you that springvale has a new website up.

www.SPRINGVALEYOUTH.com

there.

oh, and i heard a funny joke tonight:

"what would you do if canada flooded?"

"drink canada dry"

(cue lulz)

so let me introduce myself!... IM A MESS!

story number 1:

yesterday me and a friend were killing time in wal-mart, waiting for everyone to leave a certain store so we could go root through their dumpster (yes, we are 'those people').

whilst in wal-mart, two other guys from our school (who both shared the same name) made themselves noticeable by riding around on the buggy's reserved for people who have issues walking.

while i 'knew' both of these kids, i do not 'know' them. aside from their names, i have little other knowledge of them. that being said, my judgements of them are probably not fair. i doubt they're wrong, but i dont think that i have enough information on them to actually be making character calls.

but, here was my assessment.

they have no potential. i thrive on possibility, on what could be, on the ethereal, metaphysical things. math holds no interest for me, because it's so formulaic. you do this, this happens.

these two boys of the same name, i viewed them as a formula. plug in the same variables, and out pops the same response. since they held no potential in my mind, i wrote them off as unimaginative and dull, hence i could justify not wanting to get to know them.

story number 2:

tonight, my friend was driving me home and as we were discussing who-knows-what, i brought up something fun that my politics teacher told me last semester: homeless people hate each other based on addictions. her husband is a social worker, and apparently the crack-heads hate the alcoholics, and the alcoholics hate the crack-heads. quoth jack sparrow: "funny our world, innit?"

anywhoozle, as i was explaining that odd situation to my friend, i ended my monologue with "it's so weird what people will come up with so that they can feel superior to others."

and thats when it hit me. i had done the exact same thing the night before with those two guys from my high school.

i had decided that since i did not see them as being potential filled that i was therefore better than them because i was a dynamic being who could expand in any field as i so desired. i mentally condemned to a life of cheap thrills and cheap girls.

but, everyone has potential. or at the very least, potential for potential. and i'm very glad that i dont listen to myself on who i should write-off, because there are at least two very amazing friends i would not have.

(not the two from wal-mart)

moral of the stories: dont give up on people.

(for those who care, the dumpster diving yeilded a brand new 40 dollar ipod dock (stellar sound quality) a pair of size 11 DC shoes (brand new) two womens coats (one plaid petticoat, the other a gorrila-esque something) and a pair of womens pants. all new. good times)

and, on to the music of the day:

i was going to say 'the northern' by alexisonfire, but they dont have that song posted on their purevolume (which, btw, is waaaaaaaaay better than myspace) but, they have 'Rough Hands' which is a similar flavor. here are some lines to meditate on:

Sometimes love isn't about how much someone suits you
But, how much you're willing to change to suit them

heres the link to the song:

http://www.purevolume.com/alexisonfire/albums/Crisis

(second from the top)

and, here is a link to the full lyrics:

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858612839/

God bless and have an awesome thursday! (or whichever day you read this on)

island of theft

a while ago (last year sometime) i was at a show. it wasnt much of a show. the venue was tiny, i didnt know either of the bands and the crowd was weak at best. of course, none of these things should really affect the quality of the music, and they didnt.
the first band to take the stage was visually a bit embarrassing. they had a nice, jovial stage presence, but for the style of music they played (super duper generic powerpop punk) the stage presence was, well, tacky. the lead singer had this weird shoveling motion he would do with both hands and his mic, as if he was trying to dig a hole for his music.
anyways, aside from being flashy and having some catchy synth riffs, they were mostly forgettable. they had a fun merch guy so i bought their shirt, but in retrospect my money could have been better spent on more noble musicians.
anywho, that band is not the point of this post.
nope, the second 'headlining' band is where the topics at. Isle Of Thieves.
even their name is striking. it sounds unexpected. i didnt really like it when i first heard it, and i'm not sure if i would name my band that, but it does have that certain ring to it.
now then, as i stated earlier, the crowd sucked. i'm not sure why they were there, they all acted to pretentious to actually care about music of this sort. but still, they were there and they were stationary. so, to spice things up, i jumped around here and there to the second band. nothing shocking. little head bob there, body slam there.
after the show, the guitarist approached me and gave me a free cd as thanks for crowd participation.
i didnt enjoy the band enough to have actually forked over the 10 dollars for the cd, but hey, if i got it for free, might as well listen to it.


if you decided to skip all that writing, let me summarize it for you: i got a free cd that had an epic line in it:
"you'll never find love in a one night stand/or understand God in terms of man"

now then, i'm fairly sure this band is not a 'christian' band per se (but who can even say what that means these days)

moving along.

i just really like that stanza. i know a lot of people (myself included) have struggled/do struggle with God. in general. since we've grown up with it, we sort of accept the idea. but, just think about it.
God.

mind blowing.

anyways, being that He is God, we arent going to comprehend Him. on some small, human scale we might catch some etheral glimpse, but as for who He is. it's incomprehensible. and Isle of Thieves caught that very nicely by presenting two impossibilities.
props to IOT

just a heads up...

God is good.