Quickly

I just want to say that, while I still don't disagree with anything I posted earlier (so what if that sounds weird, it makes sense to me), I do realize their bi-partisan approach to the problem of a bi-partisan situation.

Far left requires far right to balance the information.

Bi-partisan politics disgust me, and this is why I disagree with the SBOE's decision(s). And this is why I won't be a politician.

And why I probably won't have any money when I grow up (at least not much will change, right?).

On the flip-side, I should shed light on the fact that my owning a computer does make me among the richest of the world, so I'm not complaining, and I don't intend to take it for granted.

Excuse Me Texas State Education Board?

So this seems to be quite the hot topic out in our country. And this is my blog. And I have something to say. So since its my blog and I have something to say, I'm going to say it. I will rue the day when I'm no longer allowed to do this.

[rant]

Here's the thing. As much as some of our founding fathers (and me) wish that this country was a light on a hill for the world to see, serving as a beacon of Christianity (we at least have succeeded in being a beacon of hope, and there's something to be said for that), this country is not. Changing our country's history to reflect it as an entity it failed to live up to is not only a lie, but it's also disgraceful to Christianity. Personally, I don't want the world to look at this country as an example of God's Nation. I do want them to look at Christians as an example of God's Nation, but America, for all of its greatness, is falling into the ancient trap of global productivity and prosperity, and our history parallels the Roman, Mongolian, etc. histories of the past.

Our nation (and global community) is steadily becoming more anti-Christian in its tolerance of anti-Christian ideals ("Christian sin" vs. "human sin"), and though this burdens me, it's something that has been happening since the founding of our nation. Though we had a good number of Christian founding fathers and their steadfast faiths and visions for our country, there were others that were not Christian. This doesn't mean they're not a part of our history! Lies are and never have been good tools of persuasion State Education Board; I don't care how evangelistic you think you're being. Evangelism starts with yourself, with how you live out the Gospel, so that others can see how Christ lives in you, pointing everything back to Him. It doesn't start with lying to our children about a country that never existed. God doesn't need a country for Himself to prove Himself. His people are His proof. And His people are everywhere.

Okay, so if you're a Christian, you know there's no such thing as separating your faith from the secular. To the Christian, God and the world are intertwined in a way that atomic fission can't separate; people have tried to do this though. Thomas Jefferson wrote our Declaration of Independence! His deism has nothing to do with his importance in American history.

Sorry, Mrs. Dunbar, but capitalism (excuse me, free enterprise) isn't founded upon Christian ideals. Go ahead and argue that one for the state.

And don't get me started on the Second Amendment. It's talking about militia. Period. Keep your guns. But keep them for the right reason, and don't interpret documents (like our Constitution) to fit your wants (especially the Bible).

On the other hand...

God has used America. Most certainly He has. Our free enterprise, though unbiblical, has given rise to opportunities that wouldn't otherwise exist, including ministry. I don't overlook this. I appreciate what our United States has to offer (the fact I can even do this is a wonderful privilege), and I will work while I am here to advance God's kingdom however He sees fit. America has served as a beacon of hope to the world for quite a long time; it also has quite a few Christians. Those two aspects can spawn some wonderful events if used correctly, and I don't intend to take that for granted.

I will not distort the truth of our world, nation, and people to carry out my mission. This is a paradox (and a turn-off to Christianity) to others, a destruction to my witness. I am here to spread the Truth, the Good News, God's glory. He doesn't need me to lie to do that; in fact, he doesn't even need me at all. It's by His grace that I get to come along for the ride.

[/rant]

*Yes, I know html uses <>. However, for some reason or another (I know only the basics of html), my computer reads that as an actual command.

(?)

"Love then, O Socrates, is not as you imagine the love of the beautiful." — "What, then?" — "Of generation and production in the beautiful." — "Why then of generation?" — "Generation is something eternal and immortal in immortality. It necessarily, from what has been confessed, follows that we must desire immortality together with what is good, since Love is the desire that good be for ever present to us. Of necessity Love must also be the desire for immortality."

~Plato

He was definitely one intelligent guy. So I suppose the next question to ask is what is immortality? What is this state--if we can call it that--we desire so much we are willing to overcome natural selfish tendencies and sacrifice those tendencies for others' sakes? Why do we desire it? What is beauty? If love is the generation and production in the beautiful, what is the beautiful?

I feel like all these questions eventually lead back to the beginning. Sure we may know how many things work (Plato seemed to know what love is, I personally think he's missing something else), but what put them here? Is the natural human gravitation to the (relative) aesthetic the product of millions of years of improbability? Is our obsession with meaning and understanding and love just another twist of a very large math equation?

Or maybe to put it a bit more simply, is it possible to overlook the design of our universe?

Oh, to Have Purpose

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

~Acts 17: 26-27

The past couple of weeks have been a test for me, and only now as I come out of my nonsensical faithlessness does God teach me what I should have known from the beginning (and what He was teaching me all along, but I just was being stubborn and not listening). But, again, it all works better for His glory.

I have no need to worry about where I am or what I need to be doing. I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I just need to pursue Him, and then His work will be done. What a stress-reliever!

Faith, faith, faith, faith...

Golly Gee Willickers, Batman!

Dick Grayson: "What's so important about Chopin?"

Bruce Wayne: "All music is important, Dick. It's the universal language. One of our best hopes for the eventual realization of the brotherhood of man."

Dick Grayson: "Gosh Bruce, yes, you're right. I'll practice harder from now on."

Two Shoes, or Not Two Shoes

So today I participated in the "Toms One Day Without Shoes" event and went barefoot for (most) of the day today (I had to wear them in the cafeteria, and I will have to wear them at the recital tonight).

Why?

Because it reminds me that I have so much that makes me comfortable, and others do not. I've never really spent much time thinking about how nice it is to wear shoes. But today as I skipped into paint lines, treaded carefully over gravel, felt my feet go numb in class, and got some odd stares from my peers, I now realize how difficult it is just to get across campus without shoes. Now, I didn't participate to show some kind of misplaced sense of pride or "Iook at me; I'm putting myself through pain to help these kids thousands of miles away from me." The truth is, I didn't help anybody.

Nobody.

I understand that. But maybe I sparked somebody else's thoughts. I definitely sparked my own. There's more to this nonsense than people realize. Never again will I take my shoes for granted, that's for sure. It's an experience, not an experiment, and I didn't intend to put myself above others by taking my shoes off (that's an absurd thought now that I write it, but I did get hit with a bit of flak for it).

It's a broken world, full of shattered glass and dusty rocks. Sometimes we forget that. Of course, sometimes we forget the wonderful coolness of a soft patch of clover too. It goes well to be reminded of these things at times.

Would you rather live your life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, or live as if there isn't a God and die to find out there is?

I've heard this my whole life, and I think it might be from Blaise Paschal (at least, that's what someone I highly respect told me).

I've had to be very cautious when reviewing this statement. At first I liked it very much, but the more and more I thought about it, the more I realized it leaves too much room for doubt. Surely doubt is that good test of all belief; but I think it's a very strong tool of the enemy too. We can get wrapped up in our own questions and lose track of what we should be doing, namely, coming to the full knowledge of God and sharing it with others. Why doubt what we already know (1 Peter 1:3-9)? Plus, Jesus rebuked his disciples' doubts on numerous occasions; I think particularly of Matthew 21:21, where he said that without doubt we could move mountains.

Christianity's not an insurance service. And I get really nervous when people try to simplify it to such terms.

I've just found ol' Blaise to be a bit misleading with his comment. Good logic; tricky consequences.