Friday, September 30, 2011

Help

So, the last couple days I've been asking God specifically to give me opportunities to show His love to people. Be careful when you pray something like this...you might have to go out of your way to help someone *gasp*. God's given me a couple of moments which I could've really easily just let go...I've had to stop and think, then stop and think again, before I decided to take the opportunities.

It's sad I have to do that. I want to be able to willingly give my time and resources to help others without thinking twice about it.

Then on the flip side, I look for ways to help others at random, but I often neglect things which need to be done in the apartment I share with four other guys.

Lord, please continue to change my desires and mind so I can better serve You and those around me.

Peace.

The goodbye note

So, this is a note I wrote on FB. I wanted to keep the text around so I can look back on it someday, and for any others who may be interested.

"So, FB friends, I haven't written a note in a while. I'm here to talk about an issue we're all aware of right now, but not in an angry way or to complain (disclaimer). I just want to share my views on it, and maybe make you think.

As we've seen, FB is changing big-time. Some people may still not have seen the biggest changes which are on the way: FB Timeline. The whole Profile system is going to be completely re-vamped soon, with a much heavier focus on pictures. The point is so people can tell their whole life story, from birth to our current state, via pictures. By doing this, FB is making a brilliant move. They're following the current cultural trend, namely, a return to an emphasis on narrative, or story-telling. The general populace will love this, even if most don't initially.

I'm using this as a prime opportunity to leave FB for good. I've mentioned it already to a few people, some accepting it, and some acting appalled, haha. I plan on making a complete switch to Google+, which is Google's social network. I've had to answer a lot of questions so far, so I'll try to reiterate them and my answers below.

"Why?"
- I'm tired of FB, to be honest. People make too much hype about status updates, spend too much time on it, and treat FB friendships like real, in-person relationships (I'm saying they're NOT, if you didn't catch that). The fact of me writing this note at all means we all take it way too seriously. I don't like the dependance people place on FB. We make it out like it's this huge thing to not log on for a few days or a week or a month. Think about it, really: a "FB fast?" Big deal. We put far too much stock in our digital life.

Think about this: the reason we have friendships is because we're made with a desire for love, affection, and camaraderie. My issue is I feel like we're seeking this online now, where those needs can never be fully met. FB gives an illusion of them, which is why we love it. Are we afraid of real relationships, relationships where we hurt and get hurt, relationships where we are vulnerable, relationships where we find others are vulnerable, too? I would rather depend less on digital relationships and work harder on real ones.

"Aren't you just switching to a different kind of FB, though?"
- G+ is significantly less addicting; I've found this to be true. FB also owns all the information you give it and stores it indefinitely; Google gives you the option of deleting all your information from their system if you want to officially close your account. Also, too many people really are overly-attached to FB; I want to stand against this and live without it.

"Why force yourself out of the loop? Won't you miss out on a lot now?"
- People, seriously. Life is not about entertaining yourself and knowing everything. You may think, "Duh!" at this statement, but it's more true than most of us understand. The American mindset is hopelessly distorted with the need for entertainment and the need to be smarter than everyone else. Some people think they're above this...I'll let them think they are; I know I'm not. Facebook is also addicting because it entertains us and makes us feel smarter than we are. It gives us so many options for interacting with others and expressing ourselves, and it gives us a wealth of knowledge about others and what's going on in the world.

Here's a thought: our need to know freaking everything will never be satisfied, and digital communications make this "need" even worse. Most people I know who don't have a FB account have been made fun of or looked down on because they don't have one. The idea is they don't know as much as you do and aren't as socially connected as you are, and it's their choice to live in a cave. Really?

"Won't it be hard to stay in contact with people if you don't have a FB?"
- Meaningful relationships are made stronger when you work hard at making them better, and FB makes relationships cheap. I don't mean to offend anyone (or maybe I do...), but my generation and the upcoming one are digital whores. We want everything to be easy for us, and dealing with people online is much easier than dealing with people in person. Keeping in touch with people online is much easier than calling someone (oh goodness) or, God forbid, writing a letter and sending it to someone in the mail. This, among plenty of other factors I won't discuss, is making us really selfish in our relationships, which causes a whole host of other problems in our lives.

I could probably say more, to be honest, but this will suffice in stating my views. I will be leaving here around the time when the new Profile system gets put into effect. If you want to stay in contact, my information is listed below. If you don't feel like putting in the effort to stay in contact over something else besides FB, then you probably shouldn't complain about me leaving. I will legitimately try to stay in contact if you try, too."

I also included my contact information on the original note. If you want a way to contact me, ask me and I'll give it to you; I'm not just posting it all on here, though.

Peace.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Walking in the rain

So, it's been raining the past couple days here at the Arb. I've discovered a newfound appreciation for the rain. Getting your jacket soaked outside brings a heightened awareness of the warmth and dryness of the next building you walk into.

I've also been recently pegged across campus as "the guy with no shoes." Both friends and people I don't know have been commenting on how I don't wear shoes and asking me why I don't. My usual answer is simply, "I dunno, I don't really like shoes." Really, it's a little more than just this, though. I truly feel better when I walk barefoot: I feel more peaceful and more able to connect to the world, since walking barefoot gives you a whole new sense of what's around you. I feel more alive, because I can feel the pain in my soles from walking over rocks. I feel more like I think I was made to feel.

Peace.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Leaves from the Tree

So, I picked a leaf from the big oak tree in the middle of Spring Arbor. I looked at the leaf, and realised certain things about it. Without being connected to its source, the leaf will fade, wither, and die. Oak leaves are strong, yet also flexible; however, they only are because they are connected to their source. There are pieces missing from the leaf, blemishes throughout, and it's fairly bent up...but through all those things, you can still tell what it is and where it came from.


Let's be leaves from the Tree.

Peace.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The Stoic Christian

So, I recently read about G.K. Chesterton in one of my textbooks, and I was thoroughly impressed with the man. He was a journalist, essayist, debater, and and general learner and reader who loved God and people deeply. He has long been remembered for his intelligence and supreme wit. Opponents who would debate him often went away as his friends because of his charisma and seemingly endless joy about life.

The author of the book said we need more Chestertons in Christianity today, and I totally agree. I often try to stifle my emotions in order to seem more "stable" or "normal," and I think I sometimes come across as someone who just doesn't have any fun. I sometimes find myself in the mindset that I have to control my every emotion in order to be a good Christian, which is not true.

I was reading Luke 18 today. In this chapter, Jesus tells the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in the temple together. When He gets to the part about the tax collector beating his chest and crying out to God, I imagined Jesus going through this same motion in telling the parable. After the parable, Luke says many people were bringing infants and children to Jesus. I had a thought during this. I often think of Jesus having a stoic personality who is quiet and sombre most of the time. Why? Thinking about it more, I bet Jesus was a pretty charismatic teacher. I bet He got into the parables He told, laughed a lot, and used the rhetoric of his time.

Just a quick thought, but it's a really nice perspective.

Peace.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Beauty

So, I walked to class this morning in a heavy fog. Fog deadens everything it covers; campus was nearly silent for once. Looking at trees off in the distance ("the distance" meaning about forty yards away), I couldn't help but think it was beautiful. People often see fog as an obstacle they have to slow down for; recognising God made it gives you a different perspective. Even though I couldn't see far, and the usual campus noises and chatter were absent, I saw God's Creation still, and the crickets and birds seemed even louder than usual: a chorus singing praise to the Maker of heaven and earth, even through the haze. After I finished my classes about three hours later, I walked back to my apartment. By now, the sun had come out, chasing away the fog. The colors of the trees seemed to be shouting for joy in the light. I looked at an evergreen tree and noticed the striking blue-green color of its needles, how different it was from the other trees, how beautiful it was. I looked at a maple and an oak, and realised they weren't just more trees: God made each one unique and beautiful, and if you take more than a passing glance at any one, you can see its beauty for yourself.

God reveals Himself in nature. He taught me several things this morning. First, the fog corresponds to hardships and obstacles in our life. We see pain and trouble as things to overcome, and we wonder why God brings them to us. We should see God's mighty hand working even then, and the beauty of what He's doing. Even when everything seems quiet, and we can't seem to hear God's comforting voice, His power and beauty are still present, coming through in the smallest ways we don't normally notice. When God lifts the veil, we can see clearly the situation around us, and everything seems even better than it was before the darkness; we can appreciate it more. Second (which God showed me as I typed this), those trees in the sunlight are like people. This is a lesson God has been teaching me a lot lately: people really are beautiful, no matter what they may seem like in passing. This is a hard one for me. Third, if Creation is so beautiful, how much more must be the beauty of its Creator! Every time I look around outside, I have to acknowledge the grand beauty of nature, yet, at the same time, its inferiority to what we will come to know.

Peace.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Know No Fear?

So, the theme at my camp this summer was "Know No Fear." I've been learning a lot about what this means in my life, especially lately.

I have a hard time with trust. I've lost a lot of faith in people in general, and would have to consider myself a pessimistic realist most of the time. Since I have trust issues like this, it's also hard for me to trust God. It's hard for me to put things I'm deeply concerned about in His hands, because part of me is afraid I'll be let down like I usually am. I know this is something a lot of people deal with, but it's also something I've just been realizing about myself.

I'm really afraid of a lot of interactions with people in general because of this fear. Interacting with people online is easier for me. I think this is a trend of my generation, though. We're becoming more dependent on technology for communication, and it's taking away from our social skills...and fast. The generations younger than us are going even faster.

I hate being part of trends like that. I could justify it by saying something like, "Well, in order to stay culturally relevant to today's youth...." I'm not out to be relevant. I want to have real relationships with people without encouraging bad communication habits.

I'm having the "Facebook ditching" conversation with people right now. It's interesting to see how scared people get of their friends leaving it. We think it's so hard to communicate without it that we fear we'll lose friendships without it. Well, what if we do? We can't be friends with everyone on earth, even though Facebook would tell us otherwise. It seems like we're all just really insecure and afraid of having fewer friends. I wonder why that is.

It's ironic: we seem to be afraid of going out of our way and having real, meaningful interactions...but we also seem to be afraid of having fewer friends. I think that's a little counterproductive.

Anyway, I went a different direction than I was planning when I started writing. Funny how that works. It's late and I'm losing focus. I think I'll stop before I start writing really silly things.

"You say tomato; I say video games!" ~FIF

Peace.