Incoherent Mumbling
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Applications
So, I am about 6-7 months from graduation. I have started to look for jobs. I have applied to places in England (haven't heard back, been about 2 months, not holding my breath), Boise (wanted someone available sooner), Santa Clarita, Bend, Portland (all recent, still have not had a callback). I am beginning to wonder if starting so early was a very good idea.
I want to have a job in hand before I graduate, thus the early resume circulation. People who are looking for applicants want them to start sooner than later. It is a strange position: yes I want the job, but I can't start for several months, don't you think I am so qualified that you are willing to wait? No? Blast. ¶ 3:52 PM 4 feedback
So, I am about 6-7 months from graduation. I have started to look for jobs. I have applied to places in England (haven't heard back, been about 2 months, not holding my breath), Boise (wanted someone available sooner), Santa Clarita, Bend, Portland (all recent, still have not had a callback). I am beginning to wonder if starting so early was a very good idea.
I want to have a job in hand before I graduate, thus the early resume circulation. People who are looking for applicants want them to start sooner than later. It is a strange position: yes I want the job, but I can't start for several months, don't you think I am so qualified that you are willing to wait? No? Blast. ¶ 3:52 PM 4 feedback
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
What is a Christian?
I have been pondering this question since reading this guy's post. He is talking about the definition of the word, specifically, the broad range of people it could include or, conversely, exclude. His interest in this subject is simple -- he is Mormon. He calls his beliefs "Christian" though others do not.
So, what is a Christian? Simply breaking the word into its parts -- Christ and ian -- reveals little:
Christ is a person.
Ian implies of, or belonging. As in, I am a Canadian by birth. I belong, or am of Canada, in a sense.
Thus, a Christian is one who is of Christ, someone who seeks to draw their identity from him. As I said, this reveals little. What is it to be of Christ? That is the heart of the matter.
It seems to me that to claim identity in something, you must know it, believe it and, as a result, express it. I submit to you, by way of example, the football fan.
Sometime this November the university I attend will play host to another university; they will have an athletic contest. There will be a clear winner and loser. The day will be a typical Willamette Valley day. Cold, rainy, damp. I will be there. Homework looming, crushing, kids at home with my wife, all ignored. I will be dressed in an absurd manner -- all orange and black -- with three layers of clothing underneath to keep my appendages from frostbite.
Absurd apparel, yes. But I will be amongst many of like mind, and dress. We are Beaver Believers! Our identity at the moment is not individual alone, but also tied to those 11 guys on the field. We cheer, we challenge the other team's fans, we are elated with victory and crushed with defeat. There is no distinction between team and fans, we are one entity.
Sometimes, if I am wearing my Oregon State sweatshirt in Eugene (home of our arch-nemesi), I will notice the looks, and think about my distinctive mark, my identity in the Beavers. If I am in Corvallis (home of OSU) they will stop me on the street to talk about last week's game, or our prospects next year. People can easily see that part of my identity.
Christianity is not so straight-forward, of course.
At the heart of it, obviously, is Christ. To be a Christian, you have to believe the things he said.
It is indisputable that he claimed to be the Son of God. The criminal accusations leveled at him were a response to this claim. Also, he claimed to fulfill the law and prophecies, what we now call the Old Testament Scriptures. Last, he claimed that he came to earth to die, that his death would satisfy the justice of God in the matter of punishing sinners, that he would be raised from the dead after three days and would go into heaven and prepare a place for his followers.
I think a Christian is someone who believes the claims of Christ to be absolutely true, and that he actually did what he said. Then, with this faith, they act out their belief engaging in the works he lays out for them.
But much has been done to obscure exactly how this is played out. Organized religion is responsible for some terrible acts. I am thinking of the Inquisition, the purposeful genocide of native North and South Americans, the Salem witch trials, the Crusades, Christian contemporary music and so on. These actions have marred the label of "Christianity."
They have taken the glory from it, successfully making religion repugnant, a life-boat of the ignorant, spurned by the enlightened.
It is with this that I struggle. I know I am identified in Christ. I believe his words are true. But I don't want to be a plodder, a blind follower of whoever is in the pulpit near where I live, or wrote the current best seller.
So, what is a Christian? First and foremost, a believer and doer of the words and works of Christ. An embodier of Christ, if you will. But also, and just as paramount, a thinker, reasoner, an illuminati. Someone who decides whether Larry and Bob are suitable for their children based on what they say and do, not what the masses of others are telling them. Christians ought to be people who live by their faith, people who believe so strongly in the words of Christ that it affects their behavior and actions, both in the world, and amongst their peers.
I am not talking about religiousity, ritual forms, or legalistic stoicism.
I am talking about a life lived in love. A life lived in submission to the teachings of Jesus, not the marketing of either tommy nelson, or Cosmo. ¶ 8:44 PM 0 feedback
I have been pondering this question since reading this guy's post. He is talking about the definition of the word, specifically, the broad range of people it could include or, conversely, exclude. His interest in this subject is simple -- he is Mormon. He calls his beliefs "Christian" though others do not.
So, what is a Christian? Simply breaking the word into its parts -- Christ and ian -- reveals little:
Christ is a person.
Ian implies of, or belonging. As in, I am a Canadian by birth. I belong, or am of Canada, in a sense.
Thus, a Christian is one who is of Christ, someone who seeks to draw their identity from him. As I said, this reveals little. What is it to be of Christ? That is the heart of the matter.
It seems to me that to claim identity in something, you must know it, believe it and, as a result, express it. I submit to you, by way of example, the football fan.
Sometime this November the university I attend will play host to another university; they will have an athletic contest. There will be a clear winner and loser. The day will be a typical Willamette Valley day. Cold, rainy, damp. I will be there. Homework looming, crushing, kids at home with my wife, all ignored. I will be dressed in an absurd manner -- all orange and black -- with three layers of clothing underneath to keep my appendages from frostbite.
Absurd apparel, yes. But I will be amongst many of like mind, and dress. We are Beaver Believers! Our identity at the moment is not individual alone, but also tied to those 11 guys on the field. We cheer, we challenge the other team's fans, we are elated with victory and crushed with defeat. There is no distinction between team and fans, we are one entity.
Sometimes, if I am wearing my Oregon State sweatshirt in Eugene (home of our arch-nemesi), I will notice the looks, and think about my distinctive mark, my identity in the Beavers. If I am in Corvallis (home of OSU) they will stop me on the street to talk about last week's game, or our prospects next year. People can easily see that part of my identity.
Christianity is not so straight-forward, of course.
At the heart of it, obviously, is Christ. To be a Christian, you have to believe the things he said.
It is indisputable that he claimed to be the Son of God. The criminal accusations leveled at him were a response to this claim. Also, he claimed to fulfill the law and prophecies, what we now call the Old Testament Scriptures. Last, he claimed that he came to earth to die, that his death would satisfy the justice of God in the matter of punishing sinners, that he would be raised from the dead after three days and would go into heaven and prepare a place for his followers.
I think a Christian is someone who believes the claims of Christ to be absolutely true, and that he actually did what he said. Then, with this faith, they act out their belief engaging in the works he lays out for them.
But much has been done to obscure exactly how this is played out. Organized religion is responsible for some terrible acts. I am thinking of the Inquisition, the purposeful genocide of native North and South Americans, the Salem witch trials, the Crusades, Christian contemporary music and so on. These actions have marred the label of "Christianity."
They have taken the glory from it, successfully making religion repugnant, a life-boat of the ignorant, spurned by the enlightened.
It is with this that I struggle. I know I am identified in Christ. I believe his words are true. But I don't want to be a plodder, a blind follower of whoever is in the pulpit near where I live, or wrote the current best seller.
So, what is a Christian? First and foremost, a believer and doer of the words and works of Christ. An embodier of Christ, if you will. But also, and just as paramount, a thinker, reasoner, an illuminati. Someone who decides whether Larry and Bob are suitable for their children based on what they say and do, not what the masses of others are telling them. Christians ought to be people who live by their faith, people who believe so strongly in the words of Christ that it affects their behavior and actions, both in the world, and amongst their peers.
I am not talking about religiousity, ritual forms, or legalistic stoicism.
I am talking about a life lived in love. A life lived in submission to the teachings of Jesus, not the marketing of either tommy nelson, or Cosmo. ¶ 8:44 PM 0 feedback
Quite a few to go
create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks. ¶ 8:04 PM 2 feedback
create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks. ¶ 8:04 PM 2 feedback
Monday, August 21, 2006
Politics
| You are a Social Liberal (60% permissive) and an... Economic Moderate (56% permissive) You are best described as a:
Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test |
Friday, August 18, 2006
Five
You are smart, sexy, beautiful, kind and adorable. I love you very much. Here is to you and me, our first five, and for many more fivers to come.
¶ 11:42 AM 1 feedback
You are smart, sexy, beautiful, kind and adorable. I love you very much. Here is to you and me, our first five, and for many more fivers to come.
¶ 11:42 AM 1 feedback