This Life is Temporary

“Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.”

- 1 John 2:10

“If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he had seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

- 1 John 4:20-21

I do try to love my brothers, in Christ and in blood, but it can be difficult sometimes.  Is this going to be a rant about being a middle child? Maybe, but then that gets old.  I hold out by praying and hoping for a turn around in his life, some sort of big jolt that will give him perspective.

It’s a rocky relationship I share with my older brother… Aaaannnddd that’s all I’m saying before I end up typing something I’ll regret.

Work is going better; minimum wage has gone up, the sunshine keeps the customers civil, sales appear to be rising, the garage is busy again.  All in all, pretty good for me.

I gotta say, riding the North American fence is rather entertaining.  Being both a Canadian and an American has its benefits.

I can go anywhere in the world and be welcome.

• In the USA, I’m a fellow American
• Everywhere else, I’m Canadian

I can criticize both sides with complete impunity

I have two days in July that I can fully use as excuses for fireworks [Americans do this much better]

Theoretically I can have two separate Thanksgiving holidays

I can brush off and push aside any international issue from one side by clinging to the other

I have the right to bear arms, and the right to criticize those who do

I can be pro-healthcare, and say the system is broken

I can believe in independence and hold loyalty to the British Crown

So Happy Canada Day and Happy 4th of July

It’s July 1st and all throughout this great land of Canada people are enjoying a federal holiday.

This is excepted of course in Newfoundland.  Those who recall their history know this day as the anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont Hamel. It was on this day some 94 years ago that the pride of the Colony of Newfoundland was all but wiped from the battlefield in 30min. 

Of the 780 men from the Newfoundland Regiment who ventured over the top in another mad run for victory, only 68 were on hand for the role call the following morning.  The style of warfare was one of attrition, to wear down your opponent’s resources before he does yours. The sending these men in their blind dash was meant to be a final step after a lengthy bombardment and a large mined explosion under the enemy front lines.

Personally I’ve always found it a slight against this island’s people that the federal day of celebration is on our day of remembrance and sorrow.

I see the fireworks but still think of them as signal flares.

Hissss POP! “Right lads, over we go! For king and country!”

CRACKLE… BANG! “Don’t give up now! Move forward!”

THUMP THUMP BANG! “Keep that left flank moving! Lieutenant, hold fast!”

WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP THUD “Fall back! Fall back!”

It might be just me, I’m strange like that

Cloning and genetic manipulation. The final frontier of man’s desire to be like God in his power over the human existence.  For some, it is an abomination. For others, the answer to many of this life’s problems.

The reality of many of these views is that all land on a slippery slope.  To stop scientists from doing anything related to cloning is to stop much of the medical research that is always discovering new medications and methods.  To allow for everything is to cheapen human life. 

Where do we draw the line? Are custom grown organs okay? Do we have the right to snuff out life that we ourselves have created? Is it worth even going as far as we can in this field?

“What good is it for you to gain the whole world, yet forfeit your soul?”

       - Mark 8:36

Read More →

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

- Matthew 5:13

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left”

- Hebrews 10:26

This one I needed. It’s tough to strive for Christ-likeness when it seems like there are only a select few who you can turn to in complete honesty. Hopefully the next term at MUN will keep me sufficiently occupied to the point where I only have time to read a few verses when I get home before I pass out form exhaustion.

Here’s hoping.

So I’ve been looking at the course offering at MUN for Fall 2011 (that’s this fall, they name terms after what year the school year ends in), and I’m getting pretty excited.  Granted the beginning of the fall term spells the end of summer, but I hope classes will keep me sufficiently distracted until Christmas.

I plan on enlisting in the following:

Geog2001 - Cultural Geography

Geog2195 - Intro to Geographical Information Sciences

Hist3050 - Warfare to 1789

Hist3270 - Christianity and the Roman Empire

Now all that’s left is finding either an elective that will be interesting, or another history/geography course can be used to fill out requirements

Why post this?

1. Because I can
2. Because you are my audience, and I am your blogger
3. Because I want to look back on this and either laugh or think what I genius I am

Here’s the pitch. I love history, am told I’m a natural teacher, and I see how much highshool matters to teenagers.  Combination? Take history in university, get BA. Move over to education, get BE. Get hired in remote region of the province. Get double time credit for time spent there.  Come back in 4 to 5 years, with 8 to 10 years of credit.  Get hired in the provincial capital, St. John’s, nearer to my birth place.

The highschool part is an excuse to get close to those who need spiritual support while wandering through the self-discovery of the teenage years.  I know I needed this kind of help, and the group I fell in with certainly did not provide it.

The unfortunate part about this plan is the 4-5 years I will be spending in near isolation from my family, those I’ve grown up with,  and those with whom I have come to love spending time.

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

- Proverbs 16:9

There needs to be a visible sign of the difference I strive for in Christ.  The people who don’t know me should be able to spot me.  I’m not talking about donning a monk’s habit or dressing Amish style, rather something more contemporary.  

Yes, lady and gentleman who follow me, I speak of body art.  More specifically, tattoos.  The Chi Rho symbol has appealed to me on several levels for some time now. It has a high level of historical significance [love it], is not often displayed [may beg a question or two], and has been held as a Christian symbol for 1650 years.

The addition of the Alpha and Omega seems fitting, and that would bring it to look like this.  Granted, mine would be in black ink and the font styling would be a little different, but the general deal is there.

Now the question is, where can I have it placed that would be seen, but it wouldn’t appear unprofessional?

So after a 2 week wait for my Nikon lense to show up, I was finally able to pick it up today.  Me being the moron I am, I decided last night that I should see how much money I saved by buying it on Ebay.

Ebay auction: $146US + $32US [shipping] + $6US[shipping insurance] + 27.96Cdn[border duties] = $227.00Cdn

Staples Business Co.: $229.99Cdn + 13% taxes = $259.89Cdn

2 weeks wait = $32.89?

I’m sure I could have gotten cheaper if the first bid hadn’t been for $115… Curse you Ebay n00b who didn’t make the first bid for $10

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

- 2 Corinthians 4:4

It’s been a while since I found a verse that struck home with its relevance to my daily life, but this one hit the target precisely.  The shear rate of people that wander looking for fulfillment in materialism and hormone-based love is astounding.  Those who do see the difference in Christians assume it’s because it is the believers who are missing something.  They call you ignorant, hypocritical, old-fashioned, and tell you there’s no benefit to the life you are living.  All the while they literally cannot remember the last time they had a “good time”. Not because it’s been so long, but rather due to the chemicals they need in their system in order to achieve some altered state of reality. A reality that has no basis for the emotions they feel, the things they desire, the answers to their real questions, and the worries they have over the future.

I take a lot of flak from my non-Christian friends, mostly over what’s going on in the Catholic Church.  But that’s another issue entirely.

Tips for being noticed as different without needing a soapbox:

- stay sober; Those who remain stable in the mist of chaos remain as stable memories

- stick to your principles; Those who don’t are often seen as push-overs and will not be taken seriously in the future

- don’t be afraid to admit ignorance on a topic; They’ll see you more as a resource for answers and not stuck up if you can admit to a limit on your knowledge

- there is no such thing as a bad time; Papers can wait [they always do] but a soul that is struck with an important question is one that needs an answer

- once noticed, be prepared to defend yourself; there are many who have had poor experiences with the term “religion”. In order to be taken seriously, be prepared to fend off the average flak from the “Big Bang Theory”, questions about fossils, and other things that most people learn about in highschool

walk the streets of Japan until you are lost

a graveyard tan from carrying a cross

driving backwards in the fog

things aren’t as sacred once they’re dropped

gospel music and colourful clothing in the sun

things that i loved, things that i lost, things I held sacred that I’ve dropped

- Audioslave

Though an awesome song, there is a sad message.  The writer comes to us from an American military base in Japan in the 1970s. His father is in the Air Force and is fighting in Vietnam.  His anger and anxiety pushes him to continuously find new things that won’t let his mind wander back to the danger in which his father is living.

Just thought I’d put it out there.

I hate exams. Not only my own, but other people’s as well.  It’s not only because the stress and constant distraction mar any attempt to communicate, but also because of the time that is eaten up by studying.

Now that that’s out of my system, a recap of the past days’ events.

- Work

- Work

- Work

Today was supposed to be the highlight of my week so far… except of course for fog, health and safety training that didn’t happen, and poor event planning on my part.

Spent a good portion of the morning reading at Chapters, then went to lunch.  We were supposed to go to Fort Amherst, but the ominous fog monster had other ideas.  So instead we went to The Rooms, aka “the scar on the downtown skyline”, “the archaeological site that was paved over”, “the box the Basilica came in”, “the Liberals’ last hurrah”

As for the title of the post, it would seem that “June 9, 9am-1pm, Automotive Staff, No Exceptions” in fact means “1 hour during your next shift, but no big hurry”

Here we have a list of the many pairings for which we, the public, take for granted as simplistic.

#1. Galactic Empire vs. The Rebellion

#2. Um….

Okay that’s all I got off the top of my head, but the point will stand regardless.

In the Star Wars films, the Empire is always viewed as an overly militaristic and forceful group that is aligned with the Dark Side to rule the Galaxy.  But who’s word do we take on this? The Rebellion’s, that’s who.

Ex. Episode 4: The Slaughter of Tatooine Jawas.  A cute bunch sure, but what really happened? We only have the word of a reclusive hermit to assure us that is was a needless slaughter committed by Imperial Storm Troopers.  It could have just been an ambush on the Troopers by the Sand People and the Jawas got caught up in the mix.  Also, with all those droids they salvage and sell, whose to say that they may have one day jumped the wrong combat droid?  There is no evidence for Imperial involvement save for some tracks from the animals they ride. But wait, aren’t those animals are native to the planet anyway?  If this were a court case, there would be way too much reasonable doubt for any conviction, it probably wouldn’t even go to trial.

Whose to say that the Rebellion was not orchestrated by a select few who brainwashed or hypnotized their first followers? Then using these first recruits they could expand their operations to the point of taking over the galaxy themselves?

The main point is that we the viewers are stuck with only one angle to see these events from.  The one that’s force-fed to us by the director and writers. Point of application? Watch the news, but also think about what they decided not to show you.

And this was meant in humor, except for the application

So I was looking through what I received for my birthday this year and I came across a book that I had specifically asked for.  It’s called “Collapse”, by Jared Diamond, and it’s an in depth study on the rise and fall of ancient civilizations and the reasons for their failures or successes. 

I realize this is not everyone’s fancy but I do recommend the previous book in Diamond’s studies called “Guns, Germs, and Steel”.  This book is AMAZING. Though a little dry and drawn out at times, you will feel much more enlightened for reading it.

GGS is a study on how the positioning of people groups around the globe affects the level and rate of prosperity for these groups. 

Ex. Europeans started with Roman agricultural technology from the Fertile Crescent in the middle east. Add in the large availability of animal labour and there is no reason why Europe would not be the most technologically advanced by the year 1000.

It’s books like this that should be in our school system.  Children rise and fall to the expectations of those in control of their curriculum.  To give them the anthropological reasons, about how and why some countries and regions of the world are better off, is to give them a further understanding about the world.  This in turn would give those children a better way to combat the prevalence of racism in the world by showing them that it’s not about who your ancestors were or what they looked like, but rather what resources they had available to them.

Yet to see a headlining band on stage, just sayin.

Though 2am at Signal Hill is something I could get used to. What with my hours being cut and all, there could be some more opportunities where the air is somewhat above frigid

I had considered saying “it’s a wonderful life” but then realized that retail jobs quickly void any attempt at that statement.

Low wage jobs aren’t all that bad though, there’s little in responsibilities and the co-workers in the same situation make it worthwhile.  Speaking of low wage jobs, a certain someone is now employed, congrats again. I’m guessing she’s going to want to give a whole entry on this herself, so I won’t spoil it…. even though at this point she is still my only official follower…

Way off topic: has anyone [who happens across this post] noticed that walking through a near abandoned mall is strongly reminiscent of SO MANY zombie movies?  I was in one last night and my first thoughts were, “great, now there’s going to be some single zombie lurching out of one of the stores a little ways down the main hall.  He’ll see us, groan a little, and then another dozen or so will appear from other stores closer to us. They’ll start groaning and more zombies will appear… End action sequence with main characters either running up the stairwell to the roof, or out the front doors with a hundred zombies chasing them…”

Way off topic again: 2001 Honda Civic for $1000? Automatic, 4 door, beige, small amount of repairs listed as necessary. Yes? No?

Well then, today is set to be busy.  By the time this post hits the tubes, I’ll have been at work for 2 hours on an 8am-5pm shift. This will be promptly followed with a pizza night and book/cd exchange at church. I will be leaving this event early to attend a bonfire that is scheduled for 7pm.

AAHHHHH!! Where has the time in my life gone?!

There was once a time in history when a busy day began at 8am and then was over by 6pm. This of course left time for the finer things in life such as; poetry, books, friends, family, meeting new people, blossoming relationships, and other such things that are now lost arts.

There are but few things that keep my sanity in all of this ridiculousness, and wouldn’t you like to know them. :P

Well, tuesday’s shooting lesson went alright. The weather was sunny, but it was still wet and windy. As such, no final lessons were able to be attempted.

To combat the non-shooting-teaching-induced restlessness, we resorted to Monty Python tapes.

“Great knights who say “Ni”, we have brought you your shrubbery. May we pass through the wood?”

“We are no longer the knights who say, “Ni”. We are now the knights who say, “Icky icky icky kapang wasoup murmle murlme murlme.” And we have another quest.”

“Oh great knights who until recently said “Ni”, what is your further request?”

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

I also broke out my paintball marker yesterday. It felt odd in my arms when compared to holding an air rifle, or perhaps another human being. That being said however, I can’t wait until the games at Frontline Paintball begin this summer. :)

Fun times planned for today, if the weather holds out that is.  Going to be teaching a friend how to shoot using an air rifle.

Time to review the lesson plan: breathe in, breathe out. In and out again. Now once more in and let the last one go. Don’t breathe in, now shoot.

Breathing techniques and controlling your heart rate are byfar the hardest parts, other than that it’s just angle problems for distances and stance stability. 

Over the past couple weeks I’ve been house/dog sitting for a friend. Oh boy, crazy first couple days. I was 3/4 certain that the dog was going to kill me for a while. I’m talking ears back, teeth exposed, barking and growling in ten minute cycles, etc. He was pissed for the first few hours, then just straight up angry for the rest of those first days.

I had to balance the dog’s set schedule around  my work schedule, fun times. Sometimes the dog and I could hang out all morning, sometimes he wouldn’t see me for a ten hour stretch.

On top of that, life while house sitting has been pretty good. I’m on a borrowed pc with no downloading/viewing Gb limitations, and I get a dog sucking up to me as I type. 

Recently I noticed something different going on.  Well first off I’m a Christian, and thats important to this story.

Normally during the university school year I’ll hang out with my non-believing friends.  After the year ends in April, I work for the entirety of the summer. During this time I get quite bored and even kinda depressed.  I found myself dreading the end of this particular school year, and not simply due to exams. 

I was at church one sunday morning in early May and out of nowhere one of my [few] christian friends from school walks up to me.  Now I hadn’t seen her since highschool and it was great to finally see her again.  Turns out she had spent the last two years in Europe with a Christian Missions group.  Not only that, but her family had just happened to decide to go to my church on that Sunday

The whole point here is that the one year that I decided that I was going to hang out with people from school during the summer regardless of the spiritual backlash; a christian friend is dropped into my lap. 

The best part, I can’t find any compatibility issues. No awkward silences in conversation, no need for something interesting to be happening while we’re together, it’s great.

Having a Christian included in my social life also helps keep me on the right page

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.  Proverbs 27:17

So the funny part is that I was wondering about what God has done for me lately, and immediately this friend popped into my mind.  The shear level of coincidence -  between me not working that weekend, her family deciding to go to my church that sunday, my dreading over the summer, and the latest slump in my spiritual life - was too high not to have been guided

This is mostly going to be a flickr/blog piece for anyone who is interested in following. There may be the odd drop about where on the globe this pc is based and how my world is going, but other than that don’t expect too much as this is my first, and probably last, blog.