24

I am officially in my mid-20's today. I know everyone tends to say this as the years progress, but time really does fly by as we get older. I could have sworn that just the other day I was getting ready for my wedding and now I am approaching my one year anniversary.

I ended up catching a nasty cold yesterday, so I am all bundled up and feeling miserable. Additionally, I have a Greek final tomorrow and that means I won't get as much sleep tonight as I should. But that's okay! Once the Final is over, I will be thrilled! The only thing I got left is to write a petty paper that is due Friday, which is highly subjective to what I want to write about (and I will be given an A for it by merely turning it in!), so I'm not concerned about that.

I want to thank all my family and friends for calling me today and telling me happy birthday. I felt very loved.




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

The Mist

The movie, "The Mist", turned out to be more than what I expected. It had great suspense and some cool Stephen King "twists" that brought out that great eerie feel. It had a fantastic and realistic depiction of what would happen amongst people trapped in fear.....with the anticipation of what kind of leader would arise....and those whom you pray would never do so.

In addition, the movie had the most "messed up" ending I have ever seen. Hands down.

Good movie. I give it a B rating.

post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

"Are you the one they call Beowulf?"

The movie looks absolutely amazing....

good thing Jamie and I are going to see it tomorrow!

post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Irreducible Complexity

Irreducible Complexity? This is a term created by Dr. Michael Behe, biochemist at LeHigh University, from which the scientific community has never been the same sense. Although Behe is (still?) a theistic evolutionist, his book is a powerful witness to devastating flaws in evolution (Go CREATION!). At times the book is hard to understand amongst the scientific mumbo-jumbo, but Behe does a good job at summarizing it in a way that lay people can understand. So what is irreducible complexity? It basically refers to those biological systems, which are in their current observed state, that could not exist without ALL of its current functioning parts.

The most easiest, rudimentary example is a mouse trap. The mouse trap consists of only a handful of parts (i.e., spring, board, etc.). If any of these parts are removed, the mouse trap fails. It can no longer function. What can we derive from this observation? If the mousetrap could not be deconstructed from its current state, then it would be impossible for evolution to have evolved a mouse trap.

This applies to countless biological systems, two of which I will mention. First, there is blood clotting (the science is too complicated here, so suffice to say I will only briefly mention it). The nature of blood clotting is irreducibly complex. If any of its functions were gone, the clotting could not happen. Result? A single cut that is deep enough to draw blood would never stop bleeding until the being was dead. Thus any animal that was possibly "evolving" would never survive in the end, because a single cut would wipe out the species existence. Secondly, there is the cell. The cell comprises (as far as I know) all of biological systems. If something so basic could not have possibly evolved, how could any other system have evolved? Could a cell live without a ribosome? No! A lysosome? No! Therefore, how could it have possibly evolved if it could never survive without all of its parts working together? And that's the point...

Fascinating book. I highly recommend it!

Happee Buurthdaye!

HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY JAY!

WOO-HOO!!! YOU ROCK!!!






post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

SWISH: Star Wars Is So Horrible

For some reason that I cannot explain, I decided to see if there was a website out there that was dedicated to the destruction of Star Wars. Sure enough, there was one. The link is below:

http://www.geocities.com/swish413.geo/about

Now, I am not a huge Star Wars fan (in fact, I couldn't really call myself even a fan, "GO MATRIX!"). But I must say that even though Jamie may not get a good laugh out of this website (sorry Jay), I certainly did. So check out this site whose sole purpose is to bash Star Wars (I'm sure there are other sites out there, however).

post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

The New Member

Okay, so here's the scoop on my iguana. Some of you already know but for those of you who don't, I had to get rid of him. Luckily it was done this early on so I wasn't too attached to him. Basically what happened is I was doing some research on iguanas (to get more tips how to better care for Zero) and I stumbled across there "breeding season". If the iguana is a male (and I'm almost positive mine was), they tend to get aggressive between October and December. This wouldn't be too big of a deal for me, but considering their bites can be quite serious depending on their size, a big aggressive iguana would not be a good thing when Rebecca and I have kids. I did not want the possible chance of my little child losing a finger because of a stupid pet of mine. So, I donated Zero to Petco and they gave him to some veterinarian. In his place, I got a pet that I had over a year ago, a Leopard Gecko. Say hello to Spike!

post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

a moment of "aaahhh"

Let us take a moment and ponder the magnificent wonder, the majestic splendor, and the brilliant nature of this exceptionally exquisite concoction of nature, known to any enlightened individual as the divinely essential nectar of holistic goodness; captivating the imagination of countless souls with a tenacious pomp unparalleled in the cosmos, its fruition laid bare in the warmth of our bodies, blossoming our eyes with lovely adoration towards every spector which elevates its existence to its rightful throne of supremacy!

Yes, coffee is amazing.

Yes, I am enjoying my cup right now.

got coffee?

post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Currently, I have my eye on this particular book. I am rather interested in exorcism, demons, and spiritual warfare. This book writes about the Early Church and how they dealt with such issues in the first few centuries. I believe it will be an interesting and highly educational read (when I have the money to buy it and the time to read it, of course). It tends to be a neglected subject in the Church today (especially the Protestant church), which is sad. I hope to become more aware of what went on with my brothers and sisters in the past over this issue, as well as how I can apply it today.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

BIG Budget!

Christine (Ryan's girlfriend) told me that she read on NBC's website that the first FIVE episodes of The Office, seasons 4, all will be ONE HOUR LONG EPISODES!!! Can you believe that?! That is extremely exciting! The show must have received quite a budget this year to pull of a stunt like that. I don't know if I have ever heard of a show that had 5 one hour long specials (or in the case of TV shows that are already an hour long, 5 two hour long specials).

Listen up, everybody: revolve your schedules around Thursday nights at 9 o'clock.




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!! ("That's what she said")

Zero

Aaaah, isn't he cute? This here is my iguana, Zero. He is about 3 to 4 months old and is highly active. He's incredibly fast and quite strong for a little guy.

Diet: Mostly collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens. Occassionally a banana, butternut squash, or apples.

Enclosure: 30 gallon tank. I use a flood lamp to heat up one side to mid 90's and a UVB lamp for his "sun-radiation" requirements. :)

post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Employee of the Month!

I got off the phone no more than 5 minutes ago and my manager told me I got the employee of the month award for September! WOO-HOO! It actually has some other name like "Spirit-something-something", but I believe you get the point.

What can I say? I'm honored. :)




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Confessor...finished

So the big day is coming up!!! Terry Goodkind has finally finished the book "Confessor", the last book in the Sword of Truth series. Its release date is set for November 13th. It's going to be SO AWESOME!
Everyone get ready for the greatest series ever written to commence its climactic end!

11-13-07





post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Jibber-Jabber

Here are a few little updates:

First off, USC won. The huskers were bleeding red for real this time.

Secondly, I practically laughed when I heard the announcer mention UCLA's pathetic defeat.

Third, I am finally getting over being sick. I had too much school and work for me to miss, so I had to push it through and try and make the round-a-bout way of recovering: coughing and sneezing profusely during class and work.

Fourth, my iguana is doing well. We updated his aquarium because the old one was simply way too small. Plus I got the correct calcium supplement WITHOUT phosporous. I love iguanas!

And lastly, me and my wife are all around doing well. This week I don't have a lot of hours at work, so I will be able to finally catch up in some of my reading. My wife is studying diligently (and stressfully) for her upcoming qualification exam. Please send out a prayer for her success on it. It will be NEXT wednesday, the 25th.

One more thing, Rebecca and I are going to Porterville on Saturday the 29th to celebrate my dad's 49th birthday! Next year will have to be special because he will be the big 5-0!




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

A moment

I realize I never posted anything regarding 9-11 yesterday.
Although a day late, I would ask that anyone who reads this post to take a moment of silence for 60 seconds in rememberance of those lives taken 6 years ago...

Here-Here!

On behalf of my wife and I, we would like to thank my Aunt Bobby and Uncle Sal sooooo much for the lovely time on Sunday night. We had magnificent food (a feast of kings, in fact), wonderful music, and great company. So thank you guys for your generosity!

Oh and isn't it great to have Rob Fukuzaki's autograph? I feel better about myself already! :)




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

THE CURSED HEAT!

All last week Southern California has been hit by a nasty heat wave. Here in Pasadena it slowly climbed up from around 90 degrees to a peak of a 105 on Saturday. The humidity climbed to above 50% making it nearly impossible to stay "nice and cool". Finally, though, it has been plunging downard, starting at 104 on Sunday to a low of 85 by Thursday. This is the one BIG thing I hate about summers! The bloody heat! Cold is ALWAYS better! I don't care what anyone says! You merely have to put more clothes on and a person is fine. When someone is hot, there is only so much clothes you can take off and EVEN STILL you aren't cool enough.

This just reminds me my need of moving somewhere far north (Lord willing). Sorry for all the negativity, but it was necessary. Bring on 60 degree weather!!! WOO-HOO!




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

words of the "wise"

"Can you explain what happened?..[no]...MIRACLE!"

~Joey Tribbiani





post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

The grit of Grad school

I completed my first day of class and I can't express how excited I am with all the new material I will be consuming. However, besides the normal increase in challenging work and grading that comes from Grad school territory, my school has an 86% for a B-

That's right, if I want to get an A in a class, I need AT LEAST a 94%. Now I don't quite know how exactly some of these teachers will grade, but it is possible that the days of getting a lot of A's have now passed. ..........WHO CARES! I'm blessed to have the opportunity to go to school. The Lord has blessed me indeed.

(I almost forgot...Toby...wear some deoderant and take a shower every once and awhile. I can smell you from over here dude)



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Banquet...FREE food!!

My wife and I were invited to a banquet at Talbot where we could meet the faculty over some delicious free food (compliments of Bon Appetite). Food was good, company was good, and I can't wait to start my classes! I got my textbooks in and they all look so amazing. What can I say, I love learning! Of course, what I am learning is stuff I am passionate about (theology, doctrine, contemporary cultural thought, Christian living, and Classical History).

I'm definitely liking this idea of a cruise for next summer by the Lewsadder's. I can't guarantee our presence at this point, but we are really excited about possibly going on a cruise with family!

To all my friends and family: my wife and I give our love. Peace




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Living it up in the Stock room

My summer working at Williams-Sonoma has been so much fun. I love working with Spencer. He is freaking hilarious (ever known someone who has a way of swearing that makes you laugh ALL the time?) and, ironically enough, is a cage fighter. The people love me there, plus they gave me a 50 dollar paring knife (the Wustof Grand Prix II series) for all my hard work! I'm glad to know my co-workers see me as a hard worker. I must admit that working in the stock room is far better than being a sells associate. I hope once I start school I will still be able to do so.

Speaking of a new schedule, I will be starting Grad school next Wednesday at Talbot School of Theology. I am very excited and can't wait to learn new material. Plus, the school is rather "commuter-friendly". I will be taking 11 units (9 is full-time in grad school) and those classes reside on ONLY Monday and Wednesday. However, I do have another class on Saturday, but that is only 5 Saturdays out of the semester. Basically, a student can set up their schedule to only have to go to class a couple times out of the week! Most of their classes are once a week, which makes it wonderful for me! That will help me save on the gas money. Cha-CHING!

My classes are Hermeneutics and Bible Study Methodology, Survey of Genesis-Malachi, Theology I:Revelation and the Nature of God, and (hopefully if I can crash the course) Greek I.




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass vol. 1

I finished Mr. Pullman's book a couple of days ago and Jamie and I will be discussing it tomorrow for our new book club. At this point I haven't made up my mind about all the intricate meanings that Pullman laces throughout his story, but he is definitely against the Church as an organization. I do not know if he is anti-Christian (although highly probable considering England is strongly anti-Christian) for certain, but most definitely against the Christian Church.

In either case, it was a fantastic story. I am eager to read the other two. I must say, perhaps to the dismay of some, that Pullman's book is far greater than the Harry Potter series. I stopped a fifth of the way through The Goblet of Fire last summer and have not picked it up since. The story isn't bad or anything like that, its just the writing tends to not grip me. I definitely feel the Harry Potter series are books for children while Pullman's book are filled with elements that drag me out of the typical child-like features of young adult genres. Bottom line, I don't feel any obligation to push myself through a series that never gripped me in the first place. As for Pullman's trilogy, my interest is peaked and I desire more armored bears!!!



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

The honor student graduates...

Congratulations is in order for Jamie who received her Bachelors Degree in English from CSUN! We are all so proud of you Jamie. I hope you had a wonderful day and take joy in the fact that you completed your major step in becoming a teacher!



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Movie titles to look forward to

There are several movies coming out between now and next summer. I will share a few that I am greatly anticipating:

1) National Treasure: Book of Secrets
The first movie absolutely rocked. It was one of those films that was "pure fun" and they are always a real treat to watch. The second movie has all the characters as in the first (which is great considering most sequels exclude the "romantic other" because "things didn't work out") and is about the 18 pages missing in John Wilkes Booth diary. Sounds amazing.
Release date: December 21st, 2007

2) The Dark Knight
This is the sequel to Batman Begins and is the second installment out off three. Heath Ledger will be playing the Joker and I believe he will do quite well with his enormous smile. The first movie blew my mind away and I can't see why the second would fail to do the same. Sadly, we've got a year to wait.
Release date: July 18th, 2008

3) Transformers
The trailer looked phenomenal. The graphics alone are worthy of praise. The storyline seems mediocre, but definitely fits the genre. I can't wait to see it!
Release date: July 4th, 2007

4) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:
I've loved the previous four movies and each one gets better and better. I don't think I need to say much about it, so I will leave it at that.
Release date: July 11th, 2007.

5) Alien Versus Predator 2
The movie is a supreme example of fan based. The first one was great, but was rather disappointing due to its extremely short length. Nonetheless, being a fan I look forward to seeing it in December!
Release date: December 25th, 2007.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Work

Williams-Sonoma is quite a nice place to work. There is oodles of stuff to learn, but the people are so nice and encourage me to just take it one step at a time (especially, as they admitted, no one can learn everything about the store). I do get a nice discount, but I must apologize to Jamie and everyone else as I am not allowed to buy things for others and get reimbursed (as the penalty can be expulsion from my work). But with a 20 to 40% discount, I can get some nice gifts eventually.

I am currently reading a book that is a critique on modern psychology. It is rather interesting, and I might share some of my insights on the book when I am finished.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Graduation!

On May 11th, at 8:15 PM, I graduated with a B.A. in Theology and Apologetics from The Master's College! It was a great ceremony! My family was there, I got to get pictures with all my favorite profs, I got wonderful gifts from everybody, had a lovely dinner, got to hang out with the cousins, and got to sleep next to my beautiful wife to wrap the day up. Thank you everybody for all your love and support! It will be a day in my life that I will always cherish.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Williams-Sonoma

I had two job offers, the Wheat Berry Cafe and Williams-Sonoma. In the end, I picked Williams-Sonoma. Why? Well, for one, the WheatBerry Cafe would have been stressful. They were putting me in the position of "Prep" where I had to work "really fast" to keep up and they would "train me as time permitted" (I always hate that because I'm supposed to work fast whilst I don't know how to do it well). Plus, they do have a probationary period to see if you can "cut it", so to speak. Now I'm not saying I wouldn't have worked my butt off to try and make it, but it just seemed quite stressful if I could get another job with less intensity. So WS offered me a position with a few less hours, but a buck more an hour in pay, and with a staff that is quite nice (Fuller students plus all around nice people). I just can't thank God enough for the offers and supplying me such a great job and opportunity to make money. "Thank you Lord for meeting me and my wife's needs. Amen!"



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

GIANT SQUID!

Check out the link below and it will take you to the first actual picture of a giant squid. It was captured near Tokyo (24 feet!)


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061222-giant-squid.html





post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Exiting exam - PASSED

Around 1130 am this morning, my academic advisor told me that I passed the exiting exam! Woo-hoo! I am a free man! I now will be (for certain) graduating on May 11th! It is a great relief. Rebecca and I celebrated by ordering some yummy Pinnochio's pizza and watched a movie while enjoying each others company. Good times. Its all down here till graduation! I give all the glory to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.





post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Exiting Exam - COMPLETED

As of 1200 in the afternoon, I finally finished my exiting exam. It feels so good to not have that on my chest. I am a little eager to see if I passed, but I feel pretty good about it. Now I have to write a term paper which is due this Thursday and then start another term paper which is due on Monday. Definitely lame, but I will manage.

But I have really good news. I HAVE THE INTERNET BABY! While typing this blog at this very moment, I am using my high speed internet at home. Freedom at last!

And as for the ETS meeting, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thoroughly enjoyed the paper given on Apostolic usage of Old Testament prophecies and the paper on the hypostatic union of Christ (I know, just a bunch of "theo-babble", but it comes with the territory). All in all, I look forward to the next one.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

ETS Seminar

This friday I will be attending the annual West Coast Seminar for the Evangelical Theological Society. There were be several professors that will be attending and giving out their papers for review. I think it will be an awesome time of learning and seeing the theological development in this particular community. Perhaps later this weekend I will give a brief synopsis of what it all entailed and what I learned.






post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

FTS

I'm praying that I get accepted into Fuller Theological Seminary. For awhile I was really hoping for Talbot, but now I believe Fuller is the place. Its not just because of the close proximity of the school, but it is highly diverse theologically. I believe that factor will play a helpful role in my future career.

I will be applying for a Masters of Theology in Biblical Studies and Theological Format.

And, its not as expensive as I thought, only $288 dollars per unit!





post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

The "Great Tragedy" of 2007

At roughly 3:00pm on March 31st, 2007, Jeremiah had lost the glorious prize of the Golden Hoe. To his everlasting dismay, the prize was sweeped from under him as Justin pulled through with 20 bags in the second round. The competition was fierce and the stakes were high, but when the sun began to go down and the dust settled, all that remained were the shattered pieces of Jeremiah's broken heart.

His final words were simply, "The sky isn't so blue anymore."

May this year be marked in the annals of Dark Tragedies, hopefully forgetten in the shades of time...








post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Another Christian teacher fired...

Anyone want to read the article put forth by Answers in Genesis go to this link:
http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2007/0327or-teacher.asp

To get the secular paper, a link is listed at the bottom of the article from the The Oregonian.

By sticking to the "goal" of the Oregan public school system of "any genuinely scientific evidence for or against any explanation of life may be taught", Mr. Helpinstine merely gave articles that showed how bias affected science. He used two articles from a Creationist author BUT removed anything speaking about God or the Bible in the article. As such, he never taught Creationism, but was setting out to show how some modern science can be molded by bias rather than pure scientific observation. He was also bashed for showing slideshows that shows how Nazi's and eugenics were linked to evolution (which there is a strong connection between the two). Science is not perfect because man is behind the interpretation. The Nazi's were huge advocates of evolution. ONe doesn't have to look far as to why when they know the actual WHOLE title of Darwin's book, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life." Did Darwin say "favoured" races? Evolution is definitely a racist theory.

In any case, it is a tragedy and an outrage that this teacher was fired as a result of all of this. There are vastly MORE FACTS AND EVIDENCES on the process of human history and origins than just the THEORY of evolution presented in school textbooks. There are brilliant works. Anyone hear of Biochemist Michael Behe's book Darwin's Black Box? It's awesome!

Bottomline:
Science is the pursuit of truth. Brilliant Christian SCIENTISTS (believe it or not) have actual SCIENTIFIC reasons for claiming Creationism over evolution. How about people be more "open-minded" towards the facts and theories presented by the other side???????

A forum for debate and dialogue

I think it would be fun to have all the cousins contribute to the current debate on their blogs. I suggest that everyone states their thesis on the matter of justice vs. charity, and then each of us can comment according to that thesis. (anyone not yet up to date can look at my past blog and the growing number of comments following).

First, the question is what would you rather choose, justice or charity?

My thesis was:

"ALL virtues are bound together as a systematic whole, making their function and existence dependent on their interaction with one another."

Some support:
The idea of "social justice" could simply not exist without the fusing of justice and charity. This does not mean that law or the justice system per se could not exist. The discussion is dealing with "virtues" which manifest themselves in different forms (i.e., justice and charity). Justice as law enforcement could exist, but by that definition alone it is nothing more than "control" or "stability" of society. That is hardly a system of justice people would want to exist. Thus what we understand to be justice would not exist without charity. Similarly, charity suffers if our concept of justice is not adequately dealing with the problems of society.

My conclusion:

"It is impossible to choose one particular virtue over another as it would negate whichever virtue remains."





post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Justice vs. Charity

Jamie, in a previous post of hers, shared how her professor asked the question of whether they would choose Justice or Charity. I have been debating in my head of when I wanted to reply to the question and, if I did, how would I answer. I believe the question is unfair because it is asking to abolish one virtue in order for another to remain. Choosing between virtues is in itself, neither charitable to the understanding of virtues (giving room for all virtues to exist as they are necessary as a whole for a better humanity) nor does it give justice to their qualities (exterminating one by attributing impurities to it that are only manifested when compared to others). The problem occurring with a topic like this is to place in one's own mind a subconscious tenet of hierarchal virtues. Moreover, hierarchal establishments of virtues contradict (what I believe to be the harmony within virtues) their systematic formula of unity. Isolation is detrimental to those principles we hold so dear in human relations.

Furthermore, I believe in the correspondence theory of epistemology that says what we can know about truth has to relate (in some form or another) to reality. This begs the question of whether a world without justice could exist (or charity for that matter)? A world without justice is one I can only imagine. Every group of people has some form of justice, even if it is not sophisticated or placed in written form. Without Justice, every society would experience total anarchy, destruction, and violence. Similarly, without charity, poverty would overrun our streets, deaths would increase (no blood drives, no charities for discovering new diseases), and a vast amount of other atrocities would occur.

Under my comprehension of the essence and purpose of virtues, I believe the questions collapses within itself.

Tolerance continued...

This new post is to clarify my position on tolerance based on Toby's comment. In regards to the situation with Kelly, Toby said wouldn't I be in error to adhere to watching horror films (which contain elements such as violence which are not supported by my faith) just because I find them interesting, while not choosing Brokeback mountain based on "faith-principles"? In other words, it seems I am being unfair to not watch Brokeback Mountain based on certain principles while not applying them to other movies just because I find those movies interesting. This is an excellent point and I will respond accordingly:

[Before I say anything else I must make one thing clear. Although I am a Christian, this doesn’t deny the fact that I am human and a sinner. I continually need the grace of the Lord Jesus and His mercy and forgiveness. I do not claim to be, in any shape or form, a perfect person. Far from it, I am always discovering more and more flaws about myself. As a result, I do not claim what I do watch is actually what I SHOULD or SHOULD NOT be watching. Some movies, I am sure, as a Christian God would not want me to watch. Some movies that I now think are acceptable, I could find out later in life that God disapproves of them. It is possible that a reader could point out a movie that might genuinely conflict with what I claim and I apologize in advance.]

I believe it is appropriate to begin with my "faith principles" as I have called them. The two principles are the condemnation of the sins of violence and homosexuality. A Christian is not to commit violence unless on the grounds of self-defense or for an act that produces a greater good (such as joining the Army in WWII to stop the extermination of the Jews). Homosexuality, most specifically the BEHAVIOR of homosexuality, is also a sin that God condemns. Under no circumstance is homosexuality a behavior that finds pleasure in God’s eyes nor is can it ever be seen as an “okay” behavior.

Following these two ideas, a Christian is not to SUPPORT, ENCOURAGE, nor PARTICIPATE in such acts. The former two are the particular actions that are under examination.

When I watch the movie The Ring, am I “supporting” or “encouraging” the actions of violence? This question demands almost exclusively on the nature of the movie. The "nature" of the movie Brokeback Mountain and the "nature" of the movie The Ring are vastly different. But before I analyze this thought, it is important to understand the relationship between the events of a movie and the reviewer watching the events. To state a person is supporting violence by watching a violent movie, as a proposition is a hard position to defend. This type of logic leads someone to supporting Adolph Hitler’s extermination of the Jews just because they watch Schindler’s List. Or because someone watches Black Hawk Down, they are supporters of Clinton’s political action in sending the Rangers into combat. This is obviously a false notion. Without a doubt, people watch movies to be entertained, but based on the “nature” of the movie, the issue of supporting the contents immediately come under scrutiny. This brings us back to the original statement that Brokeback Mountain and The Ring have two different “natures”. Brokeback Mountain is “advocating” a particular action I believe to be sin, while The Ring is telling a story for the sake of terrorizing the audience. I know this is up to debate, but I believe that the “nature” of Brokeback Mountain is to tell a story FOR THE SAKE of supporting the act of homosexuality. I do not believe the motive of the director and writer was merely to tell a story for the sake of telling a story. Schindler’s List was telling a story for the sake of revealing the horrors of the holocaust. The Ring was telling a story for the sake of scaring the audience, and Brokeback Mountain was telling a story for the sake of supporting homosexual behavior. If The Ring was made for the purpose of advocating the acceptability of violence, then I would have a different opinion about The Ring. Considering The Ring does not contain that “nature”, I do not believe I am being unfair by watching The Ring, while not watching Brokeback Mountain. Therefore, I am not being close-minded by not watching Brokeback Mountain, as I am not being unfair in how I treat it and other movies for having strong reasons for refraining from watching it (this does not include my reason that I find it extremely disgusting and that alone would repel me from the movie. Nor does it include how I do not find the story line interesting enough to spend two hours watching it).

I am showing tolerance by respecting the reasons why Kelly watched the movie. I am being open-minded to why people made the movie (they want homosexual behavior to be accepted) although I disagree and have my own reasons that justify my belief and justify why I chose not to watch that particular movie.




Post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

America's "godly" virtue

If someone were to walk up to me and ask what I believe the most important virtue in American culture was, I would say “tolerance”. I personally believe that tolerance is a great thing, yet I’m a little uncertain to what degree of a virtue it actually is. What is it about tolerance that America likes so much? I can conjecture a few things. For one, America has a plethora of different races, religions, and philosophical standpoints. A nation containing such “variety” requires tolerance in order to have proper dialogue and functioning in everyday living. Secondly, America esteems education as the foundation of happy, respectable, and noble living. Thus our universities are growing in number and size as the years progress. And considering we believe that healthy learning involves the interacting with other beliefs, tolerance is the beautiful wrapping holding it all in place. But what exactly IS tolerance? Webster defines it as such:

“A sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with ones own. Or B) the act of allowing something.”

Basically, tolerance means one must allow the other belief to exist. However, I didn’t notice it saying a person must conform to the belief. The reader might be asking why I mentioned this. Let me explain.

Over the past couple of years I have encountered people who have declared other persons not open-minded (a.k.a, tolerant) for not adhering to what they believe. Here are some examples:

The first incident I recall so clearly was when I was at Cyrus’ house and he had some of his friends over for hanging out. I was in Cyrus’ room playing Halo, and his friend, Kelly, was on the bed behind us reading a magazine. For reasons I do not recall she mentioned how she had recently watched the movie “Brokeback Mountain.” She then proceeded to mention how there were some people who didn’t want to watch it with her because they “were not as open-minded” as her. A little alarm went off in my head at my awareness of the logical fallacy she just made. I called her on it, “So what you are saying is considering they didn’t see the movie, they are being closed minded as a result? And the fact that you went and saw the movie means you are open-minded?” Her obvious answer was “yes”. *Sigh*

I didn’t press the issue any further. Halo was on my mind, Cyrus needed to get whipped, and I honestly didn’t care to debate. I ask myself now, what was wrong with that picture? What logical fallacy did Kelly commit? According to the implications Kelly made by locking out certain persons as close-minded for not watching the film, she herself became “closed-minded” (or intolerant).

To clarify, lets say person A went to go do action X while person B did not do action X. Person A declares that all who do not do X is close-minded. Person B simply believes that X is not desirable and does not do X accordingly. Person B believes A has a right to do X, but personally will not do X. Therefore, Person A is close-minded for not tolerating Person B’s reasons for not doing X.

Bottom line, Kelly’s logic is a trap set up for all who do not support her view. Those who won’t actually watch the film, although they may have their reasons, are not tolerated for their reasons and are labeled close-minded. In the end, it’s a label to help make Kelly feel good about her own belief, when she is actually close-minded for not respecting others. But this isn’t the only case I’ve encountered. An almost EXACT scenario happened with my friend Ian over the same movie. Plus, on the show Friends, Mrs. Geller told Ross and Rachel that some of their family were not as “open-minded” with the idea of them having a child out of wedlock. This translates into “Because our other family do not like people having children out of wedlock, they are close-minded for not agreeing and conforming to our view that it is okay.”

I must emphasize that all of this does not mean that people can’t have views that says others are completely wrong. The person who claims that (as do I with many of my convictions and principles in accordance with my Christian Faith) would be intolerant if they did not respect the other’s opinions by granting them the right to have such opinions. Stating a view that claims all others are wrong is a “view” nonetheless. If someone were to tell me that Hell did not exist, I would quickly respond with “you’re wrong.” But, the person has a right to believe such things. Likewise, people are welcome to say I’m wrong, ignorant, or even foolish for what I believe.

But the exclusive nature of my Faith and convictions are my right to cherish and believe. So don’t be close-minded, be open-minded by tolerating my views as well as others.

Let’s not succumb to a new definition of tolerance/open-mindedness:
The necessity to AGREE and CONFORM to another persons belief regardless of ones own reasons for believing differently, or B) People with beliefs of an exclusive nature sacrificing their reasons/beliefs for the person(s) demanding an all inclusive belief system.




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

fear factor

After watching V for Vendetta again for the first time in a long time, I was struck by the grim realities of its proximate foreshadowing. “Fear” is a definitive word in American culture, a word pulsing subtly in the media, the minds, and homes of everyday people. I’ve begun to understand that fear doesn’t have to equate to its extreme definition of conscious awareness of immediate harm. Fear comes in different shapes and forms and in various degrees of intensity. The 20th century experienced a half a century worth of sterilization of over 60,000 “mentally ill” people to help eliminate crime. For some reason America thought this was a solution to the increasing crime rate, and their fear drove them to make a horribly drastic preventative (although I believe it to be a pathetic preventative at that). In America today, I conjecture that our most prized possession is our health. Nothing can be more blatantly obvious due to billions of dollars being used for diet programs. Anything not labeled “natural” is almost abhorred as being detrimental to our health. The rise in various diseases pressures man to point blame at anything capable of suggesting bad health. I see propaganda that says “second hand smoking kills” and I’m having a hard time finding anything that PROVES a child was lost to second hand smoking. Now the big enemy is Trans fats! Instead of individuals choosing to limit foods with trans fat, the people of New York gave the government the power to OUTLAW trans fats! Does this not bother anyone? The government is now telling us what to eat!! We are infected with fear (mostly unaware). For the sake of “security” (if I can even call outlawing trans fat much of a secure law), votes placed power in the governments hand to outlaw a certain food (hmmm, McDonald’s fries).
In V for Vendetta, “real” butter was outlawed because it was unhealthy. Solution? Power was passed on to the government. Now California is facing having the government tell people how to raise their children. Anyone recall a woman crying out to have a law passed for people to not spank their children? Psychologists are afraid that spanking will “damage the psyche” of the child. WHAT?!
Fear gives power to the hungry. Is the “global warming” issue really a “moral” issue, as Al Gore put it? First off, any “smart” politician recognizes the last presidential election was won over “moral” issues. Gore recognizes this and labels global warming a “moral” issue. Tell me, Mr. Gore, what is really a moral issue here: Tens of thousands of children dying every year due to starvation, or the ONE “INTERPRETATION” you choose to believe that equates to “global warming”?
Global warming is an issue of power, not morality. The person who gets elected for his agenda to “cure” supposed “global warming” will be placing massive power in his hands. Industries will have to comply with “global” friendly regulations and civilians will eventually have to get rid of their cars after 50,000 miles. Every company, building going under construction, and national park will have to yield to the laws being passed by the “Global Warming Committee” (or whatever they might call themselves). Misleading facts have been so implanted in our minds, we actually succumb to thinking global warming is a real threat (notice there are TWO sides to the debate for reasons we usually ignore), thus out of fear we give up some of our freedom for “security”. Security always comes at a price: freedom.
The government needs to stay out of affairs that are none of their business. But it is everyday people like us who are ultimately responsible for the power governments get. Governments are the ones to be afraid of the people, hence why they should serve them.
There is talk in Massachusetts saying that kids should be brought into school at age three to determine (through some psychological analysis) of whether they should be put on Ritalin! Plus there is talk about how kids should be taught in school how homosexuality is okay and that they should accept it. DAMN ANY GOVERNMENT WHO DARES TO EXERCISE SUCH TYRANNICAL LEGISLATION!!! I will raise my child in the way I believe is right, not by some “policy”. I can’t stand by and watch some of these things happen any more. I will do my part as best I can.

My rant and ravings sounds very much like our Founding Fathers who fought against "Tyranny". But we seem to be blind to it in America because it is slowly drifting in our midst, gently turning our heads in the other direction. I can't believe how blind I've been to it.

In the words of V when telling the public who was responsible for the tyranny of the government................“You only have to look in the mirror”.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

The all-time famous quote from "V for Vendetta"

who are you?

"This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vangquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-a-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

tightening loose bolts

It has come to my attention that some people may have been interpreting me and Toby's "feud" as an actual serious fight. I wish to remedy that and let everyone know there is no ACTUAL feud going on. For the sake of keeping confusion from happening in the future, a premise will be laid out letting the audience know of the fictional, joke-oriented goal of the text following it.

I love Toby. He is a great cousin and a man I truly admire! Nothing will change that....not even my pathetic jokes.





post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

A Critique of Toby's Fable, "Ryamiah"

I commend Toby’s tale of imagination and fantasy, it is a wonderful depiction of his own personal mental state. However, I can do nothing short of be appalled at his belief in his claims. One might recall my recollections of Toby’s past life and my most recent one on how I feel about him, and I believe my statements are well substantiated. I admit my words in the past have, at times, been embellished a bit, but facts nonetheless. Let us begin the spiral down into the world of madness:

Fact or Fiction?
Claim #1 Ryan and Jeremiah are dating:
Toby’s only support that he draws from this statement is the picture he posted in the previous post. The person with common sense can easily observe that the picture of Ryan’s face was imposed on the bride standing next to me. An imaginative leap for a desperate soul: FICTION

Claim #2 Jeremiah and Ryan are lovers
This claim, I must admit, can be held plausible since no solid evidence can be put forth at the present time. However, I can safely undermine this as a substantial accusation by investigating its real source. Anyone who wants to get to the heart of the matter has only to ask Toby’s wife of his captivation with all things relating to same gender relations and I promise it will prove to be most fruitful for my case. It makes one wonder if this obnoxious obsession has anything to do with jealousy spawned from his very own tale of fantasy. An imaginative leap for a pathetic prosecutor: FICTION

Claim #3 Changing my major to Fashion
Sharing my love for spandex and pokadots with the world, however true this may be, has NEVER detoured me from my current major. Any investigator has only to pull out my records to see my current enrollment in Theology, as well as my applications for two grad schools of a religious nature! Him stretching my love for pokadots and spandex to such an extreme to changing my major, proves he is (once again) consumed with all things remotely relating to the word “gay”. An imaginative leap for a deranged mind: FICTION

Claim #4 Purchased a home in Compton
Considering I am living in Pasadena and will be for at least 2 years, one must wonder why he feels it is important to make up such a claim? It would have been more believable if he said I was “planning” on purchasing a home. At least this would have relieved him of his contradictory claim! An imaginative leap for a LOSER: FICTION

Claim #5 Gay men love malt liquor
Is it just me, or does anyone wonder how it is that HE knows this? Overhearing a conversation between the two of us will let any third party know of his more vast knowledge of liquor than me. The buck doesn’t stop there though. He also knows that “northern lights” is the street name for marijuana (as he confessed while watching the episode of The Office titled, “Drug Testing”). I will let the jury decide what his knowledge of this subject implies. An imaginative leap for a hypocrite: FICTION

Claim #6…………..
Now I am beginning to lose interest in defending claims that border on insanity and elementary school methodology. It is any scholar’s nightmare to have to deal with ludicrous propositions and infantile speculations set forth by the individual Tobias Lewsadder.

Thus I will end with two comments:
“Ivanka?” He clearly thought of “Ivan” (who was the “Great” prince of Russia in the 16th century), than simply added “ka”, which is an abbreviation of the German word meaning “cathode”. Can anyone not see the sad attempt to “create” a name?

“Tobias”: A Jewish hero that married his “KINSWOMAN” Sarah.

…”KINS”woman…
need I say more?




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

a Good day for a Good book

The overcast clouds and drizzling rain make me want to stay at home and read a good book. But sadly, I am at school getting ready for my next class. Now believe me when I say that I am grateful that I am in school, but sometimes one just wants to do something else!!! If I didn't have to go to school today, I would open up my blinds at home, lay out on the couch and read a good horror novel.

I sort of had a nostalgic experience while driving to school. I thought way back when I was in 4th grade. I remember it clearly. It was overcast and raining, just like it is today, and I sat down and read Mr. Murder the entire day. I spent a glorious 10 hours reading! I wish I was home right now, reading Mr. Murder again and enjoying the comforts of a blanket and hot cup of constant comet...




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

post post script: you got nothing on me Toby

the curse

There's not a day that goes by that I'm not plagued by this filth of a person. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but its almost like I have no other option. Everytime I see him I hold back the tears at the horrible stench he gives off. I smile, shake his hand, only to immediately wipe off the sweat and dirt when he turns away. I encourage him in anyway I can, but he continually drinks and swears at anyone who reminds him of his upbringing. I'm sort of at a lost at times. I have no problems with homosexuals, but his "joking" taunts towards me makes me very uncomfortable. I can't escape the thought that he is always watching me when I leave his place...starring at me. The anger in me wants to lash out at his own hatred for life. Being impotent, made evident from his past marriage, led him to his new sickening lifestyle and his greed is a result of his reliance on welfare.
If anyone can tell me how I can treat Toby with kindness rather than pure abhorrence, let me know.




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Post-Valentine commentary

Yesterday was a good day. It was busy and long, but good nonetheless. Rebecca and I didn't go out to eat or do anything fancy (I had school and work till about 8 o'clock), but we did share a few sweet gifts in the morning before heading off to our busy days. We both went to visit my brother in Hampton Inn in Newhall after work, and we all ate pizza and chatted in his room. Good times, good socializing, great family, wrapped up with love.

And Rebecca, my dearest Valentine, everyday is beautiful when I look into your eyes...




post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

a "little" grief

I miss my Pepsi...

Biblical Greek

When I first came to The Master's College, I was interested in Greek. I decided to take Hebrew due to the fact that the cousins who I was living with were Jews and I thought it would be helpful. Although I do not regret having some basic knowledge of Hebrew, I wish I would have taken Greek so I would have a much greater knowledge by now. However, my schedule last semester and this semester would not allow for Greek. Naturally, with my further knowledge in theology, I have felt the necessity of learning Greek as well as my growing desire to take on such an enterprise. Hopefully, while attending Talbot, I can take a couple of classes to further my skill. For now, I have done some research and talked to Greek scholars here at the school and found some great material for self-learning Biblical Greek. I am really excited about doing it, even though I am aware that it will be quite challenging.
It will just be so awesome to read the Bible (New Testament, more specifically) in the original language it was written in! Well, on to Greek!!



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

1 MONTH!

Well, as of today, January 30th, is my one month anniversary! hahaha, sounds funny but there it is! My wife will be turning 23 this upcoming Friday. She is quite difficult to shop for, but by the Grace of God I will be able to get her something nice.... :)

Evangelical Theological Society

School just started today and I am waiting for my 330 class to start. I am finished with my Theology of Man and Sin class and I am looking forward to what it has to offer. My Prof, Dr. Thorsell, is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and with his signature (and me beinga student), I will be able to become a member for a mere 15 bucks! It will be awesome. I will get their quarterly journals and this will be a nice aide for my theological career. There is going to be a seminar from 1pm to 8pm on April 20th and I am planning on going. The Prof will take me and the other student (yep, only two of us in that class) to the seminar if we want. Sweeeet!

My 330 class is "The Problem of Evil". I'm sure I will find that class helpful, as well as highly enlightening. We live in a fallen world and we can't help but try and find answers to the tough questions that evil brings us.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

DWIGHT'S BACK!

Dwight's back at Dundler Mifflin, Andy's been exposed for the loser he is, and the romance is back!! The Office is dominating baby! The sky is blue once more...the air seems fresher....

okay I'm done.

Onto other things now. I'm excited to see my brother and Ryan this weekend. It will be good to hang out with them. Some Simon Museum is the plan, but I'm honestly looking more forward to The Hat (although Philipe's would be satisfactory as well). The funny thing is, I don't have anything planned beyond the Museum that Ryan's girlfriend suggested. So maybe we will all hang out and chat...or perhaps find another fun activity.



post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

"authority"

I once asked a friend how a person could go to heaven. His response was no surprise to me. It rolled off his tongue like water, as if it was the most obvious, "by being a good person".

The answer baffles me just as much as it disturbs me. Us humans have a way about us when it comes to things supernatural and divine, don't we? No matter our walk of life, we come to the same point of the "other world". The side not quite seen, yet everywhere. Ninety-five percent of the world admit to a god, gods, God, or a metaphyical existence/entity. Even the atheist must realize his absolute abhorrence of all things religious is a mere reaction to the evil and hardships of life; a mind who made academics his/her god for the sake of explaining that which haunts us all. Evil.

And there it is, evil. Once again we are confronted with a substance we can't claim to be physical. Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in his basement with random body parts stored in freezers, hearts half eaten on a table, and a trail of terrorized, broken family in his wake. Ed Gein was arrested after killing female victims and wearing their skins so he could feel like a woman. Edmund Kemper killed 8 different women so he could have the nerve to kill his mother whom he hated; her corpse he raped and later chopped up and shoved down the garbage disposal. Three men of hundreds whose stories are far worse than those previously mentioned are recorded among the serial killer files. The blatant stench of such wickedness cannot make its way across our conscious without us recognizing something...beyond the physical world. We really aren't alone, are we.....

Yet there is the counterpart that beckons recognition; beauty, nature, life, laughter, memories, children, marriage, sex, love, peace. Although these elements are here among us, mostly tangible at times, they do carry a deep sense of something divine. Here I am talking about the broad spectrum of all things good and bad and I can't help but speculate on the spirituality of it all. It is inescapable. Truth tends to have that effect, but not the "truth" the world spins by. Not truth as in the correct answer for a history test, or the specifics of a life-time warranty, or how many hydrogens are in water. I speak of the most important one, "Truth". The "Why" of all which matters most in this dying world.

"Why do you think that, my friend?"
"Well" he continued, "bad people can't get into heaven. Good people deserve too."

I challenged him by asking him where he got such ideas. I mean, where does one come up with qualifications of how to get into heaven? Or even the notion that a heaven exists? I wondered on what "authority" he derived this knowledge. Where do people decide this? And why should people believe it? If they believe in an eternal soul, should they risk their eternal state under the qualifications made up by society? or by something that "seems" good? When it comes to the important things in life I feel like the authority by which I answer the great questions of all time must be worth resting my faith upon.

How could my friend go through life by handling so carelessly all things divine and eternal, all the while answering questions of their nature as if he actually knows?

My Brother

I love my brother. He's the best brother ever.








post script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

The OFFICE!

I finished watching the newest episode of The Office about twenty minutes ago. What a fantastic show! So freakin hilarious! I will make note of a couple of aspects that I find so exceptionally appealing about the show:

1) The obvious one; extremely funny
2) The characters are so real. With the documentary format for filming (not to mention exceptional acting to bring in the real-life characters), I feel like I'm watching a true story unfolding.
3) As a result of point 2, I honestly care for the characters.
4) Every season gets much better than the previous!

In conclusion....Josh....brother....amigo......START WATCHING THE SHOW! (but don't forget to watch the previous two seasons first :P )




posts script: I LOVE MY WIFE!!!

Toby Smells!

Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells! Toby Smells!

Nesting

My wife and I are presently in Pasadena in our new apartment. We are unpacking the last bit of boxes and trying to find room for all the amazing gifts we received. I just can't believe I am a married man and have my own apartment. It's all so amazing (and a little scary, of course).

My wedding was simply fantastic. I almost wished I had more time at the reception so I could properly thank everyone for coming and for the gifts. Rebecca and I couldn't be happier for the thousands of blessings we have experienced these past few weeks.

In about 10 minutes we are going to take off to Celestino and use our gift certificate for a fine Italian dinner.

WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!