Against Nothingness

Hope? I have written before about Michael Crichton's work. It, again, got me thinking about something. I just finished watching "Jurassic Park". I was thinking that there are several things I like about Crichton. His books have a pretty common theme. People create or discover something that they are unable to handle, and in their arrogance and over-confidence they end up messing up big time. This allows Crichton to embody in his novels two things, though one definitely wins in the end of each of his books. These two things are the hope and ability of modern confidence, as well as the despair and uncertainity of postmodern despair. Ok, those are two little neat categories that don't quite work, I know that, but as much as they are broad generalizations they fit. I admit it. I like the hope and confidence that we used to have. I enjoy reading Arthur C. Clarke, and I liked 20,000 leagues under the sea. I miss it sometimes, for it seems largely absent f

Warning: This is one of those theological blurs. As well, there are likely many mistakes in my arguments. Please do point them out. Is the Bible accessible? I was asked a question today. How do I deal with the idea of the bible being accessible to anyone when I think that it is complex and hard to understand at many points? I wanted to put more thought, and more words into my answer, so that’s what I am doing. Many thoughts spring to my mind when asked how to deal with these two contrasting ideas. I will try to present them in an order that makes sense. Firstly there are some ways in which the bible is simple and accessible, regardless of how complex it can get. It may seem a bit trite, but the Ten Commandments are not hard to understand. They are also rather important. As well, the Holy Spirit can and does move in people to create deeper understanding and to make them better people. God can communicate through the bible. This should not be used as an excuse th

Please Do Disturb I like being disturbed. That probably sounds a little odd. Let me start with movies. I like movies that are disturbing. Not in the sense of being disturbing because of to much gore, or to much violence, or to much hatred (though I don't automatically dislike those things, I usually don't enjoy them so much), but the more subtle kind of disturbing. Like Arlington Road , or Training Day , or American History X . When something disturbs me it gets me thinking. It is usually disturbing because I am presented with something that does not jive with the way I think the world should be. It's like a key that just doesn't quite fit the lock, but you are positive that it should. The simplest form of this is just when the good guy loses. I expect, rationally and rightly in my mind, things to work out a certain way, and when it doesn't, it is disturbing. You know, they catch the bomber, cops are all good people, and racism isn't a big pr

Saturday, The Best Day I have a tradition on Saturdays. It is a relatively new tradition, but still a tradition. I don't get dressed. I sit around all day, doing whatever I have to do, in my housecoat and flannel pyjama's. Its great. Sometimes on a saturday, I actually have to leave the house, which means getting dressed; but most days I get away with it. It all started with one day, last year. Actually, with the memory of that one day last year. It was 4:00 on a saturday afternoon, and I came upstairs, still in my housecoat and pj's (I think I had been up really late, and slept late, til maybe 1 or so, because back then, in the old days, I did get dressed on Saturday), and I saw Homiebear, who was at that time one of my roommates. "How's it going?" Asked HomieBear "I'm..." Replied The Logo "Nevermind, I don't even have to ask. You have to be doing good if your still in your housecoat at 4." Cut in HomieBear

Yesterday... well, ok, technically two days ago, on monday, I had a conversation with a friend of mine. She asked me about Chapter, what I like about her, and what initially attracted me to her; questions of the sort that I love to answer, but almost never get asked. I had, and usually have, much to say about Chapter. Somehow it doesn't get out on here, or in lots of places, because I usually leave it until when I am asked. I am like with most of the things I think about, I don't just come out and talk about them. The few things that I do are usually only half serious, or else they are so serious that they weigh on me until I speak them. I am incredibly lucky to have found someone such as Chapter, someone who I can become the best partner I can for, and who is willing to become the best partner for me. I don't honestly beleive you ever stumble onto someone who just happens to fit so well; I mean it happens to some degree, and then you "fall in love" and tha

The Highwaymen - Here Comes That Rainbow The scene was a small roadside cafe The waitress was sweeping the floor Two truck drivers drinking their coffee And two Okie kids by the door "How much are them candies?" they asked her "How much have you got?" she replied "We've only a penny between us" "Them's two for a penny" she lied Chorus: And the daylight grew heavy with thunder With the smell of the rains on the wind Ain't it just like a human Here comes that rainbow again One truck driver called to the waitress After the kids went outside "Them candies ain't two for a penny" "

So often I run out of things I want to say; I just want to do. I want to write a book that somehow changes many people's lives, which is kind of in between, since its saying and doing. I want to help people to find Jesus, I want to become an expert martial artist and beat people up. I want to go back in time and get rich on the stock market, and I want to become a person who actively loves the poor and the outcast. I want to impress, and I want to be humble. My desires seem to be an insane mix of opposites; And my list of heroes is an incongruous mess of saints and comic book/movie characters...? I want to be St. Francis and Jet Li. I want to be Aragorn or Gandalf, and I want to be Abba Anthony (the first desert father). I want to save the world; to be Jesus and Superman. Why? Kierkegaard claimed that purity of heart was "to will one thing". I realize that that is a lot harder than it sounds, at least it is for me. I am a fragmented mess, thanks to the multipl

My first long day of classes is over. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Maybe it was just because it was the first time I went through it, but they didn't seem to drag at all. Tuesday's may not be so brutal after all. My Religous Studies Methodologies course was particularly interesting. For those of you who don't know, a course like that is one in which we ask questions like "What is Religion? How do you study religion? etc." you know, big vague, hypothetical and definitional questions that end up running us around in circles for the full three hours. Nonetheless, it was good. Several students ended up lamenting the fact that any kind of talk of God (or "the ultimate being" etc.) seemed to be slowly leaving religious studies, which to them made it far less interesting. We also questioned discourse theory, the ability of scholars to seperate substance from concept, and the non-essentialist viewpoint which our current textbook takes on

What have I been doing lately? Trying to get back into things, which is proving to be more difficult that I thought. It's like I fell off the planet for a few weeks, found out I really liked it, and am now clawing my way to get back on when I am not so sure I want to. Perhaps I feel that way because today is the first brutal tuesday I will be attending classes on... 7.5 straight hours of them. They are good classes, I know that. They are good prof's, I know that to. But thats a long time, and I am kind of waiting to see how it goes. Not that I can do anything about it if it goes badly, except get used to it.

I'm back. Wow it's been a long time. So my hopeful attitude of maybe posting over the holidays.. well, that didn't happen. The holidays were great. I spent time at home, with friends and family, and then visited relatives I haven't seen for a long time, and finally spent some time with Chapter. While I was with Chapter I got the flu, and was very sick. But she took excellent care of me, so that wasn't so bad. Good to know she's good at stuff like that to :) It's kind of wierd being back in edmonton, back in the basement and back in school. I am looking forward to this semester; good courses, good prof's, and its my last one here at UofA. Lots of work though. Then I get married!!! sweet. I only know the workload for three of my five courses, but so far its lots of reading and writing. I have a sweet schedule. I am in Witchcraft and the Occult, Early Christian Scriptures, Ancient Near East, Special Topics in the Old Testament: Prophets,