Tonight's dinner might have been the most ridiculous meal I've ever worked.
Serve time was 5:30. Everything was perfectly fine at 4:15. No kidding. Then sometime around 4:20, we realize that there would be several complications: 15 more people would be eating than the previous count (total of 118), and somehow the pizza quantity was overlooked leaving us with only 54 'Tonys' and about 30 'Red Barrons' - thats only 84, if you can't add. Somewhere in this process, I notice that the deep fryer was never turned on, meaning the oil would not be hot enough to fry apple fritters.
And then this stupid thing called, "Hope" had to show up and make it so we couldn't curl up and die.
We cut the 'Red Barrons' in halves, and found some chicken that wasn't being used (Sarah and Marie cut up some potatoes and added a bunch of seasonings to them) And the deep fryer heated up in time for me to get 3 batches completed before the group came through the line.
So I would attribute the absolutely amazing recovery of meal-almost-not-doable-ness to my God.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Hope_sorta-maybe-kinda-part-1
So the good news is that I have hope these days. I really think David H. coming inspired me. He is such a great guy, and genuinely cares about people. Not to say he won't push and bend you where its hard, but he does it in love, and you can seriously see the difference between someone correcting you cause they are tired of you getting it wrong and someone correcting you because they want the best outcome. David wants the best outcome.
I'm still on my quest to relearning love.
[I don't think it should take very long to learn something like that, cause you either do or you don't (not like, "Oh, I'm lvl 42 now..") yet there is the aspect of 'what naturally comes out of you' when in a situation that requires love. So not only is the defining of true, real love important, but also the training to automatically respond with it.]
"Hey unfaithful, I will teach you to be stronger (to be stronger)
Hey ungraceful, I will teach you to forgive one another...
Hey unfaithful, I will teach you to be stronger (to be stronger)
Hey unloving, I will love you.. I will love you.. I will love you.."
_UnderOath: Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape_
I'm thinking it would be a good idea to find quotes dealing with love. If I recall, David H. spoke on "RFA" (being Ready For Anything) this morning, and one of the things was about staying away from negative thinking and speaking. So, one way would be to find the positives :)
I'm still on my quest to relearning love.
[I don't think it should take very long to learn something like that, cause you either do or you don't (not like, "Oh, I'm lvl 42 now..") yet there is the aspect of 'what naturally comes out of you' when in a situation that requires love. So not only is the defining of true, real love important, but also the training to automatically respond with it.]
"Hey unfaithful, I will teach you to be stronger (to be stronger)
Hey ungraceful, I will teach you to forgive one another...
Hey unfaithful, I will teach you to be stronger (to be stronger)
Hey unloving, I will love you.. I will love you.. I will love you.."
_UnderOath: Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape_
I'm thinking it would be a good idea to find quotes dealing with love. If I recall, David H. spoke on "RFA" (being Ready For Anything) this morning, and one of the things was about staying away from negative thinking and speaking. So, one way would be to find the positives :)
Friday, July 17, 2009
"I can feel it in the atmosphere some how: I want to see with your eyes right now..."
I've been reading C. S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity" and find it absolutely fascinating. Every sentence reads like modern speak, and every paragraph loads my mind with more theory and concept than before. I would barely put it down if not to only absorb the material I have read already. I would, without a doubt, recommend it to anyone. With that said, the content of the book, in the first of four 'books', has nothing to do with the religion of Christianity, and he makes it very clear that the reader should not mistake his words.
A few interesting points stuck with me, some are not valid for this blog, rather just for personal enhancement, and would take far too much back story for you to fully understand their meanings. Even trying to summarize the first 5 chapters would take, well, the first 5 chapters to summarize. So go read it. The first interesting point worth note is the way he addresses life. I derived these ideas from just a brief note he made, so it's not really from him. As I worded it to Marie, it dealt with tea. In the process of making tea, we use several statics, which are in my context, dynamics themselves, not just the statics to the dynamic of making tea. First we have hot water; second is tea, ground and in a filter bag; third is sugar; fourth is ice. The process is simple, but rather intense.
1) Say I was to tell you that each of those elements listed above has a spirit: a force within it that tells itself and the rest of the world what it is and what it does. Here is how the process would take place: "Hot water flows through the tea. In the process, the tea willfully imparts itself to the water, who takes on the tea. Now the two have become one. The new hot water-tea is then poured over sugar, who willingly gives itself to the creation of, yet again, one entity: hot, sweet water-tea. Combined with the aid from a human, the two mix beautifully, in swirls and scents that are pleasing, because the two are pleased to become one. The last element is to be included, and it is ice. The hot, sweet water-tea is poured over ice, who willingly adds its substance and relaxation to the previous mixture. This must be done slowly, as it is a relaxing of the spirits. Once all have become one, they are pleased to impart their joy to a human."
2) Say I was to tell you that each of those elements listed had a molecular composition like none other: a force within it that tells itself and the rest of the world what it is and what it does. Here is how the process would take place: "Water's molecules, when heated, move faster than when at room-temperature. This allows for it to attain a slightly different composition. This hot water is then strained through the ground tea, which deposits microscopic stains onto the water. These stains contain, at the atomic level, the live code that tells our human brains what it smells, tastes, and looks like. Once completed, the batch of stained water is added to sugar, which also dissolves into microscopic particles and blends with the hot, stained water. now the three have only become one because of the heat of the water: if it were cool water, the intensity would be extremely lower. This combination must then be cooled to a desirable temperature. The hot mixture is poured over ice, which is of course frozen water and has extremely slow moving atoms. The fusion of the slow with the fast particles causes a molecular solidification, which maintains the stains and microscopic particles in the water by, essentially, creating new molecules which possess the atomic qualities of all four ingredients."
Which one sounds more like the correct answer? We would be more inclined to answer, "The second one, obviously," because it is the only one we will ever be 100% sure of its truths. One can not observe a spirit, but can observe the materials. I agree with C. S. Lewis on the note that one can not simple explain some things by observation: yes we can know how the tea is made and how it tastes so good, but we can't explain why sugar contains happy molecules when in contact with our taste buds, or why the smell of the tea causes us to salivate. We can merely observe and report, but not explain the things that come before it. Lewis uses the 'Law of Gravity' in his book to explain this idea in comparison to the 'Law of Human Nature' (where the law of gravity may not be broken, the law of human nature is a suggested outcome, but not always the case)
I have begun to see how everything actually does contain molecules and tiny tiny particles that we can only see through a microscope, but what if those are not the actions, but merely the reaction, or the proof of the action, that the spirit within implements? In that kind of light, we can see how everything is, in fact, alive.
Through the past few months of cooking, I have really seen how it can be done so that you almost connect to things through a sort of non-physical way, and not quite head knowledge either. Through cooking corn, if given the time to embrace the elements, one can know - without testing - that the corn is cooked well. It becomes difficult to explain because most of this 'connection' doesn't take place in the usual places of the brain: it's almost not even in the brain, more in the soul. So in these past few months, as I said, I have been connected to the food I create, and thus am sure of its perfection.
What I am getting at is that, like with the food, one can connect to other things, specifically people. Have you ever been in a place where you just hurt for someone, or maybe you smile out of nowhere because of a notion of another person? I don't believe it's coincidence that we should be connected to others in a way that supersedes the physical. For a Christian, that should almost be normal concept: you connect to your God that way, and also have intercession.
We are meant to live for so much more.
A few interesting points stuck with me, some are not valid for this blog, rather just for personal enhancement, and would take far too much back story for you to fully understand their meanings. Even trying to summarize the first 5 chapters would take, well, the first 5 chapters to summarize. So go read it. The first interesting point worth note is the way he addresses life. I derived these ideas from just a brief note he made, so it's not really from him. As I worded it to Marie, it dealt with tea. In the process of making tea, we use several statics, which are in my context, dynamics themselves, not just the statics to the dynamic of making tea. First we have hot water; second is tea, ground and in a filter bag; third is sugar; fourth is ice. The process is simple, but rather intense.
1) Say I was to tell you that each of those elements listed above has a spirit: a force within it that tells itself and the rest of the world what it is and what it does. Here is how the process would take place: "Hot water flows through the tea. In the process, the tea willfully imparts itself to the water, who takes on the tea. Now the two have become one. The new hot water-tea is then poured over sugar, who willingly gives itself to the creation of, yet again, one entity: hot, sweet water-tea. Combined with the aid from a human, the two mix beautifully, in swirls and scents that are pleasing, because the two are pleased to become one. The last element is to be included, and it is ice. The hot, sweet water-tea is poured over ice, who willingly adds its substance and relaxation to the previous mixture. This must be done slowly, as it is a relaxing of the spirits. Once all have become one, they are pleased to impart their joy to a human."
2) Say I was to tell you that each of those elements listed had a molecular composition like none other: a force within it that tells itself and the rest of the world what it is and what it does. Here is how the process would take place: "Water's molecules, when heated, move faster than when at room-temperature. This allows for it to attain a slightly different composition. This hot water is then strained through the ground tea, which deposits microscopic stains onto the water. These stains contain, at the atomic level, the live code that tells our human brains what it smells, tastes, and looks like. Once completed, the batch of stained water is added to sugar, which also dissolves into microscopic particles and blends with the hot, stained water. now the three have only become one because of the heat of the water: if it were cool water, the intensity would be extremely lower. This combination must then be cooled to a desirable temperature. The hot mixture is poured over ice, which is of course frozen water and has extremely slow moving atoms. The fusion of the slow with the fast particles causes a molecular solidification, which maintains the stains and microscopic particles in the water by, essentially, creating new molecules which possess the atomic qualities of all four ingredients."
Which one sounds more like the correct answer? We would be more inclined to answer, "The second one, obviously," because it is the only one we will ever be 100% sure of its truths. One can not observe a spirit, but can observe the materials. I agree with C. S. Lewis on the note that one can not simple explain some things by observation: yes we can know how the tea is made and how it tastes so good, but we can't explain why sugar contains happy molecules when in contact with our taste buds, or why the smell of the tea causes us to salivate. We can merely observe and report, but not explain the things that come before it. Lewis uses the 'Law of Gravity' in his book to explain this idea in comparison to the 'Law of Human Nature' (where the law of gravity may not be broken, the law of human nature is a suggested outcome, but not always the case)
I have begun to see how everything actually does contain molecules and tiny tiny particles that we can only see through a microscope, but what if those are not the actions, but merely the reaction, or the proof of the action, that the spirit within implements? In that kind of light, we can see how everything is, in fact, alive.
Through the past few months of cooking, I have really seen how it can be done so that you almost connect to things through a sort of non-physical way, and not quite head knowledge either. Through cooking corn, if given the time to embrace the elements, one can know - without testing - that the corn is cooked well. It becomes difficult to explain because most of this 'connection' doesn't take place in the usual places of the brain: it's almost not even in the brain, more in the soul. So in these past few months, as I said, I have been connected to the food I create, and thus am sure of its perfection.
What I am getting at is that, like with the food, one can connect to other things, specifically people. Have you ever been in a place where you just hurt for someone, or maybe you smile out of nowhere because of a notion of another person? I don't believe it's coincidence that we should be connected to others in a way that supersedes the physical. For a Christian, that should almost be normal concept: you connect to your God that way, and also have intercession.
We are meant to live for so much more.
Monday, July 13, 2009
We all need some understanding: We all need love
"...Millions of faces
Are looking for movement
'Cause everything's stuck
And everything's frozen
And everyone's broken
And nobody moves
And everyone's scared
That the motion will never come
This is the incompletion
Stuck in a line
Love is the movement
Love is a revolution
This is redemption
We don't have to slow back down
The stars are alive
They dance to the music
Of the deepest emotion
And all of the world
Is singing in time
As the heavens are caving in
Mysterious ways
How God gave his life
To put motion inside my soul
It's bigger than cold religion
It's bigger than life
This is a revolution
Get up, get up
Love is moving you now "
_Switchfoot: Love is the Movement_
"Do me a favor
Would you tell me when to let go?
'Cause I think I'm holding on
Do me a favor
Would you tell me which way is up?
'Cause I don't know where I fit
Would you do it for me?
'Cause I'm playing for keeps
Tell me tomorrow has come
With open arms
If you say it's time to move on
Then I'll stop holding on
If you say that it's time for moving on
Time for moving on"
_Switchfoot: Playing for Keeps_
"This is your life
Are you who you want to be
This is your life
Is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger
And you had everything to lose
You had everything to lose"
_Switchfoot: This is Your Life_
I think some of this touches how I feel toward the church. Yeah yeah, I know its vague, but like any series of words, someone somewhere gets hit with the emotion and the words served their purpose. I don't ever cry because I'm a heartless bastard. Naw but, I just don't get all emotional cause I have an analytical brain and everything just simply is, no strings. Lately though I've actually found some material capable of pulling my heartstrings.
Apparently God is perfect love.
As a Christian, one should epitomize that quality.
Love has never been easy for me to understand. It may be the way that America has tainted it, maybe the way that I've experienced things disguised as love that let down, maybe just my unwillingness to accept that I'm no different than anyone else.
So the concept of love has little meaning to me in the way that most people view it. If I come out of my life and into something new, I'll see the way to love as I do it now; but the current definition is not applicable to me. Is that for everyone? To write their own definition of love?
If love is the movement, then I can feel it and know it's there. Thats where I want to be. [I'm thinking of action, not standing still, not being static; going somewhere, being with people, making a change for the better in the world around me; stirring up the situation, adding excitement, being involved with advancements, building on our future, moving from the past that haunts and hurts and hinders]
Are looking for movement
'Cause everything's stuck
And everything's frozen
And everyone's broken
And nobody moves
And everyone's scared
That the motion will never come
This is the incompletion
Stuck in a line
Love is the movement
Love is a revolution
This is redemption
We don't have to slow back down
The stars are alive
They dance to the music
Of the deepest emotion
And all of the world
Is singing in time
As the heavens are caving in
Mysterious ways
How God gave his life
To put motion inside my soul
It's bigger than cold religion
It's bigger than life
This is a revolution
Get up, get up
Love is moving you now "
_Switchfoot: Love is the Movement_
"Do me a favor
Would you tell me when to let go?
'Cause I think I'm holding on
Do me a favor
Would you tell me which way is up?
'Cause I don't know where I fit
Would you do it for me?
'Cause I'm playing for keeps
Tell me tomorrow has come
With open arms
If you say it's time to move on
Then I'll stop holding on
If you say that it's time for moving on
Time for moving on"
_Switchfoot: Playing for Keeps_
"This is your life
Are you who you want to be
This is your life
Is it everything you dreamed that it would be
When the world was younger
And you had everything to lose
You had everything to lose"
_Switchfoot: This is Your Life_
I think some of this touches how I feel toward the church. Yeah yeah, I know its vague, but like any series of words, someone somewhere gets hit with the emotion and the words served their purpose. I don't ever cry because I'm a heartless bastard. Naw but, I just don't get all emotional cause I have an analytical brain and everything just simply is, no strings. Lately though I've actually found some material capable of pulling my heartstrings.
Apparently God is perfect love.
As a Christian, one should epitomize that quality.
Love has never been easy for me to understand. It may be the way that America has tainted it, maybe the way that I've experienced things disguised as love that let down, maybe just my unwillingness to accept that I'm no different than anyone else.
So the concept of love has little meaning to me in the way that most people view it. If I come out of my life and into something new, I'll see the way to love as I do it now; but the current definition is not applicable to me. Is that for everyone? To write their own definition of love?
If love is the movement, then I can feel it and know it's there. Thats where I want to be. [I'm thinking of action, not standing still, not being static; going somewhere, being with people, making a change for the better in the world around me; stirring up the situation, adding excitement, being involved with advancements, building on our future, moving from the past that haunts and hurts and hinders]
Sunday, July 12, 2009
"This is the moment that we all live for: are you ready?"
BTW. m.facebook.com is faster
I talked with Aaron Nickerson yesterday at Busch. He mentioned how, in Christianity, the focus has [in a bad way] shifted to salvation |whether you will get into Heaven or not| instead of the important things still to be done/ things in the current time frame, not the "some day in the future" frame. Most of the aspects to Christianity have shifted that way as well, even the outreach/ministry. What happened to "The Kingdom of God is at hand.."?
I also believe the church in America is too inward focused. There are too many issues between Christians that prevent us from 1) having a relationship with God and 2) sharing the love of God with others. If you can't even love a neighbor, how could you possibly love an enemy?
So I was thinking: What really constitutes salvation?
[In Islam, no one can avoid hellfire, but depending on how little they sin and how many good deeds they do they can lessen the time spent paying for their sins. An interesting point is that any reference to entering Heaven includes 2 requirements: belief in Allah (God) and doing good deeds.]
Is a deathbed confession and change of heart really enough to forgive a life of NOT serving God?
How do you figure the differences between 'service to humanity' and 'service to humanity for God'
I don't think God would have made it so complicated. So why are we making it so complicated?
I talked with Aaron Nickerson yesterday at Busch. He mentioned how, in Christianity, the focus has [in a bad way] shifted to salvation |whether you will get into Heaven or not| instead of the important things still to be done/ things in the current time frame, not the "some day in the future" frame. Most of the aspects to Christianity have shifted that way as well, even the outreach/ministry. What happened to "The Kingdom of God is at hand.."?
I also believe the church in America is too inward focused. There are too many issues between Christians that prevent us from 1) having a relationship with God and 2) sharing the love of God with others. If you can't even love a neighbor, how could you possibly love an enemy?
So I was thinking: What really constitutes salvation?
[In Islam, no one can avoid hellfire, but depending on how little they sin and how many good deeds they do they can lessen the time spent paying for their sins. An interesting point is that any reference to entering Heaven includes 2 requirements: belief in Allah (God) and doing good deeds.]
Is a deathbed confession and change of heart really enough to forgive a life of NOT serving God?
How do you figure the differences between 'service to humanity' and 'service to humanity for God'
I don't think God would have made it so complicated. So why are we making it so complicated?
The Shadow Proves The Sunshine
Its amazing how dark of a time it is lately. Several people that are dear seem to be in an eclipse.. only it's one of those things that you don't understand, so you don't have the joy of seeing the rarity of the eclipse, but rather have the fear of never seeing the sun again. "..and you say that you don't want to see the sun anymore" _Paramore_
I know how easy it is to look back on a dark time and see just how much you overcame, but when you're in the pain and darkness, it's nothing but crap. "When the burden seems to much to bare, remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there" _Relient K_
Something I learned is that it is better to take a break and avoid completely losing [it]. In this time, it might be good to pull that philosophy out of our bag. In all honesty, leaving the church could be the worst thing for the church, while the best for us. That makes quite a dilemma for us. Drastic moves would be disastrous, but it seems like the only thing we are willing to do. I would say, "Any progress is better than none" as much as I will be hurting to move faster..
"We are crooked souls trying to stay up straight.. the shadow proves the sunshine"
I know how easy it is to look back on a dark time and see just how much you overcame, but when you're in the pain and darkness, it's nothing but crap. "When the burden seems to much to bare, remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there" _Relient K_
Something I learned is that it is better to take a break and avoid completely losing [it]. In this time, it might be good to pull that philosophy out of our bag. In all honesty, leaving the church could be the worst thing for the church, while the best for us. That makes quite a dilemma for us. Drastic moves would be disastrous, but it seems like the only thing we are willing to do. I would say, "Any progress is better than none" as much as I will be hurting to move faster..
"We are crooked souls trying to stay up straight.. the shadow proves the sunshine"
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Something to do with 'Arpeggio'?
I've been investigating some things lately. "Secret: Agent man!" Got a copy of the Koran (and for the record, I love taboo, yet again) which turned out to be like the King James version of the Bible (basically: the suck if you have no teacher, just reading straight forward). I've been going through it marking verses that stand out to me. I find it interesting how, compared to Christian principles and the Bible, it's very similar except for some minor details which make a huge difference, and thus seriously inspire the 2 separate religious movements.
I've been working a lot lately, which has led to a lack in sharing my thoughts in blog form. Sometimes in life it's just better to talk to people instead of write everything. You get feedback much faster and it becomes a conversation rather than a lecture or article. The good thing about working is that I feel like I have a purpose in life, or at least make myself useful in some way. The paycheck is also on the positive side.
I recently purchased a bunch of movies, mostly ones that no one else had or no one else cared to have, or no one would ever buy but they were cheap. I would say my most enjoyed from the lot was Apocalypto. After watching Sweeny Todd, it wasn't nearly as gruesome. There's also these elements of 'I'm ready to kick some ass!' in there, so it's pretty awesome.
Making coffee has been fun. We recently got a new blend at work (an amazing upgrade, as the previous blend has been there for the past 6 years and never changed and it was probably the second to worst official coffee ever) and it's not too bad. I like iced coffee, and mine turns out at 1.4x strength of regular coffee (I'm really used to quad-iced drinks, so this is actually weak..) Jason also aided me in getting some vanilla syrup, so now my arsenal is complete! *lightning* *maniacal laughter*
I like me some coffee..
I also decided that for my 21st birthday I will become a beer connoisseur. I already have zero tolerance for beer in any form, so if I can find one that I can stand, that will officially be the beer. I think I am more of a fruity, sweet guy anyway, so more than likely I will not find a good beer.
I feel the need to address relationship statuses. I am not interested in anyone, just to be clear. I don't want to roll that way, and I want to preserve the family aspect for as long as possible. Sarah had said, "If you want to be like Paul (a guy in the Bible) you won't be getting married; neither did Jesus" - so in that respect, if I decided to be 100% devoted to the cause of Jesus, I more than likely wouldn't marry anyway. So if you have heard through any 'grapevines' lately, you've heard wrong.
Watching "Blood Diamond" tonight at the Center. We had to edit it down some for content and length. I prefer the full movie (as I do with any movie).
I've been working a lot lately, which has led to a lack in sharing my thoughts in blog form. Sometimes in life it's just better to talk to people instead of write everything. You get feedback much faster and it becomes a conversation rather than a lecture or article. The good thing about working is that I feel like I have a purpose in life, or at least make myself useful in some way. The paycheck is also on the positive side.
I recently purchased a bunch of movies, mostly ones that no one else had or no one else cared to have, or no one would ever buy but they were cheap. I would say my most enjoyed from the lot was Apocalypto. After watching Sweeny Todd, it wasn't nearly as gruesome. There's also these elements of 'I'm ready to kick some ass!' in there, so it's pretty awesome.
Making coffee has been fun. We recently got a new blend at work (an amazing upgrade, as the previous blend has been there for the past 6 years and never changed and it was probably the second to worst official coffee ever) and it's not too bad. I like iced coffee, and mine turns out at 1.4x strength of regular coffee (I'm really used to quad-iced drinks, so this is actually weak..) Jason also aided me in getting some vanilla syrup, so now my arsenal is complete! *lightning* *maniacal laughter*
I like me some coffee..
I also decided that for my 21st birthday I will become a beer connoisseur. I already have zero tolerance for beer in any form, so if I can find one that I can stand, that will officially be the beer. I think I am more of a fruity, sweet guy anyway, so more than likely I will not find a good beer.
I feel the need to address relationship statuses. I am not interested in anyone, just to be clear. I don't want to roll that way, and I want to preserve the family aspect for as long as possible. Sarah had said, "If you want to be like Paul (a guy in the Bible) you won't be getting married; neither did Jesus" - so in that respect, if I decided to be 100% devoted to the cause of Jesus, I more than likely wouldn't marry anyway. So if you have heard through any 'grapevines' lately, you've heard wrong.
Watching "Blood Diamond" tonight at the Center. We had to edit it down some for content and length. I prefer the full movie (as I do with any movie).
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