shonlock – something in your eyes  

you had to know this was coming… click to embiggen it.

also for a cool look at the avengers and the gospel check out this video.

jamie’s elsewhere – let’s pretend we’re giants

i don’t know if you’ve ever seen someone, maybe a magician or something equally lame, spin plates as part of their act, but usually when they do, they’re running around like crazy trying to make sure that everything doesn’t come crashing down. right now i feel about as lame as a magician.

i don’t know if you may have heard, but i very recently asked my best friend to marry me and by some lapse in her judgement she said yes. i’m pretty excited about it and don’t tell her this, but she could do WAY better. anyway i figured that the whole getting engaged part was going to be the hardest part of this whole thing… little did i know what would be the incredible torrent of new things to do that is planning a wedding.

maybe it’s because i never subjected myself to movies like “the wedding planner” or “my best friend’s wedding” but i really just thought these things just kinda worked themselves out. like you just go to the wedding store and they have a menu like at a restaurant and i’d just order a number 2, hold the doves. not the case.

so now, on top of raising support, working part time, taking time to develop my walk with Christ, taking care of my dog crash, i’ve got to help plan a wedding. i’ve been busy before but not like this. and the worst part is, and don’t tell her this, i have no idea what i’m doing…

so i’m running around trying to keep the plates spinning without dropping the ball in any of my responsibilities. so rather then drone on about all of the nonsense i’ve got to be doing i’ll sign off with this. a dancing monkey, for your enjoyment.

i’m sure you have seen the video “why i hate religion, but love Jesus | spoken word” making the rounds on the internet lately. when i first saw the video it had around 300,000 views and at the time i’m writing this i has over 17 million views. if you haven’t seen it yet you can check it out right here.

now a lot has been made about this video… both good and bad and while there’s much within the video that really rings true there was something with it that kind of sat a little uneasy with me. as someone who’s been in vocational ministry for the past 4 years i have seen much about the church (note that’s little c church not big C Church) that would make you just want to rip your hair out and I can relate to his (his name is jefferson bethke) passion as well as frustration with some of the state of “Christianity” in general.

rather then beat a dead or dying horse you can read a pretty great breakdown and clarification of bethke’s poem here at the gospel coalition written by a pretty smart dude named kevin deyoung as well as a follow up with bethke here. what i wanted to focus on was some of the responses i’ve seen posted on youtube. most specifically one by a catholic priest and a muslim guy. both of which would disagree with the first poem. you can check out the first “why i love religion, and love Jesus a catholic response” first.

this video features father claude burns, a priest in chicago il also known as pontifix on the catholic website phatmass. (i’m not even going to go into why i think that’s really funny…) i also found that there was much in this video i agreed with and liked. I don’t want to take any sides or cast any stones… there’s a lot that both protestants and catholics fall short on because they are both made up of fallen, imperfect men, but i feel like both videos here are making valid points and that it all really comes down to the definition of religion that is being taken here, neither of which really take the time to define. i’d love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below. lastly this video (“why i hate religion, but love Jesus || muslim version”) caught my eye in the recommended links on video after it had finished playing. you can check it out here.

i’m having trouble finding out the author but i know this video is posted on behalf of the facebook group talk islam. this is the video which i was really the most interested in because of my time spent in muslim countries. during that time i found it difficult sometimes to really get a good understanding of who the average muslim believes Jesus is. i know this is just one person’s perspective and one thing that all three of these videos are critiquing is lumping a large group and judging them on a few fringe members, but i feel like this kind of epitomizes what the general muslim thinking is on Jesus. he was a man, a man who pointed to God but was not in fact himself God. i’d also love to hear your thoughts about this video in the comments as well. i just thought this stuff was interesting and that i’d share it.

james vincent mcmorrow – we don’t eat (adventure club remix) 

you may have noticed that on january 18th several of the websites you frequent (wikipedia.com, google.com, craigslist.com, etc.) were blacked out to various degrees in protest for the Stop Online Piracy Act or SOPA and the Protect Intellectual Property Act or PIPA. both of these bills are heavily lobbied by the entertainment industry (music, film, you know the drill) including a sizable (read somewhere to the tune of $94 million+) “donation” from the motion picture association of america to the senate. for an easier understanding of the bills you can check this out this technical explanation of the bills.

you’re probably thinking, “this is to stop piracy, so why is this a bad thing?”  and i would agree with you, i’m in no way advocating piracy or anything like that. the thing that has me worried is the sweeping language of these bills. under this legislation everything from facebook to this blog (because it has a comment system) could at a whim, be blocked for anything that is deemed “illegal” by pretty much anyone.

i see this as a gateway to censoring the internet in a way that takes away any sort of freedom to share ideas, thoughts, opinions, etc. it’s not quite the same as the countries of egypt and libya taking down the entire internet during the respective revolutions that the countries went through last year but it could have similar repercussions. the sweeping language of these bills could silence any sort of freedom of speech and as someone who tries to use the internet as a form of platform to share my faith i could very well be targeted and taken down as well.

it’s a form of gateway drug… similar to that of the hate crime laws. this legislation judges intent rather then the crime itself. because if you allow the government to decide intent, then where are we a couple years from now? years from now do they use this law to say, “what jake is saying out of the Bible is hate and is therefore illegal”? if we can take the 1st amendment and twist it to mean that you can’t play “silent night” at the mall without violating somebody’s rights at christmas, do you not think you can take a hate crime law and say that i’m not allowed to say what i think from the Bible because it’s hate? 

meanwhile, i can burn the american flag and slap my qur’an, but i can’t put a manger scene in front of city hall. don’t get me wrong, what happened to matthew shepard in 1998 and started the hate crime legislation is appalling and horribly wrong. i’m also not saying that this is the motivation behind either law, i’m just saying this is the direction we could be heading and we need to be aware of what could eventually be a possibility. 

i’m all for shutting down piracy, go for it, do what you need to do to protect your intellectual property. but when that interferes with basic freedoms that’s when there needs to be some pretty significant push back. i hope this doesn’t come off as a paranoid rant but i really do think that the days where it’s “easy” to be a Christian in america are coming to a close and we should be aware of that closing window.

i’ve been pretty spastic in my quiet times lately, not specifically studying any particular book at the moment. i’ve actually been going back to verses i’ve memorized in the past and, in order to get a better understanding of them, reading them in context with the verses around them. this morning i was reading john 1. the verses i had previously memorized were the first couple verses:

in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

a fantastic way to start a book in my honest opinion, but that’s not the point you can read about book openings here. anyway what recently stuck out to me is found later in chapter 1 where Jesus is first assembling the men who would be responsible for really his entire ministry and who would live and die for the cause. most specifically nathanael. nathanael must have been a friend of philip who Jesus had invited to follow him just before.

philip, just like anyone who had just found out something incredible, rushed off to tell his friends, specifically nathanael, who’s hanging out under a fig tree. “we have found him of whom moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of nazareth…” (vs45) nathanael responds to this with “can anything good come out of nazareth?” i love nathanael’s response. the biting sarcasm, the criticalness, i think we probably would be been friends… but curiosity won out and nathanael came to see who it was that philip was talking about.

Jesus saw nathanael coming and said to him, “behold, an israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” (vs47) nathanael was taken back at this assessment of himself and asked Jesus how he knew him. and Jesus answered him, “before philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, i saw you.” ok now things are getting weird for nathanael. how could this guy have seen him without actually being there? something about this seemed amazing yet unbelievable. 

this little glimpse into the power of God was all that nathanael needed to be convinced that this was the Son of God, the true King of Israel. Jesus replied to this pretty amazing conclusion with this, “because i said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? you will see greater things than these.” basically Jesus was telling him, “you ain’t seen nothing yet!” 

it’s cool putting myself in nathanael’s place, because i’ve gotten to see God do some pretty cool stuff. providing for needs, changing lives, (my own included) and pull off the unthinkable… but i haven’t seen anything yet… i haven’t seen, what Jesus said was coming, “truly, truly, i say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

bon iver - holocene 

i’ve probably said this many times on here but unlike most people i’ve found, finishing things is almost always the most difficult part of a project for me. right now, looking at my to do list i count at least 4 projects that i’ve started but haven’t quite finished and another 3 blog posts that i’ve started but haven’t finished on various topics that seemed super interesting to me when inspiration hit.

now starting things, that’s my favorite part. everything is new, the world is my oyster. (i’m not really sure what that means but it really felt like it fit there) there haven’t been any roadblocks, anything is possible, nothing has been limited by my lacking skills, everything is just ideas of what could be.

if you’re a fan of the office (and let’s face it, you probably are) you’re familiar with the cold open. the images above have probably jogged your memory of some of the greats. they break the ice, warm up the audience, get you ready for what’s to come; even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the rest of the episode.

for me, after that initial high of starting something new comes the inevitable terror of the what ifs… it’s at that point that i tend to freeze up because i’m worried, “maybe i got the ball rolling wrong…” somehow i feel that i somehow will blow it and be crushed by the boulder i’ve gotten rolling like the huge boulder in raiders of the lost ark. which coincidently, was one brilliant way to start a movie.

it’s funny how a great beginning really sticks with you though. it doesn’t matter if it’s in video games, film, or literature; a fantastic beginning will draw you in or enchant you. what actually got me thinking about this came to me upon re-watching “serenity.” (you may have already read about my thoughts on “serenity” here)

the opening scene(s) really set the pace of the film as well as introduce the characters, (or reintroduce them if you are familiar with the show “firefly” the film was a continuation of) both the introduction of the operative and the crew of serenity are so memorable and handled with just the right amount of exposition. it got me thinking about beginnings, good ones specifically.

i thought i’d share some of the opening lines of some of the books i’ve read/been reading lately and i’d love for you to share some of your favorites or of what you’re reading.

the outsiders by s.e. hinton

when i stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: paul newman and a ride home.

harry potter & the deathly hollows by j.k. rowling

the two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards appart in the narrow, moonlit lane.

crazy love by francis chan

what if i said, “stop praying”? what if i told you to stop talking to God for a while…

world war z by max brooks

it goes by many names: “the crisis,” “the dark years,” “the walking plague,” as well as newer and more “hip” titles such as “world war z” or “z war one.”

the problem of pain by c.s. lewis

i wonder at the hardihood [boldness] with which such persons undertake to talk about God.

all the pretty horses by cormac mccarthy

the candleflame and the image of the candleflame caught the pierglass twisted and righted when he entered the hall and again when he shut the door.

what are some beginnings to books you’re reading/have read? 

thrice – broken lungs 

so i don’t know if you’ve ever had one of those days… (i don’t mean one of THOSE days…) but today was one of those days. the kind of day that you know there’s a little more to this life than chance. one of those days where things seem like God’s pulling some serious strings and that he has a day planned just for you. (well more for me specifically)

you’re probably wondering what in the world i’m talking about so i’ll just dive in. the morning started with reading psalm 115, specifically the rather ominous verse 3:

“our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.”

i was thinking about this quite a bit and this just isn’t a verse you hear quoted very much. it doesn’t sounds like a very “fair” view of our God. but i think that’s the point… anyway not really the subject of this post.

after spending some qt with the big man i decided to watch a movie, and what better movie to watch then the movie “serenity.” follow up to the fan favored “firefly” show which fox made the tremendous mistake of canceling after only 12 episodes. (this is not my opinion… this is fact. both show and movie can be seen on netflix streaming) i watched the movie a while back in a hotel in china, actually before i had seen any episodes of the cult classic show. i was struck then and again this morning with the opening of the film.

it actually inspired me to start another post about “the cold open” that i’ll post later this week. but i found the re-watch just as engaging as the first time and thought i was doing quite well for a monday morning. i planned on heading to my favorite local coffee shop (off the leaf) but found an old gift card to city brew the day before and thought free coffee is better then coffee you have to pay for.

so sitting down to check and send some e-mails and enjoy a “free” americano a girl who was sitting nearby commented that she liked the decal on my laptop. (it’s iron man… and pretty awesome if i do say so myself) i said thank you and went back to my music and e-mail not thinking much about the encounter.

i don’t know your views on the Holy Spirit, His role in our lives, how He works, or what have you; but i kept feeling like i should start a conversation with this girl. she was sitting alone, no book, computer, or headphones. to say she seemed a little out of place would be an understatement. i fought the leading for much longer then i’d like to admit… but eventually said a prayer and gave in.

i took off my headphones and introduced myself and asked her for her name and if she was meeting someone. (i do not have a history of approaching girls, i’m happily in a relationship and i’m pretty sure her first thought was that i was hitting on her) she said no, her name is cheryl, and said that she was actually passing through and was on her way to boulder colorado for school and had stopped for an air conditioning/caffeine break.

i asked her, like i so often do with college students, if she had any kind of spiritual background. (a pretty “safe” question for starting any kind of spiritual conversation) i could tell she kind of tensed up a little at the thought, but said she didn’t really like that kind of thing too much. she said that “things that have happened to me in my life really make me think that there can’t possibly be a God.” i asked her what she meant by this and she dove into some pretty painful territory in a way that made it seem like it had been burning a hole inside her and she had to get it out.

what she shared tore us both apart… she talked about being conceived after her parents had decided to stop having kids and had gone through, what they thought were, the necessary precautions and how she always felt unwanted by them. she shared about her abusive, alcoholic father who used to use her as his own personal punching bag… how she had been raped when she was 12 by someone she though she could trust… abortion, suicide… the snapshots of a life plagued by pain just kept coming and by the time she had finished we were both on the verge of tears.

i asked her if i could pray for her, right then, right there. i didn’t know what else to do. my childhood wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t even great, but i had no idea how to give hope to cheryl in spite of everything she had gone through. she was a little taken back but slowly nodded yes. i didn’t know what to pray… i don’t even remember what i prayed… but before i started i just asked the Holy Spirit to speak through me.

 after praying i asked what she thought about God. she explained that she felt like if God existed he didn’t care much for her. i shared with her a little bit about me and some of the things i had experienced as a kid. how i had felt the same way about God, and what changed my mind. i had the opportunity to ask her if anyone had ever taken the time to talk about this sort of thing with her before. she said no and so i asked her if she would be willing to read through something really quick that helped change my mind about God.

i was ready to be shutdown… to get a “i should really get back on the road” or a “thanks but no thanks.” to my surprise she said yes and i began to share the gospel with her. she had questions, especially about God having a perfect plan for our lives. after we read through the entire “knowing God personally” booklet she said she wasn’t ready to make any kind of decision right then. she thanked me for talking to her. said that even her best friends had never really taken the time to listen to her troubled past. she gave me a hug and left.

all i could do was pray for her.

it’s days like this, one of those days, when i really do know that God has a plan for our lives, right down to where we have our coffee. if i wouldn’t have found that gift card i would have never gone to the city brew, i would have never met cheryl, and i would have never had a chance to share the gospel with her. i really don’t think i’m unique in this, that this was just one of those things. i am grateful that i have a job where conversations like this are a part of the job description. but you don’t have to be a missionary for that to be the case, just a follower of Jesus.

i know this is a dumb way to follow up something like that, but after finishing my work i had the opportunity to work on some design projects. i created a personalized background for my twitter account and made an advertising postcard for my campus’ fall retreat. i love design work and glad that’s in my job description too.

aloe blacc – good things 

ok now on to business. i realize that i haven’t been doing a good job at keeping up with posting… anything… in way too long. i’m greatly embarrassed, see this is my embarrassed face.

  

    

    

i don’t know about you but i’ve had about enough of all this “winning” nonsense. charlie sheen is bat-crap crazy and i just wanted to get that out of the way.

now on to some winning (doh!) of my own. as i’ve written about before, i have a problem. i am an achiever. i love achievements, badges, stickers, and goals. although i have completely given up foresquare (mostly because well really other then getting badges, there really didn’t seem to be much of a point.) i continue to strive to check boxes, get achievements, and get points that really don’t matter. i mean i’ll sit and play the same stupid angry birds level for 30 min just to get all 3 stars.

why is this? i think most of it is kind of a personality thing. i really am goal orientated, it’s just setting goals that i struggle with. google apps and my iphone has been very helpful while i’ve been in the process of raising support. mostly because i haven’t had a computer since august. (until recently) between google docs, google calendar, and evernote i’ve been able to manage meetings and contacts with relative ease. but we could always do better right?

this is where epic win ($2.99 apple appstore) comes in. epic win is an iphone app that turns productivity into a game. and believe me, most days i’d choose playing a game to checking things off my to do list in a heartbeat. in the vein of role playing type games, (like fallout 3, mass effect, final fantasy etc.) epic win takes my to do list and transforms each task into either a feat of strength, a feat of stamina, a feat of intellect, a feat of social, (jury is still out on if this is really a feat) or a feat of spirit. when creating the “quest” you set the level of epicness which in turn determines how many experience points i receive upon completion.

a cool feature that the app has is that it will sync with your google calendar. turning events, meetings, and due dates into tasks and quests. you only have to sync and then update the item with the level of epicness and category. a nice feature. so i know you’re probably thinking “if you spent as much time just doing things on your list as entering them and messing around with silly apps like this then you’d probably get more things done.” to that i would say “nuh uh!” but that’s just me.

as you complete items on your to-do list or quests your character simulates little battles and levels up, unlocking loot and furthering your journey. so probably to most people they feel enough pride in being able to check or cross off something from their list but there’s just something about filling up a progress bar and leveling up that motivates me. only like 3 people are going to get this reference but leveling up in halo 3 really didn’t matter to me at all… but when they instituted that progress bar in halo reach i did challenges and whatnot just to fill that stupid little meter.

so i probably haven’t used the app long enough to determine if this will be helpful in the long term (my character is jake the masculine, a level 2 stooping dwarven nerd-do-well) but i see this as being a fun, nerdy, way to assist me as i get things done. now i’m going to go cross off writing a blog post and get a little closer to level 3. see a game trailer below.

UPDATE: apparently a similar minded app exists on the windows phone 7 platform called noborizaka.

currently listening to:

the devil and God are raging inside me by brand new

i had the privilege of seeing THOR this weekend in 3d wich i thought was quite entertaining and good. dare i say the best comic book movie since the DARK KNIGHT. as always click the image to enlarge it.