What role should the personal faith of a President play in his/her decision-making?

This recent debate just sort of set me off. The people of America are becoming so ignorant. What role should the personal faith of a President play in his/her decision-making? That question is absolutely ridiculous!! Asking that is just like asking what role should personal moral have in decision-making? Yes, the stupid people who have no idea what they are talking about will quote the "separation of church and state" that is written in The Constitution, and yes The Constitution does call for an "iron curtain" between the Church and The State, that merely means that the government should have nothing to do with establishing a religion for this country!! The way kids are raised is through their parents opinions on how they should raise their children. These opinions are rooted in moral, moral is formed from a belief in the right thing to do. Im pretty sure that comes from religion or lack of. What else tells us the right and wrong thing to do? Well maybe some say the thousands of years we have existed and our experiences we have learned from all that yada yada, but for thousands of years people have had some sort of religion, and it has revolutionized into the religions of today's world. As a christian we are called to only do something that Jesus would do, and I am pretty sure that other religions preach around the same deal.

Thinking that the personal faith of a president ever will have nothing to do with his or her decision making is like thinking the president will one day blind fold him or herself and play "pin the tail on the decision"

A Liberal View of a Conservative Town

Ah, College Station, the location of Texas A&M University, the home of the Fightin Texas Aggies, and one of the most frustrating places to live as a person with liberal political views and ideas. The people here are mostly Bush loving conservatives who don't give a crap about anyone but themselves, and what they call America. But they are definitely not referring to America as a whole nation, they refer to just the miniscule population of rich consumerists who buy their way into a safe, sheltered environment so that they can be oblivious to the fact that thousands of people are dying daily because of starvation, disease, genocide, religion, and poor or lack of access to healthcare. Most of these things could be changed if these conservative christian people started acting like what they call themselves. In being a christian we are called to try and love like Jesus loved, which is whole hearted, forgiving, everlasting love. No matter what people do, how they spend their money, or what they think about others, we are called to love them. This includes trying our best to provide them with healthcare, helping them put a meal on the table for their family, providing treatment for disease, and trying to stop or at least praying for terrible acts of genocide like the crisis in Darfur. An argument with a couple of Aggie girls last weekend sort of set me off. I had asked one of them who she was voting for, and the reply I got was exactly what I expected, Hilary... because she is a women! After an exchanged laugh I asked if she knew any of her policies or opinion on major issues, the answer was no. This alone disappointed me, because it just proves that more and more teenagers are growing ignorant and apathetic to foreign affairs and politics. I used to think that it did not concern us at such a young age, but in our earlier years it concerns us teens more than ever because we are indirectly putting legislation and ideas through our government that absolutely will affect our future life as adults and as we raise our family's, and then as our children go on to raise family's. But anyways, these girls had no idea about really any of the candidates and what they stand for. They had no idea what Universal Healthcare was, and after I explained it to them they told me that they did not want to sacrifice their perfect insurance plans and expensive U.S. healthcare plans for someone who "spends all their money on drugs". They said that those people did not deserve the healthcare. This part about our debate troubled me the most. What about Jesus? What about love? Would He not sacrifice a few extra dollars for these people? Of course He would, He sacrificed his stinkin life for these people. Anyways lately I have been really trying to love like Jesus, and its very discouraging to see Christians who are so greedy and unloving... Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal, us Christians must try and love like Jesus loved.

Stress

Its been too long since I have posted. I know my readers dont mind because well, there probably are not any. College has been a really new experience, and with it has come a lot of unwanted stress. I recently got to take a weekend trip to Lake Travis and I cannot begin to tell how much that helped. But the amount of homework and studying that goes into passing classes is on an entirely new level than highschool. I never had to study in highschool because I was smart enough to get by with B's and the occasional A without doing more than 30 minutes of studying a night. But these college classes take so much of my time.

I have really been pondering over the last week what it would be like to be in Iceland or New Zealand right now, or any place with mountains, rivers, or lakes. The lack of emotion and motivation in the landscape here in College Station really does a tole on a person like I who longs for landscape and beauty to photograph. I am so jealous of the people who look out their front window to see green pastures and trees, high mountains with snow-capped peaks, and crystal rivers and streams that are perfect for sitting and laying next to all day.

I have no idea what to do with my life.

An Unexpected Party

This is a poem I wrote about my favorite book The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.



Without a minutes notice,
The great wizard arrived,
But alone? No!
Two dwarves knock on the door,
"Can't be all of them" the hobbit surmised.

Ten more eventually come,
And the hobbit's guess true,
Plans for the adventure from some,
Questions to the wizard, a few.

What none of them know,
Is the hobbit's great importance,
Of it, some he shall soon show,
Until then, great distrust and suspence.

...

A Goblin King dead,
An Elven King tricked,
Bard with Smaug's Head,
The new King Under The Mountain, picked.

But to the hobbit, these events are in the past,
For he is rich, and back in Bag End, atlast.

vanishing

It's about time for another post.


As this incredibly dull summer starts coming to an end I cannot help but to think back on my life, and realize the great amount of change that will be occuring in the next month. I think about my life so far, and only knowing the routine of school, summer, school, summer and can't help to be a little intimidated on the fact that I will not have a pattern to lay back on for the rest of my life, especially the next 10 years. I mean I cannot wait to leave home and get this whole shindig started but also cannot stop thinking about how much different my life will be from now on.

Until I decide to write again, farewell fellow bloggers.

beauty's reservoir

until last week i thought it impossible to find such great beauty and tranquility in The Woodlands. A hollow, pointed peace of heavy duty plastic made to glide across water, a double sided oar, and a nalgene bottle full of water made my placid life full of patterns possible to be truely lived again. its nice having an escape. to escape away from fake people. on the lake, total strangers converse like best freinds within a few minutes of "hello, thats a nice looking kayak you got there". watching a family of around 6 or 7 deer graze for a good 15 minutes while sitting no further than 30 feet from the grass they were eating should be a treatment for cancer patients.

I've got my fix, i need more. Any readers own kayaks and live in the spring area let me know.

lynn

a lady of the north

how it happened, inconceivable

into my arms... but forth!

will she stay?

The Broken American Dream

The American Dream, Wikipedia defines it as a subjective term usually implying a successful and satisfying life.


But what really is a successful and satisfying life these days? Is it truely what people would like to say it is, marrying the love of your life, and raising a family with him/her, and going through all those struggles and hardships but still in the end having an amazing family to come home to at night who will truely and undoubtebly love you to the ends of the earth no matter what you have done or will do?

I dont think our society defines it as that anymore.

Our society portrays the American dream and a good life as riches, fame, pleasure, and cheap highs.

What happened to being satisfied from a home-made feast after a hard days work hunting or harvesting the long toiled after crops? I would trade all the crap I take advantage of to be satisfied by that and to live that kind of humble life.

Why do we as American's pursuing a dream pursue money, sex, and possesions? What has brought us to this? These three things are temporary, they will not love you or care for you, they will not listen to you when you need someone to talk to. They will not keep you company while you smoke a pipe and just think. These things are NOT WORTH ANYTHING.

I think the dream we should be pursuing are amazing relationships. Relationships with friends, family, and our Lord. These are the things you can count on at night when you cannot sleep, these are the things that truely will last a lifetime, and these are the things that really can make you happy.


The American Dream is broken folks, it is time we start thinking about more worthy things to spend our time on.

a cheer to The Woodlands

The context of this blog is in no way meant to offend and be directed at the youth staff of TWUMC, its just something I have been needing to get out, and writing it down seemed to be the right approach.



Materialism, Hypocrisy, Idolism. Three of the many problems of the city of Houston and its suburbs.

Over the past year I have come to feel from being one of the most active people and a great leader in my youth group to just another on looker waiting to see the grand show. The past five years of my youth group experience had been devoted to becoming one family of Christian brothers and sisters who come together each sunday and sometimes during the week to worship our Lord and talk about good music, our problems, theology, literature, more music, and whatever the heck we wanted to talk about. This past year the youth group changed from being my family who I can trust in, to THE BIG ATTRACTION! WOW! A brand new place with brand new video games and brand new everythings! And yes, building the new place has suceeded in probably atleast tripling the attendance each week. And I am yet to know more than 25-30 peoples names. (most of these the original people I have grown up with). I could have tried to get to know all these new people, but it is just worthless. The Woodlands is just a bunch of fake people, with stuff, everyone here has a whole lot of stuff, stuff that doesnt matter. The people who like to come to church now dont give a freakin crap who the heck our youth minister is, what our ministry is doing, or what the crap the person on stage is attempting to talk about. What they care about is who is texting them on their cell phone, what they are going to buy next, and beating guitar hero on expert.. (which i must admit is quite a feat). My youth group has turned from being personable to, who is that person? We have reached a point to where all of our stuff is just TOO MUCH. Its idolism really. Its hypocritical to our missions. I do agree that God has blessed us with all the money we have, but that money would have gone to so much more necessary places, such as our missions. Such as tamina, to the AIDS epidimic in Africa, to orphans in Uganda, to orphans in America, to homeless people under a bridge. TO ANYTHING BETTER THAN VIDEO GAMES. A church is a place that represents where God lives. A place free of sin (materialism, idolism, hypocracy). And i know, a place free from sin is impossible, but in all ways we could have tried a little harder.

We are TWUMC, The Woodlands United Methodist Church, not The Woodlands United Methodist Corporation.

This town is already run by a corporation, the church doesnt need to become one... has it already?

And i know that pressure received on our youth groups attendace every sunday was probably one of the main reasons to build the loft, and I understand that it wasnt any of our choice, simply the board of directors who make decesions for our church. Kind of like the Woodlands corporation. People sit around and make decesions for the community, speaking for all of us. But the decesions are based on what will help them make more money, so they can build a bigger mansion, buy a faster car, and use up more of our earth's resources.

A great quote by Donald Miller in his book Through Painted Deserts states something like, "When you have no rivers, mountains, or stars, you get materialism. Thats what happened to the city of Houston and its suburbs."

I cannot wait to find a real town with real people whom i can settle down among and build real freindships. Ya know, have REAL next door neighboors who really care about how I am and how my kids are doing in school and if my house burns down or if a robber breaks in.

A place free from the american dream.

an ode to actually doing things

recently it has been brought to me that, i really am just a man of words. i like to talk about doing great things, going great places, meeting great people, and serving my Lord, but i never do what i talk about. my small group bible study, better known as BYOB (Bring Your Own Beef)...(we grill steaks before meeting), has talked about amazing and radical ideas that we would love to bring out to our church and community but as our leader pointed out we have yet to put into action. Its really frustrating figuring out ideas and beliefs that i love talking about really is not what im playing out during my every day life. hopefully soon i will start putting some things into action that i would really love to see come about.


but until then... LOTR 4 L1F3!

competition

We as fallen, human beings, are bred for competition. It is amazing what a little meaningless contest can do to a room of tired and bored first and second graders. I work with the children's ministry at The Woodlands United Methodist Church, and every Sunday I along with another intern and my boss baby sit a room full of elementary kids. We sing songs from this DVD and the kids are always semi into it, but whenever a contest between boys or girls or 1st and 2nd graders is mentioned, the room goes wild. It's great to hear them all singing and laughing and having a good time, but behind it, I also think about why they are singing so loud, and it is because they want to win. These kids are the same as all of us, we all want to win, and I'm just dang sick of it. We want a bigger church with more members than anyone else, we want to be the best. I want to just move away with a colony of losers to the south island of New Zealand and start a colony.


Anyone with me?

A Sonnet For 1302

Our teacher assigned us to write a Shakespearean Sonnet because of the poetry were discussing in class. We had to write exactly 14 lines, with 10 syllables on each line. In the first twelve lines, we needed to describe a problem, introduce an issue, or pose a question. In the last two lines, we were instructed to resolve the proglem, make general comments or conclusions, or answer the question. A strict pattern for stressed and unstressed syllables and another pattern for end rhymes was issued. Here is my work:

Three men rise from the backseat of the van,

A sly, evil chuckle emits from each.

A crowbar, a knife, and gloves on each hand,

They are coming for me, I cannot screech.

These terrible men, seen more than one time,

Their deathly stare paralyzes my feet.

But my friend, always with more luck than mine,

Runs to safety, while I'm left in the seat

Still motionless, these figures creep closer,

Their ghastly, mobster image grows clearer.

One man directs like a composer,

Directs them to come, nearer and nearer.

Then really, nothing is what it has seemed,

The terror is but a dream, only a dream.