In the Good

In the ever growing expanse of moral decay that faces human civilization, we have bastardized the good.  We scoff at it in our decrepit jealousies and debase it in our hearts - when secretly we know that being good rings of something long forgotten in our souls. 

It is in the Good where romance still lives. It is in the Good, where chivalry is more than opening a door. It is in the Good where a rose smells sweet, stars are amazing things, falling leaves are inspirational, and home cooked meals are savored - not for their flavors, but for the laughter and the sharing of the meal. 

It is in the Good that we find inspiration instead of aspiration. 

Life blooms in the good. Yet we have been dying for so long that we fear to remove the cancer of our warped sensibilities. We are afraid of the gaping hole that will be left in our soul if we were to truly embrace the whole of Good. But I contend that it is to the Good, and to God that we must direct the course of our lives - for little time is left. 

With what breaths we have remaining, we should seek out and enjoy the vibrancy of lives like those that do good - but not because of who they are, but more so for who they represent and follow (Christ Jesus). And we should seek to emulate them in our own lives. 

To die some day without eternity harbored in our soul - clean, pure, and vibrant, is a waste.  

No my friends, being good is not boring. It is a hallmark of truly living - it is divine.

Morning Moment

It is not some cosmic joke by which humanity merely "happened". 

It is not some beautiful coincidence that the very stuff of stars (i.e. star dust) is the very stuff that makes up our kind.

In our desperation to ignore the very truth in front of our eyes we claim to know the very minutest of details of a "just because" moment.

Why do we so desperately try to organize reality into organic and inorganic?  Most of us do not even know why we use those words.  We get confused. Does organic mean life?  But no -- it just means a lot of carbon.   Yet a lot of Carbon tends to indicate what we call life - but is merely having life, enough to justify being ALIVE?

Reality is causal  and it is created - not inorganic and organic, but rather created and uncreated.   We need physical space and matter and energy to exist.  We need dust, metals, gasses, the Higs Boson, solar flares, stars, gravity, water, heat, etc to exist. 

We can not help but observe that which is created and that which is caused by created things -- we are incapable of observing the uncreated.  It simply does not "exist" and therefore the uncreated can not be touched, tested, timed, experienced - fathomed at all in our finite minds.

Shatter your mind and suppositions for a moment and think about what you do not know.   How easily can your mind deduce things that exist, that are created.   But can any of us comprehend one thing, any thing that is not created that does not exist?  Even a unicorn exists metaphysically.

Alas, but we can all comprehend one such essence - a concept, an existence that is not created yet exists all the same.  

All of humanity can comprehend God - an uncreated god none the less.  We know His existence, yet we can not prove it, touch it, test it, time it.   Why is it that all of us in our hearts can know God? 

The mere essence of knowing one thing that is not created but potentially (heck we know the truth) Creator - should drive us to our knees. 

Instead we, like two year olds filled with self centered delusions, carry on as if we are the center of reality, that we are uncreated but exist none the less - by happenstance.

So the cosmic joke is us, in thinking that we merely happened.   That the infinitely seeming perponderance of universal coincidences and concurrences neccessary for existence all occured without deliberate cause, without being deliberately created.

Hmph... and why do we celebrate Christmas again?

Perspective: The Basis of Apologetics and Scientific Review - Genesis 1-1a

Before we move on to Genesis 1-1b, I thought it would be good to highlight a key take away from the previous post.  A good friend of mine (and Atheist) pushed back on something that I wrote:
 

faith must come before reason, or the Biblical Account of Life, the Universe, and Everything After is nonesense and subject to debate
 

In the first three words of Genesis we encounter "In the beginning God created..." and I lay a case that the emphasis placed on the word Beginning in Hebrew clearly points to the beginning of all reality.    And I then make the claim that if one is to believe this, then the believer must assume God's existence prior to creation - that God, in essence, exists outside the boundary of conventional time as we observe it.  So I argue that faith in God comes first, the validity and content of the Bible is secondary.

Why is this point so important?  Well, it colors our perspective on our interpretation of observed facts.  A person who rejects God will naturally interpret the same set of observances in a different manner - even if the statistical probability of that interpretation is less than the probability of an interpretation that includes God.

Consider Fibonacci and Lucas numbers.   On my blog I have posted three videos on the tab that give a great and easy and fun introduction into these numbers and their patterns.

The fibonacci sequence:  0+1=1  1+1=2  1+2=3  2+3=5  3+5=8  5+8=13 and so on (1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21)
occurs everywhere in nature - plant leaves, pine cones, star fish, nautilis shells, cellular chromosomes, our brains, dog brains, electrons, the periodic table, the distribution of any given sand on any given beach, the frequency differentials between light in a rainbow, and on and on....  it also happens to be real good in engineering, space flight, computer programs, human speech and language, the patterns of poetry, the chordal arrangement of music, tempo, and modulating torque on engines.

For a person who observes this phenomena, and who is predisposed to faith in God, naturally will be inclined to believe that this is a symptom of  God's order.  And it is statistically more probable that this pattern is caused rather than random (considering how non-random the sequence is).

Yet a heart that does not naturally resonate with a belief in God, or rejects a belief in God, will be forced to attempt to reconcile these occurances through some other mechanism.  And it is here where we must first contend with the illogical mind attempting rationality.  That is the proposition that from Chaos, order chaotically arose.  It makes no sense and is statistically improbable.

Perhaps if such order were to arise in one subset of the natural world - the evolution  of animal life for example - then it would be slightly more probable?  However for this pattern to exhibit everywhere, and for other such patterns to emerge everywhere an apologist and any rational mind must contend with the likelihood of a Creator.

As we move forward into the next part of Genesis 1:1 and then throughout the rest of our study, we must keep this perspective in mind.   The world is quick to label something scientific and yet ignore the very basic foundations of scientific and philosophic review.    It creates much contention between the secularist and the Christ follower.

We must view the world through a lense of God existant, and not a lense of God yet to be proved.  We must learn to express our understanding not through rote, robotic "tracts" but through our own world view.  We must clearly start with a statement that we have an inherent belief in God.  We must teach our children the basis for this belief and catechise them into this view.  In this manner we can demonstrate that defending the faith is supported by scientific review rather than refuted by it.  In this manner we can move forward in earnest search for truth without any fear that our faith will be shaken.

Thanksgiving is coming up, so I need to end this rant and prepare for Thursday. 

Be well, enjoy your turkey time.   Comment and feedback is encouraged.  Please invite others to join and contribute.

New Year, Same Questions

1. Do you believe in God?
2. If yes, was God created and subject to the Universe or is God the creator of the Universe? If no, how are you sure that God does not exist?
3. Is there a purpose to existance? If so, what is it?
4. Is there a purpose for human life?
5. What happens when we die?
6. What is the soul? Does it exist?
7. What is the mind? Is it different than the soul?
8. What is the secret to love?
9. What is the secret to peace?
10. What do you do all day? Why?
11. What are you accomplishing? Is it worth it?
12. What does it mean to be alone?
13. What is Good, what is Evil, do either or both of them exist?
14. What does it mean to be something (sad, happy, hungry, red, blue, rich, fat, alive, dead)?
15. Do you think?
16. How do you know?
17. Do you have a purpose?
18. Are you Good?
19. What determines if something/ someone is Good or Not Good.
20. Are you powerful? How do you know?
21. What is more powerful than you? Why?
22. Do you pray? Why?

Confessions from a Hypocrite

http://www.sermonspice.com/product/38536/welcome-to-our-church-2011

I think we as a society have forgotten something along the way to progress. We forgot what freedom means. We forgot what it means to live in community with one another and God. Our Nobility has been sapped by our poor decisions and the never ending attack on our senses by the world around us.
Alot of you try to figure out why, how I became a Christian. It fits.

For all of us, it fits. I don't know why we make up so many lies as to why we believe or don't believe. I don't know why we have so many interpretations of one simple book.

But I do know this -- life is more full, more noble, and much less complicated as a Christian.

I mentioned earlier that we have forgotten what it means to be free. Freedom is not the ability to speak without censure. It is not the ability to date who you like, marry whomever you want. Freedom is not having the absence of discipline and perogative in our lives. Yet somehow, we have come to be deluded and think it is these things that define freedom.

I posit that Freedom exists when and only when an individual becomes self aware and has control of their mind - untethered to anything else in the world. You are free when you exist in the world but are not of the world. (PS that nugget's in the Bible by the way)

So how then can we achieve this? I contend that no other faith or philosophy on the planet allows for a path to complete freedom outside of Christianity. And I believe that no one can grasp the true freedom of life, the universe and everything (D.A. RIP 1952-2001) without being in a community of people who are themselves also pursuing the same thing.

The church experience should be one where you are not indoctrinated and brainwashed, nor brow beaten into a guilt laden submission of all temptations and desires. The link above describes my church experience at Calvary Chapel (we're in wikipedia too http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvary_Chapel).

Anyway, I'm not perfect. But life is good and free. I did have to work hard for my freedom - but it didn't consist of paying for soldiers to fight terrorists, nor did it consist of teaching about creation or darwin in schools, nor does it require me to be consistently paying attention to the economic strife that is tearing our country down....

It required me to think, decide, and act in a manner consistent with my values.

Ok. done for now.

Spread the word - especially to young people.

My Unwritten Book -sigh..

Page 1:

Somewhere along the way you will die.







Page 2:
Every human on the planet has a different point of view on his or her own mortality. I believe in the commonly accepted Christian version of Heaven and Hell, and for my part would like to spend eternity hanging out with Jesus. My brother on the other hand believes that life just ends, game over. My father believes that he will be reincarnated into someone else – he'll get another chance on life, kinda like starting over in a video game.

What do you believe?

With certainty you will die a physical death someday. Very few know how, fewer know when, and no one can know what happens next. Even with my faith, I do not know. Faith by its very definition requires a belief in something for which you do not have any proof.

Yet you know you will die – physically at least. How do you cope with that? How long will you live? 100 more years? Maybe. 80 years? Still not certain. 50 years? You hope. 20? 10? 5? 1? How sure are you that you will be here even 1 more year from now?

Drunk drivers kill people. Planes explode. People choke on their food. Criminals mug and kill victims. Random mortar shells land on civilian homes. Hurricanes hit coastal Cajuns. Typhoons hit Sri Lankans. Earthquakes kill Chinese.

Events beyond our control, from the mundane to the spectacular occur all the time and they make predicting how long we will live very unpredictable. And the fact is most people don't know what they believe happens next. Because they do not know – they mostly ignore. And then they "act" like they are in control, or have a plan.

I love how in the Bible, Jame's (the brother of Jesus) says:

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

When will you vanish?

Do you ignore the uncertainty of your life and then act like you are in control? By not comprehending the extreme blessing or sheer luck of having a tomorrow, the individual is not able to fully appreciate and enjoy the nuances and experiences of living. At least that is the point of this book. I hope to convince/shock/scare you into waking up to your own situation. And then I hope to encourage you to live your life in an extraordinary way.

It is my hope to help you cherish tomorrow and to gain insights on how to get more out of your life.

Simplicity

Life is intended for lush experiences....just read Genesis if you don't believe me:

Own several businesses...experience making a living on your own.

Spend 2 weeks or more on your honeymoon

Visit India....explore Hamburg, get lost in Leon .

Fall asleep on a hammock

Drink home made wine...

Revel in the mountains...

Eat tomatoes from a home garden..

Pura vida....to quote a friend.

Awakening to a New American Dream

My parents believed in the American dream. I think it died with my generation (i'll be 36 in November). Apathy derived from an entitled, self absorbed, and opulent lifestyle robbed many of the desire and need to put forth real effort in order to achieve. Afterall not achieving wasn't too bad... rent was still paid, food was still eaten, and beer was still half off after 4.

Today, we dream of mediocrity. It was once unthinkable to have anyone but a general, a senator, or a brilliant academic individual as a President....now many are ok with a soccer mom or Steven Colbert.

bigotry has made a comeback in California no less....how did San Francisco forget to vote? Ironic.

Our society has become lazy and obese. We idolize Homer Simpson and can't recall anything about the Illiad...see what I mean?

As a society we screamed for clean air and clean water... none the less now we don't even care when a "heat advisory" or "ozone warning" is in effect. Question, do you drink from the tap or a bottle? Why? If you pay taxes...shouldn't your tap water be clean enough to drink and tasty enough to enjoy? 30 years ago you could drink from a hose and it was good.

The land is no less free today, nor less opportune. But you have not been taught or have forgotten how to harness it....ok ok yes with the passing of the Patriot Act we are less free...but other than that...what they took over the auto industry? Ok but other than that....wait..what about health care...we have to get it or what? Huh...ok we still have RELATIVE freedom.

The main point is that we have allowed our circumstance to happen...our parents share in the blame.

Are we going to provide our kids the same lack luster view of American ideals that we hold?

Many of you once pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the republic (not democracy) for which it stands. It is time to honor that pledge. A republic is built on the virtues held by the elected leadership. When the people elect politicians devoid of morals and civic duty, or worse abdicate by not voting...the people allow their society to decay.

In our time people believe they have "woken up" and that the American Dream has faded. They are still sleeping, lazy and fat.

You need to aspire in order to dream. You need to try in order to succeed.

In this country any citizen has the right to start his or her own business for FREE. As a proprietor you can sell a product or service....you just need to sell and need someone to buy.

And you don't even need to pay with money...Bartering is alive and well...

Spend less time in front of the tv, less time at bars, fast food dives. Spend more time getting serious about your life, dreams, and desires.

Get involved. Very few have a valid excuse to be unemployed. Seek me out...I will help you find occupation.

Moreover, dream again. Inspire your kids. Invest in the future. Hold your leadership Accountable. Get a passport and travel. Leave your state and travel. Then invest in your neighborhood.

Lose weight. Save resources and money. Take control of your life and help Transform the American Dream from an assumed failed promise into a vibrant AMERICAN OPPORTUNITY. Trust me. Effort pays off.

Advice For the Reader

God has given me a wonderful life....lots of interesting experiences.

I want to write them here, but I am afraid what I would write, intended for praise, would be seen as boasting... so, I will just be content in being thankful for my blessings....

My advice:

learn to talk with God
maximize the body, mind, and soul that he has given you
don't eat too much, don't focus on food at all...
relax
point your every thought to god, as if in conversation, and you will make better decisions and be less stressed
love people - even the ugly ones, the fat ones, the mean ones, the selfish ones....

BIG LESSONS:
1. We have no free will
2. People act and react based on their level of happiness and or pain
3. Happiness is inversly correlated to Selfishness
4. Love is a choice - it requires sacrifice
5. Don't try to use your own mind to solve problems, seek God and the counsel of lots of other people older than you.


HOW TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS:

do not be original, copy those who are better than you, improve upon those who have good ideas, always surround yourself with people that are older than you, smarter than you, and more liked than you (trust me, it rubs off).

One of my best friends is about 15 years older than me, he has been married (happily) for a LOOOONG time, has 5 kids, a great house, has spent his entire career in my industry, loves God, has a better understanding of polymers and engineering than I do, and has a good understanding of who he is...

I have watched him sooooo closely....how he thinks, prays, talks with his wife, does his business, manages his kids....fix his car, handle emergencies....and I have learned his dreams and goals...

By being around him, he has "rubbed off on me"... he is one of many people like that in my life.

OH AND LEARN TO PRAY. PRAY ALL THE TIME FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE....it works.

Friends on Facebook

What are the first things you do and why when you add an old friend onto facebook?

1. I check out their profile pictures to see how they've aged and how they compare to my memory.
2. I scan their albums to "catch up" on their lives..
3. I check the "religion" entry on their info tab.

IF I COMPETED WITH THE PERSON GROWING UP...(very immature)...
4. I check out what they do and what they earn
5. I look at their pictures to see how happy they seem (and whether they have hair or not)
6. I count their friends total versus my own

7. I scan the friends to see if there are more people from my past that I want to reconnect with

And sometimes:
8. I read their notes if they have cool titles
9. I read their current status
10. I check out the location to see where in the world they live...

Talking with God

"you mean you actually speak with God?"
"yes"
"you mean you pray to Him?"
"no, well I pray too, but we speak, have dialogue...its cool"
"you're insane..."
"faithful"
"How do you know its God and not the devil, or just your brain?"
"The content of the conversations are different... and he just whispers..."
"huh?"
"The devil speaks AT everyone, he talks, whispers, yells, pleads in your ear... and he always wants you to keep talking, keep thinking, keep going in endless circles of diatribe... never finding peace, never finding progression, always stressful, or distracting...EVERYONE speaks to him."
"uh, yeah... ok" *sarcasm*
*sigh*
"when I pray, God doesn't talk back.. .he just lets me talk, and talk, scream, yell, whisper, plead.... I end up talking at Him, not to Him..."
"So you're like Satan" *grin*
"In a way, but unlike satan, I've learned to shut up, to get quiet, to listen, learn - to let myself be loved, and to obey."
"Obey? - Sounds like slavery"
"It is, we all are slaves, we all serve a master... some the Devil, others money, others lust, drugs, power, amusement, family, duty, righteousness, charity, philanthropy, careers, pride...no one can serve two masters, I bow to God. If anyone will be a good master, it will be Him."
"I'm not a slave, I have free will"
"Sure"
"I DO. I am not a robot - what would the point be in that?"
"African slaves were able to think, feel, sing, cry, but they were still slaves. They only had one choice, to obey or not. All humans are the same."
"What's the point in having religion, or belief in God, if there is no free will? - That would make God responsible for all the evil in the world..."
"Depends on how you define Evil...evil from your point of view is not the same as His..."
"whatever, bad is bad, good is good... you're crazy"
"man is hungry, his family is starving, he sees a huge field with tons of corn, and he has a gun...
farmer has worked all season, fingers to the bone, yielding a whole field of corn - and yet the harvest wont be enough to pay the mortgage....if the hungry man takes the corn to feed his family is he good or is he a thief? Are all thieves bad? If the farmer defends his farm and kills the thief, is he defending his family or a murderer?"
"You're an ass... that's a hypothetical"
"It happens all the time, the first time recorded is the story of Cincinattus...the american civil war and WWII were started in much the same way...just not over corn. BUT if the murderer and the thief, learned to listen, speak and obey God THEN the thief would have asked the farmer, the farmer would have fed the thief...God would have been glorified..."
"Dude, over my head"
"I know. I can't explain it, I am not God."
"So when you speak to him, he speaks back..."
"NO, when HE speaks to me, I shut up and listen."
"When does he talk?"
"All the time...but I am not always listening"
"Why?"
*shrug* "I let life lure me into disobediance, God whispers, he refuses to talk above the chatter and confusion of life... I must seek Him"
"You're weird"
"yup"
"You really believe in a God like that"
"I believe in a God that has broken me, rebuilt me, broken me again, rebuilt me again, given me riches and poverty, heartbreak and a physically broken heart, a career that many would spend their whole lives questing for, a beautiful intelligent loving wife, a future, and GRACE. I exist to serve him, good or bad, better or worse, young and old, rich, poor, sick, healthy, in this life and the next...he has placed the begining of wisdom on my poor shoulders, and softened my voice... he has replaced my boyish laughter with a steady voice that can sing and command, and my innocent eyes have been opened to all that I have done, will do, and am doing...in essence, I speak with God and He speaks to me... and that God I trust - to do less would be insane."
"too deep for me..."
"you should learn to swim then..."
"shallow water seems fine" *smirk*
"thats where the sharks are"
"ever thought that I am one of those sharks"
"no, you are a lamprey feeding off the shark, dependent on it, rather than swimming on your own. I want you to swim... like we are doing right now"
"hmm"
"gotta go, my wife needs me... "
"see ya"
"bye"
"Uh, tell Him hi, the next time you chat"
"He heard you" *grin*

--True Account

Condensed Surfing

So, I started looking at the random posts on my facebook page... and clicked on one... a friend of mine and her mom were heading for Europe... then another click and I notice that a friend is having twins... another click and I learn that the heart surgery went fine...click..and I see the wedding photos from last weekend...click...the trick or treating wasn't as fun this year...click...trick or treating rocked... click... someone's recently divorced mom is starting to date again... click... the dog is ok, but the vet wants him to get some more vaccines... click...she can't believe McCain lost (idiot)... click... he is thinking about moving to Canada now that Obama won (idiot)...click... God is in control regardless of who is president... click...there is no God and no burning bush... click....click...click...

3 hours of my life gone...but i have witnessed/experienced about 2 years of life... weird.

New Year

No one is perfect. We all have fear, we all have pride. We all make mistakes. I have lied, cheated, and hurt many people. Many people have lied, cheated, and hurt me.

Life happens. We choose to feel hurt and angry. And we choose to feel joy and hope.

We all want to be better people, honorable, kind, just, good. In essence, most people want to be righteous. But in the light of our inadequacies, our failures, and over all let downs, we loose hope. Some people cry. Some get angry. Others run.

You are people who I have come to call my friend. Not because of your perfections, nor because of your imperfections, but rather because you hope for a good future - for yourselves and your children.

You try to understand things like faith. Faith in things greater than your self. Faith in the virtues and essences that drive your soul. Faith in your family, community, your people.

You believe in the connection that comes from your folk. Your community creates a sense of harmony, security, and joy. You have witnessed failure, heartbreak, dishonor, betrayal, and still you have poured yourselves into your community. Forgiving the faults of others, bridging peace, and learning to keep the flames of your small community alive.

Most of all you try to have a definition of Family, that transcends the ties of blood - into something more real: trust, loyalty, and love. You understand that real family is built by relationship. You implicitly realize that an unknowable love, exists in the tether of friendship, romance, and long endured time.

Family forgives. Family adapts. Family endures.

Life happens. It is how we deal with the choices before us, that determines the memories of our hearts, the songs of our lives, and the stories of our souls.

If any God exists, yours or mine, then let Him be honored by our ability to stay true to our beliefs... even when we are injured the most - especially when we are afraid, angry, and confused.

God, wants truth and relationship. You know this. The relationship with God is easy to mimic when we have no need of His wisdom and grace. But when times send us into places that are dark, angry, or sorrowful, it is our trust in His truth that truly defines our song.

I hope you are facing the New Year with hearts ready for new adventures, burdens, and Joy. I wish you peace and hope you honor your responsibilities to your community, to your children, to your God, and most of all to each other.


Always your friend, and always ready to listen,


Sidhartha
27 Dec 2007

Convictions from the Corner

Last night I received a random phone call from a person who needed to apologize for bad mouthing me and lieing about me to others. He demonstrated a lot of integrity.

This person has problems: getting a divorce, no real profession, has a son that is young and will be impacted by the divorce...

He was just testing the waters of church... and the gossip and drama distracted him even more, to the point of becoming frenzied and spreading lies himself.

I've noticed that many of the middle class, educated, employed, young 23+yr olds seem to have a horrible perspective on Christian living.

Instead of grace and compassion, they demonstrate legalism and hippocracy (did is spell that wrong? I just love Hippos)...

They are content to remain in their little bubbles of life examining their own "brokeness" rather than get involved in living relationships with other "broken" people. Key word :RELATIONSHIP, not volunteerism, not advice giving, not mentoring...not preaching, but RELATIONSHIP: sharing meals and fun conversation, crying together, laughing together, going through tough times together...where you both share your personal struggles.

I find it odd, that the "good christian" goes and betrays me to the church, using lies and gossip, while the "bad unsaved soul" feels convicted to act with integrity and honor.

It actually blows my mind at the contrast. I think it is time for some grapefruit.

mmm.... grapefruit.

In retrospect, we are all broken.

I love my life, my beautiful loving family, my fiancee, my kick ass friends, my dogs, my work, and the fact that God continues to bless me and keeps adversity far from my heart.

And this grapefruit is pretty amazing too