Welcome to the Digital Age

Yes, finally, the Digital Age is ushered in on the Afra family. We now have a digital camera: a nifty little 6MP Olympus.

I got my Flickr account working. You can find it here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kafra/

For those of you who don't know about Flickr (I assume 95% of you), it's a really cool, easy to use, online photo directory. It has a nice program that I've downloaded, it lets me upload batches of photos to custom photo sets; and I can add descriptions right here on my computer. Then all I need to do is click the little 'Upload' button, and it's all done. Easy to use, organized, free - cool.

/freeadvertisingoff

Have a great New Years Eve everyone,
Kev

Quoteworthy - Waiterrant

I was reading through Waiterrant's post about his parking encounter with two senior ladies. He says a few things about character and virtue that I think are worth quoting:


"Dad always said virtue is its own reward."


"Suddenly I remember what my old sociology professor once taught me, 'A value doesn't become a value until you suffer for it.' He wasn't kidding."


"Now, you might think I'm being vain glorious here. You might say that people suffer, really suffer, for values everyday. Think of human rights activists imprisoned in Burma, soldiers fighting in Iraq, hunger strikers starving to protest governmental oppression. Those people are really suffering for a value.

But most of us aren't peace activists, soldiers, or revolutionaries. We're just well fed people trying to stumble through life the best we can. It’s in the little struggles, like giving up your seat on the subway, writing a check to the Salvation Army instead of buying a gadget you don't need, or biting your tongue when a friend says something stupid, that we suffer for values everyday. Character is forged in the smallest of struggles. Then, when the big challenges come, we're ready. Or so I like to tell myself."

(italics are mine)


Cheers,
Kev

Do you have your towel?

Free tix.

Deafening chant Go Finland, Go.

Ear shattering Boo! to team USA.

Finland - great start.

USA - great finish.

Bloody yanks won.

Oh well, I got another towel to add to my collection.

Ford Prefect would be proud of me.

-Kev

P5hng Me A*wy

When I look into your eyes there’s nothing there to see
Nothing but my own mistakes staring back at me

I’ve lied to you
This is the last smile that I’ll fake for the sake of being with you
Everything falls apart
Even the people who never frown eventually break down
Everything has to end
You’ll soon find we’re out of time left to watch it all unwind
Everything falls apart
Even the people who never frown eventually break down

The sacrifice is never knowing...

Why I stay when you just push away
No matter what you see you’re still so blind to me

I’ve tried, like you, to do everything you wanted to
This is the last time
That I’ll take the blame for the sake of being with you
Everything falls apart
Even the people who never frown eventually break down
The sacrifice of hiding in a lie
Everything has to end
You’ll soon find we’re out of time left to watch it all unwind

The sacrifice is never knowing...

Why I stay when you just push away
No matter what you see you’re still so blind to me

Reverse psychology is failing miserably
It’s so hard to be left all alone
Telling you is the only chance for me
There is nothing left but to turn and face you

When I look into your eyes there’s nothing there to see
Nothing but my own mistakes staring back at me
Asking why
The sacrifice of hiding in a lie

The sacrifice is never knowing...

Why I stay when you just push away
No matter what you see you’re still so blind to me

- Linkin Park, "P5hng Me A*wy"

Christmas Eve Mass

Oh yes, merry Christmas to all. A little late, but hey, Christmas day was busy - no time to blog.

I did things a bit different this year: for Christmas Eve I went to the midnight mass at Christ Church Cathedral, which is an Anglican church. It was amazing. A few of my reflections on that night:

- The cathedral itself, in its architecture and interior design, really made you think you've entered sacred space. Everything was so beautiful, so grand, so detailed. It's not like covering stained glass with shades, ahem ahem.
- The choir and musicians were out of sight. They were elevated one level up at the back of the sanctuary. The very placement of those leading the music was a wonderful reminder of what role music plays in worship and assembly.
- The choir/music was beautiful. I don't think I have heard anything so beautiful live before. Again, it stirs forth the sense of sacred presence.
- I really enjoyed the liturgy. It made me an equal participant in the whole worship service, instead of a (mostly) passive recipient.
- They did not fear the use of physical object and icons in the worship, as if objects/icons are inherently evil in themselves. So stuff like incense, chalices, bowls, robes, hats, candles, a bunch of stuff like that were incorporated and used in the service. In my mind, this recognizes the beauty and full validity of the physical world...as if everything were about the spiritual world alone!
- The prayers for the people. This part of the liturgy the church prayed for all sorts of people. Moving in circles further and further out from the church, we were led in prayer. Friends and family; politicians; police and health care professionals working during Christmas; those away from home during Christmas; our soldiers over seas; people recovering from natural disasters. Here was a church that realized it was part of a much bigger world.
- It was pretty cool being served communion by the Bishop himself. I don't have a reason really, it was just cool. Oh, and real wine and real bread is, well, better.
- The sermon was powerful. I haven't had a sermon touch heart and head in that way for quite a while now. But then again, I was one of the younger people in the crowd of 600ish, so the target audience was adults. Maybe that explains it.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience. I'm glad I went, even though I went alone. Of course, that worked out well since I got the third to last seat in the house - there were only single seats left by the time I arrived.

I have been to liturgical services before and have enjoyed them, this one was awesome as well. I do think I'll be going back again in the future.

Who knows, maybe Easter?

Cheers,
Kev

Acquainted with the Night

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain--and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-by;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

- Robert Frost, 1928

Happy winter solstice. Enjoy the darkest time of the year.

Four Noble Truths: Buddha and Jesus

The Four Noble Truths:

1. Buddha says: Life is suffering.

Jesus says: You will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

(Paul says: For the creation was subjected to futility...we know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves.)

2. Buddha says: The cause of suffering is craving and attachment.

Jesus says: Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

3. Buddha says: The end of suffering is getting rid of craving and grasping.

Jesus says: If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the good news, will save it.

4. Buddha says: The path towards overcoming suffering is the Eightfold Path.
(Right view, right aim, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration)

Jesus says: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the low and the prophets.
Jesus says: Don't be angry with a brother or sister...Don't look upon a woman with lust...Don't divorce without grounds...Let your word be 'Yes', 'Yes' or 'No', 'No'...Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

I have not tried to prove that Siddhartha and Jesus said the same thing, or that the religions that sprang up from them said the same thing. My aim has been to merely show that both individuals dealt with the same major issues of human existence. And their responses, though unique and different, share some eerie similarities.

Cheers,
Kev

Can't Nail Me Down

The thing I love about symbols is that they can't be nailed down to one-and-only-one meaning. The same goes for rituals. (Where 'symbol' ends and 'ritual' begins, who can say; I think they overlap).

I realized this today during the celebration of communion.

What might communion mean to the others standing with me:

- I celebrate because Jesus died for my sins: he shed his blood so that I might be forgiven and be accepted before God.
- I celebrate a meal of fellowship: everyone who stands with me now is my brother and sister, someway, somehow. Through all time and in all places, everyone in history who has ever gathered at the communion table is family.
- I celebrate for hope: everytime I eat the bread and drink the wine I remember the Lord's death until he comes. I celebrate in hope for a transformed world, a transformed me.
- I celebrate for deliverance: just as the Israelites celebrated their exodus--their deliverance from oppression and bondage--with the Passover meal, so I to celebrate my deliverance from the powers (political, social, religious, psychological, spiritual, etc...) that try to oppress and control me.
- I celebrate to encounter God: as a sacrament, the bread and wine in a physical and tangible way mediate the grace and love of God to me. As I eat and drink, I encounter the loving presence of God with me.
- I celebrate for healing: as someone broken and hurt, I celebrate with the one who's body was also broken; I stand unified to the man--God's viceroy--who suffered, and was raised complete - without suffering. I am at one with the divine love that gives grace to the suffering.

And, as I'm sure, many more options as well.

I have experienced a bit of all of those at different times. One communion may have one meaning vivid in my mind and heart, the next month may have a complete different one. Or perhaps two meanings are most vivid. Rarely more - never all.

That is the beautiful thing about 'symbolic rituals' (now there's your synthesis!). They just plain refuse to be nailed down. It's going to mean different things to different people at different times. Of course, the official church version seems to be the first (and often only the first) meaning. I think this is an unfortunate reality in our church. I wish that we would explore and articulate all the rich meanings of the eucharist. And we should celebrate the fact that one (relatively) simple ritual has such depth, such power.

It's a symbol that just can't be nailed down.

All pun intended.

Cheers,
Kev

That Feeling Again

Not this again.

I hate this feeling.

I've been through this before. I thought I was past it. I thought I wouldn't have to go through it again.

It's that feeling that everything is bound to crumble. Everything I am, everything I do, all my goals and aspirations, all my plans, everything will just collapse into a smoldering heap.

I hate this feeling.

Not just that, but it's the feeling that I'm bound to be a loser in life. And I don't mean 'dork', I am a dork already - that's pretty obvious. It isn't an issue with self image before others, not that kind of loser. I mean a feeling that every time I'm going to 'shoot for the stars' I'm destined to fail. That kind of loser. A person who 'loses' out in life.

Fuck.

Make it go away.

What more can I do but thank God for every day I have: every day I'm allowed to enjoy this incredibly blessed life of mine.

But still, it's a horrible feeling, this pessimism.

Make it go away.

An Idea for Christmas

I was browsing through the blogosphere today and I found myself on The Homeless Guy's blog. If you haven't read this guy's blog, it's awesome. He is an ex-homeless man who started blogging years ago about his homeless experience. I rather like his site because it comes from someone who has 'been there' - really, truly experienced it. There is rarely a better source of wisdom and information to clear out misconceptions.

Anyways, I came across his post on Christmas goodie bags. Go! Read it! The moment I read it I realized that not only is this an excellent idea, but it is actually feasible. What you do is take a small paper bag and put in a bunch of stuff, which to us who are fortunately seems rather insignificant, that is greatly appreciated by the homeless. Then you head off to somewhere that the homeless congregate and hand them out.

It seems like a marvelous idea, a great way to actually show a little compassion this Christmas season. And so I ask: would anyone like to join us (me and Eug so far) in doing this? If you are seriously interested, let us know. The more people we get, the more bags we can hand out, and the more we can put into the bags.

Cheers,
Kev

Done. What's up next?

Yes, I have finished all my finals - both of em =]. Christmas break, you may now begin.

My last post on gifts and Christmas sure brought on some nice responses - both in person and via comments. The discussions have been fruitful, and my thoughts have been further revised (that's what it's all about after all, isn't it!). I plan on blogging a second installment with some responses and further reflections. Thanks to all who piped in as a result of my post, your responses are greatly appreciated.

Also, I have finished The Heart of Christianity. I plan on posting a review soon with a short summary and some of my reflections.

But first. My brain needs a break.

Regularly scheduled blogging will return soon.

Cheers,
Kev

Christmas? Gifts?

Hum.

I don't seem to recall Jesus ever giving gifts and presents to people.

Of course not, the guy was a poor peasant.

What did he give? Something worth much more than any material gift: compassion...care...attention.

So why is it that for one month we fuss so much about 'what to get *insert name here*'? Are we trying to avoid giving them what really matters? Are we trying to avoid actually involving ourselves in the lives of others around us? In celebrating 'Jesus' are we just avoiding everything his life stood for?

"Here, have a gift. Really, I do care about you."

Sure. As if all I needed in life were another iPod, or a nice hat.

-Kev

Book Preview - The Heart of Christianity

I picked up a book from the library today that is turning into an awesome read. (Yes, I do read things for personal enjoyment and reflection during the holidays; what better time?) I picked up a book by Marcus J. Borg called The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith. I have read through the first chapter so far, and I'm hooked. I've heard of Borg from my reading of Historical Jesus scholarship. He has written a fair bit on Jesus, and he is a big name aligned with the 'Jesus Seminar'.

This book is all about two different answers to the question 'What is at the heart of Christianity?'. The first he labels as the 'earlier paradigm': it is the majority approach to Christianity in the West, and it has been since the 1600s. The second he labels the 'emerging paradigm': this is a minority approach which has grown up in the past hundred or so years. He summarizes:

The Bible's Origin:
Earlier Paradigm - a divine product with divine authority
Emerging Paradigm - a human response to God

Biblical Interpretation:
Earlier Paradigm - literal-factual (truth based on literal, factual meaning)
Emerging Paradigm - historical and metaphorical (historical context of texts and metaphorical meaning)

Bible's Function:
Earlier Paradigm - revelation of doctrine and morals
Emerging Paradigm - metaphorical and sacramental (a visible vehicle of divine grace)

Christian Life Emphasis:
Earlier Paradigm - afterlife and what to believe/do to be saved
Emerging Paradigm - transformation in this life through relationship with God

And a side note - Emerging Christianity is pluralistic: it sees Christianity as one of many responses to the Divine; however, the distinctiveness and particularity of Christianity is not suppressed.

I finally have words to put on the very thing that I myself have come to see over the past year or two. Two years ago I was fully in the 'earlier paradigm' camp. Now, I find myself very much in the 'emerging paradigm' camp. And looking over the trajectory of my life this past year, I have a feeling the emerging camp is where I'll set up shop and make my home for life.

I'm curious to see what Borg has to say about all the various central elements of Christian faith, and how one particular person (Borg) approaches them from within the emerging paradigm.

It's an exciting read.

I plan on posting an in depth review once I finish the book.

As the old liturgy goes: the Lord be with you.
Kev

The Joy of Translation

There is a particular joy to translation. It is a wonderful experience to translate an ancient text, in an ancient language, into English. You won't really understand exactly what it feels like unless you've actually done it. There is an incredible sense of accomplishment and fulfilment. This is all the more so when you're translating texts that have a great value to you. In my case, the New Testament.

The thing about translation is that it is a slow process. The pace forces you to look at every word, every construction. It forces you to really--truly--read the text. When you spend an hour on a single paragraph, every word has so much power - so much meaning. All of this is lost when you're speed reading through an NIV Bible. I say again: there is a particular joy to translation.

But, alas, reading closely a text with deep meaning has it's own set of challenges. Try spending hours upon hours translating the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5ff.). Try to work your way through the radical way of life that Jesus proposes, every sentence pounding away at you. Just try, I dare you. See how far you get before the you can't bear your own shortcomings any longer; see if you can even make it to: therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

Yes, there is a particular joy to translation.

And, to steal a metaphor, it is double sided.

Grace and peace to you all. It's a rough time of the year,
Kev

Pleasant Surprise

So I'm probably not going bald after all.

I was always under the impression that I would have a big shiny bald spot within a few years. But I have just learned of some wonderful genetic information which tells otherwise:

- Yes, my dad did start balding by the end of his 20s
But...
- My grandpa (mom's dad) had a full head of hair till his 50s
- My great grandpa (dad's grandpa) died at 62 with a full head of hair
- My uncle (dad's brother) has a full head of hair, and he is ~60.
- My brother still has a full head of hair, and he is ~30.

So, I may not be a young balder after all.

Then again, I might die from diabetes, but I'll save that for another post.

Pleasant surprise,
Kev

Archbishop John Sentamu

John Sentamu, born in Uganda, has become the 97th archbishop of York - the second 'highest' position in the Church of England. I have a wonderful quote from the sermon preached by Sentamu (from the CofE site):

“But why have we in England turned this glorious Gospel of life in the Spirit into a cumbersome organisation that repels, and whose people are dull and complacent?” - words of Michael Ramsey, 1960.

And I would urge people who are judgemental and moralizing – as followers of the Prince of Peace, the friend of the poor, the marginalised, the vulnerable - I bid you, by the mercies of God, to go and find friends among them, among the young, among older people, and those in society who are demonised and dehumanised; and stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

Christians, go and find friends who are Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, agnostics, atheists – not for the purpose of converting them to your beliefs, but for friendship, understanding, listening, hearing.

I like this archbishop already.

Cheers,
Kev

Forgiveness...Wow

Her son was recently killed--brutally killed--in a racist attack. This is how she has responded to the conviction of the two murders:

"Why live a life sentence? Hate killed my son, so why should I be a victim too? said Mrs Walker.

"Unforgiveness makes you a victim and why should I be a victim? Anthony spent his life forgiving. His life stood for peace, love and forgiveness and I brought them up that way."

Her daughter, just lost her precious brother, said:

"I did say I forgive and I do still stand by that because you have to. That's one of the things I was raised on and what my mum taught me."

Read it all here.

Cheers,
Kev

Switch Up: Feel the Burn!

I decided to try something different today at the pool. Normally, I'd just do laps for 30 mins. Today, I went for 40 laps.

Here's the run down:

14x25m breaststroke
8x25m front crawl
6x25m front crawl
2x25m breaststroke
4x25m front crawl
2x25m front crawl
4x25m breaststroke
--------
40x25m = 1000m

Unfortunately, I'm slow as hell. It took me ~37 min.

I like this method better. I think I'm going to stick with 40 laps for the next month or so. I'll see if I can shave off some time too.

At any rate, I'm feeling the burn...harsh...feels great.

Tomorrow, back to paper writing...ugh.

Cheers,
Kev

Quoteworthy - The Hospital Chaplain

Slacktivist mentions Real Live Preacher's (RLP) experience as a hospital chaplain intern in this week's Left Behind Friday entry. (You'll notice both have been on my frequently travelled blog list for some time now).

I wanted to provide a few excerpts from RLP's 4 part story, especially part 3 - "dark night of the soul":

You see, people facing death don’t give a fuck about your interpretation of II Timothy.
Some take the “bloodied, but unbowed” road, but most dying people want to pray with the chaplain. And they don’t want weak-ass prayers either. They don’t want you to pray that God’s will be done.

Hell no. People want you to get down and dirty with them. They want to call down angels and the powers of the Almighty. THEY ARE DYING and the whole world should stop.

I threw myself into it. I prayed holding hands and cradling heads. I prayed with children and old men. I prayed with a man who lost his tongue to cancer. I lent him mine. I prayed my ass off. I had 50 variations of every prayer you could imagine, one hell of a repertoire.

I started noticing something. When the doctors said someone was going to die, they did. When they said 10% chance of survival, about 9 out of 10 died. The odds ran pretty much as predicted by the doctors. I mean, is this praying doing ANYTHING?

...

Then I met Jenny.

30 something. Cute. New mother with two little kids. Breast cancer. Found it too late. Spread all over. Absolutely going to die.

Jenny had only one request. “I know I’m going to die, chaplain. I need time to finish this. It's for my kids. Pray with me that God will give me the strength to finish it.”

She showed me the needlepoint pillow she was making for her children. It was an “alphabet blocks and apples” kind of thing. She knew she would not be there for them. Would not drop them off at kindergarten, would not see baseball games, would not help her daughter pick out her first bra. No weddings, no grandkids. Nothing.

She had this fantasy that her children would cherish this thing - sleep with it, snuggle it. Someday it might be lovingly put on display at her daughter’s wedding. Perhaps there would be a moment of silence. Some part of her would be there.

I was totally hooked. We prayed. We believed. Jesus, this was the kind of prayer you could believe in. We were like idiots and fools.

A couple of days later I went to see her only to find the room filled with doctors and nurses. She was having violent convulsions and terrible pain. I watched while she died hard. Real hard.

As the door shut, the last thing I saw was the unfinished needlepoint lying on the floor.

...

It’s funny, when your faith finally caves, it goes all at once. You realize you were just a shell held together with hackneyed rituals and desperate hopes. You are not strong. You do not have answers.

I don’t remember the walk back to the office. I must have had the classic, “Young chaplain just got the shit kicked out of him” look because people left me alone.

...

St. John of the Cross calls it "The Dark Night of the Soul." He says those seeking God will walk the paths of others but eventually those paths will end and there will be no path. They will be left with “Nada, Nada, Nada.” Nothing, Nothing, Nothing.

It broke my heart. I grieved in joint and marrow. My reptilian brain cried. I was sad all the way to the bottom.

Now that's real life.

-Kevin

Centennial

I just noticed that my last post was my 100th blog post.

Woooo!

The End,
Kev

Bob Marley and Hermeneutics

So the good Bob Marley came up on the ol' iPod today as I pulled into Park Royal on the people's limo. There's a wonderful song Mr. Marley sings entitled, "No Woman, No Cry". Let's just look at that title and have a little fun.

What does "No Woman, No Cry" mean? I see two possible ways of interpreting it:
1. "(if) no woman, (then) no cry" - a statement of result. If you don't have a woman, then you won't have reason to cry; with relationships comes pain and so on, you know the drill. Perhaps the more obvious meaning from the syntax and word choice alone.
2. "no woman - don't cry!" - an imperative. Here you're telling the woman to not cry; it is an imperative command. This one isn't as obvious - unless, like me, you've heard brown ESLers speak.

Now, if you've actually heard the song then you know that the answer to my question is obvious. But that's the key - you need to have heard the rest of the song.

Just thought this would be a fun example to show how complex interpretation of language actually is.

Cheers,
Kev

My Problem With My Methods Course

I think I've pinpointed the reason why I am disappointed with my 'methods in the study of religion' course.

I was expecting a course that was going to cover various approaches to interpreting religious literature. I wanted a course to cover all the various criticisms I'd heard of: historical criticism, literary criticism, narrative criticism, source criticism, form criticism, redaction criticism, reader response criticism, etc... Basically, I expected a course on exegesis and hermeneutics. These were the types of courses I had seen as part of the curriculum of both graduate biblical studies programs, as well as all the undergraduate biblical studies programs in the UK, which, by the way, I spent many a day drooling over.

However, what I got was a course on how to interpret religion on the macro scale. We are talking about how various theorists have studied the phenomenon of religion. Figures such as Eliade, Marx, Durkheim, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Otto; approaches such as colonial, postcolonial, and feminist. As you can see, this is very different from what I expected, and wanted.

Although, yes, I am interested in the stuff we talk about--how do we interpret religion? how do we interpret the 'poetics'? the 'politics'?--it really isn't super interesting to me. I want a course to guide me through the various approaches to interpretation of religious documents and literature.

I guess I won't be getting that at UBC. Oh well.

Kev

God Wills It

This is one of those posts where I've had something mulling about my head for some time and just needed to put it down in sentences and try to get my thoughts straight.

I often hear people talk about the "will of God". They will do so-and-so if "God wills it"; they don't know if they should do such-and-such because they don't know if God "wills it". As I hear this, I thinking to myself: God doesn't will anything. I'll explain.

I take very seriously the fact that humans are free creatures (yes, Free-Will). To qualify this, sometimes we have physical barriers to action (alcohol? illness? handicap?); sometimes we have economic barriers (no money?); sometimes we have mental barriers (fear? insecurity? shock?). But, in light of all this, I think I can still say that human beings have a free will.

The next step in my thinking is such: if we are free creatures, then we are free to make our own decisions. The fact that we are creatures capable of making our own decisions makes me think that perhaps that's the way God intended us to be. So then, God has allowed us the capacity to make our own conscious decisions in life.

One may say at this point that indeed we are free - free to choose the path that is God's will. Well, maybe that's the way it is. But I want to propose something else: God won't make the choice for us. That is the reason we are free creatures, to make our own choices. Now, we have guidance: we want to strive to build character, and we want to avoid actions that are morally wrong (e.g., murder, robbery, and other universally recognized wrongs); we have wisdom, experience, and common sense; we have the advice of others. Why would God provide us with all this if he wants us to make the choice that he himself has already made?

I think what I'm getting at is that there are two different paradigms of how to approach living the Christian life and making decisions. One approach is to try and figure out the one-and-0nly-one thing which God wills that we do. The other approach is to recognize the boundaries (don't kill, act in love, etc...) and make our decision using the heart and head which we all have.

If God made a creation which can self-create (no lies, I'm an evolutionist)--and I would think he very much enjoys watching this process--then surely he enjoys seeing created beings create their own paths through life.

I have rambled long enough. I can see a dozen loose ends and logical faults in what I've said. But I ask for your grace as you read - consider this a publicly available freewrite.

Cheers,
Kev

Rabbinic Nugget - The Short but Long Road

Another great snippet from the Babylonian Talmud:

I was once on a journey when I noticed a little boy sitting at the cross-road. 'By what road,' I asked him, 'do we go to the town?' 'This one,' he replied, 'is short but long, and that one is long but short.' I proceeded along the 'short but long' road. When I approached the town I discovered that it was hedged in by gardens and orchards. Turning back I said to him, 'My son, did you not tell me that this road was short?' 'And,' he replied, 'did I not also tell you: but long?'

Wonderful!

Rabbinic Nugget - "My Sons Have Defeated Me"

I want to share a wonderful quote from the Babylonian Talmud (a major text of Rabbinic Judaism):

But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: 'It is not in heaven.' (Deut 30.12) What did he mean by this?-Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority must one incline. (Ex. 23.2)
R. Nathan met Elijah and asked him: What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour?-He laughed with joy, he replied, saying, 'My sons have defeated Me, My Sons have defeated Me.'

I must say, one thing I love about Judaism--and the Rabbis in particular--is their playfulness and their constant dialogue and reinterpretation.

Multitasking?

A humourous, but true, depiction of 'multitasking':



Hats off to 43 Folders.

Cheers,
Kev

Today We Remember

Today we remember



Lest we forget



The casualties of war

Take Home Midterm

That...was...long.

Because of a shortage of class hours, our Ancient Jewish Law prof gave us a take-home midterm. Ugh. Nasty. He said it should take around 6 hrs. It took me more like 8. But, to redeem myself, half of that time I was only half concentrating. So, really, I'm not that stupid. Haha.

I really wish we just had an in class exam. One hour plus a few pages of writing sounds good to me. SEVENTEEN pages of typed material - Yuck.

Now I have two days to try and pick a paper topic and prepare a preliminary outline for my Jewish Law term paper. Good luck Kev, good luck.

Cheers.

A Night at Kev's - Running Blog

11:15 AM

Welcome back to life Kevin. No hangover - well done! Eug and Lucas are still sleeping. King left before I got up.

That was a good night.

4:30 AM

If you want to see guys talk, get them drunk. We open up like you wouldn't believe, I swear it.

We really should sleep soon...maybe...I dunno...hopefully??

...Nothing like a good Vodka and Juice to put you to bed.

2:15 AM

We're watching Pulp Fiction, man I love this film.

And seriously, the GI Joe clips at eBaum's World had us rolling around for like 15 mins. I haven't seen Lucas laugh so hard ever in my life. Especially this one.

12:30 AM

Charles, Andrew, Dan, Wing, and Eric just left. We're down to me, Eug, Lucas, and King. Watching Lucas is...fun. Haha. Even King is awesome. Eugene just giggles all the time. As for me, I'm still good. I'm on to #3 - Sapporo. Sapporo is pretty cool, it comes in a huge 650mL metal can (like twice a regular bottle).

And Eug has dripped beer on my laptop twice now. Dork.

11:00 PM

Eugene is very Buble-ish. Dan Wong is addicted to Battlefield 2. Wing is crying and saying he wants to go home and do his midterm. I'm on to #2 - Stella Artois. I think I've noticed a general pattern: beer from the tap is way better than from the bottle.

10:10 PM

Dan and Wing have shown up. Others should be showing up within an hour. I have to say, Beck's was a disgusting beer. Seriously, it was like piss in a bottle. And Eug says that Rickards Red is not anywhere near as good as off the tap. I believe him.

9:30 PM:

We're having a party at my place to celebrate Lucas' and Roxy's birthday. After a beer, I have decided to do a running blog of the night. This is mostly so we can chronical the evolution of Lucas.
Anyways, the Canucks game ended - we won. I spent half the time trying to get F.E.A.R. working. After some initial troubles with the sound, it's all good. And man, what an awesome game. I had the lights off and the speakers turned up - it's like a horror film. Eug and I were jumping every few minutes.

Find your love

If you've been around my blog for a while, you know that when I come across an awesome post out in the blog-o-sphere I love to share it. Well Maggi Dawn has found another excellent nugget. (Original here). Enjoy.

Find your love

You know that dream you carry around with you each day?
It's kinda important.
Wasn't it what you were put on planet earth to do?
They say everyone has a calling, can your still hear it?
Doesn't it eat away at you? That treadmill you are on, did it ever get too much?
Did you ever wonder what it would be like to do your thing?
Did you ever feel time was passing you by?
Just how many days have you left before your last?
Did you ever wonder about stuff like that?
Did you ask yourself 'what was stopping you?'
There is never a right time.
You will be too old. Too young. Too something or other.
When was last time you took a risk?
Did you remember how alive it made you feel?
There are no guarantees of success.
It's not called a leap of faith for nothing.
It's not too late, honest.
Jump.
You might fall.

You might fly.

Worship Dilemma

I'm undecided. Is worship (in that formal sense of singing) supposed to be a. the congregation praising God, or b. the congregation being led to an experience--an encounter--with God.

Are both options mutually exclusive; in other words, can worship be both about praising God and about encountering God. One may counter: how could they possibly be exclusive? I'll explain. If your primary focus is to praise God, then the act of praise does not necessarily mean one in any way actually encounters God. Praising in no way guarantees, nor presupposes, an encouter with the Holy (yay, go Otto). Whereas, if your primary focus is to encounter God (as Otto would put it, to encounter the numinous), then that also does not require one to be praising.
But, having said this, does that mean that if your focus is to praise God then having an encouter with God is not an issue. And vice versa, if your focus is to encouter God then praising God is not an issue.

The logic is a bit fuddled, I admit, but I think the problem remains.

What is worship ultimately about: me or God?

Thesis...antithesis...now time for a creative synthesis.

By the way, I have see-sawed between both sides of the fence over the years.

-Kev

Tango

Man, the Tango is hard. I'd love to get it down though, it does seem like a really cool dance.

This one is gonna take some work. I don't think I'm a natural 'tango-er'.

Kev

Noteworthy Quiz

Surprise, surprise, I'm a Postmodern Christian. I have no idea how Wesleyan ranked over Liberal. And 0% fundamentalist, OHhhhhh yeah! Spot on.

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 86% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 64% Classical Liberal 50% Roman Catholic 50% Modern Liberal 43% Neo orthodox 43% Charismatic/Pentecostal 25% Reformed Evangelical 21% Fundamentalist 0% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

Today

I don't know about tomorrow - I wish I did. But today, life is good.

Stages of Faith

This is an awesome post about the stages people go through in their faith. I can definitely see a lot of myself in this post. It is a bit of a read, but I highly recommend it.

And, if you're wondering, I am most certainly in the 'transitional', the 'hyper-critical', the 'desert of criticism' stage. But, I can faintly make out the light of the 'second naivety of faith', the 'post-conventional' stage, off in the far, far distance.

Kev

Ethnic Crossroads

I find myself in a very interesting position. I am a Persian, who is of the Christian faith, and who academically is very interested in Judaism and the Jewish roots of Christianity. I don't think it is very common to find these things together in one human being.

Most Persians are Muslim - few are Christian. Most Christians don't recognize and/or care about the Jewish roots of their religion. Some (many? I am not in a proper position to say) Persians are not very sympathetic towards Judaism, and by extension, Israel.

The call by the President of Iran for the extermination of the nation of Israel is not a part of my culture that I am proud of. I don't want to get too far into the whole debate about the existence of the state of Israel. I recognize how difficult the situation is, and that both sides of the debate have very strong points (and some weak ones). In any case, I do think the Jewish people should have a place to call home. I come at this because I think the Western world owes it to them for centuries upon centuries of abuse and mistreatment. However, to have them come into a land that hasn't been under Jewish sovereignty for 2500 years isn't a bright idea either. If someone came and kicked me out of my house and took my land, and then gave it to someone else, you could bet I'd be angry as well. Anyways, whatever reason I do have to support the existence of the state of Israel, it is most definitely not because of right-wing protestant exegesis - that shit I can't stand.

I'm at a very unique crossroad.

Cheers,
Kev

PBL Cheque Arrived

So it is true, the six hours of time I 'volunteered' at the Faculty of Medicine a few weeks ago did actually pay $100. Couldn't have arrived at a better time, the ol' bank accounts have been dwindling as of late.

This will give it a little boost of life. Which reminds me, the next PBL is supposed to be in a few weeks. Can you say 100 bucks?

Cheers,
Kev

Revelation?

What is one to do when they see Scripture not as revealed texts, but as human documents. Documents shaped by the history, the culture, the problems and influences, the politics and social issues of their day. What happens when the idea that God oversees this process and whispers into open ears his text begins to fade into the background - and that background becomes a speck, and that speck is lost in a sea of specks.

Can these texts in any way still have authority over life, life right here, right now? Does authority require revealed scripture? How would (could?!) a non-revealed body of texts influence and impact the life of a follower?

Moreover, revealed or not, what does 'authority' mean? How far does it extend, what are its bounds and limitations, if any?

The fine paths some of us walk.

Fools walk where angels fear to tread, no doubt.

Kev

Holy Acquisition Batman!

Acquisition. What an awesome program. Great selection, blazing fast speed.

I like.

The End.

Kev

Giants aren't so giant

Got a chance to see the Giants play tonight at Pacific Coliseum, box seats - thanks Ren! The Giants sucked, we got our asses handed to us by Kelowna. Our goalie sucked, like I swear Eug woulda done better than him.

But, the free food was excellent. The free liquor was a wonderful bonus =]. Now I know I'm not a Sleeman fan. It's an okay beer, pretty average. The wine was nice though. Sweet white wine. Great stuff.

Anyways, now I can say I've watched the Vancouver Giants, and I've been to a box seat at PC. I think that about covers everything for me: I've been box, horizons, upper bowl, and lower bowl @ GM; box and upper bowl at PC. I'm definitely glad we built GM, let me tell you that. Though, the view from the box was pretty sweet tonight.

On a complete other note, our prof pushed back our Greek midterm, again. So now no test Monday, but Friday instead. Oh well. What can you expect from a prof who has TWO level 60 characters in WoW. I never expected to meet a professor--a TENURED professor--who was a bigger computer geek than me. Hahaha!

Cheers,
Kev

Crunch Week

This is exciting, finally some work to do. Albeit, it isn't all that much, it's still something. Got my first midterm of the year tomorrow, as well as a paper due. Then another midterm next week, a 10 min presentation, and a lab write up. No biggie.

It feels nice to be back in the groove.

Yes, you can call me insane.
Kev

The Firstfruits of Work

So finally, after some six weeks of school, I have work to do. I've got two midterms, a presentation, and a short essay (5 pages) coming up in the next two weeks.

About damn time, this whole relaxed lifestyle was getting me worried.

G'luck to everyone during the midterm crunch.
Kev

Swim On

I finally got my butt down to the redone West Van Aquatic Center. What can I say, it's awesome. I really like what they've done with the place. It looks and feels modern.

But, looks aside, my body is so far out of shape it isn't even funny. This is not a good thing. Being fit affects every other part of life (for the better). It's probably time to get up on that.

A Night in the ER

Spent last night in the Emergency Room at Lions Gate Hospital. I was shadowing one of the ER doctors there, he's a family friend of ours. So I spent seven hours there just watching, talking, learning - real fun. I got to learn about the setup of the ER at LGH. The first section is the resuscitation room. These two beds are for critical patients. The second section is the emergency room. These twelve beds are for patients which aren't critical, but are emergencies nonetheless. The emergency room also has a seperate section for paediatrics, with a few beds there. The third and final section is the first aid section. These dozen or so beds are for non emergencies. Patients here may wait over two hours to have a chance to see a doctor. A shift for an ER doctor is split about 4 hours in emergency and 4 hours in first aid. I got to experience both last night.

So what kind of stuff did I see? Well, there were no critical traumas while I was there. I was kinda hoping to see something critical, but at the same time I'm happy that no people (and families) have to go through major trauma on Thanksgiving. There was one trauma, and that was a crushed lumbar vertebra of someone who fell from a height, but besides that the patient (as far as I heard) was stable. There were a number of TIA's last night (Transient Ischemic Attack), also known as mini strokes. This gave me a chance to see the examination done when there is a possible stroke or TIA, and I got to look at a bunch of CT scans. I sure got to see a lot of tests last night: CT scans, X-Rays, blood tests, urine tests. And my, those tests seem very useful. There were few pregnant patients with bleeding and/or abdominal pain. We had a couple of kids who had bonked their heads, but nothing too serious came out of that. A few patients were feeling sick - nausia, vomitting, etc... On the first aid side, most the people there had abdominal/chest pain of some sort.

All in all, an excellent night, and a great experience.

Cheers,
Kev

Feeling a Little Guilty

We're almost at the half way point of the semester, and my workload is still relatively low. I thought at the beginning of the year that the load would pick up by the October, but that was not the case. Of course, I only have four courses this semester (and six next semester, for a total of 31 credits in winter session), which thus explains the lack of stress at the moment.

The weird thing is, I sometimes feel guilty. There isn't anything I can do about it, I'm taking all the courses I can given my situation (double major, trying to catch up, etc...). My first and second year winter sessions were much busier than this, that much I remember. So yes, I feel kind of odd - a little guilty.

But then I think to myself: I came into third year with around 90 credits. That's what most people have at the end of third year. So the thought in my mind is, 'why should I feel guilty at all! I've damn well earned it!' I'll have in the vicinity of 120 credits by the end of this year; I'll graduate next year just shy of 150 credits. I have spent both my summers taking summer session, and so far I have completed 21 credits in the summer. I will be taking at least 7 credits this summer, and possibly 10. So shit, why should I feel guilty!?

I've earned it.

Kev

Kev in the ER - Monday Night

I am so psyched!

Dr. Watson called back tonight. All the paperwork is done, the hoops have been jumped through, so I'll be in the ER Monday (Thanksgiving) night. I'll be at Lions Gate Hospital from 6PM to around 1AM.

I'm told it is probably going to be busy in there. That's going to be great experience for me. But the flip side is, everyone coming in is hurt - some seriously - and on Thanksgiving of all days. So I have that torn feeling inside: experience for me at the expense of people in pain.

So I'll have a lab coat on, but I was told to dress professionally. Pants and shirt, with a tie? I'm not really sure what to wear under the coat.

Man I'm pumped. Yes yes yes!

Cheers,
Kev

A Simple Day

What could be better words to utter when you first wake up - "Thank you God for what I am and have, because I could lose it all today".

And if you make it to bed, your last words - "Thank you God for blessing me yet another day".

Cuz seriously, we can lose it all in a drop.

By the way, thanks Vince. Your comment a few weeks back really hit home,

Peace,
Kev

The best thing about the future

is that it isn't written yet; it's a big, open, question mark.

I can't explain why, but for once in a very long time, I'm actually looking forward to it.

Cheers.

Job Shadow - ER Physician at Lions Gate Hospital

I heard back from one of our family friends who is a trauma physician at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. I'm so excited! He said it's possible for me to come and shadow him in the ER for a night. The administration has changed some things, so there may be a few hoops to jump through, but he said that they shouldn't be a problem. He's on shift next weekend, Sunday and Monday. I know it's Thanksgiving weekend, but my family will gladly push our Thanksgiving meal one night over to let me have this experience. He also recommended the night (6pm-12pm) as the most exciting.

I'm psyched.

Hopefully the administration won't jack this up.

Bubye for now,
Kev

PBL Tutor Training - Playing Med-Student

Today I had my first of two PBL Tutor Training workshops. What are PBL tutor training workshops you might ask? Well, the Med school at UBC teaches their undergraduate med students using PBL (problem based learning). The students are put into PBL groups (around 7 students), and they are given a tutor whose job is to facilitate the learning process of the students in the PBL group. The tutor's role is not to teach, but to give direction - to aid the student's own learning. These PBL tutors may be physicians, instructors, or researchers, and they need to be trained on how to tutor the PBL tutorial. In order to train these tutors, they need mock med-school students. That's where I came in. They asked students in the pre-med/pre-dental club to come and help the Faculty of Medicine train their PBL tutors. It involes 1 hr of training, 6 hrs of tutorial (split over two sessions), and approximately 1-2hrs of independent study between tutorial one and two. For all this I get $100. Not too shabby, if I can say so myself.
So, as I mentioned, today I had my first session. The problem we were given was about a man in the ER who had just been in a motor vehicle accident. He was having trouble breathing, and the problem seemed to be focused on his left chest. All we did was work through the problem, taking the information we were given, trying to figure out what the learning issues were (things which we needed to go and learn/research), formulating a hypothesis, and asking what further information could we use. We made it half way through the case (page 2 of 3). So now we've been sent off to study up for the Thursday session. I really like this PBL system of learning: whenever I take responsibility for my own learning, I find that I actually learn and understand material, as opposed to passive listening in lectures or passive reading. This is also a nice taste of what preclerkship at most med schools will be like; as far as I know all the major Canadian medical schools have gone to the problem-based learning method. All in all, well worth it. And did I say a hundred bucks=]

Oh, and my money is down on pneumothorax - collapsed lung. However, as the training told us, the point of these PBL sessions is to lead students to study the physiology and anatomy of the system(s) involved. The clinical aspect is nice, but not the real focus. But still, my money is down.

Cheers for now,
Afra

Argg! GPA Insanity

I need to maintain a 3.8 GPA to be competitive for med school admission.

A THREE POINT F'IN EIGHT!!!

Shoot me now.

Year one and two are over. Those marks are set in stone: I'm squeaking by (barely, depending on weighting policies of different med schools). The up side is that really, my third year is the last year med school admissions will look at. By the time fourth year rolls around, I'll already have submitted my transcript and application to med schools (like September/October is the deadline). So this year I really need to shine in school. Yarg!!

Shoot me now.

Welcome to 20 - Thanks to all!

Officially no longer a teenager. I don't think anyone has called me a teen since I left high school, but hey, at least now you can't call me one.

I had a great time last night. Thanks Eug for setting up the restaurant and reservations and stuff, I really appreciated that bro. And thank you all who joined us; I hope you guys had a good time with some great food and wonderful wine. Hopefully your bank accounts can recover from last night.

Anyways I'm off to UBC for a seminar on admission to Medical Schools.

See ya'll around,
Kev

It Has Begun

I finally went and picked up an MCAT preparation book. The thing is a monster, over a thousand really, really, big pages. And my, is there a lot of material to be covered. Most of it seems familiar: stuff from high school and lower division sciences. I think most of my studying for the MCAT will consist of re-lighting memory pathways in my brain which have fallen into disuse.

I have even prepared a plan of attack. I'm going to spend time each weekday (Mon-Fri) studying a portion of the material. I hope to go through everything once every four weeks. That means, come exam time in April, I will know this stuff cold. Of course, that is the ideal. My first four week trial will let me know how well it works in reality. I think after Christmas I'll start with practice full length exams. That will take up a few of my Saturdays, but what better way to prep for the real thing than doing copies. By the way, the exam itself takes about 8 hrs (including break time), so it's a test of endurance if anything.

So it has begun.

On a side note, you won't be able to call me a teenager in an hour and 15 mins. Yay!

Cheers,
Kev

Premonition

Ever have that feeling that everything is going to just fall apart: that foreboding feeling that everything good in your life will unravel itself, and that nothing in the future will ever go well for you. Like this whole dream-world you call your life will vanish before your eyes and leave nothing but bleak darkness. As if Fate itself has conspired against you, and is only waiting for the most opportune moment to make its opening strike.

What an aweful feeling.

...I'm sure some famous psychologist is rolling in his/her grave right now.

Cheers.

Goodbye Oh-So-Full Weekend

A busy weekend has come to an end. As most of you know, our church had its annual Transit Rally on Saturday. This year was a bit different from the previous years as we did it in an 'Amazing Race' style. So, there were a number of stations set up, and the teams had to proceed linearly through each station. Ren and I were given Stadium/Chinatown station to do. Friday was spent on making up questions...and my were there a lot of em. But I rather like the story we came up with (of utter embarrassment to me). And we did get some rather creative endings to the tale from the groups. This was all followed by a nice BBQ at the park, with free food might I add. And after this, Vince and I finally saw a movie we've been meaning to see for a while: Downfall. As the title hints, the movie is about the downfall of Hitler. It was well done, and I quite enjoyed it. Political genius - yes; military stategist: definitely not!

Sunday brought with it communion Sunday, always the best of our services. Why we don't do communion every week, I don't know. After that, I had the joy of giving an introduction to the book of Judges. I think we're gonna have a great time discussing Judges. As common to many narratives in the Hebrew Bible, it is full of unsettling things: things which make us squirm with uneasiness. Good fun...that is, if they don't shut me down for teaching like this. Heh.

I closed off my Sunday by heading to the mall to indulge a bit. My chequing account has had an unnaturally high balance as of late, and I felt like feeding even more money to the great multinational corporations of this world. The up side is, I have some new clothes. My poor wardrobe has been asking for an upgrade for some time now. This should shut it up for a while.

Anyways, everyone have a great week.

As the old liturgy says: the Lord be with you all.
Kev

Religious Pluralism and John Hick

I picked up a thought provoking book from the library yesterday entitled A Christian Theology of Religions by John Hick. Hick is a very well known liberal Christian theologian and philosopher of religion. I have heard of him, but this is my first time actually reading his material. I haven't had a book captivate me this much for a long time. I started reading the book on the bus ride home; by 10 o'clock I read clear through its 150 pages. I approached this book knowing that its author had a very similar history to myself: he converted to Christianity in his mid/late teens, was involved in a more conservative/fundamentalist stream of Christianity, then gradually became weary of the narrowness and lack of sympathy towards questioning thought (as he puts it in another of his books, God Has Many Names). I picked up this book to explore the path which he took. Before I give a brief summary, I should note that I would not have been able to read this book properly back in first year university. Then I was still a foundationalist (an epistemological position), conservative Christian. But at this point in time, I have learned to read others empathetically, and try to really understand what they are saying. But I digress, onto the book.

His basic argument is this:
1. Christians are in general no better than people of other great world religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism). Virtues and vices are evenly exhibited by people of all religions.
2. All the great world religions call us to transcend a self-centeredness to become re-centered on God/the Real.
3. Salvation is the transformation of individuals from self-centeredness to Real-centeredness.
4. Salvation, understood this way, is actually occuring to an equal extent in many world faiths.
5. There is thus one universal source of salvific transformation at work among many of the world religions.
6. God/the Real can be authentically experienced in terms of various different human concepts: Yahweh, Holy Trinity, Allah, Brahman, Tao, Shiva, Vishnu, etc... Culture and society in a way confine the way in which we experience God/the Real.
7. God/the Real is ineffable - unable to be adequately described using human language and concepts. This explains why there is such a diversity in human experiences of God/the Real (as personal, as impersonal).
8. Thus, Christianity is one among many authentic and valid responses to God/the Real.

This is Hick's basic argument. Of course, being a summary, it does not do it proper justice. I don't present this because I myself believe it - in fact, there are a number of places in his argument which I can't quite bring myself to agree with him. But regardless, I think it is a thoughtful, honest attempt to respond to the place of Christianity among a religiously diverse world.

If your first reaction isn't to throw him (or God forbid, me) into the fires of hell as a heretic, check out the book. It isn't long and it isn't written with technical jargon. It's stimulating and well worth the read.

Cheers for now.
Kev

Experiencing and Encountering

What is the difference between 'experiencing something' and 'encountering something'?

It seems to me that experiencing involves a greater impact on the emotions than does encountering. Furthermore, encounter is a word which in my mind brings about an image of a journey or path, along which you 'encounter' something. An experience does not necessarily have a surrounding journey - it is ateleological (without goal or purpose).

Many of us who have gone through a set a material called 'Experiencing God' have been led to understand the Christian life as that of experiencing the divine. Is it any different to say that we encounter the divine. (Just to make it clear, of all the *stuff* our church has thrown at us, the 'Experiencing God' material has had the greatest impact on me, and is the only one that really has any impact on me now).

I feel like I'm on the verge of another paradigm shift, this question being merely the tip of the iceberg.

More to come I'm sure.
Kev

Some More Schedule Fiddling

Nothing major, I just swapped sections for my BIOL 200 tutorial. I originally wanted the 10-11am on Tuesday in order to force myself to wake up early and come to school. I've realized that I have enough open time at school, and I didn't want a 3 hr break that I could easily avoid. So I swapped into a 4-5pm section on Tuesday. I can still catch the express bus home, but coming to school means transferring on the 44. I might still come to school around 11 or 12, but I'll see.

So my schedule as it is now:



See ya'll around,
Kev

Serving, Sustaining

Some call it 'serving God', others call it 'the road to burnout'.

I feel for my friends. Some of them are 'serving' so much that it just plain isn't right.

I have learned how (and when) to say no. It's tough, but I like to call it 'sustainability'. That's all I learned from my 1 year of Engineering. Sustainability - in it for the long haul.

Don't be afraid to say 'no' sometimes. It's worse to burnout and say 'f*ck it' to the church and walk off than it is to annoy a few leaders in the church. Those of us who have approached that threshold (or have even come within eyesight of it) know just how perilous it is. Watch yourselves friends, know when enough is enough.

Please.

Goodbye Animal Locomotion

The title says it all: I went ahead and dropped BIOL 325. It really wasn't the course I expected. So, why spend 400 bucks, eh? I'll take much better 4th year physiology courses (crossing my fingers hoping that I don't have any course conflicts next year, nor filled courses before my reg day).

So, with that, here is my updated Term 1 schedule:

Bubye for now.

To Drop, or not to Drop

Yarg!

What ever shall I do. I've been mulling over whether I want to stay in BIOL 325 (Animal Locomotion) since last night. The professor doesn't seem very friendly towards, or caring for, his students. And, after all, this is upper division now; I have the freedom to take the courses I want to take so long as they cover my requirements. I've been looking at other courses I can take to satisify my 12 credits of 300+ Biology courses and have realized that next year I have a lot of options. Since I now plan to take my Animal Physiology courses this summer (BIOL 361, 363, 364), going into fourth year there will be a whole load of courses I can take. Even better, most of these fourth year comparative physiology courses (the ones I have my eye on) are only 3 hrs of lecture a week - no lab, no tutorial. Plus, the course descriptions seem pretty interesting.

I'm going to keep trying with RELG 414 (The Gospels and the Historical Jesus), if a spot doesn't open by January, I'll just ask the prof very, very nicely. This will keep me at 31 credits total this year. (I want to make sure I am still a full time student this year in the eyes of med schools).

I'll know by tonight if I'm going to drop or not. Decisions, decisions. Wonderful.
Kev

Internetified, and a Review of Third Year

At last, I have internet access at home again. Both the Shaw dude and the security guy (he does all the network/cable/telephone wires and plugs inside the house) actually showed up today. What a pleasant surprise to come home and see that I have TV and internet yet again. Excellent. It really is hard to go without the net for a week, especially when so much of what you do relies on it. Makes one wonder...

Anyways it sounds like everyone is adjusting nicely to a new school year. I've had all my classes once now except for a tutorial and a lab. I'm pleased:

RELG 370: Seminar style, only 20 or so kids in the class. The prof seems great. The course looks at methods, theses, and theories of religious studies. It seems like it's a look at different methodological approaches to religious studies. Good stuff. Our class focus is 'sacred space', and that is what our 2nd term research project is going to be about. Oh, and NO FINAL!

RELG 335: Ok, what can I say, Dr. Daum again. I had this guy for 6 credits of Biblical Hebrew. Amazing. One of my favourite profs. It's our first class and I already got into a 15 min conversation with him after class. He always teaches stuff that I find really interesting, the guy knows tons of stuff, and he is always willing to discuss stuff with students. Once again, NO FINAL (man I love religious studies).

GREK 325: Carl (our prof) is way different from most profs. He doesn't want to be called 'Dr.' or 'Professor', the most formal he is willing to hear is 'Mr. Johnson'. He isn't the kind of prof that wants to put him/herself over above the students as an authority/power figure. Also, GREK 325 is organized in a much different fashion than GREK 100 was. We are going to proceed in a 3 day rotation. Day 1 we read from a book on New Testament Greek Idioms. The stuff in this book is highly controversial. The point is to get us exposed to different approaches to Greek, as well as provide for conversation. Day 2 we work on our textbook (Athenaze II, same series as GREK 100). Here we learn Greek constructs and grammar. This is the standard stuff which GREK 100 focused heavily on. Day 3 is our New Testament reading. We are to prepare a translation of the assigned passage from the Greek New Testament. This is what it's all about, this is the whole reason I'm taking the course - to be able to actually *read* real ancient Greek documents. So that is how this class is going to proceed; 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, etc...

BIOL 200: This course looks daunting. Lots of reading, lots of material. This is the standard second year cellular biology course. But the focus isn't on memorization (we can take a double sided piece of paper into our exams as a cue sheet). The focus of the course is on applying our knowledge to solve questions and problems which required integration and understanding of concepts over a number of different units. I've done classes like this before, and I know I can do well. But I also know that in order to do well I have to stay on top of the material, class by class. And I know that the course is going to take a large amount of my time. The up side is that the material actually looks interesting.

BIOL 325: The prof is a hoot. He seems mean--someone you don't want to mess with--but he is hilarious. The class covers methods of locomotion, mostly of swimming and flying. I was hoping that land animals would also be covered, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm taking this course as part of my 12 credits of 300/400 level biology elective requirements. It's only 3 hrs of lecture a week (no lab or tutorial). I'll see how the material is, but for now it looks like I'm going to stay.

Anywho, the best part of this year is the fact that my breaks coincide with the breaks of a bunch of friends. We're gonna have some good fun in the sub.

See ya'll around (most of you probably on friday, haha)

Feeling First-day-ish

First day back to school. UBC is awash in colours because of Imagine for first years - Reds (woot...I was once one), Purples (me in 2nd year), Blues (me now), and the list goes on. I came early just to double check that my BIOL 200 tutorial was cancelled for first week (it was), and so I could spend some time on the net (since I'm net-less at home for the time being).

Now comes the fun of finding out who has what breaks and when. Back to the wonderful 'Canadian Room'. No more stupid SUB basement chinatown, I hate it down there.

In other news, 'Random Acts of Reality' is one of my favourite blogs. The guy is an Emergency Medical Technician based in London, and his stories from work are amazing. This recent one will bring a tear to your eye. Check it out.

Time to eat.

Good luck to all for the new school year.
Peace and grace,
Kev

At Last...Moved!

Finally, we moved!

Moving..sucks.

I am without telephone, cable, internet, and heat. I will finally have carpet in about an hour or so, which means I can actually set up my bedroom. Stupid Telus strike, I have no idea when we will get our land line set up; if you need me, call my cell. Internet and cable need the network dude to first set up all our wall outlets, and after that Shaw always takes like 5 days to show up after you make a request. So no ETA there. And the heat is jacked cuz our wonderful electricians messed with the wiring, so it keeps shorting out. Not good.

Anyways, three cheers for IKEA.

Till the next time,
Kevin

My Schedule - Term 1

Here is my term 1 schedule for this coming winter session:

Neat-o OS X

If you hold down CLICK, it is equivalent to CTRL+CLICK (which is the Mac equivalent of right-clicking). Sweet, finally true one handed browsing!

Just one of those neat lil things that bring you great joy when you're learning the ins and outs of a new operating system.

Btw, I love scrolling trackpad....mmm..

Kev

EDIT: Seems like this is Firefox only. Oh well, good enough for me.

And My Part Is Done

Yesterday I finished my last job this summer at our new house. I tell you this: laminate flooring looks easy and quick, but it is 99% mind numbing, repetitious work - and it ain't that quick. But it's done and over, and I think I breathed enough green synthetic laminate dust to kill a small animal. If you notice me coughing up green stuff and/or blood, lemme know. But I gotta say, it does look nice when it's done.

Our move date is this Friday, and it looks like we're gonna make it. I won't have a room till Saturday since the carpet won't be in until then, but that I can deal with. We're feeling the effects of the Telus strike though; we won't be getting our land line switched over till who knows when. But Telus said that we can use one of our cell phones as a temporary land line. Meh, whatever.

I really should start packing soon, that would be a wise thing to do.

Oh, 'The Ring 2' is no where near as good as 'The Ring'.

Kev

Just a Thought

Lots of talk about summer camp goin on as all the peeps are back and fresh from camp. I just shrug: I've been to a few camps, missed a few camps, it's all the same after a while. In three days you can begin on a new direction in life, but you can't change a person in 3 days - you can't change your character in 3 days. No, that takes months, years...a lifetime. And I've seen it/experienced it before, in two weeks everyone is back to their normal selves.

I dunno, maybe three days in a crack house on hastings; or maybe a refugee camp in one of countless places around the world; or maybe the low-income projects where a single mom is workin two full time jobs just to feed her kids another day. That sounds like a cool retreat.

Run from the world...or into it. Just a thought.

Cheers. Don't bite too hard.

Xanga, poor Xanga

I decided to bite another blog bullet and sign up for a Xanga account. Most of my friends use Xanga (I feel bad for them...Xanga is craptacular), and I can't comment on their blogs without a Xanga ID, nor can I join their whoop-de-doo blog rings. So, I signed up, and set a redirect on my Xanga blog to herd people on over to this site.

Because of Xanga's craptacularness, the 'setTimeout' JavaScript function is disabled, so people won't see a warning page before their browsers send them off to this page - that is, unless they have a really slow computer and/or browser.

My apologies if the sudden redirect has left you baffled.

Cheers.

Mid-Week Randomness

So I had a wonderful weekend. A bunch of us went up to Golden Ears Provincial Park near Maple Ridge for an overnight camping trip. Packed our sleeping bags n tents and set off for a 2.5 hr hike to a nice cozy clearing and spent the night. We sure cut it tight though, about 2 minutes after we arrived it started to get real dark (8:30ish PM I think). In terms of scenery, the views on this hike weren't as stunning as some other hikes I've been on. However, that would likely have been different if we went for the full 10hr hike to the mountain peak. But there were a few nice vistas here and there, and it sure was a great time to just get away and relax in the woods.

After the trip, I had a couple days off from construction while the painters did their thing. In two days (7AM to 7PM) these guys finished off 2500+ sq ft of house...and that's just the lower floor and the basement. Blazing! But now I'm back to work - time to install hardwood laminate flooring. Who knows how long this will take. Whatever, more money for me.

Alas, my lunch break is over. Back to work I go.

Construction

The end of school brought with it a wonderful month of summer vacation. And what have I done with it you ask? - work! We're moving two weeks today so it's a mad dash to finish enough of the house to live in. This means plenty of good stuff for me to do. The great thing is not only do I get paid, but I learn stuff that will be very handy when I'm older and have to manage my own household.

Mostly I've been doing carpentry. Some stuff I've done lately:

- Installing Doors
- Assembling and Installing Cabinets
- Finish carpentry - elaborate moulding around doors; crown moulding.

I really like the fine detail work of finishing. I'm not the biggest dude, so stuff like framing would be hell for me. But working with small pieces of wood, at precisions of less than an eighth of an inch, I can do. I've always loved details, I guess it just fits.

In other news, the pondering over a career in medicine continues. And the scales continue to tip...

Peace,
Kev

Must Quote

I was readin through this week's "Left Behind Friday" at slacktivist's blog and I came across this little gem that I just had to quote in full:

One common riff used by evangelical speakers involves John 3:16 -- the verse made famous by Bannerman. As a reminder of God's love for each of us, the speaker will quote that verse as a fill-in-the-blank, urging the audience to insert their own name: "For God so loved [your name here] that he gave his only begotten son, that [your name here] shall not perish but have everlasting life."

This illustration turns the verse into something like the parable of the Lost Sheep ("ninety and nine all safe in the fold"), which is a valid point, but not the point that John's Gospel is making.

John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world," or literally, "the cosmos." It's not a good idea to substitute yourself for the entire cosmos. Part of what this passage is saying is that God loves the world, so you should love it too. That message is lost if you make it all about you.

If it's all about you, then it doesn't really matter what else or who else God loves. God doesn't even really matter that much, except insofar as you get helped out. You're the hero of this story -- God is just Peripheral Chorus Guy writ large, just another one of those faceless chorus members cheering when you walk into the room.

Right on the money, slacktivist.

Queue the music...iBook'ed

My iBook arrived last night!

I love it.

OS X pwns WinXP.

I love chillin on the other side of the house with wireless rippin along.

The PC is being relegated to (a) Games, (b) Graphics/Multimedia, (c) TV, and (d) Music.

More tinkering...blog later.

Kev

Careers, oh Careers

I've been seriously considering a career in medicine lately. These past couple years I've just been considered medicine as an open possibility, but not my primary focus. However, now I'm really beginning to consider it as a real possiblity. I dunno if this change in thinking is going to be permanent or not, time will tell.

More to come, I'm sure.

Kev

Shipped!

Good news.

My iBook has shipped from...wait for...Shanghai, China. I wonder, why Shanghai of all places.

FedEx International Priority, maybe it'll be here on Monday. That would make for a wonderful start to my week.

Book me

14 inches of wonderful goodness. Ordered and preparing to be shipped as I type. New generation iBook too!
Specs:
- 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4
- 512 MB RAM
- 14.1" TFT Display
- ATI Mobility Radeon 9550 (32MB Video Memory)
- 60 GB Hard Drive
- Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
- Built in Airport Extreme
- Built in Bluetooth

Goodie goodie!! Should be here by the end of next week.

Interesting Essay

This is a neat read:

Leaving Evangelicalism: When You No Longer Belong

Family Gathering

It's nice having all the family around. Sure is tiring though.

Couple more days and I can put in my order for a 14" iBook. Psyched!

Stigmata

Stigmata was on TV tonight, I tuned in about a 1/3 of the way through. It's some horror flick from the late 90's. I rather liked the film. Of course, when I heard "the kingdom of God is inside you", I was like..psht - rippin off the Gospel of Thomas. I was like meh, still a good movie. The end 'blurb', however, was rather amusing. It spoke about the 'Gospel of St. Thomas' which was found in a library in Nag Hamadi in 1945. Except for the fact that I learned it as 'Nag Hammadi', true on all counts. It goes on: the Gospel of Thomas contains sayings that scholars from all around the world believe come closest to the words of the historical Jesus (my paraphrase, that's the gist of it). Throughout the movie it is portrayed that these secret sayings could topple the Roman Catholic church, and in effect present a challenge to modern day Christianity. It also plays it out as an Aramaic document. Unfortunately, I haven't ever heard of an Aramaic Gospel of Thomas. What I do know is that the Nag Hammadi version was written in Coptic, and there are a few Greek fragments found in Egypt which date to the second century (quite a bit earlier than the Coptic one @ Nag Hammadi). As far as we can tell, the Gospel of Thomas was written in Greek in the early to mid second century CE. All of this is no big deal, but for the movie to claim such high things about its historical value is a rather bold move. The value of the Gospel of Thomas for reconstructing the historical Jesus is precisely the question on the table, hardly something close to worldwide consensus! I guess they seem to have overlooked people like John Meier, or Ed Sanders, or Tom Wright - all central figures in historical Jesus scholarship. I don't mean to take a shot at scholars who give great weight to the Gospel of Thomas; however, I just found it pretty rude for the movie to give the impression that there is widespread agreement amongst scholars. I guess it's just the misrepresentation of present scholarship on the historical Jesus which bugs me. But, ending 'blurb' aside, really cool movie.

And if you haven't figured it out already, I don't agree with celibate priesthood. I still can't figure out why priests have to be celibate in the Roman Catholic tradition. I can dig the Pope and the sacraments and all that, but no woohoo for the priests! Ouch. Anyways, word on the street is Peter, Jesus' brothers, and even some of the apostles were all married. Poor Paul though, guess he never went for it.

Good ol' online quizes

Just for fun...

You scored as Servant Model. Your model of the church is Servant. The mission of the church is to serve others, to challenge unjust structures, and to live the preferential option for the poor. This model could be complemented by other models that focus more on the unique person of Jesus Christ. Servant Model 67% Mystical Communion Model 61% Sacrament model 61% Herald Model 45% Institutional Model 11% What is your model of the church? [Dulles] created with QuizFarm.com

Neat...