Thanksgiving, Coalinga, and stuff
Words cannot express how great it felt to have Thanksgiving dinner on this side of the Pacific. The last time I truly celebrated an American Thanksgiving was 4 years ago. The turkey, the trimmings, the family... well two of them. My return was marked with two dinners! It was exhausting travelling to Concord for my family's celebration and then to Saratoga for Alinna's... but well worth it.
So, I made the trek up I-5 with my roommate Ben. And we're making good time, singing along to some old tracks like Tony Rich Project, when we see the Coalinga exit sign. Now, those familiar with the journey know about Coalinga and their cows... or rather the cow pies. The veteran traveller that I am, I immediately switch the vents to recirc. As soon as my finger pushes the button, Ben farts... with the air recirculating. Not once did he up to that point, and not once did he after that point. But as soon as we both see the sign for Coalinga, he just lets go. Was he holding it for the prime moment? You decide.
The Thanksgiving traffic wasn't as bad as everybody made it out to be. 7 1/2 hours one way. Today in Greek class it was obvious that nobody wanted to be there after a long weekend of fun, food, and friends. Poopy faces all around. I am thankful for a Thanksgiving spent with family and friends, I am thankful for good laughs from the belly, I am thankful for school, I am thankful for my team, and I am thankful for my God.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Monday, November 22, 2004
Sunday, November 21, 2004
The miracles of Mr. Clean
Before coming to SoCal, I stopped by at 5824 and I saw Jason washing his car. Jason the king of TV products, was washing his car with the Mr. Clean car wash doo-hickee. He greets me with "This thing is freakin' awesome." The seeds were planted.
Two days ago, I notice that my car is in dire need of a washing. For reference, I had not washed the car ever (about two months/two trips up and down I-5). Remembering Jason's infomerical like plug, I go to Target, buy the product, and rush back home to try it out.
It was great. I know many of you are skeptics, but I would whole-heartedly endorse this product. Clarification: The product is a hose attachment. It has two replaceable parts... soap and a water filter to produce de-ionized water. More on this later. This hose attachment has three different settings. From here the instruction pamphlet describes it best:
Set dial to RINSE and wet car. Set dial to SOAP and spray car. Soap car with mitt or sponge. RINSE again to eliminate all suds. Set dial to Mr. Clean AutoDry (delivers de-ionized water spray from filter). Spray entire car, starting at the top. Stay within 1 foot of car while spraying back and forth until regular rinse water has been rinsed away. Watch the water dry spot-free before your eyes!
My first time... total time 45 minutes. The job can easily be done in 30 minutes if you know what you're doing. Lovin' it.
Before coming to SoCal, I stopped by at 5824 and I saw Jason washing his car. Jason the king of TV products, was washing his car with the Mr. Clean car wash doo-hickee. He greets me with "This thing is freakin' awesome." The seeds were planted.
Two days ago, I notice that my car is in dire need of a washing. For reference, I had not washed the car ever (about two months/two trips up and down I-5). Remembering Jason's infomerical like plug, I go to Target, buy the product, and rush back home to try it out.
It was great. I know many of you are skeptics, but I would whole-heartedly endorse this product. Clarification: The product is a hose attachment. It has two replaceable parts... soap and a water filter to produce de-ionized water. More on this later. This hose attachment has three different settings. From here the instruction pamphlet describes it best:
Set dial to RINSE and wet car. Set dial to SOAP and spray car. Soap car with mitt or sponge. RINSE again to eliminate all suds. Set dial to Mr. Clean AutoDry (delivers de-ionized water spray from filter). Spray entire car, starting at the top. Stay within 1 foot of car while spraying back and forth until regular rinse water has been rinsed away. Watch the water dry spot-free before your eyes!
My first time... total time 45 minutes. The job can easily be done in 30 minutes if you know what you're doing. Lovin' it.
Monday, November 15, 2004
It's been a while...
And another midterm has passed. Results are pending. So is the toga.
Hoping to "resurrect" my webpage by adding new photos and writing a new series of newsletters regarding my adventures in SoCal and seminary.
Surprised by the number of responses to my last post. I've been intrigued by the comments and the back and forth.
And another midterm has passed. Results are pending. So is the toga.
Hoping to "resurrect" my webpage by adding new photos and writing a new series of newsletters regarding my adventures in SoCal and seminary.
Surprised by the number of responses to my last post. I've been intrigued by the comments and the back and forth.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Grrr: The Bitter Diatribes of a Liberal Evangelical Christian
Yes, I'm an evangelical Christian. Yes, I'm a registered Democrat. I just thought that I should preface everything I'm about to say with that.
Repeatedly, over the years, I've been asked (mostly from fellow Christians) how I could be liberal and an evangelical Christian at the same time. To which I usually ask, "What makes you think that Jesus is a conservative?" Time and time again, the issues of gay marriages and abortion come up in supporting the idea that conservative standpoints are inherantly Christian. Bible passages usually spring up further bolstering this ideology. And I won't deny (to some extent) that when it comes to gay marriages and abortion, that conservative viewpoints match up with Christian viewpoints (though I don't agree with conservative means of propagating this ideology). The morality of these two issues is a common point for conservatives and Christians.
What I don't understand is why many Christians, on the basis of these two issues, gay marriages and abortion, then deduce that conservatism equals Christianity. Or would go even further to say that George W Bush's stern denunciation of these two issues therefore shows "strong moral character," "courage," or "integrity." Integrity is a character that is shown in action. On the issues of gay marriages and abortion, all George W Bush has done is give a verbal denunciation. In other issues however, he has 1) made the rich, richer by making them the biggest beneficiaries of the tax cuts he has put in place, 2) set a new U.S. foreign policy precedence of preemptive strikes (by the way it can be argued that Pearl Harbor was a preemptive strike and that 9/11 was a preemptive strike), 3) allowed big corporations to ignore previously applied environmental laws protecting natural habitats around the world (we backed out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001... who was President in 2001?), 4) increased military spending in a nation that already far outspends any other country on weapons (including WMDs), 5) lied about the reason why we're in Iraq, still doesn't concede that he made a mistake (some call that integrity, I call it bullheadedness), and numbers of US and Iraqi casualties are the result of this war that never should've started... that we continue to maintain.
When I was in Japan, people asked me about these 5 issues and many others that I can't seem to recall. What's more is that the Japanese know that George W Bush is Christian because he blares out his faith in word with a bullhorn. Naturally, they asked me one of two questions. 1) "Is George W Bush really a Christian?" 2) "Are George W Bush's decisions based on his religion?" My biggest tiff with Bush is that he was a roadblock to my sharing my faith. Because he's so publicly Christian, many people around the world equate what he says and does as Christian. Many countries naturally assumed that already with America's policies pre-Bush, but with Bush announcing his faith in very direct manner, more people are taking note. By observing Bush's policies, many I came across came to the conclusion that to be Christian meant that 1) you don't care about the underprivilaged, 2) you support the concept of war, 3) you don't care about the environment, 4) you want to be the king of the hill, 5) you stick to your guns even if you're wrong (overly simplistic, I know). Is this integrity?
All that said, I'm quite angry at the Democratic Party. Never before have I felt so alienated by the Democratic Party. I can understand why there's been such a backlash from evangelicals against the Democrats. I have felt belittled and ignored. Democratic think tanks threw faith out as a non-issue years ago, and have been paying the costs since then. In their books, people don't make decisions based on their faith. How terribly wrong they've been. The black Christian vote switching to the Republicans this time around is as clear an indication of that as you can possibly get. Instead of downplaying the gay marriage and abortion issues, why not highlight their civil service policies and show the connection to the life of Jesus? Why not highlight environmental issues and point the way to Bible passages that support such stances? Why not show how morally unacceptable this war is instead of engaging in a back and forth of who's right? If the Republican party wants to go on a values war, show America your guns.
Micah 6:8
Yes, I'm an evangelical Christian. Yes, I'm a registered Democrat. I just thought that I should preface everything I'm about to say with that.
Repeatedly, over the years, I've been asked (mostly from fellow Christians) how I could be liberal and an evangelical Christian at the same time. To which I usually ask, "What makes you think that Jesus is a conservative?" Time and time again, the issues of gay marriages and abortion come up in supporting the idea that conservative standpoints are inherantly Christian. Bible passages usually spring up further bolstering this ideology. And I won't deny (to some extent) that when it comes to gay marriages and abortion, that conservative viewpoints match up with Christian viewpoints (though I don't agree with conservative means of propagating this ideology). The morality of these two issues is a common point for conservatives and Christians.
What I don't understand is why many Christians, on the basis of these two issues, gay marriages and abortion, then deduce that conservatism equals Christianity. Or would go even further to say that George W Bush's stern denunciation of these two issues therefore shows "strong moral character," "courage," or "integrity." Integrity is a character that is shown in action. On the issues of gay marriages and abortion, all George W Bush has done is give a verbal denunciation. In other issues however, he has 1) made the rich, richer by making them the biggest beneficiaries of the tax cuts he has put in place, 2) set a new U.S. foreign policy precedence of preemptive strikes (by the way it can be argued that Pearl Harbor was a preemptive strike and that 9/11 was a preemptive strike), 3) allowed big corporations to ignore previously applied environmental laws protecting natural habitats around the world (we backed out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001... who was President in 2001?), 4) increased military spending in a nation that already far outspends any other country on weapons (including WMDs), 5) lied about the reason why we're in Iraq, still doesn't concede that he made a mistake (some call that integrity, I call it bullheadedness), and numbers of US and Iraqi casualties are the result of this war that never should've started... that we continue to maintain.
When I was in Japan, people asked me about these 5 issues and many others that I can't seem to recall. What's more is that the Japanese know that George W Bush is Christian because he blares out his faith in word with a bullhorn. Naturally, they asked me one of two questions. 1) "Is George W Bush really a Christian?" 2) "Are George W Bush's decisions based on his religion?" My biggest tiff with Bush is that he was a roadblock to my sharing my faith. Because he's so publicly Christian, many people around the world equate what he says and does as Christian. Many countries naturally assumed that already with America's policies pre-Bush, but with Bush announcing his faith in very direct manner, more people are taking note. By observing Bush's policies, many I came across came to the conclusion that to be Christian meant that 1) you don't care about the underprivilaged, 2) you support the concept of war, 3) you don't care about the environment, 4) you want to be the king of the hill, 5) you stick to your guns even if you're wrong (overly simplistic, I know). Is this integrity?
All that said, I'm quite angry at the Democratic Party. Never before have I felt so alienated by the Democratic Party. I can understand why there's been such a backlash from evangelicals against the Democrats. I have felt belittled and ignored. Democratic think tanks threw faith out as a non-issue years ago, and have been paying the costs since then. In their books, people don't make decisions based on their faith. How terribly wrong they've been. The black Christian vote switching to the Republicans this time around is as clear an indication of that as you can possibly get. Instead of downplaying the gay marriage and abortion issues, why not highlight their civil service policies and show the connection to the life of Jesus? Why not highlight environmental issues and point the way to Bible passages that support such stances? Why not show how morally unacceptable this war is instead of engaging in a back and forth of who's right? If the Republican party wants to go on a values war, show America your guns.
Micah 6:8
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