I got some great news this morning. My grandparents are coming up for the Valentine's dinner I'm hosting at my house. I half-jokingly invited them to come, but I am thrilled that they took me seriously and are going to make the trip.

Right now I'm really frustrated trying to work out all the details for a skit for church. They kids in the drama team want to do a funny skit. My church is doing the five love languages and ... honestly - I don't think there's anything funny about love. The book always talks about marriage - and I'm currently leading an all girl drama group. I'm really hoping no one gets the idea that I'm trying to be uber-liberal with this skit.

The other skit I'm working on is for Good Friday. How to convince a group of giggly girls to be serious for 3 whole minutes while contemplating the death of our savior. We're working on it.

I'm having some trouble getting my house in order. I have so much stuff now! I had friends over and used almost all of my dishes. My drying rack only holds so much stuff. It has taken me several rounds of dishwashing to get through it all.

I really miss having the internet all the time. I know it will ultimately help my studies, but boy do I miss constant Wikipedia action.

The Big 2 0 0 !!!

That's right. I have blogged 200 blogs on this site. I am sure a prolific blogger. Now if I just had the internet at home everyone would have more of my insight. Just kidding.

Here's an update on my life:

* I love all of my classes, and really like some of the assignments.
* I love my house, but am a little tired of always cleaning.
* I have a great group of friends and I love all of them very much.
* My theological position is changing ever so slightly towards an "I don't care perspective" (This doesn't mean that I don't care about matters of faith, the church, of God - it's more along the lines that I just don't care about doctrine and theology ... I don't need to have all the "right" answers to evangelize to 90% of the population.)
* I love my church and the people there. I'm having my Sunday School class over for a big Valentine's day dinner!
* My drama team is in charge of the Good Friday service and I'm having an impossible time convincing them to be serious.
* My church had an incredible attendance boost this last Sunday and I'm praying we can keep it up!
* Dustin and I practically live together. Dustin was almost my roomate, but now we just go to Wal-mart and classes together ... it sure feels like we live together but have very distant bedrooms.
* I've been having some back pain and problems with my knee. It's a little cold out and I think it's just my arthritis.
* I feel content (read happy not lazy) for the first time in a really long time.
* The College lunch will be starting up soon (in my house!) and the college Bible Study should follow in a few weeks (in my house!)
* I'm very proud of myself for sticking to the cathartic release of blogging for 200 posts!


Have a good day!

What would Brian Boitano do? WWBBD? What would Jesus Do? WWJD?

Who came up with the idea for those bracelets? I wore one. It was black. I also had a patch that I ironed on to the back of my pants. It’s an unsettling question. What would Jesus do?

I don’t think he would miraculously intervene for a “special” football team in a championship game. I don’t think he would even miraculously intervene for a “special” or “blessed” country in a war. I don’t think Jesus would hang out in many church circles. I don’t think Jesus would attend Wednesday night suppers at the fellowship hall. I’m not even sure that Jesus would volunteer with the children’s ministry.

I know Jesus would love – even to the point of death. I don’t have that much love … maybe not for anyone.

I know Jesus would forgive. I can’t forgive … I still cringe when I see certain elementary school teachers.

I know Jesus would confront sin. I can’t even do that for my best friends … who am I?

I know Jesus would shake things up. I’m not even tempted to shake up snow globes anymore … let alone the world.

South Park pokes fun at the slogan in its musical/movie. They sing a song about a figure skater who “saves the world.” They are looking for inspiration for battle – and they look to the antithesis of a hero. They want to emulate in battle someone who has never battled.

We ask ourselves what Jesus would do, but I have a feeling that in most cases the would be action of our Savior isn’t something we want to hear. Turn the other cheek, give him your coat as well, walk two miles, and a strong teaching that the rich need to change to get into heaven. That’s not what this world wants to hear. They want a hero who goes into battle and mercilessly slaughters the sinners, who (if enough prayer is offered) will take our school’s team to states, and who will grant our every request. Our Savior is in many ways an anti-hero. How often in movies (unless a direct allegory of Christ) does the hero die mid fight? What kind of leader knows well in advance that someone will betray Him and yet doesn’t stop him?

WWJD? We don’t get the answers we want. The meek and mild Jesus – who ravaged the temple in his righteous fury – just wouldn’t play the game by our rules. He wouldn’t invest in the stock market or take out a $600K loan over a 45 year period at a 16% interest rate. He wouldn’t pick one sin to avoid and let the others slide by.
WWJD? I don’t think we want to really know.

Chekhov

I’m disappointed in myself. I tried so hard to read Chekhov. I really wanted to get into Chekhov’s writing. I love the rest of the Russian greats that I have consumed. I bought a book of his short stories. I love several aspects. I love that often a peasant isn’t even named. Great detail is given to an aristocrat – sometimes filling in a full family tree for the wealthy and awardable while not even a name is given for a peasant. The dull one, the fat one, the dirty one – all attributes used to describe the peasantry in Chekhov’s stories.

Chekhov – a man of the people. The poor people, although often nameless and less than politely described often end up as the source of divine knowledge. In one story a young theologian describes the emotion of Peter on the fateful night he denied Christ thrice. He ended with “can you imagine his sorrow?” At that the widowed old woman working in her garden began to weep – to sob uncontrollably. The theologian couldn’t imagine that type of pain … this woman lived it not infrequently.

The poor. The huddled masses our country so famously paraded in a century ago. Today we want to shoot immigrants for their crime of wanting a better life. The Methodist church in many areas is turning from racial inclusivity(this is a word the Methodists made up – we also say “persons of color” which may or may not be grammatically correct) and the widening racial disparity in the United Methodist church and looking instead at the socio-economic disparity. Churches are often homogenous entities. I presently attend a white church. A rich, white church. I am poor and unashamedly attend a very wealthy congregation. Our churches not only fail to reach across racial lines – more often we fail to reach across economic lines.

In many situations I honestly believe that the racial problems are majoritively an economic problem in disguise. We don’t want poor people in our churches. As there are few minorities who have achieved economic success it often happens that minorities are excluded because they don’t fit the proper economic leanings of a church. For a quick example Asians are often openly received by an all white congregation because many have achieved a great deal of financial success. We (my liberal friends and I) have often thrown around the idea that a black person could attend my rich, white church if they had something to compensate for their blackness. We would love to have Maya Angelou show up – she’s brilliant, a Doctor, and rich … three points of compensation.

In Chekhov’s stories it is the foolish that bring shame to the wise. What would Christ like to teach my church through the poor in our community? What lessons could we learn about the suffering of Christ from those who truly suffer? Reaching across those economic boundaries can be the most difficult step for a church. My rich, white church started a blue collar Methodist Church when the poor started showing up. I think they’ve learned from their mistake. I think they would be more accepting and loving of the poor. Now, how to work on that?

If my memory serves me right we were celebrating Anyuta recieving 2nd place in the Student of the Year Ceremony. She should have recieved 3rd but she got 2nd because I was in her skit explaining her accomplishments and I was an American who could speak Russian. I recieved a standing ovation for my three lines of Russian text. The only standing ovation of the night. I hated stealing the show ... but, it happens.

We were celebrating on a docked boat. It was there so we all got on board. It was a cold night and we should have been in someone's flat, warm and content, instead of shivering on a boat on the banks of the Volga. There were guard rails all over the boat for some reason and we were fully engaged in swinging on all of the rails. Nothing stripperish going on ... but we had only been there for a few minutes.

I was there with Igor, my best friend in Russia, and a dating couple from school who didn't speak English well but were very much fun. I would put my arm around his girlfriend when he wasn't looking and when he would realize it I would say, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." It was a great line and Masha really got the joke. This night we were all joking heartily.

Masha's boyfriend did a flip over a railing and slammed his head against the floor of the ship. He chipped a tooth. I, the ugly American, didn't realize that his family would never be able to afford the expensive dental surgery to get his tooth fixed. Once our spirits were dampened it seemed much colder.

The man in charge of watching the ship at night came on the deck of the ship. He was old, haggard, and unwashed. He was a character from Chekhov's novel - a peasant expected to do or say something profound. He invited us into his cabin; I was extremely hesitant, but my friends were all happy to be in a warm room.

I sat in the chair (because I'm fat and tend to break non-sturdy furniture), Igor and Masha took the bed, her boyfriend, Sasha, took the seat behind the door, and the old man sat behind the table. The room was no bigger than my mother's pantry. His teeth were bad and his hair unkept. I couldn't keep up with his stunted speech and I wasn't sure if I should let the secret out that I was an American. I wasn't sure if he knew the cold war was over - I wasn't sure he understood that their had ever been a revolution by the bolsheviks.

I sat patiently for more than half an hour and listened to this old man speak. I thought of the adventures this man must have lived. I couldn't wait to hear the stories of this old seaman translated for me by Igor. We finally left and headed on our way. I asked Igor what he had been talking about and Igor replied, "Nothing, Michael, he is a crazy old man."

Be careful when listening to people. Theology professors, parents, myspace addicts, friends, men and crazy old seamen can all be lumped into the category of people to listen to in moderation. They might say some really insightful things ... or they might just be crazy and talking nonsense.

Mom and I polished off a few jobs around the house today. We took down some ugly 50s scalloped wood moulding in front of the kitchen. We demolished and then re-painted the doorframe. I nailed the ceiling back up so it isn't drooping anymore. I also hung a Japanese hanging from one of mom's college friends. We paused a CSI episode, did the jobs, and then watched the show without commercial interuption. It literally took me less than half an hour to accomplish all the chores. It made mom so happy to have those little things done.

I'm so proud of my little hom in Georgia.

New Years Stuff

New Year's Resolutions
This year I'm going to do my (small) part to help the environment (and my pocketbook) by replacing all of the bulbs in my house with compact flourescent bulbs. I figure that I will save $20 or more on my electric bill by replacing my incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. I will also help the environment. I will airdry all of my clothes. This will save me nearly $40 and will help my clothes last longer. I'm also going to turn my heat down a lot at night and sleep with an electric blanket when it is cold.

This year I'm going to begin my life as an adult by putting money aside in a savings account. I have worked on my budget for this year and things look positive. If I can work 8 hours a week at my job and pull an occasional extra hour I will make almost $200 a month. I get $200 a month to pay utilities and food bills. If I can keep my utilites under $100 I will have $300 a month to live off of. My goal is to put aside $2000 by the time I graduate. $1000 for an emergency fund and $1000 to live on for any time between graduation and finding a long term job. I suck at saving money - so ... here's to keeping a resolution.

I like the prospects for this year. I hope to keep my grades up as well.

I'm sick and tired. How sick and tired? Too sick and tired to enjoy blogging. What is the world coming to?

I've been working with the theatre arts class this break. I have had a lot of fun. I'm still not sure what do for one kid's stage makeup. It's been a challenge that I've needed. Mary should be coming over to watch a scary movie with me.

I'm excited to get back to Toccoa and be back in my own house. When I'm home I'm treated like a little kid. I was too tired to go downstairs and get my medicine out of the fridge. I was an hour away from getting my codiene, but I wanted it already. My mom reminded me I needed to take my anti-biotic before bed after she was already in bed. Mom and I argued over the necessity of me getting up at that exact second to get it. Dad came upstairs (without my medicine) and told me that I was going to get a spanking if I didn't go downstairs to take my medicine. Really???? You're threatening to beat someone 3 days after surgery? Because he's too tired to take his medicine? Oy vey. Yes, I miss living by myself.

TV lessons

So, following my surgery I have spent several days watching television and recouperating from having my tonsils and my (beautiful) uvula ripped out.

I've learned a few things about the generation I live in from watching the television that I am normally forbidden from viewing. I've watched a lot of MTV, a good bit of comedy central, some infomercials and a lot of Family Guy.

I've learned that deep down people all desire some change, few people really ever love themselves, and most people really do understand that sin is bad and undesirable. I have also learned that the claims and teachings of Christ are largely misrepresented or ... more often ... not presented at all.

Every "good" infomercial has lots of "before and after" photos. People want change. On a lot of dating shows or competion shows beautiful people continually complain about their looks. We can never be satisfied with ourselves if we are in control. There's a new show on MTV where daters are put to a lie detector test. People understand that sin is bad.

So, this is how Christ has been presented.
*On MTV's Real World, the Christian is morally opposed to the homosexual ... but doesn't show much indignation when every housemate comes home drunk and with a different partner every night. As long as that partner has sexual organs of the opposite gender.

*On the Catholic channel, a show had teenagers dressed as knights defending the faith by railing against activist judges. They were all pissed. Those damn hedonistic judges.

* On Moral Orel, Christians are taught to resist anything fun - so the main character takes to hitting himself everytime he is having fun - until he starts enjoying the pain as well. (I didn't learn anything from this - but it's a pretty darn funny show.)

So that's it. Christians are all angry. Christians can't admit their own sin. Christians are selective about sin. Yep. Pretty Accurate.

However, I've seen the good side of Christianity. The one they don't tend to show on TV. I've seen Sunday School classes that reached out in love. I've seen pastors who prayed with and loved on students. I've seen churches come together, full of love, to pay for surgery for poor families. I've seen the love of Christ flowing freely from His church.

There has been some positive aspects of Christianity displayed on TV. DOG the bounty hunter is a fun Christian. He always prays before taking down the bad guy (the F-bomb slips a few times) and often helps people turn their lives around.

I'm up for more positive Christians being portrayed on TV. I pray for my friend Jessica often, because I know she wants to make Christian movies - and I pray that those movies kick butt and present an honest face of Christianity.

So, here's to another 100+ of TV viewing.

And they, looking for any excuse to get out of loving people, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" They had been instructed to love their neighbor ... but, they figured there must be some loop hole, some way to circumnavigate the system, or some technicality to get them off the hook. Jesus made it blatantly obvious that none of these options are plausible. We are to love our neighbor.

Jesus told the story of the good samaritan. A chapel speaker, Landa Cope, said, "You want to know who your neighbor is - he's a gay muslim terrorist; he has AIDS and a knive and is going to kill you. That's your neighbor." When my pastor, David Lake, was a new pastor he led a youth retreat. A few of the youth did a skit portraying the good samaritan as a communist. A man stood up and screamed in the middle of the skit. He demanded that they change the skit. American kids need good American role models - not communist heros.

Today on the news they showed a man who had started pig races. He started them in response to the new Muslim community center which was built next to his property. The leader of the muslim congregation told the man that, although pigs are offensive to his faith, the pig races are fine by him, but are an obvious response based on xenophobia. He then said, "We are his neighbor."

Yep, not a single loophole in sight.

Blessed are the meek ... Great. I got nothing on meek. If there was a scale of meekness I would definetly fall at the bottom. I try not to put meek and shy in the same category. I try and remember that meek is often the opposite of prideful.

Christianity too often teaches a pious, self-righteous, and unnervingly narrow view that everything we believe is right and everything they believe is wrong. In my old age (ha) I have become somewhat of a liberal. My reputation often precedes me. I'm cool with it by now.

I just think that not everything is 100% clear in the Bible. I believe that reading the Bible to determine doctrine is faulty logic from the get go. When our churches main purpose for scripture reading is to make clear that which God left vague - well, I hardly think that's the point.

I'm not advocating a moral relativism - I'm just wondering why the precise number of angels on the head of a pin is relevant to people my age who are dying of AIDS. (Yeah, I'm not fighting fair any more - hell, there's a whole dying generation we don't care about) Tony Campolo said "I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." I love it.

God doesn't want us to pridefully believe that we have all the answers. If God had wanted that for his children the Bible would have been much clearer on every issue. God wants us to be meek. There's something particularly humble about the admission that we don't have all the answers.



On a side note. Michael is having his tonsils removed in a few hours.