I'm back!

I apologize everyone for being so behind with the blog! I’ve been busy (yeah right!)… no I have.

Here’s what I’ve been thinking:

Evangelism: for the masses?

I know this may come across as blasphemy at first glance (like most things I write), but is it really the duty of every Christian to make more Christians? When I look back over my Christian life, there have been 2 things that I have always felt really uncomfortable doing, and because of that, have experienced guilt, and the desire to “get better”. These are: worshipping with all the “actions”, and telling others about Christ.

The worship thing I sort of figured out a while back. Contrary to the teaching of my church at the time, I don’t feel it’s necessary for everyone to have eyes closed and hands up. Singing songs is not necessarily worship. That aside, I’ve come to a re-evaluation of this “tell-your-friends” evangelism mentality. Don’t get me wrong, nothing negative can (maybe I should use “should”) come from telling your friends or telling your fellow commuter about the great things your faith has done, but should I feel guilty for not doing that. Is it really up to me to “save souls”? Is the eternal destiny of those I come across really in my hands?

I remember a hyper-evanglistic church I was a part of in England. While feeling guilty for being afraid to evangelize every Tom Dick and Harry during services, I would witness the “witnessing” on the way home on the train and feel absolutely ashamed. Arguments with complete strangers who were just on their way home or to a pub, in your face pamphlets, and events designed to entice the masses with their flavours, all seemed in poor taste and anti-evangelistic.

Apart from my own experience with evangelism or lack thereof, I want to know if it is really my duty as a Christian to “be fruitful and multiply”. While I would say a good majority of Christians are “born” via lay-person interaction, what type of Christians are these? Are they worth it? Are we creating a church based on world-imitation with a Christian undertone and wobbly theology? Or are we actually building a kingdom of power and love? I look around and think not.

You know, there are people actually called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do the work of evangelism. Is it only up to them? Wow, when you think of the eternal implications of their job, imagine the pressure. The pressure against not doing it, and the pressure to do it right. It’s a heavy responsibility that can either be given to the very few or shared by the masses because of its weight. I don’t know which is correct, but I’ve been pondering it…

I’m still alive :)

I'm Alive!

My faithful visitors... sorry it's been so long! I have been quite engaged lately, you know, taking life by the horns. Haha.

So just a quick hello; I'll be posting soon on some more substantial topics later :)

In the meantime please see this post, Shannon Storey gets snotted by an elephant in Africa. LOL

Misunderstanding so often
and given to a secret scoffing,
I can not grasp the methods of worship.
I'm confused in seeing those
with hands up high and eyes closed,
singing out with face up.
Being one well-practiced
in more than just lip service,
I imagine I know better,
but song and dust-realm striving -
no dignity surviving -
may just be the payment of a debtor.
I forget our price, our cost
and that old beloved cross;
I see hands reaching heavenward,
voices singing to be heard,
and with these raised
I realize you are worthy of this praise;
you are worthy of our praise.

Left Behind

Strange title for a post on the blog of a preterist-sympathizer, but "the end times" has been on my mind lately, particularly the 'rapture', the Bible's missing word. It's come to my thoughts because a certain person I know was trying to convince another certain person I know on Christianity, and they hit a wall on this rapture theology. It reminded me of my disbelief.

Particularly bothersome to me is the depiction of the event in the likes of "Left Behind", where the non-believers run around silly looking for loved ones and all they can seem to find are piles of clothes, or of the chaos that erupts when Christians in vital physical positions (such as flying a plane) are suddenly evacuated. Planes fall to the earth killing hundreds, cars crash, etc. It boggles my mind that this display of theology is acceptable... yet it is. The loaded authors have now sold more than 63 million copies of books from their endless end-time saga. Enough about that.

A doctrine not taught by the fathers of our faith, the great escape wasn't popularized until the 1830s, and now more so than ever. I don't want to get in to all the reasons not to believe in "the rapture" or at least a pre-suffering one; all I want to say is that, whether it's right or wrong, is it more responsible to promote a faith that's dependent on a sudden escape, or one that is dependent on a faith in Christ that guides through suffering? Because it is uncertain whether this rapture will happen, or when it will happen, isn't it wisdom to prepare for it not happening? That's my take.

You can't just hold up one theory and ignore other passages referring to the same event or time period, namely the prophecy of Jesus: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mt 24:9-14)

How are both the highly-speculative rapture and the prophecy of Jesus true? Shouldn't the leaders of the church build up their followers in their faith so that as few as possible defect, rather than preach the hell out of the rapture, and MOST defect as soon as the smallest amount of persecution falls in their lap? Strangely enough, this prophecy seems to fit in very well with this rapture promotion of the "end times" (hey, I'm allowed to speculate too!).

After all, what makes the Christians of 2007 different than those of 70 AD? Than the Christians who were used as light torches along the road into Rome [lips sewn shut so they didn’t scream as they were burnt alive and disturb those walking the road]? Than those used as lion food? Than those in Iran right now? The rapture comes out of western thought - western privileged thought. We're rights-focused, and I think we may have created a doctrine that demands our rights, whether or not they will be given to us.

I was irked by the insistence on this theology, especially as it created a stumbling block for another person - I'm sure one of millions out there. Anyway, I'm not trying to make any bold statements... just to provoke thought.

Any ideas?

Did I really just say I'm not trying to make any bold statements?! Ha!

On Living With Other Humans...

So recently I forsook the much-enjoyed life of a solitary habitat to join 4 other humans in a house closer to work. Now I'm not one to dramatize little blips here and there, but... but nothing, I have nothing to complain about. For the most part, I live like I'm on my own, except for the traces of co-habitation left behind by the others in this house. Things like the bathroom - access hasn't been a problem, but cleanliness might be a bit of one (we have a shedder in the house!). But other than that, nothing is wrong. It's different, not bad.

Although, I must admit I miss having my very own space. Everything was where I put it and wanted it (it was MY mess), and if the shower was dirty, it was my dirt, and if I left dishes out for a few days, I only had to answer to myself (which can still be harsh!). Also, the fact that I didn't have to spend all my time in my bedroom was nice. Then there's the fact that I can't really sing at the top of my lungs anymore; I actually miss that. Such moments are now reserved for the car at night :)

This is good though; I should learn to live well with others, to tolerate others. And I am!

All part of [slowly] growing up.

4 Years in Iraq, But Who's Counting?

We're counting...

Iraqi Deaths:
Military: 4,900 - 6,375

Civilians: 58,908 - 64,729

Coalition Deaths:

USA: 3,218

UK: 134

Other: 124*

Source: costofwar.com

Movie of the Month...

Great film! Starring the brilliant James McAvoy (Last King of Scotland, The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe), this one had me laughing most of the way through. Clever and witty, engaging and real. Don't want to say much more at the moment, as this isn't one of my infamous movie reviews ;-)

Haven't heard anything about it? Check the site: Starterfor10.com

Grandparents...

Feeling very bad about my grandparents, I took a day off work last week to go visit with my dad and sister. Though sad, I was very much assured that the staff at this facility knew what they were doing, and that they actually did it with care. It’s a private care centre run by a Christian organization, which shouldn’t make you assume it’s good care, but from what I saw, it is. They make sure my grandparents eat their meals together, and see each other as often as possible.

I really love old people; I met Kassi, who spelled her name for me several times, but when I asked her what her last name was, she couldn’t remember. It was very sweet. I also helped this lady in a wheelchair who was coming inside off the deck because it was chilly outside; she couldn’t get in the door on her own, and no one was around to help, so I pushed* her in and sent her on her way.

My grandma didn’t want us to leave and thanked us profusely for coming and helping her. She cried again as we left, and I think we all did as well. *sigh* so sad. Here we are:

* wheelchair, there was a wheelchair; kinda sounds bad "I pushed her in"

Meditations

This one is blue...













This one is pink...











This one ... well, it's wild!








This has got to say something about these birds' Creator, so I've made it a meditation. I'm always mesmerized by these wildly creative animals. And I'm a nerd :)

Meditation

You hem me in - behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

Psalm 139 : 5

Something is Wrong...

I'm upset today, and it's not due to the fact that it has poured rain for more than 24 hours (it is pouring out there!). A number of things can factor into my upset-equation, but I'm mostly upset over my grandparents. They're in an assisted living home in Gibsons (a short ferry ride away), as they are now 90+ years old. They've done well though. They've stuck together, in the same room, for the past year or two, and for the same life for over 60 years. Until now: They've been separated. My grandmother's health has deteriorated to the point where she needs more constant care, so this weekend, they moved her to her own room on the other end of the complex, in the "more attentive care" section. My grandpa will remain where he is.

Now, this could've been much worse. If my grandma was unable to get in to this room, Plan B could've been a facility out of town, which would've been 10x worse.

The last time I saw my grandparents was last autumn. As we left, my grandma walked us out, and cried as she gave us hugs, and cried as we pulled away, waving her hankerchief in the air. She's conscious of her fragility, and wants nothing more than to go home; she prays for it. It broke my heart; the thought of being in a place where you are just breaking down and waiting for your moment is beyond comprehension to me at this stage.

This whole situation is breaking my heart again. My grandma worries so much about my grandpa, and now he won't be around. She's going to have some major problems with that; we all just know it.

What have we become? Is this really how we treat our old people, our parents, and grandparents? It's repulsive! It makes me hate the system we've created. This is not how it's meant to be. For ages past, elders were honoured, and more so as they aged. Families lived together, and the seniors lived with their families until they passed on. Or if they weren't living together already, they were taken in, and cared for.

The industrialization and wealth of our society has made us machines, and economic factors (liabilities); evolution has made us dead cold.

Back when families lived together, and everyone fit in to their roles, and there were relationships happening, and people believed in a god or an afterlife, things must've been better. Now we are just numbers, throwing money at problems and hiring others to do the dirty work of caring for our loved ones. As if preparing to die wasn't abhorrent enough, we have to now do it with perfect strangers. I don't want that for myself, do you?

Seeing a bunch of very old people, white and wrinkled, sitting around in diapers and giant bibs, babbling nonsense is incredibly sad to me. We start and finish our lives the same way.

I'm just a mess of thoughts and sadness today. It all makes me think of Malachi 4:5

See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.

I think it makes sense in the context of how we have come to treat our elders (our "fathers"). So I guess there's a glimmer of hope ... or maybe a threat of a glimmer.

Reformation: Cont'd

So Peter brought up a good point (see comments on Reformation post); however, my approach to the subject was not meant to imply which of the Protestants or Catholics were right, but to highlight the fact that they both thought they were right. Let me explain...

It's human nature to think that what you believe is right. It's also human nature to tend towards separation upon hardship rather than maintaining union. When the church was split (for a second time, after the great East/West Schism was formed), the Protestants called it a Reformation, which by its implications, is a slam to the Catholic institution. The maturity level seems to be very low, and it continues today. Whether you're Mennonite, Catholic, Lutheran, United, Methodist, Pentecostal, Non-denominational, Eastern Orthodox, and to expand our horizons, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Scientologist, or whatever... you think you're right. In itself, there's nothing wrong. But then creating labels to enforce your superiority is a bit childish (I think).

On the backburner in my mind, while thinking about the mislabeled Reformation, I'm thinking of the ideal outcome of that era. What do you think? I think ideally, we'd be one church. When it's all said and done, will Catholics go to one side of heaven, Eastern Orthodox the other side, and pockets of Protestants everywhere in between? I think not. Truth will be known, and until then, everyone seems bent on dividing over what they believe that to be. Did you know the Protestants have divided themselves into more than 30,000 different denominations? 30,000!

How difficult to bite the bullet, to swallow your pride, but isn't that what life is for those led by the Spirit rather than the "survival of the fittest" beast?

Anyway, I rant I rave... nothing will ever change!

"Reformation": a Positive Spin

For those of you familiar with Church history, the Reformation refers to a period of instability and power-challenging in the 16th century led by the likes of Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox. The result of this challenge to the Roman Catholic establishment, the Protestant church(es).

Maybe I’m not seeing something here, but why do we call this the “reformation”? This has puzzled me for several years; that, by the very definition of the word, it really seems to be a mislabeling of a very important era in church history. In fact, it’s more of a church split than an internal improvement or correction.

If the church had remained united as one, under the Roman head, then yes, we can properly call it a reformation, but a reformation is not a creation of something separate and different. Does anyone agree?

In fact, the Catholic church followed this shake-up with their very own [now also mislabeled] reformation: the Counter-Reformation. This did away with the practices that rightly troubled the “reformers” like Luther and Calvin. Things like countering corrupt bishops and priests, banning the selling of indulgences, creating barriers to other financial abuses, as well as returning to a more foundational spirituality were all on the table at the Council of Trent (pictured right).

The Counter-Reformation, in my opinion, should truly be called the Reformation since, by its definition (the act of reforming; state of being reformed; improvement, betterment, correction, reform), implies an internal change and not the creation of another entity that is different.

Old Label / New Label
Reformation / Church-Split
Counter-Reformation / Reformation

Screw the Positive Spin - Yay? Nay?

So long my belovd bachelor pad!

I moved today... to North Burnaby! I hate moving, so I'm glad I got the hard parts over with. I rented a van and moved all the furniture in. Tomorrow, and over the coming days, I'll move all the "details" over. I have until Wednesday evening... but I also have to make the place I'm leaving spotless.

So anyway, this is to let you know I've moved. Instead of sending out a gigantic mass-email with my new contact details, I thought I'd post the fact that I'd moved, and anyone who wanted to come see me (I'm guessing it'll be few) could just ask me how to get there. Fair enough?

If you want to call me, I just have my cell now (no landline), so just call that. Same number :)

See you weekends Abbotsford!

If you want to get your Manager to acknowledge your existence....

Muu hahahahaha! A little experiment today in the effects of 'stirring the pot', so to speak. In my office, we wear business casual clothes. Today, I put on a tie. No one wears ties, unless of course, they have an interview (or a funeral... something out of the ordinary). Anyway, I wore the tie, and everyone, I mean everyone, asked me if I had an interview today. It was hilarious! And when I told them I didn't have one, that I was just wearing it for kicks, they didn't believe me!

My manager, who rarely even acknowledges my existence (he leaves it up to the supervisors to maintain good relations with us), came to my desk and chit-chatted with me. And my direct supervisor was extra nice to me today. I presume this is because they don't want me to leave, and assume I have an interview. LOL

So funny! What an experiment! I should wear a tie again next Thursday to make them think I have a 2nd interview. MU HAHAHA!

...a time for fun...

Big T was right, Matt needs a little fun. “He’s so serious and deep all the time!” It was true, and I have reformed! I’m happy to say that I’m intentionally having more fun now, and I’m finding it’s so important and healthy! Yes, be serious and contemplative, but not all the time. Loosen up! Have some fun! Let go for a while!

What a great lesson to learn… thanks Big T!

(PS – do you even know I call you Big T?)

About A Boy

In Review

When a video store goes out of business, its patrons are in luck! My video store did such, and I got to pick up a few DVDs at rock-bottom (well, could’ve been lower) prices. One of them, About A Boy. This is a movie I’ve seen before, and I really like it.

Based on the book by Nick Hornby, this movie is directed by the same two guys who directed the American Pie series. You wouldn’t know it though, About A Boy actually has a soul. Starring Hugh Grant (who apparently didn’t have to act much to play the part), Toni Collette (who stars in another of my favourites, Little Miss Sunshine), and Rachel Weisz (yeow!), this is one of those feel-good movies, but it has a bit of cheek to it as well.

The basic premise is a challenge to the saying “No man is an island”. The man, Hugh Grant, is very independent, and happily so. In his quest to populate his calendar with dates with single mums, he ends up very involved in the life of a 12-year-old boy, and effectively Hugh becomes “about a boy”. He learns through having real relationships and actually caring about other people (ie. love), that there indeed is a substantial purpose to life.

Maybe this is just a movie that I like because its title should actually be “About Matt” (yeah, I’m exaggerating), but at the same time, it is quite entertaining, especially for those familiar with the British way of life (or at least the humour!). Normally, I hate it when writers make kids just as smart as or smarter than the adults, but this kid's thought processes are just funny. It's hard to hate it! But he is definitely [written] smarter than his mum and Hugh Grant.

It is a flawed happily-ever-after ending, because you get the sense that the problematic characters are not fully cured, just better. But I think that is a great way to end a story! For all the warm-and-fuzzy junkies out there, this may still do it for you - everyone, and I mean everyone, is half a couple by the end.

Next time you’re out renting a DVD, give this one a try. Or, even better, if you’re looking for a read, pick up the book. When you’re done, let me know how it is!

Watching me from the air of endless delight
I think you must watch me and smile.
The way I talk, the things I write, the way I think
all turning your mouth and eyes with joy.
I can’t get away from feeling your happiness
over who I am, and what I have become;
your patience for how I am yet to be.

My God, your smile, my smile.

Fix You - COLDPLAY

by COLDPLAY

When you try your best but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

High up above or down below
When you’re too in love to let it go
But if you never try you’ll never know
Just what you’re worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Show me your flaws
so I can avoid the danger
involved in loving you.

Tell me your loves –
let them be of something
I can never be.

Help me shade my eyes
from the beauty I see in you;
beauty I’ve not seen before.

Help me hate the forbidden you;
help me hate you;
somebody help me.