motley existence

Power Adapter Problem

2008-11-03T12:50:00.003-05:00

I have an Dell Inspiron 640m. I have received this error message for the second time:

65W AC Power Adapter has been determined. Your system will operate slower and the battery will not change.

Anyone know anything about this? Can you offer any help?

Thanks.

Global Warming? Seriously?

2008-10-30T18:54:00.004-04:00

As London debates a global warming bill, they experience the first October snow since 1922 (read article here). At the same time, Switzerland - you know, home of the Swiss Alps - just got the most October snow since they began keeping records in 1931 (read article here).

Right now, 60% of Londoners "doubt the influence of humans on climate change." However, it seems that no one in the leadership is willing to doubt this as well, even as we have seen so much evidence that questions whether global warming is actually happening and shows that human impact on climate change is very difficult to prove.

Check out another one of my posts on the topic and let me know what you think about all of the global warming hype.

All Of Us Have To Come Together

2008-10-29T14:32:00.003-04:00

My friend Sam Harrelson posted the video of Obama's speech in Canton, Ohio from 2 days ago. No matter your affiliation, I think you should check it out here.

There was one line in particular that stood out to me above all the others:

Yes, we can argue and debate our positions passionately, but all of us must summon the strength and grace to bridge our differences and unite in common effort; black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, Democrat, Republican, young, old, rich, poor, gay, straight, disabled or not. All of us have to come together.

That is my sentiment exactly. I am tired of the division that both parties exhibit and the division that we as individuals exhibit and the superiority that we feel to those who have different views than we have or who express different religious beliefs. We do not all need to be the same, but we do need to work together. We need to grow in our understanding of each other and stop relying on stereotypes that are perpetuated by our ignorance and our lack of desire to search out the truth about other parties or other religions or other people. There are plenty of issues that we can and will differ on, but there are also plenty that we shouldn't. We need to "unite in common effort" against poverty and against genocide and against imperialism and against hunger.

This is not a democratic issue or a republican issue. This is not a Christian issue or an Islamic issue. This is not an American issue or an European issue. This is a humanity issue. This is a issue that should resonate within each and every one of us because we are humans and there are fellow human beings that are suffering. We have fellow human beings who are not given the dignity that they deserve as a human. We have fellow human beings who are discriminated against because they have a certain skin color or because they have a certain belief system.

Our world certainly is not perfect and we will never see it become perfect, but that is no excuse to resign ourselves to accepting the way it is. We must not sit by while injustices prosper.

This is about you. This is about me. This is about us. All of us have to come together.

A Typical Day in a Swedish Office

2008-10-27T10:37:00.001-04:00

Love it.

US Bombs Syria!

2008-10-27T09:33:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago a read an online news article that piqued my interest. I apologize that I cannot remember the exact source, but I do know that it was not an American-based website. The article basically said that another country (Belgium, if I remember correctly) had decided not to attack Syria because they had intel that the US was going to do it in a few weeks. Well, they were right, the US did just bomb Syria. You can read more about this incident on BBC, here. Specifically you should notice the last sentence:

One correspondent says the timing of the incident if curious, coming right at the end of the Bush Administration's period of office and at a moment when many of America's European allies - like Britain and France - are trying to broadent heir ties with Damascus.

Many have been saying that there was going to be a surprise just before the election and, folks, I think we have just seen it. I'll save some of my opinions for now, because I want to hear your reaction.

Soul-Baring

2008-10-19T14:45:00.003-04:00

This morning in church my pastor made a comment that made me stop and think for a bit. He was talking about how a church should be a home for people and in the course of saying what a church should be he said,

"The church should be a place where we can bare our souls."

As I thought about that more I began to wonder how true that was. Church has never really been a place that I felt like I could bare my soul. I then wondered if other people felt the same way, because I understand that I am a pretty private person and do not bare my soul to very many people. I am very protective of my soul.

My question to you: is church a place where you can bare your soul? If yes, why? If not, do you have a place or people with whom you can bare your soul. I'm very interested in hearing your responses.

JCRA: Day 2

2008-10-13T00:03:00.007-04:00

Another fantastic day today. We began the day at the National Cathedral at 10:10 for the forum, where Thomas Cahill was the guest. Then we attended the service at 11:15. The service was beautiful as was the cathedral itslf. After the service, that went a bit longer than we expected, we had a private tour of the Cathedral and our guide spoke, on occassion, specifically to the work that the cathedral is doing in the interfaith community. Their work is varied and quite impressive.

We then met with Kendall Soulen to discuss his book. This meeting was great. Soulen was very gracious to take time out of his Sunday afternoon to lecture to us briefly and then field questions that we had about his book. His answers were not always the ones I would have given, but he answered very well on the spot and offered some great imagery that may prove to be very helpful to Jewish-Christian dialogue.

Some pictures from today at the National Cathedral:

JCRA: Day 1

2008-10-12T00:11:00.007-04:00

Today has been a fantastic day. We drove from Boiling Springs, NC to Alexandria, VA and arrived at our hotel around 3:30pm. We then pretty much immediately got on the Metro, which is across the parking lot from our hotel, and headed into D.C. Before dinner we went to the National Air and Space Museum, where we saw the Wright Brothers' plane and a lot of cool stuff from the Apollo trips, and the Museum of Natural History, where we saw a lot, but the best was the exhibit on Richard Evans Schultes called The Lost Amazon.

We ate dinner at Thai Chili and it was actually pretty good.

After dinner we talked around and saw the White House, the Vietnam Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Seeing them all lit up at night was fanatastic. Sadly, my camera would not allow for most of the pictures to turn out.

I've posted a few pictures below of today's events.

On the agenda for tomorrow: Attend National Cathedral; meet with Dr. Kendall Soulen

D.C., Charleston, Savannah in 6 days

2008-10-10T22:23:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow morning I am leaving to embark on a journey with 9 fellow journey women and men. We are traveling to Washington, D.C.; Charleston, SC; and Savannah, GA.

The purpose of our trip: Jewish-Christian Relations in America.

Our plans are:

Visit the Washington National Cathedral in D.C.
Meet with Dr. Kendall Soulen, author of The God of Israel and Christian Theology
Visit The Holocaust Museum and with Dr. Victoria Barnett, Director of Church Relations for the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the Museum for a private lecture entitled, "American Churches' Response to the Holocaust"
Meet with Rabbi Anthony Holz of Kahal Kadohs Beth Elohim, the fourth oldest Jewish congregation in the USA (est. 1749)
Visit the Coming Street Cemetary in Charleston, SC, with a guided tour by Dr. Harlan Greene, Director of Archival and Reference Services at the College of Charleston
Meet with Dr. Dale Rosengarten, Curator of the Jewish Heritage Collection in the Addlestone Library at the College of Charleston
Meet with Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer of Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation in America
Meet with Dr. John Finley, pastor of First Baptist Church Savannah, a church that has a rich history of relations with the Jewish community in Savannah
Attend Sukkot service at Beth HaTephila in Asheville, NC

I hope to post updates and happenings throughout the week.

What Would You do with $700B? OR There's No Such Thing as Free Lunch

2008-10-03T15:45:00.004-04:00

This is a pretty tough question. I mean I could spend maybe a billion dollars buying houses and cars and other stuff. With that I'd be pretty well set. After that I could easily give away billions and billions of dollrs to help people in need and people who are hungry and people who need wells dug so their communities can have safe drinking water and people who simply need $10 mosquito nets so they can sleep at night and not worry about getting Malaria. I could sponsor 182,291,666 kids through Compassion International for the next ten years. I can think of a lot of ways to spend a lot of money, but $700 billion? I just don't know that I could actually think of ways to spend that money wisely without buying golden toilet seats and making square circles.

Apparently, Congress couldn't figure out how to do it either. That's why what was once a $700B plan morphed into a $810B plan before it went through the Senate and back to the House. What's with the extra $110B you ask? Good question. Well its what some have called "sweeteners." They are called sweeteners, because they do just that, they sweeten the bill up. So, the bill now includes $100 million for NASCAR. Seriously? I mean, I like NASCAR, but what is money for NASCAR doing in an economic bailout/recovery plan? Want to know what else was in the additions? $2 million for wooden arrows for children. Again, are you serious? A few other additions, or earmarks as they're known in Washington:

$10 million in benefits for employers to offer employees who commute to work via bicycle
Allowance for production companies to deduct the cost of producing their films from their taxes. This measure will cost taxpayers $478 million over the next 10 years.
Tax break on rum from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. This tax break for them will cost the taxpayers $192 million.
Extension of a measure that helps wool fabric makers and clothing manufacturers. This will cost taxpayers $148 million.

Call me crazy, but I fail to see just how these additions have anything to do with the current economic crisis. What got us into the situation that we're in now is the push by the federal government in the 1990's to make homeownership a real possibility for everyone. That meant loaning more money to people than they could afford. While I would love for everyone to be a homeowner, the fact of the matter is that not every can own a home. Some people simply can't afford it and some people can afford to own small homes, but not large homes. That's okay. I feel comfortable saying this because at this point in time I don't own a home. We were approved by a bank for a home loan that was more than we could afford, but we didn't take it. Hear that? Just because you're approved for a certain amount of money doesn't mean you have to take it all, especially if you know you can't afford the monthly payments, or what the monthly payments will be once the balloon inflates.

Implications for the Presidential Race

Remember those two guys who are running for president? Barack Obama and John McCain. Well, both of them have been saying that they are going to lower taxes. Obama has been saying that his plan would lower taxes for 95% of Americans (in actuality his plan will only lower taxes for about 80% of American households) and McCain says that he's going to lower taxes too. John McCain has been vehement about saying that he doesn't vote for earmarks and accusing Barack Obama of voting for millions of dollars in earmarks. Well, I think the playing field is pretty level now. Both Obama and McCain voted for this economic bailout plan, earmarks and all. Do either of them truly have what's best for the American people in their sights? I really wonder.

Other Reservations

I know I seem to be being pretty hard on this economic bailout plan. Maybe you're wondering, "Thomas, would you be happier if the bill took out all the nonsense and simply helped the people in trouble?" Truthfully, no. I certainly think it's fine to help people in trouble, but have we forgotten that we live in a capitalist country? Well, we used to anyway. We are moving closer and closer to socialism. Before you hear me knocking socialism, I am not. I am actually a big fan of socialism, just not in this country. We are not and can never truly be a socialist country. If you want socialism, move to Sweden. It truly is wonderful there; I know.

However, what the American people have to remember while basking in the glory of socialism is that socialism costs money. It is plain and simple. We cannot have universal healthcare without increasing taxes. We cannot make everyone a homeone without increasing taxes. We cannot make everyone even remotely close to equal without increasing taxes. So, before you start thinking how necessary this bailout plan was and how great universal healthcare would be (no matter who's proposing it), take a step back and think about it. My dad always says, "Son, nothing in life is free." You know the truth of this as well as I do. Just because money didn't come out of my pocket doesn't mean money didn't come out of anyone's pocket or that it won't come out of my pocket later.

One last reservation I have. The bailout plan essentially gives Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson all the money to do with as he sees fit. The language throughout the bill says that the money should be used "at the Secretary's discretion" multiple times. Are we really okay with giving one person that much money, that much control over what happens with $810B in taxpayer dollars? I'm not.

This issue isn't a Republican or Democrat issue; this is an American issue. At the heart of this is the question of what our American ideals are. Are we capitalist or are we socialist? Are we okay with Congress continuing to build Bridges to Nowhere or do we want them to finally singularly address the issue on the table without adding in money for everyone else and their grandmother except the average American citizen?

Remember, there's no such thing as free lunch.

The Tribe

2008-10-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

This video was shared in my class on Jewish-Christian Relations in America. Thanks to Trevar for providing the link. It's a fantastic short video (17 min) on Jews, their history worldwide and in America and it also raises a great question at the end concerning how we view those around us.

Enjoy.

What I'm Reading

2008-09-22T09:23:00.005-04:00

Thought I'd let you know of two books that I am reading right now for my class Jewish-Christian Relations in America.

The first book is A New Promised Land: A History of Jews in America

The Second is Irreconcilable Differences?: A Learning Resource for Jews and Christians

Check them out in your free time, that I know you have so much of. Both are easy reads and good introductions to the field of Jewish-Christian Relations. I will be traveling to Washington, D.C.; Charleston, SC; and Savannah, SC in a few weeks to explore and study JCR in America even more. Stay tuned for updates from that trip.

Worship On Your Face

2008-09-22T00:17:00.003-04:00

I've just added a new blog to my blogroll: Worship On Your Face: The Prostrate Chronicles.

A Friend of mine has started it as a resource to worship leaders to be a place to share ideas, resources, links, etc. So, if you, or anyone you know is a worship leader, check it out. If not, check it out anyway, because it may do you some good.

A Date with Don Cheadle

2008-09-20T11:37:00.005-04:00

My friend Michael wrote the other day about anticipating a date night with his wife Lauren. I somehow missed that it was Friday night so me and my wife, wolfpack whitley, invited them to go to the drive-in with us. Alas, they decided to keep their ever-important plans of dinner and a movie. We, however, pressed on; thus, having a date night of our own...without all the foreplanning and anticipation. I dare say, it was just as good though.

The two movies we saw were The Longshots and Traitor. Both good movies. The Longshots was a great story of unexpected success and redemption. Traitor, while also being a good movie, had a bit of a different message. Without giving all of the story away, I will talk about one part that I particularly liked.

Don Cheadle was the star and played Samir Horn. Cheadle is one of my favorite actors, but gets much less press than he deserves. Moving on, though to the scene I want to reference. One detective is particularly turned off by Muslim extremists and his partner responds (as my memory serves me anyway): "Where I grew up, the KKK burned crosses in black people's yards and my dad would go over and put them out. Seems that all religions have some evil

in them." While that may not have been his exact words (I have searched for the full script, but been unable to find it. If anyone can find it please point me in the right direction) the sentiment is clear, nonetheless. Often times Christians, myself being one, label Islam as a whole a terrorist religion and conveniently forget our own past: the Crusades, the Salem Witch Trials, The Ku Klux Klan, Christians bombing abortion clinics.

Have we forgotten what some guy said a long time ago that we should remove the log from our own eye before we point out the speck in someone else's? All religions do have elements of evil in them. Is that to say that evil is inherent in religion? Not necessarily, but all religions do contain humans and humans have potential for great evil. Thus, we recognize that Islam has extremists, but so does Christianity. We can no longer point our blame fingers at others; we must also point them at ourselves.

"Change" Video

2008-09-18T00:28:00.004-04:00

Some while back I posted the lyrics to "Change" by Tracy Chapman here. I decided to post the video as well so that you can put the music with the lyrics. While the lyrics are stand out on their own, songs are meant to be heard.

I love Tracy Chapman's lyrics, but think I love her voice even more. See for yourself.

Lance is Back!

2008-09-14T14:31:00.004-04:00

The rumors are true: Lance Armstrong is returning to professional cycling.

Lance Armstrong celebrates his 7th Tour de France win.

True, I am a few days late with "breaking" this news, but I still felt I needed to mention it. The reasons for his return are twofold. The obvious reason is to win the Tour de France again, which would be a record 8th time (He already holds the record for winning it 7 times). Also, in doing so he wants to prove that he wasn't doping and isn't doping and that he can win without drugs. With how laden professional cycling has been with doping charges, this is very welcomed. Rumors are that he will post his drug tests online so that everyone can view them. This is a very positive step in professional cycling, especially when considering what Team Slipstream (now Team Garmin/Chipotle) has been doing this year already.

Well, enough of my talking about it. To find out more about it from Lance himself, check out his Livestrong blog.

Beer Baby

2008-09-12T00:03:00.002-04:00

You've gotta check this out. My wife posted pictures of our neice this week at the beach. Quite enjoyable.

Check out her post here.

wolfpack whitley

2008-09-09T10:04:00.004-04:00

My wife has started a new blog since we've been on vacation. Check it out and enjoy her reads and pictures.

Check it out here.

Grace Nichole Couturier

2008-09-04T01:35:00.002-04:00

Weighing in at 8lbs and 5oz and measuring 20.75" longs we have the newest member of our family, Grace Nichole. She was born at 11:38pm on 3 September 2008.

Testing the Test

2008-08-19T20:52:00.003-04:00

I am back in classes and read this from G. K. Chesterton from his work The Common Man last night, so I'm sharing it with you to get your thoughts.

...man is always influenced by thought of some kind, his own or somebody else's; that of somebody he trusts or that of somebody he never heard of, thought at first, second or third hand; thought from exploded legends or unverified rumours; but always something with the shadow of a system of values and a reason for preference. A man does test everything by something. The question here is whether he has ever tested the test.

Intriguing question indeed.

Do I think for myself?

What is my test?

Do I test the test?

Do you test the test?

Jewish Apocalypticism in the Second Temple Period: Literature, Sociology and Theology

2008-08-02T14:02:00.002-04:00

I have just finished my paper on Second Temple Jewish Apocalypticism. It is a bit of a broad overview of the topic. I have published it to GoogleDocs for anyone who is interested.

The paper can be found here.

Fantasy Cycling: Final Update

2008-08-01T11:44:00.003-04:00

So, for those of you who have been checking back incessantly, so as to find out how my fantasy cycling team did...well, I'll give you a hint: I got beasted. Yep, that's pretty much how it went down, Trinity even did better than me. I had a few good stages, but nothing spectacular and overall in my league of 3 I was last place.

Next year will be better though. Next year...

Fantasy Cycling: Update 2

2008-07-08T16:26:00.002-04:00

So, the first 4 stages of Le Tour de France are now done. Today was the individual time trial (ITT) and it shook things up quite a bit. I did much better today, though, earning 247 points by having 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 9th place as starters on my team today (you only get points when riders place in the top 15 riders on any particular stage).

After today's stage, though, the rosters get locked in everyone is reset to zero. In case anyone is wondering, my 15 riders are:

David Millar

Fabian Cancellara

Denis Menchov

George Hincapie

Damiano Cunego

Alejandro Valverde

Filippo Pozzato

Yaroslav Popovych

Robbie McEwen

Jens Voigt

Jose Ivan Gutierrez

Christopher Froome

Egoi Martinez

Inaki Isasi

David De La Fuente

It's not too late to join the fantasy cycling challenge. Just go here. However, you do need to put your team together before midnight tonight, as that's when it gets all locked up.

Fantasy Cycling: Update 1

2008-07-06T15:39:00.002-04:00

So, after the first stage of the Tour de France I racked up a woping 46 points. You may be thinking, "Thomas, that doesn't sound too bad." Well, I would think that too, if the first place team didn't have 529 points and I weren't in 617th place.

Oh well, the first 4 stages are practice rounds. I'm trying to work out the kinks and be ready for stage 5.

More updates to come.

Fantasy Cycling?

2008-07-03T23:25:00.006-04:00

That's right, there really is such a thing as fantasy cycling. I guess it was only a matter of time.

I've never done any other fantasy leagues before, but am stoked about this one. I've put my team together for the 2008 Tour de France, which starts Saturday.

2008 Tour de France Route

You can check out the fantasy cycling challenge here.

I've created a league, so if you're interested leave a comment with your name and e-mail address and I'll send you the league name and password.

For more Tour information check out the Versus website.

Who is your favorite for this year's Tour?

Energy Crisis, Or Lack Thereof

2008-07-02T23:55:00.003-04:00

As some of you know, I try to stay up on environmental issues like global warming and the like. Though this is not exactly an environmental issue, it falls in the same part of my brain for some reason. I was sent a link to a video 2 days ago of a lecture by Lindsey Williams on what he calls the Energy Non-Crisis. I have my opinions of it, but wanted to see what you thought.

Williams essentially says that there is a group of men who determine how much oil can be used and how much it is going to cost. He also says that they have found probably the largest oil field in the world on the Alaskan North Coast, but that the government isn't letting them pump oil out of it, but instead making us buy oil from the Middle East because of a deal made in the 60s or 70s.

Anyway, the video can be found here.

It is a long video, 1 hour and 15 minutes, but please watch it and share your thoughts.

Still Alive

2008-06-30T23:06:00.005-04:00

That's right...I haven't died, even though my blog seems as if I have. I have been out of town for the past two weeks and have been catching back up on sleep and work since I've been back.

Hopefully my life will have some blog-worthy events soon.

Until then enjoy these pics from last week in Charleston.

Jeremy Curtis, worship leader

The track group I was in. We painted this house.

New Photo Album: Egyptian, Israeli and Jordanian Fun All in One

2008-05-27T14:21:00.001-04:00

Egyptian, Israeli and Jordanian Fun All in One

Back in the USA

2008-05-27T13:37:00.012-04:00

I apologize for the lack of posting while I was in Egypt and Israel, but paying to use the Internet was not at the top of my list of things to do every day. I did do it some, of course, but usually not for long enough to post.

I am going to upload my photo album so that you see how fantastic of a trip we had and I might do some retracking of our adventures while we were there. We'll just have to see how much time I end up having...especially since I am leaving on Thursday to go fishing for a few days.

Here are a few pics to whet your appetite.

In Cairo

2008-05-13T12:46:00.000-04:00

We have arrived in Cairo with a phone card that doesn’t work and expensive internet access. So, updates will likely be few and far between.

Our hotel is literally at the base of the pyramids and we are going to visit them tomorrow and go for a camel ride as well. We are excited. Maybe I can update more once we get into Israel.

Until then...

Out of Egypt into the Holyland

2008-05-11T14:30:00.001-04:00

That's right folks. It is now less than 24 hours until Trinity and I, along with quite a few other people, hop on a plane to Cairo, Egypt. We are going to spend 12 days between Egypt, Israel and Jordan. I am extremely excited about this trip, as I have never been to this part of the world before.

Check out the trip information I posted the other day that has our flight times, hotel info (you should google some of the hotels and check them out) and our tentative day to day schedule.

I will attempt to post while we're gone, but don't know how my internet access will be. So, if I can't I will surely post about it when we get back. Until then...

Countdown

2008-05-10T11:31:00.000-04:00

Countdown

2008-05-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

Out of Egypt Into the Holyland Trip Information

2008-05-08T10:15:00.006-04:00

Flight Itinerary

Monday May, 12, 2008

Depart	Charlotte	1:25 pm	US Air Flight 2622
Arrive	NY, JFK	3:24 pm
Depart	NY JFK	6:30 pm	Egypt Air Flight #986
Arrive	Cairo	12:30 pm (Tuesday)

Friday, May 23, 2008
Depart
Amman
8:25 pm
Egypt Air Flight 702
Arrive
Cairo
8:45 pm

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Depart
Cairo
10:15 am
Egypt Air Flight 985
Arrive
NY, JFK
3:15 am

Depart
NY, JFK
6:55 pm
US Air Flight 805
Arrive
Charlotte
9:05 pm

________________________________________________________
HOTELS

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 – Friday, May 16, 2008

LE MERIDIEN PYRAMIDS

El Remaya Square

P.O. Box 25 Pyramids

Pyramids, Giza, Cairo, Egypt

Tel: 011 20 2 3377 3388

Fax: 011 20 2 3377 1730

Friday, May 16, 2008 – Saturday, May 17, 2008

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL

Jericho Main Road

P.O. Box 150

Jericho

Tel: 011 970 2 231 1200

Fax: 011 970 2 231 1222

Saturday, May 17, 2008 – Monday, May 19, 2008

GAI BEACH HOTEL

Derech Hamerchatzaot

Tiberias, Israel

Tel: 011 972 4 670 0700

Fax: 011 972 4 679 2776

Monday, May 19, 2008 – Friday, May 23, 2008

GRAND COURT HOTEL

Saint George Street Number 15

Jerusalem, Israel

Tel: 011 972 2 591 7777

Fax: 011 972 2 591 7778

Friday, May 23, 2008 – Saturday, May 24, 2008

CONCORDE EL SALAM HOTEL

Abdel Hamid Badawi Street

Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt

Tel: 011 20 2 2622 6000

Fax: 011 20 2 2622 6037
________________________________________________________

Day to Day

MON. May 12: Depart New York JFK International Airport via Egypt Air@6:30 PM Non Stop jet service to Cairo, Egypt.

TUES. May 13: Arrive in Cairo, 12:30 PM . Balance of day at leisure.

WED. May 14: Visit the Egyptian Museum. The Museum contains the world’s most important collection of Egyptian antiquities, dating from the earliest times to about 6th century AD. Collection includes some of the artistic masterpieces of the world, including the treasures of Tut-Ankh-Amon. Proceed to the Giza Plateau to see the Pyramids & the Sphinx. Stop at one of Egypt’s famous carpet factories & visit a papyrus shop.

THURS. May 15: Morning tour to Memphis and Sakkara. Located 20 miles SW of Cairo, Memphis was once the capital of Egypt. Sakkara’s Step Pyramids are the world’s first stone tombs. This afternoon visit the Mosque of Sultan Hassan built in the 14th century, the Citadel of Salah-El Din & the Alabaster Mosque.

FRI. May 16: Depart Cairo. Visit the remarkable ruins of the Fortress built by Herod the Great and destroyed by Flavius Silva in 73 AD. Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Qumran, the site where the Scrolls of the Dead Sea were found by a shepherd boy & stop for a swim in the Dead Sea. Proceed to Jericho for overnight.

SAT. May 17: Tour Jericho & visit Tel El Sultan, ruins of one of the oldest cities in the world. View the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus fasted for 40 days & 40 nights. Drive through the Jordan Valley to Megiddo or Armageddon, the strategic point on the Via Maris, connecting Egypt & Damascus. Proceed to Nazareth to see the Basilica of the Annunciation, one of the few Christian shrines in Israel. See Mary’s Well with its arched wall. Visit the Baptist Church & School of Nazareth driving through Cana to Tiberias for overnight.

SUN. May 18: This morning board a boat on the Sea of Galilee for Sunday morning worship & cruise to Capernaum. Upon landing, visit the site where Jesus began His Ministry & the site of the Synagogue where He taught. Proceed to Tabgha, the site of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish. Visit the 4th century mosaics. Drive to the top of the Mount of Beatitudes

for an outstanding view of the Sea of Galilee & the surrounding area. End the day at the exit of the Jordan River near the Sea of Galilee for a baptismal service. Overnight in Tiberias.

MON. May 19: This morning drive to the Valley of the Winds & on to Haifa, see Elijah’s Cave and enjoy the view of the city from Mt. Carmel. Drive along the Mediterranean to Caesarea by the Sea to visit the spectacular city of Herod the Great, see the ruins of the Crusader’s city, and stand in the Roman Theater. Drive to Jerusalem for overnight.

TUES. May 20: Drive to Mount of Olives. Visit the Church of Pater Noster, the Garden of Gethsemane, & Church of All Nations. View the Kidron Valley. Visit Mt. Zion & the Upper Room where Jesus accomplished his Ministry. Spend afternoon in Bethlehem visiting the Church of the Nativity, the Shepherds Fields, & the Fields of Boaz & Ruth. Return to hotel for overnight in Jerusalem.

WED. May 21: Visit the House of Caiaphas, the Dungeon, & Gallicantu. Proceed to the Church of Saint Anne, the Pool of Bethesda, the Lithostrotos, Pilate’s Judgment Hall & walk along the Via Dolorosa leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Return to hotel for overnight.

THURS. May 22: Proceed toward the city walls built by Solomon the Magnificent enclosing the most Holy Sites. Walk into the old city through the Damascus Gate & through the picturesque colorful bazaars to the superb Temple Area, where Solomon’s Temple was built on Mt. Moriah. Visit the Dome of the Rock enclosing the Rock of Sacrifice. See the Mosque of Al Aska, further south, the Pinnacle of the Temple & the Wailing Wall. Visit the Garden Tomb & Gordon’s Calvary, the site where Jesus was crucified, buried & resurrected. Celebrate Communion at the Garden Tomb.

FRI. May 23: Depart from Jerusalem to cross into Jordan via Allemby Bridge. Drive to Mount Nebo commemorating the site where Moses saw the Promised Land & died, continue to the biblical Medeba, for a visit to the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George which houses the 6th century mosaics showing the entire region from Jordan & Palestine in the north, to Egypt in the South. This map includes a fascinating plan of Jerusalem showing the Holy Sepulcher. Continue to Jerash, the “Pompeii of the Middle East”. Visit the most beautifully preserved Greco-Roman city in existence, the grand ruins - temples to Artemis and Zeus, a vast Roman Forum, Hadrian’s Triumphal Arch & a mile long Street of Whispering Columns. Transfer to Amman International airport for return flight to Cairo.

SAT. May 24: Transfer to Cairo airport in time for non-stop return flight to New York. Arrive New York approximately 3:15 in the afternoon local time.

Countdown

2008-05-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

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The Silent Choice

2008-04-24T20:14:00.004-04:00

I have just completed my paper on the use of silence in Night by Elie Wiesel (pictured below).

I have published the paper to GoogleDocs for anyone who is interested (I know it's probably no one, but you never know).

The paper can be viewed here.

Moving, Blogging Hiatus and the Middle East

2008-04-22T22:33:00.004-04:00

As was mentioned in the previous post, we are moving soon...Saturday, actually. On top of that, right now is the end of the semester, so I am insanely busy finishing up a paper on Elie Wiesel, working on some journals for two other classes, finishing my credo (which is what I believe, right now anyway, on topics such as christology, pneumatology, eschatology, ecclesiology, etc.) and getting ready for exams.

Due to all of this going on right now I have not been blogging lately and probably will not be blogging for a few more days.

After which, though, I will begin to ramp it up again. Hopefully this will include some insights/excerpts from my research on the use of silence in Elie Wiesel's Night and some anticipatory posts for mine and Trinity's upcoming trip to Egypt, Jordan and Israel.

Stay tuned.

Apparently My Wife is an Office Max Rep

2008-04-11T23:31:00.009-04:00

We are moving in 2 weeks and that is most of the reason as to why I've not updated in 5 days. This move, though very much anticipated and needed, truly comes at a horrible time for us as it is just before the end of the semester, when, of course, EVERYTHING is due.

It is surprising how much stuff Trinity and I have even though we have only been married for 11 months. It is also surprising how much there is to learn about a spouse even when we live together (I know that's an obvious one, but I thought I should add it just to clear up any confusion), go to school together (both working on Masters degrees) and work together. I learned today that apparently my wife used to be and still is a rep for Office Max. I literally think that we could supply our county's entire school district with pens, pencils, markers and Sharpies for a year. I saw Sharpies in colors that I didn't even know existed. And don't even get me started on Post-It Notes. The various sizes, shapes, colors and styles would impress even Spencer Silver. I don't even know why we have a MaxPerks card. I think that Office Max needs to start coming to us for their supplies. The good news is though, that we will probably never have to take our kids (that we don't have yet) school-supply shopping.

And, then, to add insult to injury, we are moving from a 3-bedroom house to a 2-bedroom house so that we can be closer to our church, where we both work and go many times a week, and to save on rent and utilities. We have this house more than full, so thinking about down-sizing its not the most joyous thought in my head right now. It should be a fun few weeks.

P.S. What's the point of using packing tape if it can't be used for at least one painful practical joke?

My Knee Hasn't Exploded...Yet

2008-04-06T22:36:00.005-04:00

Well, I did run the Cooper River Bridge Run on Saturday and was able to finish it.

I ran it in 1 hour 3minutes and 28 seconds (see above). Also, look how high I placed. Not horrible for my first 10k race and on a bum knee.

Anyway, I should hear about when I will have this MRI tomorrow. I'll keep you posted.

NOTE: If you can't read the results they say that my time was 1:03:28 and that my overall placing was 10245...that's out of like 40,000. Out of all the males I was 6447 and out of my age division I was 747.

The World in Which We Live...

2008-04-04T15:23:00.005-04:00

For those who do not know, today is the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s death. Most of us are familiar with the work of MLK and, hopefully, we respect his work. He was indeed the type of man that we need more of in our world. He had his shortcomings as we all do, but he spoke with wisdom words that must be heard. I have been reading his speech, “Beyond Vietnam – A Time to Break Silence” and came across something quite profound. Part of his speech is pasted below:

Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns this query has often loomed large and loud: "Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King?" "Why are you joining the voices of dissent?" "Peace and civil rights don't mix," they say. "Aren't you hurting the cause of your people," they ask? And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live.

The last line struck me hard and I began to think. Do I truly know the world that I live in? Do those around me truly know the world that we live in? True, times are different from what they were in 1967 when MLK gave this speech, but much is the same. Do I know how much injustice is in my world? Do I know how many children die of starvation each week? Do I know that 84% of the world lives on less than $10,066 a year? Do I know that more than 1 billion people live on less than U.S. $1 a day? Do I know that there are 781 million illiterate adults worldwide and that 64% of them are women? Do I know that more than 6 million children die from malnutrition yearly? Do I know that there is genocide going on in Darfur? Do I know who is working against these evils? Do I know the good work that the United Nations is doing? Do I know how much inequality still exists not only in our world, but in our churches and our homes? Do I truly know the world in which I live? Do you know the world in which you live?

I am not saying that we should all go out and protest the current war because that’s what MLK did. I am simply saying that we need to get to know the world we live in. Our world is in desperate need of redemption. True, we need redemption in the form of salvation, but we need so much more than that as well. We need to care for all of creation the way that God does. The world has a deep need and we have the resources necessary to not only alleviate, but to erase the need and the pain and yet we do nothing about it. On this anniversary on MLK’s death let us remember him for sure, but let us also reflect. Let us see our world for what it really is. The facts are gloomy and can be disheartening, but we can offer hope.

Here are some sites that you should check out:

Note: Statistics taken from Compassion.

Overturned Tankers and MRIs

2008-04-03T12:40:00.004-04:00

I'm in Charleston today. Trinity and I got here yesterday after an extremely long ride due to this overturned tanker. See below:

Today is rainy and we're doing the insanely joyous homework that consumes our lives, even while on vacation.

I was supposed to run in this race on Saturday, but messed my knee up yesterday. The x-rays were fine. Now, I'm just waiting on my dr to schedule an MRI. Fun times indeed.

Hopefully no more major joint surgeries are in my near future. I've had enough of those.

I'll keep you updated.

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

2008-04-01T14:52:00.003-04:00

I have said/thought some things for a while and now some others have said them in ways better than I can so I'll let you see what they have to say.

Why is there a lack of creativity in Christianity?

Christians Don't Get to Suck

Check them out and let me know what you think.

P.S. Like Andrew I have nothing special for April Fool's Day. However, Andrew's post detailing his lack of April Fool's Day festivities is much better than my puny post script here.

Lock-In

2008-03-28T14:10:00.003-04:00

We're having a lock-in tonight and, oddly enough, I'm actually excited about it. Our youth are on spring break this week and wanted one so I've planned some stuff for our all-nighter, including a photo scavenger hunt. I plan to post some of the pictures on here afterward. I'm sure there will be some exciting and crazy pictures and memories from tonight.

So, if you have nothing else to do between 7pm tonight and 8am tomorrow morning think about us, pray for us, dream of us. It will be me, a few adults and a gaggle of youth between 12 and 18. I expect some fun pictures, some crazy Guitar Hero and even crazier Foosball. See you on the flip side.

Then, if you are still pressed with what to do with your time. Head over to Andrew's blog and check this out.

Shaun Groves FOR FREE

2008-03-25T23:40:00.007-04:00

We've just booked Shaun Groves at our church for April 6th and we got him for free. Now, I know the question in your head right now is how did they get Shaun Groves for free? Isn't he a huge soft-rock phenom? Well, he is that, but he is also a genuine guy who loves children and believes in changing their lives for the better. So, he will do full singing shows or speaking gigs for free if he can talk about Compassion International for a few minutes. Check out this post on his blog for some details and see his "kickin' poster" below.

If you want information about Shaun Groves being at our church on April 6th and would like to attend post a comment with your e-mail address and I'll get more specific information to you.

P.S. My Church is in Shelby, NC. Here is a map.

New Photo Album: Gatlinburg

2008-03-14T15:49:00.002-04:00

Gatlinburg

Updating BlogRoll

2008-03-13T10:53:00.003-04:00

I'd like to update my BlogRoll with any one who's not on it currently. If you're reading my blog and link to it and would like to have me link to yours let me know. I'm always open to reading new blogs.

Just leave a comment with your name and blog url.

"Change" by Tracy Chapman

2008-03-11T18:42:00.002-04:00

If you knew that you would die today,
Saw the face of God and love,
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you knew that love can break your heart
When you're down so low you cannot fall
Would you change?
Would you change?

How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?

If you knew that you would be alone,
Knowing right, being wrong,
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you knew that you would find a truth
That brings up pain that can't be soothed
Would you change?
Would you change?

How bad, how good does it need to get?
How many losses? How much regret?
What chain reaction would cause an effect?
Makes you turn around,
Makes you try to explain,
Makes you forgive and forget,
Makes you change?
Makes you change?

Are you so upright you can't be bent?
If it comes to blows are you so sure you won't be crawling?
If not for the good, why risk falling?
Why risk falling?

If everything you think you know,
Makes your life unbearable,
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you'd broken every rule and vow,
And hard times come to bring you down,
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you knew that you would die today,
If you saw the face of God and love,
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?
Would you change?

If you saw the face of God and love
If you saw the face of God and love
Would you change?
Would you change?

UN Millennium Development Goals

2008-03-11T10:02:00.004-04:00

If you haven't heard of the good work that the UN is trying to do you need to.

The UN has developed a list of 8 goals that they wish to see accomplished by the year 2015. The 8 goals are:

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equality and empower women
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Ensure environmental sustainability
Develop a global partnership for development

Their website outlines each goal and also monitors how these goals are being met. Please check out their site and see how you can be a part of meeting these goals.

Meet Prossy

2008-02-21T10:40:00.004-05:00

I have blogged about Compassion on here before and even introduced you to Francisco da Silva Neto, the child that I sponsor. I often read Shaun Groves' Blog and he does great work for Compassion. He just returned from a trip with Compassion to Uganda. While he was there he received a question from a reader of his blog about whether Compassion is really working. This video is about Prossy, who was herself sponsored through Compassion and is an example of how Compassion is working to break the cycle of poverty.

So, in case you're wondering what to do with the extra $32/month you have laying around, here's an idea: change the life of a child.

Ingrid Michaelson

2008-02-20T17:35:00.003-05:00

I have to add one more. Ingird Michaelson singing "The Way I Am." You may recognize it from Old Navy's recent sweater commercial.

Colbie Caillat

2008-02-20T17:34:00.002-05:00

I know I've bombarded the blog with videos of musical artists, but it's becuase they're great and need to be heard. Here is Colbie Caillat performing "Realize."

Chrisette Michele

2008-02-20T17:29:00.002-05:00

This girl is awesome. Her music is fantastic and she's even on one of the new Nivea commercials. This video seems to be one that someone just put together and threw on YouTube, but it shows her and has her song. The song on the video is "Love Is You."

Check it out and enjoy.

What is Love?

2008-02-20T17:28:00.002-05:00

I had to post this video because I love this song and might love the video even more. Enjoy.

P.S. The artist is Haddaway, in case you'd forgotten.

Question of the night

2008-02-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

On the incarnation of Jesus and other incarnations in Hinduism David Pace, in his presentation, asked:

"Why would God not stay up in heaven and pimp it?”

I just couldn't keep it to myself; had to share it.

Global Warming Update

2008-02-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

This just in:

The temperature in International Falls, Minnesota, fell to a record 40 below zero Monday, just a few days after the northern Minnesota town won a federal trademark making it officially the "Icebox of the Nation."

It was so cold that resident Nick McDougall couldn't even get his car trunk lid to close after he got out his charger to kick-start his dead battery. By late morning, the temperature had risen all the way to 18 -- below zero.

"This is about as cold as it gets, this is bad. There's no wind -- it's just cold," said McDougall, 48, a worker at The Fisherman, a convenience store and gas station in the town on the Canadian border. "People just don't go out, unless you have to go to work."

Residents of the area use electric engine block heaters to keep their cars from freezing.
"You plug in your car, for sure, and you put the car in the garage if you can," McDougall said. His garage is full of other things, so he had to park outside -- a "big mistake."

The previous record low in International Falls was 37 below, set in 1967, said meteorologist Mike Stewart at the weather service in Duluth. The cold was expected, he said: "When the winds finally died off and the skies cleared off, it just dropped."

The temperature also fell to 40 below in Embarrass, 80 miles southeast of International Falls. That's just one degree above the all-time record in Minneapolis, 250 miles to the south, that was set in January 1888, the weather service said.
(Source: cnn.com)

I'm just glad that we're all agreed on the threat of global warming...oh, that's right, no we're not.

Welcome

2008-02-10T09:07:00.000-05:00

Kenzie Lynn Whitley is the newest addition to our family. My brother and his wife had her at 9:55 Friday morning. She weighed 6lbs and 5oz. and was 18 inches long.

This is Kenzie with mine and Trinity's fingers.

Be Informed

2008-02-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

With Super Tuesday behind us, I just want to remind everyone of the necessity of being informed. Super Tuesday has shown us a few front runners and that's great, but let's make sure we're informed on each candidates positions and voting for the one that matches most closely with our own. To help you out some I'm including a link to a website that should help with that.

The sight is On The Issues. Check it out and be informed.

The Flu

2008-02-05T15:03:00.000-05:00

So yeah, I have the flu...enough said.

Conclave: Day 2

2008-02-01T23:53:00.000-05:00

Today was a good day here in Chattanooga at Conclave. The best part of the day, though, was the evening session. Erwin McManus spoke. He is the pastor of Mosaic. He basically said that the we have forgotten what is most important: people. And these people are all doing the same thing - trying to make sense of their life. Human history is a conflict between tragedy and beauty. Its our jobs to enter into peoples' lives and show them the beauty in the midst of the tragedy.

For a while now I have seen the importance of just living life with people, building relationships with them and then, once trust has been gained, to share with them my convictions and beliefs. This is not what we usually do though. We feel that we need to change people to look just like us before they can become a part of our life or, God forbid, our church.

Tonight was a reminder to me of that and also an encouragement. Erwin said that we all have different answers, but we all have the same questions. When we break it down to some of the most basic things that all humans search for, we do. We all desire intimacy, love and acceptance. Some of may act like we don't care about these things, but we're just lying to ourselves. Well, I have been blessed with fantastic intimacy, love and acceptance with my family, my wife and my friends. Its my turn to show it to others.

Life hurts, but love is real. Am I showing it to others? Are you?

P.S. Erwin has a new book out (that I just bought tonight and got autographed by him) called Soul Cravings. Here is the description from his site: We can spend our whole lives trying to satisfy the one insatiable part of our being, our soul craving. Our capacity for spiritual experience both proves our need for something greater than ourselves and leaves us wanting when we fill it with anything but God. Soul Cravings is a powerful, down-to-earth exposition that interprets our need for intimacy, meaning, and destiny as common sense apologetics pointing to the existence of and our need for God. The book will deeply stir the reader to consider and chase after the spiritual implications of their soul’s deepest longings.

Conclave

2008-01-31T23:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't updated in a while, but right now I am in Chattanooga at Conclave: Pure and Simple. It is a youth minister's conference, so this is a very good thing. I need to get much better at my job, so this is me trying. I am going to attempt to blog updates throughout the weekend. Here is the first.

Tonight Charlie Hall led the music and Mark Matlock spoke. He gave us three questions that he's been struggling with and challenged us to ask them of ourselves as well. They are:

1. Is my life a threat for all that is unjust, selfish and evil?

2. Am I willing to "get up" and do whatever God wants me to do?

3. Right now, am I "getting up" to respond to what I clearly know God is wanting me to do?

I'm pretty sure that I know what the answers to these questions are for me right now and I'm not sure I like them. What are your answers? Why?

My First Truck

2007-12-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it. I bought a truck, well my wife and I did...and by bought, we mean we traded my 1996 Honda Accord that had 165,000+ miles in and are going to be making payments on this vehicle. Regardless, we have "bought" it in that sense and are loving it so far. Here is a picture of it.

Sorry about the quality of the picture. I took it on my cell this morning and since we got it yesterday, a formal photo shoot for the newest member of our family has not yet been scheduled.

Hospitality

2007-12-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

Changing the world...

2007-12-13T00:04:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine just recently left me a message saying that he loved my new blog and that it felt like we were sitting in my room changing the world again.

The truth: we never changed the world.

We talked a lot about the world, but we never changed it. Does that stop us? No. We see need for change in our world and we desire so badly for it to happen. The change is not just needed in religious areas (though there is great change possible there), but also in the political realm and the scientific realm and the music realm and the food realm and the publishing realm and the entertainment realm and the realm of people's desire and the lack of reading realm and the healthcare realm and the worldwide poverty realm and the familial relationships realm and the holiday realm and so many other realms.

The truth is that we lived a completely screwed up world, but this does not stop us. We do not allow ourselves to get depressed and pessimistic about the situation of our world. Rather, we imagine. That's right, we imagine. You may be asking how imagining can do anything to change the world. And you'd be right to ask. But I'd also have to say that if you are asking that question you have not imagined often enough or hard enough or deep enough. We imagine, just like John Lennon. We imagine a world that is better than the one we currently live in and we imagine what it would take to see that world come to fruition and then we work with every ounce of our being and our soul to be that change to this world. We help raise awareness for issues like the genocide in Darfur and the utter poverty in our own country and the amazing omnipresence of hypocrisy within the religion that we claim as our own (Christianity).

I echo John Lennon when he said, "You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us and the world will be as one." I have been told countless times in my life: "Thomas, one person can't change the world." I reply that yes, one person can. How many times have we seen it. Jesus pretty drastically changed the world (and I don't say this in a super-spiritual-look-at-me-the-good-Christian way, but in an honest way that any student of history, especially religious history, as I am, must admit) and Ghandi wasn't too shabby either. Should we mention the work of Martin Luther King, Jr. or Tim Berners-Lee (step over Al Gore, he actually did create the Internet) or Mikhail Gorbachev or Frances Crick, James Watson and Rosalind Franklin (the three who discovered DNA). And just so you know that I recognize the other side of the coin. Let's talk about what Adlof Hitler and Joseph Stalin and Benito Mussolini and Osama bin Laden. I hope you get my point. We have the ability to do so much more than we tell ourselves that we can.

I am trying to change the world by changing myself and being the change that I want to see. You can do the same.

P.S. If you are looking for maybe an organization or two to get involved with there are two that I would suggest you start with, as they are doing what I'm talking about in the area of poverty and equality. They are making things happen and truly changing lives. The two organizations are Compassion and Kiva.

Francisco da Silva Neto

2007-12-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

Say hello to Francisco. Francisco lives in Brazil with his father and mother.

I sponsor Francisco through Compassion. I was writing him a letter tonight and thought to let you meet him and to consider sponsoring a child yourself. It only costs $32 a month and my wife and I each sponsor a child. Compassion is a fantastic organization and currently helps more than 900,000 children in 24 countries. Please consider it. Besides, how big of a deal is $32 a month to you? I can promise you that my wife and I are strapped financially as we have been married for 6 months, are both graduate students and both work part time at out church. We don't have a ton of money, but we do realize that we can use the money we do have for good, to help those who have far less than we do.

For more information you can visit Compassion's Website or click on the banner on the right side of the page.

My Philosophy of Teaching Greek

2007-12-07T19:11:00.000-05:00

For those of you who care, I have just finished work on a paper for my Advanced Greek Exegesis Seminar on My Philosophy of Teaching Greek. I have published the paper to Google Docs.

The paper can be found here.

The Golden Compas

2007-12-07T11:26:00.000-05:00

There has been a ton of conversation about the upcoming movie "The Golden Compass" and about the trilogy that it is based on His Dark Materials. As I have not read the books or seen the movie I have largely been an outsider in the discussion. Thus, I have been led to what many others have said. In that, I have come across two places that handled the movie/books in ways I have not seen done yet. One is an article about it and the other is an e-mail interview with the author himself done by Peter Chattaway. Chattaway contributes often to a magazine that some of you may be familiar with, Christianity Today. They are very interesting reads. I do intend to read the books soon so I can finally be allowed to have a voice in this conversation.

The first article can be found here.

The interview can be found here.

Kiva

2007-12-06T00:45:00.000-05:00

My wife and I were watching Business Nation on CNBC tonight and heard about a company called Kiva. The whole premise of this company is to connect entrepreneurs in third-world countries with people just like me and you who loan them small sums of money. This is the excerpt from Kiva's website:

"Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the
developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a
business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic
independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can
receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are
repaid, you get your loan money back."

This idea is extremely appealing to me as it can directly link me with an individual who is an entrepreneur in a third world country. These loans are often as little as $500 or $1000, but the kicker is that it isn't one person supplying all of it. These entrepreneurs receive small loan amounts from numerous people. These loan amounts can be as little as $25. What an awesome way to actively help fellow humans and actively work to help aleviate poverty.

Anyway, check it out and get involved. We're definitely going to. The website is http://www.kiva.org/.

To Veil or Not to Veil

2007-12-02T23:38:00.000-05:00

I have recently published a paper of mine to Google Docs. The paper is titled: "To Veil or Not to Veil: Argumentation of an Egalitarian Reading of the Pauline Corpus."

If anyone is interested it can be accessed here.

-.. .- - . / .-- .... .. -.-. .... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / .-.. .. ...- . / .. -. / .. -. ..-. .- -- -.--

2007-12-02T23:16:00.000-05:00

... --- --..-- / .. / -.. . -.-. .. -.. . -.. / - --- / .-- .-. .. - . / - .... .. ... / .--. --- ... - / .. -. / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / .- ... / .. / - .... .. -. -.- / .- .... . .- -.. / - --- / .-. . -- . -- -... . .-. .. -. --. / - .... . / .- - - .- -.-. -.- / --- -. / .--. . .- .-. .-.. / .... .- .-. -... --- .-. / - .... .- - / .... .- .--. .--. . -. . -.. / -.... -.... / -.-- . .- .-. ... / .- --. --- .-.-.- / .. / .- -- / .--. .-. . .--. .- .-. .. -. --. / -- -.-- ... . .-.. ..-. / ..-. --- .-. / - .... .. ... / ..-. .-. .. -.. .- -.-- / .- -. -.. / .... --- .--. . / - .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... -.-- / .-. . -- . -- -... . .-. .. -. --. / - .... --- ... . / -- . -. / .- -. -.. / .-- --- -- . -. / .-- .... --- / .-.. --- ... - / - .... . .. .-. / .-.. .. ...- . ... / - .... .- - / -.. .- -.-- / .- -. -.. / - .... . / -- . -. / .- -. -.. / .-- --- -- . -. / .-- .... --- / -.-. --- -. - .. -. ..- . / - --- / ... . .-. ...- . / --- ..- .-. / -.-. --- ..- -. - .-. -.-- / - --- -.. .- -.-- .-.-.- / -- --- .-. . / - --- / -.-. --- -- . / --- -. / .--. . .- .-. .-.. / .... .- .-. -... --- .-. .-.-.-

A Few Words on Freedom

2007-12-02T21:44:00.000-05:00

With the 66th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor coming on Friday I decided to post this. It was originally posted on my former blog on 3/29/07.

Let us start this post out with me laying some things bare about myself. I have issues. State it anyway you wish, but I have issues and if my other posts have not clued you into that fact yet, then I feel quite confident that this one will. This post will probably also offend you. Apologies will be issued for neither of those facts. Moreover, this post will most likely touch on another topic other than just freedom, namely equality. For, it seems self-evident to me that these two concepts are inextricably related and to attempt to reverse the tethering that is present would not only be unwise, but also irresponsible.

So, then what is freedom? I'm sure that we could all give nice succinct answers to this question that may have something to do with the lack of any oppressing forces, etc. However, I would like to take the long way before we arrive out our destination of freedom, if indeed we do end up at freedom. The first thing that I must say about freedom is that we do not value it. We purport that we value it above all else, but our actions scream another story. For instance, just 2 days ago Serena Williams (world-famous tennis player, black, sister of Venus Williams) was at a match and there was a man in the stands that was heckling her. By all accounts of the story all he did was heckle. He was very much annoying and disrespectful, but all he did was heckle. Nothing he did or said put Serena Williams or any of the other fans in any danger whatsoever. Yet, Serena stopped play and spoke with the Chair Umpire and forced them to remove the man and disallow him from ever returning. Since when is heckling disallowed in sports?

Now, you may be asking what he said and that is a fine question to ask. Most of it was the usual heckling though he did say: "…hit the ball into the net like any Negro would." It was this word that set Serena off. As she was sitting on her bench waiting for the officials to remove the man she was quite hysterical saying that the man could be a stalker and other things like that, but I was absolutely floored when I heard the following words come out of her mouth: "I'm an African-American and I won't stand for that!" WHAT?! Who does she think she is? Is she even really an African-American? Are any of her ancestors from Africa? (New note: Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan) If they are, then fine, but what does her being an African-American have to do with anything? The man said a word that offended you and you expect the law to make him stop. Doesn't the First Amendment of our Constitution guarantee freedom of speech? Well, apparently it doesn't. It guarantees free speech when it doesn't offend someone, or better yet, when it doesn't offend a certain group. If I am on that court and someone of another race is heckling me and calls me something meant to be derogatory, such as maybe insinuating that my ancestors were slave owners or calling me a "cracker" or saying that I was a Nazi, and I asked for that person to be removed because "I'm a German-American and I won't stand for that," I would be laughed at (I am German-American by the way, my biological father was full-blood German. However, another issue I have is that I am an idiot if I demand that people call me German-American instead of Caucasian or white. I do not expect that everyone will know my heritage when they see me and neither should blacks expect others to know their's when other see them.

When will this country realize that not every single black person is of African descent? In fact, quite a large number of them are from Haiti and other countries south of us, yet they still insist on being called African-American so as to preserve something about their ancestry when really they have thrown it away by not taking the time to learn their real ancestry). We only value freedom when it is beneficial to us and the same is true with equality. Women and blacks (Please let it be understood that the generalizations do not mean that I truly think all women and all black people are the same and think and act the same way, for I do not. However, the generality is necessary for the ease of the flow of the language used herein) have desired equality for some time and I have absolutely no problem with them having it, but if they have it, then it needs to be real. Women say that they want equality, but they don't want to be drafted. Blacks say that they want equality, yet they expect for certain words to be outlawed when used against them, but not when they use those same words amongst themselves. Also, they expect laws to protect them from being offended, but do not want others to have similar laws. I understand that the word 'nigger' evokes many emotions and is often used in a derogatory sense, but what about all of the other racial slurs directed against Asians and Mexicans? No one is up in arms about those being used. People simply realize the idiocy of the persons using those words and they move on with their lives. So I have to ask: "What do we value most?" I believe that at this point in our history we value not offending black people.

Now, you may vehemently disagree and that is perfectly acceptable. I do not think that has always been our value (I know I am stating the obvious). Our country was founded by those who said that they desired religious freedom, but that was a sack of shit. They didn't truly value religious freedom any more than we truly value freedom of speech today. For, if they did, then they would have been okay with those persons who desired to practice religions other than theirs, but I think that our history tells us quite well, that that was not the case. The Japanese Internment camps that followed the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 show me once again that our country does not value freedom. We value plenty of things – power, safety, comfort, not offending certain people, security – but to say that we value freedom seems to be to be a bold faced lie! The same is true with equality. Our Declaration of Independence says that "all men were created equal." And in that statement asserted quite the opposite, for they were intentional in making it only read "men" as opposed to "men and women" and they did not even follow through with what they had written. For, they enslaved blacks for almost another hundred years after that.

Though the bulk of this blog may seem to be directed at one group, please hear my heart when I say that it is not. It is directed at everyone in this country, be they black, white, Hispanic, Asian, male, female, young, old, in between. It doesn't matter to me. What does matter is that we do not value freedom, yet lie to ourselves and the rest of the world about it constantly. The mere presence of government shows that we made the decision a long time ago to give up certain freedoms for safety and security. I am not saying that all of this is wrong, what is wrong is when we scream and yell, often like children, for freedom and equality when freedom and equality are not what we really want. We want power. We want safety. We want security. We want people to agree with us. We want to not be offended. We want many things, but I cannot say with any confidence that true freedom and true equality are among the desires of our hearts.

The Trinity: Explained

2007-12-01T13:59:00.000-05:00

Not my video, I just found it...enjoy...

Brian Regan on Poptarts

2007-12-01T13:49:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite clips pf Brian Regan. Enjoy...

Marcuse

2007-11-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

I’ve happened upon my copy of Herbert Marcuse’s One-Dimensional Man and thus thought I would share a few of my favorite quotes from it. Here goes…

“We may distinguish both true and false needs. “False” are those which are superimposed upon the individual by particular social interests in his repression: the needs which perpetuate toil, aggressiveness, misery, and injustice. Their satisfaction might be most gratifying to the individual, but this happiness is not a condition which has to be maintained and protected if it serves to arrest the development of the ability (his own and others) to recognize the disease of the whole and grasp the chances of curing the disease. The result then is euphoria in unhappiness.”

“’Progress’ is not a neutral term; it moves toward specific ends, and these ends are defined by the possibilities of ameliorating the human condition.”

“If man has learned to see and know what really is, he will act in accordance with truth. Epistemology is in itself ethics, and ethics is epistemology.”

“…the mere absence of all advertising and of all indoctrinating media of information and entertainment would plunge the individual into a traumatic void where he would have the chance to wonder and to think, to know himself (or rather the negative of himself) and his society. Deprived of his false fathers, leaders, friends, and representatives, he would have to learn his ABC’s again. But the words and sentences which he would form might come out very differently, and so might his aspirations and fears.”

And then Marcuse’s own food for thought, that with which he closes his book:

Nur um der Hoffnungslosen willen ist uns die Hoffnung gegeben.

It is only for the sake of those without hope that hope is given to us.

Kingdom of Heaven

2007-11-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

I returned home tonight to find “Kingdom of Heaven” on tv. A movie that I love, for it is brilliant in many aspects, but especially in how it upholds integrity at all costs. Some of you may know just how important integrity is to me. It is one thing that I work vehemently to never lose, for though many things can be taken from us our integrity can never be taken. It is solely our responsibility to keep our integrity. Our actions are our responsibility. I know that this idea is controversial, for our society has almost wholly forgotten what personal responsibility is. No one ever wants to take responsibility for their own actions, but to defer blame to others.

Hear me though, I am not saying that I have never attempted to defer responsibility, only that I make a concerted effort not to and to uphold my personal integrity to the highest degree that I can. This is my own personal conviction and it is on moral and religious grounds. The movie “Kingdom of Heaven” makes claims about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like by making claims about Jerusalem. Balian de Ibelin (Orlando Bloom) is given an oath early on in the movie and then gives the oath to others later on. It is an oath that we could all live by. I only hope that I am halfway able to uphold it. The oath is:

“Be without fear in the face of your enemies,
Be brave and upright that God may love thee,
Speak the truth even it leads to your death,
Safeguard the helpless,
That is your oath”

My integrity is for me in one sense, but it is for God in a greater sense. If we would all live by this oath then maybe, just maybe, we could see the fruition of the kingdom of heaven. In this movie, the kingdom of heaven is in the head and in the heart, that type of kingdom can never be destroyed or surrendered. Let us live for and hold onto the kingdom of heaven, namely one that is courageous, sure, truthful, works for the safety and righteousness of others and upholds integrity.

New Job

2007-11-19T22:52:00.000-05:00

Just to let everyone know that doesn’t already, I have taken a new job. I am no longer working at Samsonite, but am now the Minister with Youth at Eastside Baptist Church. My wife, Trinity, was leading children and youth, but has gone to doing just children and I have come on to lead the youth. I think this will be a good situation and am looking forward to what we can do there. For those of you who would like to know, my e-mail address at the church is thomasebc@carolina.rr.com.

Kierkegaard, the Seducer

2007-10-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

So I decided tonight, since my wife is out of town, to pick back up my “Kierkegaard Anthology” and I ran across a section that I hadn’t read in some time. It is from a section called “Diary of the Seducer,” which is found in a larger work called “Either/Or.” I am a fan of most of what Soren Kierkegaard writes, but am particularly drawn to “Diary of the Seducer” because of the sheer brilliance with which he writes and his ability to express deep, penetrating emotions. What is more is that Kierkegaard is not known as a novelist or writer in that sense, but rather as an Existentialist. He is indeed the latter, but his work in the area of the former captivated me and thus I must share. I think the passage is fairly self-explanatory.

This one woman, the only woman in all the world, she must belong to me, she must be mine. Let God keep Heaven, if I could keep her. I know what I choose; it is something so great that Heaven itself must be the loser by such a division, for what would be left to Heaven if I keep her? The faithful Mohammedans will be disappointed in their hopes when in their Paradise they embrace pale, weak shadows; for warm hearts they cannot find, all the warmth of the hear is concentrated in her breast; they will yield themselves to a comfortless despair when they find pale lips, dim eyes, a lifeless bosom, a limp pressure of the hand; for all the redness of the lips, and the fire of the eye, and all the restlessness of the bosom, and the promise of the hand, and the foreboding of the saigh, and the seal of the kiss, and the trembling of the touch, and the passion of the embrace - all, all are concentrated in her, and she lavishes on me a wealth sufficient for a whole world, both for time and eternity..."

Why is it that others can always say it better than me?

P.S. I really like pictures of famous dead people, especially if they're cool looking and it just so happens that Kierkegaard is, so that's the handsome man starring at you at the top of this post. In the future I will probably continue to add pictures of the cool people I am referencing.

Epi-Strauss-ium

2007-10-13T00:09:00.000-04:00

The following is a poem by Arthur Hugh Clough titled "Epi-Strauss-ium," which means "On-Strauss-ism." Thus, it is a response to David Friedrich Strauss' Das Leben Jesu, which looked critically at the life of Jesus.

"Matthew and Mark and Luke and holy John
Evanished all and gone!
Yea, he that erst, his dusky curtains quitting,
Through Eastern pictured panes his level beams transmitting,
With gorgeous portraits blent,
On them his glories intercepted spent,
Southwestering now, through windows plainly glassed,
On the inside face his radiance keen hath cast,
And int he lustre lost, invisible and gone,
Are, say you, Matthew, Mark and Luke and holy John?
Lost, is it? lost, to be recovered never?
However,
The place of worship the meantime with light
Is, if less richly, more sincerely bright,
And in blue skies the Orb is manifest to sight."

NB: 'he' in line 3 is 'the sun'

Clough is saying, I believe, that though the historical-critical method (higher criticism), as evidenced by Strauss' work, might have cast a shadow on the gospels, rendering them lost, the truth can be seen more clearly without them. The picture is of the narrator standing in church facing East watching the sun rise through the windows that are the gospels. Here he can only see dimly ("On them his glories intercepted spent"). He then turns to face SouthWest and watch the sun set. These windows are clear and allow him to see the sun more clearly. Note the sun in line 3 and the Orb in line 15.

Just some things to think about. I had to read this poem for my Literature and Religion class and was struck by it, so I thought I'd share.

Comments welcome...

Dark and Light

2007-10-13T00:02:00.000-04:00

This dark is so deep
And the light is so bright
I am blinded by the darkness
I am blinded by the light

Though desire to expound this thought whelms over me, have I yet come up deficient? How to explain that antitheses have the same outcome? What is learned by this observation, if anything? Is there also a realm antithetical to the result of the aforementioned antitheses? Cannot both illumine as well? Are there not things that can only be seen in the dark and not in the light? Is not the dark of life as illuminating as the light of life? Do not we purport that the shadow proves the sunshine? Is it not also true that the light proves the dark? Then, again, what to make of this? Do not blinding and illuminating also have similar effects? Do not they both cause one to ‘see’ in a different manner than formerly? What to make of existence in the dark? What to make of existence in the light? If both yield the same harvest, then ought not both be held equally? Where is God in the spring and summer of life? Is God not there? Where is God in the winter of life? Is God not there too? Does not God pervade all? Is God in the light? Is God not also, then, in the dark?

Doing Nothing

2007-10-12T23:46:00.000-04:00

"Some of us need to discover that we will not begin to live more fully until we have the courage to do and see and taste and experience much less than usual...There are times, then, when in order to keep ourselves in existence at all we simply have to sit back for a while and do nothing. And for a man who has let himself be drawn completely out of himself by his activity, nothing is more difficult than to sit still and rest, doing nothing at all. The very act of resting is the hardest and most courageous act he can perform."
- Thomas Merton

Wouldn't this be easier if we actually had time to sit and rest and do nothing at all?

Food for thought...

2007-10-11T19:02:00.001-04:00

"And if the old guard still offend,
They've got nothing left on which you depend.
So enlist every ounce of your bright blood, and off with their heads!
Jump from the hook! You're not obliged to swallow anything you despise!"
- Sleeping Lessons by The Shins

Welcome

2007-10-11T18:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new blog. I hope you like the new look. Feel free to give suggestions.

More to come...

Depart	Cairo	10:15 am	Egypt Air Flight 985
Arrive	NY, JFK	3:15 am
Depart	NY, JFK	6:55 pm	US Air Flight 805
Arrive	Charlotte	9:05 pm

motley existence

Power Adapter Problem

Global Warming? Seriously?

All Of Us Have To Come Together

A Typical Day in a Swedish Office

US Bombs Syria!

Soul-Baring

JCRA: Day 2

JCRA: Day 1

D.C., Charleston, Savannah in 6 days

What Would You do with $700B? OR There's No Such Thing as Free Lunch

The Tribe

What I'm Reading

Worship On Your Face

A Date with Don Cheadle

"Change" Video

Lance is Back!

Beer Baby

wolfpack whitley

Grace Nichole Couturier

Testing the Test

Jewish Apocalypticism in the Second Temple Period: Literature, Sociology and Theology

Fantasy Cycling: Final Update

Fantasy Cycling: Update 2

Fantasy Cycling: Update 1

Fantasy Cycling?

Energy Crisis, Or Lack Thereof

Still Alive

New Photo Album: Egyptian, Israeli and Jordanian Fun All in One

Back in the USA

In Cairo

Out of Egypt into the Holyland

Countdown

Countdown

Out of Egypt Into the Holyland Trip Information

Countdown

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Countdown

Countdown

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Countdown

Countdown

Countdown

Countdown

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Countdown

The Silent Choice

Moving, Blogging Hiatus and the Middle East

Apparently My Wife is an Office Max Rep

My Knee Hasn't Exploded...Yet

The World in Which We Live...

Overturned Tankers and MRIs

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

Lock-In

Shaun Groves FOR FREE

New Photo Album: Gatlinburg

Updating BlogRoll

"Change" by Tracy Chapman

UN Millennium Development Goals

Meet Prossy

Ingrid Michaelson

Colbie Caillat

Chrisette Michele

What is Love?

Question of the night

Global Warming Update

Welcome

Be Informed

The Flu

Conclave: Day 2

Conclave

My First Truck

Hospitality

Changing the world...

Francisco da Silva Neto

My Philosophy of Teaching Greek

The Golden Compas

Kiva

Blogroll additions