A great song, by an amazing guy
I was listening to one of my friend Raj's CD's as I was finishing up work today. I wanted to share these lyrics with you:

another prodigal

I was an orphan and maybe it wasn't that bad
I wouldn't listen for nothin'
I up and ran off with everything that I had, and everything I had coming

And everything that He said,
well it's all coming back now

And the world, well, it tasted the best that it could
with all the money and laughter
And well, it all felt the way that I thought that it should
except the emptiness after

And everything that He said
it's all making sense now
everything that He had
that I left behind
when I ran

If you're out on your own, then you're dead
Your home is with me, and He said
If your out all alone, then you're dead
life is in Me, I'm your Father and friend

You can imagine these words spinning round in my head
as I'm turning homeward
Empty pockets and emptiness in my head
will the Father forgive me

And everything that He said
well it's all making sense now
everything that He had
that I left behind
when I ran

If you're out on your own, then you're dead
Your home is with me, and He said
If your out all alone, then you're dead
life is in Me, I'm your Father and friend

Everything that he said...

__

Raj and his wife Scout are away on a mission right now, in Central Asia. They're coming home soon, and I really miss them. I'm glad I have Raj's amazing music to remind me of them, and remind me of God, while they're gone.

I'll see if I can figure out how to post the song itself later.

  ¶ 5:23 PM 3 comments

  Almost as good as Napoleon
Oh, man, is this hilarious.
He's actually not too bad. At least he's better than me. Which isn't saying much.

Update: Here's a classic from Jon's archives. Click on "more cowbell".

  ¶ 4:18 PM 5 comments

  The Pope, the Church, and the Media
As thousands of people line up to see the Pope lying in state, I heard a quote from Christianne Amanpour on CNN, something along the lines of "this is a turning point for the church" and "the church must become relevant for the next century or at least the next generation", of course meaning that the church must change its stand on abortion, homosexuality, contraception, priests marrying, etc.

Lester Holt on NBC's Today show charged that "some believe [the Pope's] unyielding stand," in refusing "to even discuss" opening the priesthood to married men and women, "alienated American Catholics." Holt insisted that "within the hierarchy, more progressive voices have been marginalized" and argued: "Pope John Paul II's legacy in the world's most powerful country may be that of a house divided. A man who changed the world, but in many ways, was unwilling to change his church."
(from the Media Research Center)

Well, may I ask why should he?

I have a sneaking suspicion, after hearing much of the coverage of the Pope's death, that a majority of the media just don't get it. They are seeing the Church as a political entity. It is not, though it does have political influence. Politics may change with the times, but the core views of the Church should not. Politics looks at right now, or at the most the next election. Politicians use polls to determine their next move. The Church is looking at thousands of years of history, and more importantly, eternity. Why should it change its views to accomodate what seems convenient or popular today? Last I checked, Jesus' words haven't changed, and neither have Moses's. Or Paul's.

If anyone thinks that changing doctrine to become more "liberal" is going to increase church attendance, they're sorely mistaken. Just look at the Episcopalian church. People want to see the church standing for something, not shifting and changing according to polling data. Rather than making the Church relevant, constantly changing views would only make it irrelavant. One more political entity vying for top spot in the media popularity contest.

I'm not a Catholic, but I admire John Paul II's leadership, and his legacy of reaching out to people all over the world. I'm looking forward to meeting him in Heaven someday.
--
P.S: Here's an article about the Pope that I enjoyed.  ¶ 12:04 PM 0 comments

  Chastity?
There's a new book out, called Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity, that I think sounds really great. I, thank goodness, no longer have to worry about this issue :-), but I remember when I did.

Not having grown up as a Christian, "waiting for marriage" was a foriegn concept for me. I accepted the idea without question when I became a Christian, but after Erick and I got more serious, putting Chastity into practice was *ahem* a struggle. Part of the problem was the Christian literature that was around at the time. You got the impression that if you weren't pure as the wind-driven snow, that there was no going back. Like if you slipped up once, and you weren't a virgin when you got married, you had really blown it, and could never be on the same level as those who "made it."

Well, I wasn't a virgin when I became a Christian, and I felt ashamed of that. I felt like none of the Christians I knew would understand if I explained my background. Or at the very least, I felt somehow different from them, separate. It may not have been true, mind you, but that's how I felt.

And to make matters worse, it just wasn't something you talked about openly. I remember feeling so releived when a friend and I could share our struggles with sexual desires. I finally felt like I wasn't alone, like maybe someone else was dealing with the same problems.

So anyway, when I read a review of Real Sex on Independent Women's Forum, I was intrigued. The author tried promiscuity, and found it empty. Here's a quote from the review in the New York Times:

Drawing on her own history of premarital sex as a cosmopolitan, liberal single woman and delving into subjects like sodomy and masturbation, she aims her argument at sophisticated young working Christians who know the ways of the world. In her view, people are more likely to abstain from sex once they fully understand its power.

She speaks of her ’endless numbers of boyfriends’ after having sex for the first time at 15, an experience she discusses in ’Real Sex.’ She offers no silver bullets. Her solution relies heavily on the 12-step model: firm commitment, lots of uncomfortably frank dialogue and more than a little peer support from others who feel your pain....

"What I learned through having premarital sex for years in my teens and early 20s was that I made an association between what’s erotically exciting and the instability, the newness, the possibility, which is obviously the opposite of married sex," she said. "I mean, married sex can be great and wonderful, but part of what gives its greatness and wonderfulness is its security. I don’t necessarily think "routine" is a bad word."

I really like that she is just honest and up front about what really goes on, but at the same time, she doesn't water down the value of abstinence. I know that graphic talk like what's found in this book can make some Christians uncomfortable, but I think it's important to talk about it if we really want to be relevant to people who come from a non-Christian background.

This also struck a chord with me since I've been reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. Here are some of his thoughts on Chastity:

...many people are deterred from seriously attempting Christian chastity because they think (before trying) that it is impossible. But when a thing has to be attempted, one must never think about possibility or impossibility. Faced with an optional question in an examination paper, one considers whether one can do it or not: faced with a compulsory question, one must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. Not only in examinations but in war, in mountain climbing, in learning to skate, or swim, or ride a bicycle, even in fastening a stiff collar with cold fingers, people quite often do what seemed impossible before they did it. It is wonderful what you can do when you have to.

And also, and this is key:

We may, indeed, be sure that perfect chastity--like perfect charity--will not be attained by any merely human efforts. You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again.

I guess the main thing is, don't waste time being ashamed of the sin, confess it to God and move on, always asking Him for the strength to keep going. He's always there, and doesn't get tired of us asking. And we shouldn't be afraid to be open with other people about mistakes we've made in the past. It's really good to talk about this stuff. God knows all about it anyway.  ¶ 5:40 PM 2 comments

  The Tadpole
I had the first Ob-Gyn appointment yesterday, and I was sooo nervous. I just had this feeling that there was no way I was ever going to actually have a baby.

Erick and I were sitting in the waiting room, and he kept telling me all about the home remodeling book he was reading. I was trying to pay attention, but not really suceeding. The pounding headache I had at the time didn't help.

So we finally got to the ultrasound room, and they placed the device, and sure enough--there was the baby! It was moving around, kicking off the side of the uterus, and swimming back and forth. We could even see the heart beating. The nurse had a hard time pinning down the hearbeat because the baby was moving so much. But the heartbeat was there, and sounded very strong. We got a pretty good picture facing front.

What a huge relief! Now I'm starting to feel that everything really might be okay, and that the little tadpole is really there and going to make it.

Also, I liked the doctor. She dispelled some of the myths that people had been telling me, like having to sleep on your right side throughout the whole pregnancy. And she assured me that it is fine to keep running and doing other exercise.

I just feel so much better, and much more relaxed.

Ok, I'm done now.  ¶ 9:30 AM 3 comments