My Muse

I Love You, I Hate You

2009-11-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

There was a man who was walking in his forty acre ranch examining his crops with his beautiful dog (It might have been a Golden Retriever or a Husky. Ranchers like dogs with lots of hair because those are the coolest ones). He was absolutely blissful in the serene mountain air (yes, for those of you who are wondering it’s the Rocky Mountains) when all of a sudden the tranquil silence is shattered by his phone ringing “The Final Countdown” (he’s a hip rancher). He sighs and answers his cell phone…

I dread the day when cell phones are implanted into us via a chip (I’m sure it’s coming). I have a very on and off relationship with this thing called a cellular phone. I hate how it has made people able to access me anytime anywhere (Can you hear me now?), but I also love it. Is very valuable, yet it shrinks the world in my mind everyone is just seven digits (ten if it‘s out of the area) away. Also, I feel like I forget to put on my pants when I don’t have my cell phone with me, yet I hate having this ugly and annoying budge in my pocket that is my cell phone and I want to throw it away sometimes. Maybe I’m just upset I have to get a new phone because my old one is dying out on me, but I don’t think so…

Hi, I’m A Homophobic Witch Burner, What Are You?

2009-11-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

Big news, Maine has passed a state wide law forbidding homosexual marriage, and along with this is another flair up with the Christian attitude to homosexual marriage unions. This is not an essay clip to defend the biblical position of homosexuality, because I feel that doesn’t need it at the moment. What I’m annoyed by is the whole misconception that because Christianity is against homosexuality it is therefore a homophobic religion. Also it annoys me that people get absolute ecstasy in pointing to what corrupt, power hungry rulers have done in the name of God. As if the people of a religion are somehow not human and not power hungry, selfish people like everyone else. It’s like people don’t understand that Christians are just as screwed up as the rest of the world, just we have been given the absolute gift in the form of the Blood of the Lamb covering our screw ups. But I digress, that’s for another time.

Anyways, the whole ‘if you are not for homosexuality then you are homophobic’ ideal is just a form of an either/or fallacy. there is nothing irrational (as would be if it was homophobic) about God’s command that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God. In fact it’s impossible for God to have irrational anything. Anything we precede of God that appears to be irrational to us is because we, as He so says in I Corinthians, are incomparable to him intellectually. Or, to quote, “the foolishness of God is wiser then men.” If we can’t even understand the most simplistic of God, then how the heck do we have the sense to claim He is irrational in His denouncement of homosexuality? Besides, He’s perfect and perfection is Him. Something perfect can’t be irrational in any sense.

Emergent or The Story is in the Pages, Keep Your Eye on the Bible

2009-09-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

You not only have a purpose in life, you are worth it. God thought you were worthy of His love so much that He sent His son to earth for you. Does that not sound nice, regardless if it is true? Emergent literature seems to agree with that, it tends to dance down the pathway of emotional responses. Authors such as Rob Bell, Brian McLaren and Donald Miller say this and even more, but they usually do not have the authority behind their statements and subtle whispers. They try to find a way to blend the bible with post-modernism, but they have trouble realizing the blend is not right. Emergent, or emerging, authors and thinkers try to use the fundamental truths of Gods scripture along with the ever swaying lack of truth in post-modernism. The result is an emerging movement (or conversation) of social gospel made up of emotional reactions, antithetic usage of scripture and a lack of truth.

A few quotes from leaders in the conversation:

"The Way is not a method or a map, The Way is an experience."
- Leonard Sweet, SoulTsunami

“The Christian faith, I am proposing, should become (in the name of Jesus Christ) a welcome friend to other religions of the world, not a threat”
-Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy McLaren

"Heaven is full of forgiven people. Hell is full of forgiven people. Heaven is full of people God loves, whom Jesus died for. Hell is full of forgiven people God loves, whom Jesus died for. The difference is how we choose to live, which story we choose to live in, which version of reality we trust. Ours or God's."
-Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

”The main reason of the incarnation of Jesus is so that we can understand how to be human”
- Rob Bell

"I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze."
— Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

"I don't agree with 1/4 of my first book"
-Donald Miller

"religious doctrines just aren't very compelling, even if they're true."
- Shane Claiborne

"[In Calcutta] The goal was not to keep people alive...but to allow them to die with dignity, with someone loving them, singing, laughing, so they were not alone."
- Shane Claiborne

The problem with this movement (or conversation, as it is called by people in the movement) really is the lack of substance when it becomes spiritual, as they prefer to skim the outside of spiritual truth or even flat out refuse it. The truth of the cross and the reason Christ died for us is muddle up by this movement.

Steve Chalke (an author highly praised by Brian McLaren) has even called the death of Christ on the cross "cosmic child abuse" and even goes as far as claiming, "Jesus believed in original goodness." After that, the author and dreamer Shane Claiborne claims that Jesus is in the eyes of everyone (The Irresistible Revolution). Donald Miller seems to believe that pain and brokenness are the main problems of humanity and we need to learn to love ourselves (Blue Like Jazz). Even Rob Bell says that Christ died so we can "understand what it means to be human." These authors miss the fact that Christ died to free us from our bondage of sin. They ignore 1 John 4:10, "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Christ died and suffered on the cross so he could absorb the wrath of God so we did not have to.

They also twist and mold scripture to fit their idea of Christ. Share Claiborne claiming the Christ was a revolutionary, rebellious leader who was crucified because he hung out with sinners (The Irresistible Revolution). He also says that the principalities and powers and rulers of our dark world that Ephesians tells us about are the empire because it makes the world unsafe because millions live in poverty. He totally ignores the truth that Ephesians actually talks about darkness spiritually.

That is just two main issues I have found with the emergent church, they also distort scripture when discussing war and violence (and ignore the perfect demands of God for Israel to go to war)and become spotty when they are presented with big morality hot topics such as homosexuality ("Frankly, many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality. We've heard all sides but no position has yet won our confidence so that we can say "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us." -Brian McLaren). These issues are too much for me to continue writing about currently, Perhaps I'll expand with a Part II to this.

This movement very well could be remembered when Paul warns us to be wary of false teachers who exchange to truth of God for a lie, perhaps a lie that drips honey to our ears.

How Do You Like This Now?

2009-09-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

People love to manipulate and twist scripture so it can fit their ideas. Why do people tend to twist peacemakers in Jesus' sermon on the mount to mean people who make worldly peace and not spiritual? What ever happened to God commanding the annihilation of the Amalekites? That's sure not peaceful, but that was perfect and right. How do those people explain those old testament scriptures like that? The holy, just, righteous and perfect God command that a nation be blotched up, that meant that Israeli going to war and slaying the Amalekites was holy, just and perfect. What kind of kink does that put in the peace loving misconception that people lick up in this current age?

Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster III

2009-06-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

Fresh off a major line-up change, Maylene and The Sons of Disaster released III last Tuesday. Last year the band dropped everyone except mastermind Dallas Taylor and bass player Roman Haviland. Such a member change shows when you listen to the new album, as it has more versatility and a bigger creative side to Maylene then the last two albums. They diverge from the strong southern, smash your skull into a brick wall and love it metalcore of the first two albums and focused much more on the southern aspect of their music. Instead of predominantly hearing the influence of bands like Everytime I Die, this album also has equal parts influence from ZZ Top, Bon Jovi (The early work, when they were metal) and Corrosion of Conformity. They have taken southern metal core in a unique direction with this album and stand a chance of being a band that could, and should, explode in popularity.

This is not to say they toned down the intensity, because that is not the case. Dallas still screams with all the intensity of an angry mama grizzly bear set on protecting her cubs, it is just that he has limited it slightly to showcase the bands talent and comprehension of southern music. Enough of that though, on to the album itself.

The album begins with Waiting On My Deathbed, which is a good album opening as the slow intro hints at the musical vibes of the album while the majority of the song reminds everyone that Maylene has not vacated their metalcore roots. The next three songs offer up molten slabs of metalcore with a tinge of a Bon Jovi vibe on the choruses. The fifth song, Step Up (I’m On It), keeps reminding me of ZZ Top every time I hear it. The only thing is I don’t think the bearded faithful ever came up with something so heavy. Then there is the sixth song on the album, Listen Close. The song is growing on me and is one of the stand out cuts from the album. It’d be considered a ballad from a Maylene perspective, but is anything but a song to lull someone to sleep to. The next four songs contain enough hooks and turns to confuse Jeff Gordon, every song is a standout cut served with catchy choruses and enough singing from Dallas to tame (or kill) the wildest of coyotes (they’re from the south, right?). The closing song, The End Is Here...The End Is Beautiful, continues in the Maylene vein with closing out the album with a haunting, yet beautiful instrumental.

With it all said and done, III is an album done right. It’s not without it’s hiccups, but being that they are so few it’s easy to overlook them and be astounded by the rest of this stellar album.

A Plan For Peace?

2009-06-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

"It is our job, it is our responsibility, to help people make peace with God and then to help them make peace with each other. That is the commission that was given not to a government, but the church." - Rick Warren

P.E.A.C.E.

Promote Reconciliation
Equip Leaders
Assist the Poor
Care for the Sick
Educate the Next Generation

This plan is formed, by Pastor Rick Warren, to combat the Giants of spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases, illiteracy and lack of education. Of course you could interchange any semi-emergent leader in Warrens place and it'd still fit. Here are some names for you to try it with: Brian McLaren, Tony Campolo, Shane Clairborne, Donald Miller, Rob Bell, and even Robert Schuller.

Okay, so how is this biblical? Why is this the churches commission? What is the hang up with people thinking Christ becomes suddenly superficial when he teaches about peace? What is the deal with pulling out the social gospel so often anymore? When does God command us to fix the worlds messed up, superficial problems? When does God command the church to make every poor person not poor and command the church to make everyone literate?

I'll emphasize that I'm arguing at the superficial standing point, and I'm not arguing this is wrong but that is is not the command from Christ for us to do. Too often people are just seemingly lazy or looking for biblical justification for the things they do when there may not be. The command from Christ is to spread the word of Him and what He has done for us. A social gospel and desire for worldly peace are not the objectives of the savior of our souls. Christ even says he does not come for worldly peace:

"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)

"Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;" (Luke 12:51)

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)

Just as when he tells us the beatitude of being a peacemaker, it is not superficial, worldly peace He is telling us about. It is spiritual peace, which will not be accomplished by fixing this faulty planet (which is impossible by the way). Jesus also talks about the poor, saying they will always be with us and that a sign of Him being the Son of God is the fact the poor are getting preached the Word of God. Nothing about the poor getting an easier life on this decomposing planet called earth.

Making someones earthly body healthy again so it can die a few years later, or making someone earthly body recognize earthly words will not save their souls. The ultimate commission from Christ is to tell people of His grace and glory, not make them feel better about their earthly body.

"Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18,19)

Christ is the reconciler, we are a way to let other know who the true Reconciler is. Our commission is to let it be know that one can only be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus, our commission is to let Christ's death for us on the cross be known, our commission is to let God grace through Jesus be known. Our peace should not be that of the world, superficial and with other men, but that of Christs, spiritual and with God alone.

How Much Does Music Affect Us?

2009-06-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

So I prose a question, and that is about music. The question is not what's right or wrong about it, but if it does indeed effect us. Now I'm not talking about the extreme that says you'll murder, kill, and plunder because of music, but what I'm asking is if music breaks us down slightly psychologically. And vise versa, does music build us up psychologically? I think it does. It probably won't affect us physically, that is our response and choices, but psychologically I think so. The part of our mind that is in control of the thought process does think about what it hears. I wonder what others think?

The Backyard Project

2009-06-04T22:31:00.001-07:00

Quick history, my grandfather took care of an acre of land until he died, about 8 years ago. Since then the care given to it has been extremely limited, mainly mowing weeds (that thing called grass, it's gone) and killing everything that could be. Everything else was let go, not taken care of. Over the past few months I've been working on it myself and trying to get it up to par with not only being a regular backyard, but a decent garden and general good looking place. Sometimes I look at it and can't believe I've been doing stuff with it for four or so months (since March), it looks like I've hardly done anything with most of it. I have worked one corner to be pretty good and I'm ever so slowly expanding. I didn't take any pictures when I first started, I'm just doing it now. First the little area I've been busting my butt on then I'll post the rest later, next week hopefully. I'll explain more later, next week too, about it when I have more time.

After all that, I'll be posting stuff periodically showing some progress and changes done. I'm hoping the change will be not only extremely noticeable, but fantastic looking. (Some picture you'll have to click on to see the whole thing)

Between the Mock Orange and the light were two stumps I took out, dug them, and I cleaned up all the weeds as the aera all along the fence was overflowing with them. I put down about an inch of manure mix all through the area and behind the tree slightly on the left and up.

The I took about four dying/overgrown flowers out of the little garden place surrounded by the railroad ties on the right. I put new soil down and added three Dahlias. The grass in the center was a bit of a project as I've been pulling weeds from it periodically. I reseeded the empty patches in it and the new grass is growing very well so far.

There was a stump between the tree and the Mock Orange bush (there's a few of these around this place) I dug out also. You can see where I placed the manure mix (along with some new top soil), the messy bricks and the dirt area will eventually be turned into a brick patio.

From the fence looking at the house, those bricks will just continue towards me.

I'm not sure what to put here, maybe some cat mint?

The other side, not so pretty. I'm in the process of scraping the grass out and re-seeding it all and putting in some new grass.

The well pump! Everything is irrigated by this little sucker. Well water is nice.

Not a pretty sight.

Looking out to the lawn. I like that Hydrangea, and I like that lawn.

The other Hydrangea I put in and some deer.

Some more deer action.

Along the fence. Those tall flowers on the left are Bachelors Buttons.

Thanks for looking, I hope this turns out great.

Hear Me

2009-05-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

Free my soul from it's self made prison, Lord. I have no righteousness in me, You know that fuller then I ever will want to. I need to escape those that persecute my heart, those that pull me down and away from You. You know I have to escape these evil men and desires, and I cry out to You to come to my rescue again.

Take me off the dark path to Sheol and place me on the lit and slender path to You, I want nothing to do with the evil and violent today but I only want to follow the righteous pathway to You. Do not judge for the path Your child has taken, but forgive me. Forgive me for the hardened parts of my heart, cleanse it and make it soft in it's entirety again.

I need Your deliverance because I am weak and overpowered by evil, only You can save me. Bring my wandering heart back to You so that I may give thanks to Your name, the Lord of all!

I want to bask in the light of Your truth forever, I want to be as a firm tree by a river. I do not want to wither, but be dealt with graciously by You, my Father and God.

Humanity is a Child

2009-04-29T22:32:00.000-07:00

Humanity is like many small children who are picky in what they eat. They get taught and shown that vegetables are good and healthy for their bodies, that brussels sprouts and broccoli strengthen them. But they ignore that and instead go for the chocolate truffles because the taste of chocolate is so much more pleasing to their palette, all the time ignoring the fact the chocolate is damaging to their bodies and is, in fact, poisonous.

Dream 2

2009-03-31T18:32:00.000-07:00

I had a dream that I was standing in a barren field of gravel. About ten feet in front of me was a high electric fence and a gray brick wall behind that, the fence stretched as far as the eye could see on either side of me. Next to me was a chain linked fence with barb wire at the top. The fence went straight down until it disappeared in the distance. On the outside of the fence there were high bushes and thick trees, they were perfectly green and secure feeling. I started to walk forward, in between the two fences, when I suddenly came alongside an author.

I instantly recognized him as a famous Christian writer, someone who is greatly admired by many people. He was tall and wore clothes of his own making, even his sandals were his own. This author had a distraught look on his face, I told him to walk with me and he began talking about what he believed and felt. The books this man wrote grasped many flawed arguments and that was the reason for his distress. He came to the realization that his writing and beliefs where not something high, but something fruitless. He claimed foolishness and simple mindedness in those writings.

At that very moment we came upon a hole in the fence. The hole was about eight feet tall and just wide enough for two people or a small automobile. It was green with healthy bushes on both sides, and those bushes were so think it was impossible to see through them. The bushes fluttered over the pathway too, giving it a peaceful and pure sense. The ground lost all traces of the gravel and was instead grass and dirt. This path was perfectly lit, and appeared to have the sun itself waiting at the end. I looked at the author and we both agreed to turn onto the path.

At this my dream ended, that was the second.

Dream 1

2009-03-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

I had a dream that blue was replaced with red in the sky. Thousands of people stood outside a huge building that was the size of a coliseum. The building was a church, a grandiose place that attracted more people then I've ever seen before. Those people were all standing outside and staring at a tower. It was a tower of fire, reaching almost ten stories high and with blood red flames. The flames were thin, like a vial, and circular. The crowd was fearful of the evil spreading from the fires, but the fear kept their feet in place.

Out of the circle of fire came things, inhuman but yet reminiscent of humans. They had almost a reptilian body, but stood on two legs like humans. They were at least seven feet tall, and had some distinguishing features - all of them evil. They had no clothes, but were naked. They also appeared as part of no human gender, neither male or female. They had tough and course looking skin, it was a dark red as if they suffered from a horrible sunburn the last few hundred years. Their legs and arms had jagged fragments sticking out of them, they were to be used as sinister weapons. Their face was dark, hiding all their features except two pure red eyes. Finally, the feature on their heads that caused the most stir. They had a halo, or crown, of crooked and jagged spikes. In short these beings had the look of something that was corrupted in the evilest belly of hell.

These beings charged into the crowd of people, and they began to slaughter them without mercy. They has the speed of a gazelle and the grace of bull. At times they would hesitate in front of someone, whisper something in a bizarre tongue and left the person alone. This continued for I cannot remember how long, until a man who appeared to have authority walked up to one of the beings. He stood and glared, upwards, at the being. He then exclaimed, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that is spoken of in Gods Word, I command you to leave us!"

The thing stopped and lowered its arm. After a split second it spoke in a gravelly and deep voice, "I know this Jesus, but what worthless swine are you?" He then raised his arm, bringing it down on the man. At this I awoke in an intense sweat, this was the first.

Final-ly

2007-05-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ideas change constantly, and that happened to me with my final. My pictures from my first idea were not quit to my liking, but then I went to a San Jose Sharks game last Monday and everything changed. I was able to capture some shots that, to me, were much stronger. It probably had to do with the fact the pictures were more difficult to capture then the ones I did before that. To capture someone skating at top speeds on ice (up close) has been very difficult for me since I've been trying to shoot the games I go to. Three pictures I caught Monday that I did not print out were...

I liked this pictures very much too but they were the lesser pictures that got bumped out of the final because I didn't want to do more than eight prints (I also didn't have much more time to add many more). These pictures were a joy to capture.

Lipkins at it again

2007-02-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

So, I believe it was the Lipkin assignment that desires the blog. So here it is. What a strange assignment. Easy, but weird. Having no idea what to shoot makes it so much harder to shoot then I'd think possible. So sitting in my room and the chair outside is really the best solution to this. Since this assignment is based on whatever you want, I think I'll just post a random picture that really has no meaning on this blog. It's a graveyard in Oregon. The only edit I did to it was making it smaller. the shake and all was 'accidental' but turned out nice.