Interesting interview on the topic of Christianity with Moby

What an interesting discourse. A very interesting man who makes very interesting music has a very interesting take on Christianity and what it means in his life. Whether you agree or disagree there are some interesting things here to consider.

Here's a snipet-

WITTENBURG DOOR: You have a pretty intense reaction to people abusing each other and the world in the name of Jesus. What is the nature of your relationship with Jesus?

MOBY: My honest answer is, I don't know. The word Christian means so many different things to different people that it has from a linguistic perspective become a meaningless word. If we have one word that means wildly disparate things to different people, the word itself ceases to have meaning. If you think a hammer is a dog, and I think a hammer is a car, and someone else thinks a hammer is a building, and we all use the word hammer, it serves no practical purpose for any of us.

The full interview can be found here

Creepy Call

Tonight the phone rang and the caller ID showed that it was coming from an 866 number. I decided to answer it since it was the 2nd time today that the number had shown up. It was a recording from the Department of Security.

I was kind of surprised that we would receive such a call. On the one hand it was kind of comforting that they would make calls to homes potentially affected by an oncoming winter storm of the magnitude that we are about to receive. On the other hand it was creepy that they would actually go through and dial numbers letting the residents know that if they did not have power to seek shelter immediately.

We were blasted on Saturday with a few inches of freezing rain/ice and several inches of snow. We lost power for only about 15 minutes, but there are still several areas that are without power and may continue to be for the next week or two. Now, tomorrow we are supposed to receive round 2. More rain/ice and blizzard like conditions that could get us another 6-12 inches of snow. Damn I hate winter.

One theory behind this is that God is pouring out a spell of "mini-wrath" because of a vote that recently took place in the Iowa Legislature concerning embryonic stem cell research. I don't really follow such logic. I doubt that this has as much to do with that as much as it has to do with nature itself and the fact that we just haven't had a winter like this in quite a while.

The problem that I have with saying that God is doing this is "how are we to know?" It would only be pure speculation based on coincidence. Even hindsight can't be sure on this one.

I just know that it will be cold and nasty and I'd rather be somewhere with a beach until all of this clears.

Loser of the week

In a press conference this week, while Rev. Al Sharpton should have been giving either an explanation for his terrible hairstryle or why his neck is so skinny in comparison to the rest of his body, he instead decided to go public with some of the worst news that this country could yet face.

Apparently Al's great, great, great, great grand pappy was a slave that was owned by Strom Thurman's great, great, great, great grand pappy. This goes to show 2 incredible things- The first being just how cruel slavery can be. Slavery must have sucked. Nobody is denying that. Most people today would agree that slavery should not have happened [ever] and that given the opportunity they would hopefully keep it from happening again. Oppression gives birth to a lot of harmful behaviours. Just look at Rev. Sharpton. I don't believe that I've ever seen him happy. I don't believe that he is ever out there doing anything other than fighting for other people with whom he doesn't really have any interest in other than having his face be seen about whatever the cause is. I really don't know that he has really done as much good as he has irritated those of us who have had to listen to him.

The second thing that it shows is just how hell bent this guy is on looking like a cry baby. He actually hired someone to trace his roots to see what they could find. They were successful. So what does he want out of this now? Money? A tissue? I think that Strom Thurman should kick his ass...publicly. I don't really know anything about Strom Thurman othat than the fact that he was also allegedly racist and that he is now dead. Like I said though, Strom ought to raise from the dead for just 1 day to come back and kick Sharpton's ass.

What an idiot to spend his money so irresponsibly. Does he think that this is going to help him in any way? And how manly of him to go after a dead guy about it.

I say that Sharpton needs a good beat down. Him being black has nothing to do with it. He needs it just because he is a jackass.

I don't know much but I do know how to let go of the past. Sure this is a matter of slavery but he was not a slave; at least not to Thurman's family. Now he is only a slave to his own selfish stupidity.

God help him see what a loser he is.

Early Sunday Morning Funny

If only it were still the Sabbath right now.

Forecast

I can't really give a forecast other than to say that it is just not very nice outside.

We got a lot of freezing rain today and it is still snowing outside. I currently cannot open my back door. The screen door is frozen shut at the frame and there are several inches of frozen snow holding it closed. We are supposed to receive 8"-10" of snow by the time this storm is over. We've also lost power once tonight. That was almost pretty exciting. It got me thinking.

I had plans. I had plans tonight to watch The Departed with my wife after the kids went to bed. The lights went out in the middle of supper. We had a flashlight going while we tried to round up all the candles. I started thinking about all of my evening plans; blogging, movies, music....how I wouldn't be able to do any of these so I may as well go to bed right after the kids. Then just as we got all of the candles lit the power came back on. Now 5 hours later the lights are flickering again.

We aren't going anywhere tomorrow but I'm sure that I'll be having a helluva time shoveling all of the snow and ice off my porches and sidewalk.

Sunday mornings I seem to still have this sick desire to scan the network television stations to hear the latest in the nonsense rattled off by all of the tv preachers. There is usually Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplanis, Creflo Dollar, Beth Meyer, Robert Schuller, and then some no name guy from Aberdeen, South Dakota. He parts his hair on both sides and is bald on top. I'm not sure how he does it. So where he lacks in the whole theologically mysterious entertainment, he makes up for in presentation. Don't get the mental image confused with Benny Hinn though. I wouldn't want to insult this guy like that.

Well, it is late and Alias is on. I wish that I had the energy to stay up and watch it. Jennifer Garner is good looking, although she's not quite worth it as much as Jennifer Love Hewitt is in Ghost Whisperer. Mmmmmmmm......

I'm going to head to my room and pick up a book to read until my eyes can't take it any longer.

My New Blog

I started this new blog because I needed a bit of a break from what The Reluctant Disciple was bringing forth. I hope that this new format will be better than the last.

I don't even really know what the point of the last blog was, but I think that I am more in tune with what I want to accomplish here in this one. It seemed as though the last one came off as only showing 1 of the 2 extreme sides of the pendelum swing in my life. I hope that this one covers all.

In response to a comment from Travis though...I respect your option and value it, but I must say that I can't guarantee that this one won't have tension either. I plan to hit everything here, so if it gets too serious for comfort then just wait a while and we'll get back to something else shortly.

That is the tension in life though. Not everything can be serious, but not everything can be overlooked. If there is anything that I have learned in my life lately it is that I must examine absolutely everything without leaving any stones unturned.

Preparing for Armageddon

I don't know what is really going on outside or anything like that but I wouldn't be surprised if the world is about to end. It has been cold here today, a pretty unwelcome departure from the taste of spring that we've gotten all of the rest of the week.

Today it has been in the low 30's and we've had very small hail. I think it is bigger than sleet but not quite as big as good sized hail. But the worst of it is that now I also hear thunder outside. That's right...Thunder.

Today has not really gone the way I wanted or expected it to. I knew that I needed to work a shorter day today because even though I work for a major corporation that makes billions of dollars, the recent budget cuts keep them from being able to the appropriate overtime that gets merited. So as of 18:00 last night I was already at 38 hours for the week. That would mean that I would only be working for 2 hours today. And I wasn't about to work those 2 hours in the office. That would mean driving all the way into town [which would be an hour drive] and then coming back when I was done. And the roads here have not been all that great, so I stayed home. That is one of the nice things about my current job. I get to work from home 2 days a week.

But anywhooooo...I started the day out at the Real Estate office trying to get their "network" situation set up for them. I already knew that what I was doing was not going to work but I had to show them that. So I didn't get them squared away.

When I got back I ended up doing some "work" for my real job which consisted of a 3 hour teleconference-training session with a teammate of mine out in Tempe, AZ. Both during and after that call, I kept getting calls from other people at work since I am the "on-call" go to guy this week and my partner in crime out in Salt Lake City, UT is out on vacation. So instead of only working 2 hours today I've done closer to 5 and I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being a full 8 before all is said and done. Don't get me wrong though, I still get paid by the hour so I'll take what I can get.

It is supposed to be crappy here all weekend. That means that we won't be venturing anywhere. I hate that in the winter.

With the forecast being what it is, I guess that means that we'll watch some movies. Have you seen The Departed? I haven't either yet but will be watching it tonight.

I also hope to do some reading. I'm currently reading a very good book by Wallace Wang called Steal This Computer Book 4.0 It's on computer/internet security. I do IT security stuff for a living and would say that this book is an easy read for newbies.

Other book is by Joseph Campbell called Primitive Mythology: The Masks of God. It too is a very fascinating book but it's only the first volume of 3.

So I've got an interesting weekend ahead.

I gotta go now. We need supper and I've volunteered.

These eyes

These have got to be some of the most amazing eyes that I have seen in a long time-
[image first seen at http://tnma.blogspot.com]

Top 10 Reasons To Use Linux

From another blog that I found here

10. Only seen when you update the kernel, not for your “Must Have” security updates. “You have successfully updated your computer, please reboot for the changes to take affect.”

9. The Shell.

8. Your application freezes X server, ctl-alt-f2 login to shell and kill hung processes.

7. No email macro viruses.

6. Xgl + Gnome.

5. Your friends stop asking you to fix their computers after you install Linux on their PCs.

4. No IE.

3. You no longer have to fill the coffers of the richest man in the world.

2. Freedom.

1. Uber-Geekdom, at last!

In interesting correlation

From The Wittenburg Door Insider; Feb. 21, 2007

CHRIST 'CRUISE'-IFIED!

After Scientology Uber-Fuhrer David Miscavige declared Tom Cruise a Christ-figure who will be worshipped in years to come, our John Green decided to research the parallels between Tom-Tom and Jesus. He discovered some shocking facts:

Jesus was tempted to leap from the pinnacle of the Temple.
Oprah let Tom jump on her couch.

Christ was maligned and misunderstood.
Tom got bad reviews for Days of Thunder.

King David (symbolic of Christ) danced in his linen ephod before the Ark of the Covenant.
Tom danced in his tightie-whities in Risky Business.

Jesus was the son of a carpenter.
Tom took woodshop class in junior high.

Jesus carried out a difficult mission.
Tom starred in the Mission Impossible trinity.

The wise men brought costly gifts to the baby Jesus.
Baby Suri's Vanity Fair photos brought big bucks to Tom.

Jesus could have called down a legion of angels to rescue him from the cross.
Tom has minions of Scientology lawyers to back him up.

Jesus was silent before his accusers.
Tom's religion silences its accusers.

Jesus had a band of loyal followers.
Tom is followed everywhere by paparazzi.

Jesus created the universe ex nihilo.
L. Ron Hubbard created Scientology from nothing.

Jesus has guest-starred on South Park.
Ditto for Tom.

Today's weather report...

Just makes me want to get out and do one of these-

I work for a major corporation...

Baby in my cake...

I wish I could make this stuff up-

Source: www.religionnews.com

Why Is There a Baby Inside My Cake?
By Judy Walker

NEW ORLEANS -- A newcomer to this city walked in the bakery door one day holding a small doll in a little napkin. “She pulled me over to one side and said, `Son, I don't want to make a big stink, but I found this in my cake,”' remembers David Haydel Jr., a manager at Haydel's Bakery. “I had to explain to her the whole scenario.” Welcome to southern Louisiana, where the many rich culinary traditions include the deliberate baking of foreign objects -- especially tiny plastic babies -- into cakes during Carnival. So why are the babies there in the first place? At least three bakeries believe the king cake baby has religious roots. “It has to do with the baby Jesus,” one bakery owner said, noting that king cake season commences on Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.

I must admit

I must admit that I love the spouse trading shows. I find them to be very fascinating. It is just so interesting when you take two families that are so different and then mix things up and have them trade places for a week or 2 weeks.

Tension can be high, stress creeps in, arguments arise.

What I find irritating on the one hand is that invariably there comes a point in the show where the man refuses to give in to the rule change that the woman is about to set forth. When I see that I just stop and think to myself, "hey dummy- you signed up for the show, you knew that things would be different; so stop whining and suck it up. It'll all be over in a week or 2."

Then on the other hand I realize that their resistance is just good marketing and entertainment.

I always like the shows where the two families are actually able to learn from each other and not end things with a fist fight.

I'll get my first fights from Jerry Springer.

Out of gas

Sunday night. Tired weekend.

Yesterday was a typical Saturday; hanging with the kids and family, making meals, etc. Today was the tired part. We had a family birthday party on my wife's side. Those are always big and there is always lots to do.

One of the advantages to having a farm in the family is having the ability to do more things outdoors. The kids all loaded up into sleds that were pulled over the empty corn fields from the back of a pickup. It was a blast. We were in the truck and the goal was to whip the kids around enough to knock them off their sleds. Both of my kids loved it.

The day has come and gone and now it is almost 22:15. I am tired but I still feel like there is much left to be done.

Very Nice

This was just too good not to post...

A Cold Thursday Afternoon

OK, this is going to be my first official, official post on this new blog.

It is butt cold outside and just when I thought it couldn't get any better I found out that I was wrong. While it is true that we are supposed to get yet another 2" of snow tomorrow, the temps are supposed to be up in the 40's next week. That is both good and bad in my book.

Good because that means that my furnace will not have to run as hard, or at all. The vehicles will start easier, I don't have to wear as many layers of clothing, etc.

Bad because that will mean melting snow which means sloppy roads. It also might mean water dripping in to my basement as it seeps into the ground and comes in through various little cracks that I have in my foundation.

It is staying light out longer though. That is the one thing that I really hate about winter- darkness and short days. I need light. The natural sunlight is pretty much what keeps me from going completely insane...although that is still up for debate among some.

I am looking forward to warmer weather. Now that I have kids I can appreciate the need to get out of the house more. This spring and summer I plan on more visits to the parks, more walks, more bike rides, going camping and fishing. This summer my daughter will be 4 and my son will be 2. Those are great ages for fun.

I just hate being stuck in the house.

My New Blog

Hi. I thought that I'd hang up the gloves on The Reluctant Disciple. I may still post there from time to time but I think that this will now be my home.

Check back soon.