Christ has done a good work in me, of which he will finish.
nostalgia
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
mugged!
Okay so I just got hit with a broomstick and punched in the face by some gang of kids whilst riding my bike to UofL. I got away! Man the Lord is good!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
entrepreneurial conditions take us to glory
This blog post exists to express what plans I wish to carry out in the coming years of my life as a professional student, a member of a local church, a cg leader and above all other identities, a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ; in light of the gospel and these passages:
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)"
"For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? (Isaiah 14:27)"
"The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,the plans of his heart to all generations. (Psalm 33:10-11)"
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
My thoughts turn towards these things:
Community Group
REU (Research Experience for Undergrads)
earning a PhD in Physics (OSU?)
moving cities, thus leaving Sojourn
Veritas Community Church, i.e. The Nyes
Thinking towards my future is both exciting and frustrating. I have a trepidation concerning how a career in physics might steer my life; being woven into academia while representing the supremacy of Christ, that He is Lord of all, and still finding value in an occupation. I find great comfort in the truth that Christ is venerated even through seemingly menial tasks, and all things considered I think I will find great fulfillment and joy in the world of academia.
I will be applying to some REU's this coming summer 09. I will most likely be gone for 10 weeks researching and working in a lab and living in a foreign city on a University Campus. This is good for experience but looks phenomenal on a resume for grad school. And if I can manage to get into OSU's REU then I can be recognized within the department prior to going there (or decide against it as my school of choice). The Lord is Sovereign.
I wanna get a PhD. I'm not sure what that's going to look like....I'm mainly just thinking it's going to be really hard...and that's my thought on that. It will look more and more tangible as I'm picking grad schools and furthering my knowledge of what I want to study.
Aside from my plans to further my education, I have a desire to be the church scattered, in North America. This mainly stems from seeing so many of my peers leaving Sojourn to advance the gospel in church planting. The Nyes in Columbus are consistently on my mind when I'm asked what I want to do when I go to grad school. But along with this desire to help church plant, I have a coupled sense of fear that moving cities will be accompanied by a lack of companionship with a woman. This fear is not merited for a man of my youth, but I hope I just won't be so lonely when I leave. Oh and I strongly wish to multiply, i.e. procreate. The Lord is Sovereign.
Take us to glory (that is God, not entrepreneurial conditions)...I think about it now...
I apologize but, it would be anticlimactic for my newest blog not to allude to a Sufjan Stevens song.
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)"
"For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back? (Isaiah 14:27)"
"The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,the plans of his heart to all generations. (Psalm 33:10-11)"
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
My thoughts turn towards these things:
Community Group
REU (Research Experience for Undergrads)
earning a PhD in Physics (OSU?)
moving cities, thus leaving Sojourn
Veritas Community Church, i.e. The Nyes
Thinking towards my future is both exciting and frustrating. I have a trepidation concerning how a career in physics might steer my life; being woven into academia while representing the supremacy of Christ, that He is Lord of all, and still finding value in an occupation. I find great comfort in the truth that Christ is venerated even through seemingly menial tasks, and all things considered I think I will find great fulfillment and joy in the world of academia.
I will be applying to some REU's this coming summer 09. I will most likely be gone for 10 weeks researching and working in a lab and living in a foreign city on a University Campus. This is good for experience but looks phenomenal on a resume for grad school. And if I can manage to get into OSU's REU then I can be recognized within the department prior to going there (or decide against it as my school of choice). The Lord is Sovereign.
I wanna get a PhD. I'm not sure what that's going to look like....I'm mainly just thinking it's going to be really hard...and that's my thought on that. It will look more and more tangible as I'm picking grad schools and furthering my knowledge of what I want to study.
Aside from my plans to further my education, I have a desire to be the church scattered, in North America. This mainly stems from seeing so many of my peers leaving Sojourn to advance the gospel in church planting. The Nyes in Columbus are consistently on my mind when I'm asked what I want to do when I go to grad school. But along with this desire to help church plant, I have a coupled sense of fear that moving cities will be accompanied by a lack of companionship with a woman. This fear is not merited for a man of my youth, but I hope I just won't be so lonely when I leave. Oh and I strongly wish to multiply, i.e. procreate. The Lord is Sovereign.
Take us to glory (that is God, not entrepreneurial conditions)...I think about it now...
I apologize but, it would be anticlimactic for my newest blog not to allude to a Sufjan Stevens song.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
free offer of the gospel
"God not only delights in the penitent but is also moved by the riches of his goodness and mercy to desire the repentance and salvation of the impenitent and reprobate."
I am convinced this is true.
I am convinced this is true.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Are We Innocent? Acts 18:5-11
"5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:5-11)"
Here I am again in Acts, and again it sparks multiple arenas of thought. I mean, firstly I look at this text and I it shows me a couple things that I presuppose going into any text I read.
A. Paul isn't impeccable. I like to see him in my mind (and many other biblical figures) as a perfect man, but he's a sinner, for "I[Christ] have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners. (Mark 2:17) " Christ called Paul, but he knows he's a sinner.
B. I judge Paul and feel as if his actions weren't up to par with the gospel. I mean, preaching to Jews and giving up on them and claiming that he is innocent? It's a weighty claim, but he does so in boldness. I love that about Paul. He says things and means them. When we were doing Romans 1 at Sojourn, we read Paul claims, "9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. (Romans 9-10)" Without ceasing? Even in hyperbole I would feel uncomfortable writing that about my own church.
But as I am looking at my own realm of people I am attempting to proclaim the gospel to, I ask myself, am I innocent of their blood? Do they hear and their hearts become hardened, or am I just lacking the simple effort that it takes to speak to them on behalf of Christ? I love people, and if I really love them, I'll be real with them. Forgive me for being so fake.
I went outside last night in the freezing weather and watched the total lunar eclipse. I got to a part in the middle of my suburban neighborhood where there was a great distance between me and houses on either sides of me. From this position the vast expanse above stretched a great deal in all directions without much hindering me from seeing as much as I wanted. It's pretty hard to see stars usually but I had luck with last night and I couldn't see any clouds. The Lunar eclipse reminded me of how, the older I get, the more fascinating everything seems to be. Years ago, I could have cared less that the earth was blotting out the moon, but last night it was awesome.
Here I am again in Acts, and again it sparks multiple arenas of thought. I mean, firstly I look at this text and I it shows me a couple things that I presuppose going into any text I read.
A. Paul isn't impeccable. I like to see him in my mind (and many other biblical figures) as a perfect man, but he's a sinner, for "I[Christ] have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners. (Mark 2:17) " Christ called Paul, but he knows he's a sinner.
B. I judge Paul and feel as if his actions weren't up to par with the gospel. I mean, preaching to Jews and giving up on them and claiming that he is innocent? It's a weighty claim, but he does so in boldness. I love that about Paul. He says things and means them. When we were doing Romans 1 at Sojourn, we read Paul claims, "9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you 10 always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. (Romans 9-10)" Without ceasing? Even in hyperbole I would feel uncomfortable writing that about my own church.
But as I am looking at my own realm of people I am attempting to proclaim the gospel to, I ask myself, am I innocent of their blood? Do they hear and their hearts become hardened, or am I just lacking the simple effort that it takes to speak to them on behalf of Christ? I love people, and if I really love them, I'll be real with them. Forgive me for being so fake.
I went outside last night in the freezing weather and watched the total lunar eclipse. I got to a part in the middle of my suburban neighborhood where there was a great distance between me and houses on either sides of me. From this position the vast expanse above stretched a great deal in all directions without much hindering me from seeing as much as I wanted. It's pretty hard to see stars usually but I had luck with last night and I couldn't see any clouds. The Lunar eclipse reminded me of how, the older I get, the more fascinating everything seems to be. Years ago, I could have cared less that the earth was blotting out the moon, but last night it was awesome.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
I'm in love...
with a song about a bird and I don't know what to do.
for sufjan covering REM
http://www.myspace.com/darrensaysyes
for sufjan covering REM
http://www.myspace.com/darrensaysyes
Thursday, January 10, 2008
God's Invisible Qualities in a Physical World
"19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)"
Passages like this send hope into my world. Every year on this earth, man is seeing the majestic work of God in His creation. Studying physics is amazing. Humans have tried to analyze the physical world for so long (many for different reasons searching for answers, knowledge, money, "the common good" etc.), and from every angle there is a resounding YES to intelligent design. This is arguable, but how can you examine the vast expanse above or the subatomic particles of a atom or the chemicals in a leaf turning rays of light into oxygen... or the human body! and not recognize their perfect, complex and intricate nature without paying homage to something greater. I don't speak as if everyone should know and cherish this truth, as many, even most do not! It's always advantageous to know, that part of every human being devises ways or schemes or ideals to make themselves feel better or above another. BUT WE KNOW THE TRUTH do we not? Be careful. Arrogance in knowing the truth is different then speaking it in love. Discern truth, love God, love others.
I enjoyed a phrase Richard Feynman coined in 1974 called "Cargo Cult Science." He instructed his graduated students "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you've not fooled yourself, it's easy not to fool other scientists. You just have to be honest in a conventional way after that." He got the phrase from Cargo Cults which are essentially cultures who adopt beliefs in cargo, specifically in indigenous peoples, where they worship and hold foreign cargo (guns, radios, technology etc.) as spiritual items to be desired and worshiped. It's common to see these people groups as millenarianist, believing that the coming of these goods will bring an eventual positive period of time to be hoped for, not dissimilar to what we see in Christianity, as we hope for eternal life in heaven in the coming of King Jesus.
We can see 'Cargo Cult Science' in the experiment to measure the electric charge of an electron in 1909. The 'Oil-drop' experiment used drops of oil suspended by an electric field between two metal electrodes. Robert Millikan conducted this experimented and calculated the elementary charge, which he concluded to be about 1.5924(17) x 10−19 coulombs (the 17 in parentheses represents the uncertainty), when after so long we have come to know the elementary charge to be 1.60217653(14) x 10−19 coulombs. Here's a quote from Feynman
"Why didn't they discover the new number was higher right away? It's a thing that scientists are ashamed of - this history - because it's apparent that people did things like this: When they got a number that was too high above Millikan's, they thought something must be wrong - and they would look for and find a reason why something might be wrong. When they got a number close to Millikan's value they didn't look so hard. And so they eliminated the numbers that were too far off, and did other things like that. We've learned those tricks nowadays, and now we don't have that kind of a disease." Feynman lecture at Caltech in 1974
"20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21)"
We are frustrated, antagonized, confused, coerced, hardened, all the while spitting and shoving and complaining and thirsting for the blood of fairness, that we deserve, that we need our will, our own scheme of righteousness outside the peace that creation has shown us. Next time your hurt, depressed, broken, busted, disgusted, rusted & mistrusted, look to the sky. Look up in the effin sky and remember that your life is but a vapor in the whole of redemptive history. You think your elect?* Start acting like it.
Passages like this send hope into my world. Every year on this earth, man is seeing the majestic work of God in His creation. Studying physics is amazing. Humans have tried to analyze the physical world for so long (many for different reasons searching for answers, knowledge, money, "the common good" etc.), and from every angle there is a resounding YES to intelligent design. This is arguable, but how can you examine the vast expanse above or the subatomic particles of a atom or the chemicals in a leaf turning rays of light into oxygen... or the human body! and not recognize their perfect, complex and intricate nature without paying homage to something greater. I don't speak as if everyone should know and cherish this truth, as many, even most do not! It's always advantageous to know, that part of every human being devises ways or schemes or ideals to make themselves feel better or above another. BUT WE KNOW THE TRUTH do we not? Be careful. Arrogance in knowing the truth is different then speaking it in love. Discern truth, love God, love others.
I enjoyed a phrase Richard Feynman coined in 1974 called "Cargo Cult Science." He instructed his graduated students "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you've not fooled yourself, it's easy not to fool other scientists. You just have to be honest in a conventional way after that." He got the phrase from Cargo Cults which are essentially cultures who adopt beliefs in cargo, specifically in indigenous peoples, where they worship and hold foreign cargo (guns, radios, technology etc.) as spiritual items to be desired and worshiped. It's common to see these people groups as millenarianist, believing that the coming of these goods will bring an eventual positive period of time to be hoped for, not dissimilar to what we see in Christianity, as we hope for eternal life in heaven in the coming of King Jesus.
We can see 'Cargo Cult Science' in the experiment to measure the electric charge of an electron in 1909. The 'Oil-drop' experiment used drops of oil suspended by an electric field between two metal electrodes. Robert Millikan conducted this experimented and calculated the elementary charge, which he concluded to be about 1.5924(17) x 10−19 coulombs (the 17 in parentheses represents the uncertainty), when after so long we have come to know the elementary charge to be 1.60217653(14) x 10−19 coulombs. Here's a quote from Feynman
"Why didn't they discover the new number was higher right away? It's a thing that scientists are ashamed of - this history - because it's apparent that people did things like this: When they got a number that was too high above Millikan's, they thought something must be wrong - and they would look for and find a reason why something might be wrong. When they got a number close to Millikan's value they didn't look so hard. And so they eliminated the numbers that were too far off, and did other things like that. We've learned those tricks nowadays, and now we don't have that kind of a disease." Feynman lecture at Caltech in 1974
"20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8:20-21)"
We are frustrated, antagonized, confused, coerced, hardened, all the while spitting and shoving and complaining and thirsting for the blood of fairness, that we deserve, that we need our will, our own scheme of righteousness outside the peace that creation has shown us. Next time your hurt, depressed, broken, busted, disgusted, rusted & mistrusted, look to the sky. Look up in the effin sky and remember that your life is but a vapor in the whole of redemptive history. You think your elect?* Start acting like it.
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