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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
tis the season
from all of us here at the caffeine rarely works world headquarters to you and yours- have a wonderful christmas and a great start to the new year!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
ripening
yesterday was my 25th birthday. it's a wierd feeling, turning a quarter century old. with this in mind, i spent this morning contemplating where i am at in life.
not only am i 25 years old, i am an uncle to an awesome 3 year old nephew. i have been married for two and a half years to my beautiful wife and my first child is due to be born this coming in april. i was born south of boston and now live east of orlando. i wanted to be a pilot when i was 10 and today i play music and work in a corporate office.
i'm ripening. that's what i arrived on today.
i remember watching mom's tomatoes grow in her little garden; complete with marigolds to ward off the maurading ant armies. the tomatoes would arrive on the vine tiny and green (one time i tried to eat one and i will never try that again!) and over the course of several days, their shade would slowly progress from green to yellow and from yellow to red. i used to get impatient waiting for them to be ripe; wondering why they didnt just emerge as ready-to-eat tomatoes just waiting to be placed on a salad. but just as any life on earth takes time to mature, those tiny green tomatoes needed time to develop and ripen before they were ready to be used.
i'm ripening. 25 years ago, i arrived; a tiny green bud on a vine. i wasn't ready to fall in love or dream about being a pilot, i was crying and cold and missing my mother's womb. i had a long way to go cus it takes time to ripen. 15 years ago, watching jet contrails stream overhead, wondering what being in a cloud was like; the greenish hue began to slowly give away to yellow. 10 years ago, dealing with teen age awkwardness, i didnt notice the faint red spots beginning to show in all the yellow and green. and i kept on ripening...
i think that yesterday, though, was the day i noticed just how much red is really showing...
not only am i 25 years old, i am an uncle to an awesome 3 year old nephew. i have been married for two and a half years to my beautiful wife and my first child is due to be born this coming in april. i was born south of boston and now live east of orlando. i wanted to be a pilot when i was 10 and today i play music and work in a corporate office.
i'm ripening. that's what i arrived on today.
i remember watching mom's tomatoes grow in her little garden; complete with marigolds to ward off the maurading ant armies. the tomatoes would arrive on the vine tiny and green (one time i tried to eat one and i will never try that again!) and over the course of several days, their shade would slowly progress from green to yellow and from yellow to red. i used to get impatient waiting for them to be ripe; wondering why they didnt just emerge as ready-to-eat tomatoes just waiting to be placed on a salad. but just as any life on earth takes time to mature, those tiny green tomatoes needed time to develop and ripen before they were ready to be used.
i'm ripening. 25 years ago, i arrived; a tiny green bud on a vine. i wasn't ready to fall in love or dream about being a pilot, i was crying and cold and missing my mother's womb. i had a long way to go cus it takes time to ripen. 15 years ago, watching jet contrails stream overhead, wondering what being in a cloud was like; the greenish hue began to slowly give away to yellow. 10 years ago, dealing with teen age awkwardness, i didnt notice the faint red spots beginning to show in all the yellow and green. and i kept on ripening...
i think that yesterday, though, was the day i noticed just how much red is really showing...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
unsaved money
there is currently a billboard up around town emblazoned with the following "quote": "save money, and money will save you."
money will save you. interesting statement. every time i go out and purposefully spend money- i look for deals and never pay full price for anything- i try to save money. despite that its still tight times for the conti household and money sure aint growing on trees. if there was ever a time for all that money i saved to now save me- now is the time! but money has not saved me. why is this?
1 Timothy 6:10 states why. "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." And that is why money won't be saving me anytime soon. It's really quite hard to imagine "a root of all sorts of evil" SAVING me! i believe that in the heart of most men lies the desire to want to be pulled from the circumstances they are caught in and be rescued. so why would we believe that evil could save us?
faith. it's a hard pill to swallow. it's very easy to look at a one dollar bill and know that it exists and that it can provide what it promises to provide. God, on the other hand, lies beyond our grasp and view; asking us to trust that He will provide what He promised He will provide and we must rely on faith, not sight. and thusly i believe faith is the differential between our trust in money or God. after all the verse above clearly states that money will sometimes cause some to leave the faith. faith: the evidence of things unseen. therein begins our struggle.
in these economic times there is a battle between money and faith that we must make ourselves aware of. we look at our checkbooks and wallets and beg the stock market to surge and a new president to bailout our drowning economic system. we look at what we have and wish for just to survive. we look at what we can see and it destroys our hope. we stampede store workers just to save money so it will save us. we apply for more and more credit cards to give the appearance that money can save us. we exhaust the resources we can see, desperately begging money to save us and come up short even still. we have fallen away from faith.
faith. why does God go so far as to say "Blessed are you poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours." (Luke 6:20)? because the rich have already established their god and their kingdom of money. they have no need for what they cant see. Jesus states: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God". those engorged in the love of money (see my previous blog "a love of money") have no use for faith because what they can see is what they choose to believe in.
God tells David: "For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.". (Psalm 50:10-12) Basically God is telling us He owns the world. That He is far richer than any one man. The world is His. all we need to do to tap into His endless provision is believe in Him. That He is our saviour. How do we do this? through faith.
faith. the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. our love of money will not save us. it's a stormy downdraft that will rip us from the sky and slam us into the ground, destroying us. just like birds that leap from trees limbs, trusting that the unseen air will lift them up- we can leave the ground behind and soar if we trust in the plan of our unseen Saviour.
money will save you. interesting statement. every time i go out and purposefully spend money- i look for deals and never pay full price for anything- i try to save money. despite that its still tight times for the conti household and money sure aint growing on trees. if there was ever a time for all that money i saved to now save me- now is the time! but money has not saved me. why is this?
1 Timothy 6:10 states why. "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." And that is why money won't be saving me anytime soon. It's really quite hard to imagine "a root of all sorts of evil" SAVING me! i believe that in the heart of most men lies the desire to want to be pulled from the circumstances they are caught in and be rescued. so why would we believe that evil could save us?
faith. it's a hard pill to swallow. it's very easy to look at a one dollar bill and know that it exists and that it can provide what it promises to provide. God, on the other hand, lies beyond our grasp and view; asking us to trust that He will provide what He promised He will provide and we must rely on faith, not sight. and thusly i believe faith is the differential between our trust in money or God. after all the verse above clearly states that money will sometimes cause some to leave the faith. faith: the evidence of things unseen. therein begins our struggle.
in these economic times there is a battle between money and faith that we must make ourselves aware of. we look at our checkbooks and wallets and beg the stock market to surge and a new president to bailout our drowning economic system. we look at what we have and wish for just to survive. we look at what we can see and it destroys our hope. we stampede store workers just to save money so it will save us. we apply for more and more credit cards to give the appearance that money can save us. we exhaust the resources we can see, desperately begging money to save us and come up short even still. we have fallen away from faith.
faith. why does God go so far as to say "Blessed are you poor, because the Kingdom of God is yours." (Luke 6:20)? because the rich have already established their god and their kingdom of money. they have no need for what they cant see. Jesus states: "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God". those engorged in the love of money (see my previous blog "a love of money") have no use for faith because what they can see is what they choose to believe in.
God tells David: "For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.". (Psalm 50:10-12) Basically God is telling us He owns the world. That He is far richer than any one man. The world is His. all we need to do to tap into His endless provision is believe in Him. That He is our saviour. How do we do this? through faith.
faith. the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. our love of money will not save us. it's a stormy downdraft that will rip us from the sky and slam us into the ground, destroying us. just like birds that leap from trees limbs, trusting that the unseen air will lift them up- we can leave the ground behind and soar if we trust in the plan of our unseen Saviour.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
url
i've been quite active online lately and have run into a few great blogs. i love to find bloggers that are in the world but not of the world, if you catch my drift.
links are not linked 1. because i might be lazy and 2. the lost art of copy and paste may die.
sports with a proper twist: www.prayersforblowouts.com
my father in law's gifted insights are at: www.glimmerman55.blogspot.com
do you like what they like? find out: stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com
go deeper: www.97secondswithgod.blogspot.com
and if anyone out there has twitter- im on twitter now! www.twitter.com/analoguepilot
follow me if you'd like up to the minute insights from yours truly!
links are not linked 1. because i might be lazy and 2. the lost art of copy and paste may die.
sports with a proper twist: www.prayersforblowouts.com
my father in law's gifted insights are at: www.glimmerman55.blogspot.com
do you like what they like? find out: stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com
go deeper: www.97secondswithgod.blogspot.com
and if anyone out there has twitter- im on twitter now! www.twitter.com/analoguepilot
follow me if you'd like up to the minute insights from yours truly!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
a true story - chapter three
Chapter Three
work had been long. too long. he wondered what they meant by "long"; and who were "they" anyway? but these were the normal questions. the one question he could not answer was why he did this routine everyday.
it was night again. time for the dodging of twenty somethings in street racers again. the pausing at the light. "a blind man could live the life i live", he thought out loud to the quiet stars too far to hear the noise of the world below. a blind man. what would he do if he went blind? his entire life revolved around interpreting information from computer screens, driving, staring down a viewfinder at a subject. he needed his eyes.
that was one thing that separated him from the blurred, faceless masses. his eyes. his ability to see from his perspective. to look at his wife and know she's beautiful. to frame a person on the confines of a 4 by 6 viewfinder and compose a decent portrait. to guide his hands up and down the black and white puzzle of piano keys. to finish a day at work. his eyes transposed theory into fact.
you could tell him that the sunset was beautiful out but that would never be enough for him. a rush to the window or a dart downstairs would be required to verify that statement. it wasnt because he didnt believe. it was because he needed to experience. no one held his perspective. and his perspective kept telling him that the current routine needed rescue.
leaving his routine bobbing helplessly in it's swamped life raft on a raging sea of procrastination and circumstance , he climbed into his car, dialed in the engine and headed for the commute home. the sunrise would bring another long day.
work had been long. too long. he wondered what they meant by "long"; and who were "they" anyway? but these were the normal questions. the one question he could not answer was why he did this routine everyday.
it was night again. time for the dodging of twenty somethings in street racers again. the pausing at the light. "a blind man could live the life i live", he thought out loud to the quiet stars too far to hear the noise of the world below. a blind man. what would he do if he went blind? his entire life revolved around interpreting information from computer screens, driving, staring down a viewfinder at a subject. he needed his eyes.
that was one thing that separated him from the blurred, faceless masses. his eyes. his ability to see from his perspective. to look at his wife and know she's beautiful. to frame a person on the confines of a 4 by 6 viewfinder and compose a decent portrait. to guide his hands up and down the black and white puzzle of piano keys. to finish a day at work. his eyes transposed theory into fact.
you could tell him that the sunset was beautiful out but that would never be enough for him. a rush to the window or a dart downstairs would be required to verify that statement. it wasnt because he didnt believe. it was because he needed to experience. no one held his perspective. and his perspective kept telling him that the current routine needed rescue.
leaving his routine bobbing helplessly in it's swamped life raft on a raging sea of procrastination and circumstance , he climbed into his car, dialed in the engine and headed for the commute home. the sunrise would bring another long day.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
a true story - chapter two
A True Story
Chapter Two
that was night. this was day. he drank mornings in like a drunk on his eighth pilsner- hungrily. today was no exception. a tiny, finger nail clipping of a moon hung suspended over silhoutted cumulous clouds ringed in the faint orange glow of the rising sun. beautiful.
mornings were redemption. just like the shower he took every morning, the sunrise scrubbed away the remains of yesterday and made each day feel new.
the drive to work was his solace. no one to talk to, no one to have to interact with. not lonely at all, more like hitting the pause button on the dvd player right before the fight scene in a movie. much like taking a breath and enjoying it's benefits. calm.
there were many things on his mind today: channels being flipped by tiny neurons wearing out the battery on the remote. thats where driving comes into play. something to focus on. the road ahead. checking the mirrors, listening to the motor, quick glancing over his left shoulder at the rapid advance of the pale yellow edge of the sun burning against the cold sky. laughing at a quip made by a radio host or playing air drums to electronic music all while safely! guiding his car down the highway to work.
To Be Continued...
Chapter Two
that was night. this was day. he drank mornings in like a drunk on his eighth pilsner- hungrily. today was no exception. a tiny, finger nail clipping of a moon hung suspended over silhoutted cumulous clouds ringed in the faint orange glow of the rising sun. beautiful.
mornings were redemption. just like the shower he took every morning, the sunrise scrubbed away the remains of yesterday and made each day feel new.
the drive to work was his solace. no one to talk to, no one to have to interact with. not lonely at all, more like hitting the pause button on the dvd player right before the fight scene in a movie. much like taking a breath and enjoying it's benefits. calm.
there were many things on his mind today: channels being flipped by tiny neurons wearing out the battery on the remote. thats where driving comes into play. something to focus on. the road ahead. checking the mirrors, listening to the motor, quick glancing over his left shoulder at the rapid advance of the pale yellow edge of the sun burning against the cold sky. laughing at a quip made by a radio host or playing air drums to electronic music all while safely! guiding his car down the highway to work.
To Be Continued...
Monday, November 24, 2008
a true story - chapter one
instead of my normal blog entries- i have opted to change pattern and compose a short fictional story. i need to stretch my mind and take my writing for a brisk jog. you are welcome to come join me as i exercise...
A True Story by Joshua Conti
Chapter One
summer solstice had passed. because of 20th century school schedules conflicting with 20th century farmer's harvests, his normal sunset blissed commute home was now committed in the dark.
night and day take on their own unique forms and daytime's was the one he knew well. night was another animal altogether.
the main road leading out from his parking space was possessed by college students tearing hellbent in foreign build sedan-turned-street-racers towards a unknown destinations, unafraid of death or old ladies in lincoln town cars.
during the day, he could easily spot them from a quarter mile away in another lane, but at night they could elude him completely. at the second intersection on the main road, he knew to count to 8 seconds after the left turn light sparked green before lurching forward as 20 of these cars could easily run the opposing left turn light's angry red glow. and all this only happened at night.
To Be Continued...
A True Story by Joshua Conti
Chapter One
summer solstice had passed. because of 20th century school schedules conflicting with 20th century farmer's harvests, his normal sunset blissed commute home was now committed in the dark.
night and day take on their own unique forms and daytime's was the one he knew well. night was another animal altogether.
the main road leading out from his parking space was possessed by college students tearing hellbent in foreign build sedan-turned-street-racers towards a unknown destinations, unafraid of death or old ladies in lincoln town cars.
during the day, he could easily spot them from a quarter mile away in another lane, but at night they could elude him completely. at the second intersection on the main road, he knew to count to 8 seconds after the left turn light sparked green before lurching forward as 20 of these cars could easily run the opposing left turn light's angry red glow. and all this only happened at night.
To Be Continued...
Friday, October 31, 2008
passe ainsi la sagesse de l'homme
And as for myself, brethren, when I came to you, it was not with surpassing power of eloquence or earthly wisdom that I came, announcing to you that which God had commanded me to bear witness to. For I determined to be utterly ignorant, when among you, of everything except of Jesus Christ, and of Him as having been crucified. And so far as I myself was concerned, I came to you in conscious feebleness and in fear and in deep anxiety. And my language and the Message that I proclaimed were not adorned with persuasive words of earthly wisdom, but depended upon truths which the Spirit taught and mightily carried home; so that your trust might rest not on the wisdom of man but on the power of God. Yet when we are among mature believers we do speak words of wisdom; a wisdom not belonging, however, to the present age nor to the leaders of the present age who are soon to pass away. But in dealing with truths hitherto kept secret we speak of God's wisdom--that hidden wisdom which, before the world began, God pre-destined, so that it should result in glory to us; a wisdom which not one of the leaders of the present age possesses, for if they had possessed it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:1-8 Weymouth New Testament)
passe ainsi la sagesse de l'homme (french) or thus passes the wisdom of man. in these last days of the elections to pick the next leader of our country- let these verses remind us that the candidate we're angry about or passionate about or unhappy/happy about is mere dust when compared to the wisdom of God. one mortal man cannot at all provide the answers we really need in our lives. as the verse above says- if the leaders of our present age had the wisdom only God possesses they would have thought twice about crucifying Jesus. think for a minute about the ramifications of that statement and let it sink in.
go out and vote but purpose in your heart to lean not on your own understanding or man's but in all your ways trust God's wisdom.
passe ainsi la sagesse de l'homme (french) or thus passes the wisdom of man. in these last days of the elections to pick the next leader of our country- let these verses remind us that the candidate we're angry about or passionate about or unhappy/happy about is mere dust when compared to the wisdom of God. one mortal man cannot at all provide the answers we really need in our lives. as the verse above says- if the leaders of our present age had the wisdom only God possesses they would have thought twice about crucifying Jesus. think for a minute about the ramifications of that statement and let it sink in.
go out and vote but purpose in your heart to lean not on your own understanding or man's but in all your ways trust God's wisdom.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
second place
i was watching a re-run episode of "third watch" (a favourite show of mine) on a&e this morning before work and the main story line was that of a new paramedic trying to learn how other paramedics, policemen and firemen were able to posess compassion for others. what got me thinking was when the new paramedic's mentor looked at him (fed up with his insistent questions on how he could be compassionate) and said (and i paraphrase here): "you wanna know how to have compassion? look at you- you've used the word "me" 6 times in the last 5 seconds! try putting yourself second for awhile and see what happens. it's not about you. stop making being compassionate about you!"
if you don't think God uses tv to get a point across, you're mistaken. very mistaken. it really isn't about me and thats something biblical to read into.
browsing the latest headlines on wired.com today, i ran into an article about a facebook movement in cairo, egypt. did you know that it's illegal to hold a meeting of more than 5 people without a permit in egypt? i sure didn't. this year, a regular guy with a wife and child named ahmed maher didn't view this as an obstacle in his web based protest of his nation's opressive government. he facing arrest and worse, he started a movement called "april 6th youth" that at one time had up to and over 40,000 online supporters. arrested and beaten at least 2 times he still is fighting for an end to the injustice in his land. this article ( found at http://www.wired.com/techbiz/startups/magazine/16-11/ff_facebookegypt?currentPage=1 ) only served to play into today's theme: it's not about me.
my pastor, pastor ken hitte, is preaching from ephesians this month and he suggested we read the second chapter this week. guess what verse i found? ephesians 2:8-10. "for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. which God has prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
think about it. what paul is saying here is that there are two distinct "works" here. what we do on our own and what God has planned for us to do. our works will not do any good for us! the works that we do through God have been planned and purposed before we were even born. how much is it not about me? My own works will not get me into heaven- only what i do through God's will. and the things i do through God are not for me or about me because i am His workmanship already created to worship. love and serve Him. as his workmanship it should be second nature to put myself second and God in first place in my life. with all these reminders i've run into today, im going to say that second place isn't a bad place to be. besides, i have a pregnant wife so im already learning another side to the meaning of "second place"! but that's for another post...
if you don't think God uses tv to get a point across, you're mistaken. very mistaken. it really isn't about me and thats something biblical to read into.
browsing the latest headlines on wired.com today, i ran into an article about a facebook movement in cairo, egypt. did you know that it's illegal to hold a meeting of more than 5 people without a permit in egypt? i sure didn't. this year, a regular guy with a wife and child named ahmed maher didn't view this as an obstacle in his web based protest of his nation's opressive government. he facing arrest and worse, he started a movement called "april 6th youth" that at one time had up to and over 40,000 online supporters. arrested and beaten at least 2 times he still is fighting for an end to the injustice in his land. this article ( found at http://www.wired.com/techbiz/startups/magazine/16-11/ff_facebookegypt?currentPage=1 ) only served to play into today's theme: it's not about me.
my pastor, pastor ken hitte, is preaching from ephesians this month and he suggested we read the second chapter this week. guess what verse i found? ephesians 2:8-10. "for by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. which God has prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
think about it. what paul is saying here is that there are two distinct "works" here. what we do on our own and what God has planned for us to do. our works will not do any good for us! the works that we do through God have been planned and purposed before we were even born. how much is it not about me? My own works will not get me into heaven- only what i do through God's will. and the things i do through God are not for me or about me because i am His workmanship already created to worship. love and serve Him. as his workmanship it should be second nature to put myself second and God in first place in my life. with all these reminders i've run into today, im going to say that second place isn't a bad place to be. besides, i have a pregnant wife so im already learning another side to the meaning of "second place"! but that's for another post...
Friday, October 17, 2008
ultrasounds
this is an excerpt from my musings on my website (www.contimedia.us/music). this last tuesday, my wife and i went for her first ultrasound and this is what i wrote down the moment i got home...
i can’t think of anything to compare with seeing my child for the first time. according to the measurements- it could fit right into my palm with plenty of room to spare. being able to watch it move around and suck on its thumb, seeing its backbone and brain and belly… its tiny hands and feet… i am beside myself. i cant tell you how proud i am of my wife for taking on the journey of childbirth. our lives have changed forever! never before have i had as deep of a sense in God’s design and purpose as when i looked at the tiny human thriving inside my wife. i don't think i have the right words to describe how i feel... it was beautiful and awesome all at once.
i can’t think of anything to compare with seeing my child for the first time. according to the measurements- it could fit right into my palm with plenty of room to spare. being able to watch it move around and suck on its thumb, seeing its backbone and brain and belly… its tiny hands and feet… i am beside myself. i cant tell you how proud i am of my wife for taking on the journey of childbirth. our lives have changed forever! never before have i had as deep of a sense in God’s design and purpose as when i looked at the tiny human thriving inside my wife. i don't think i have the right words to describe how i feel... it was beautiful and awesome all at once.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
uncomfortably content
"I know both how to live in humble circumstances and how to live amid abundance. I am fully initiated into all the mysteries both of fulness and of hunger, of abundance and of want. I have strength for anything through Him who gives me power." philippians 4:12-13 (weymouth new testament)
i just found out that a $2,200 bill my wife and i would owe in february is being covered. this is welcome news. we're expecting our first child in april and i am beside myself with the sheer excitement of being responsible for the life of a child brimming full of God's purpose. but not so much with the monetary requirement thereof.
the economy is a black hole as we all know and despite everything i do to not worry about it, i am still uncomfortable and worried about it. yet, last night i was struggling with feeling content. why would i do that? why struggle with feeling content? simple. it goes against all this worry i have for everything going on around me.
being the good husband- i tell my wife: "don't worry about paying that" or "God knows and we'll be fine". easy words to say. not so easy words to actually believe. last night- struggling with actually believing that "God knows and we'll be fine" and my inecessant worry reached a pinnacle: i can be uncomfortably content.
i can be uncomfortable with the unstable world around me but i don't have to worry. i can be content with what i have (see my previous blog: a love of money). i can be content with where i am and with my circumstances. as paul says in the above scripture (and i paraphrase): "i have learned the secret of being content in every situation. i can do everything through him that gives me strength."
no matter if im living paycheck to paycheck or living off of a lottery winning (caffeine rarely works does not endorse gambling!) God gives me the strength to be content. i just have to learn to do everything through Him and not through my worry. after all- faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. why worry about what i can't see or control when God offers me the strength to conquer whatever lies ahead through my contenment in His purpose? there isn't a logical reason this side of sanity to do so!
as evidenced today- God is taking care of what i can't take care of and working everything out for His purpose. the next time i tell my wife "it's going to be okay, God's got this" i will make the greatest effort to put my faith and not my worry behind those words. i will be uncomfortably content.
i just found out that a $2,200 bill my wife and i would owe in february is being covered. this is welcome news. we're expecting our first child in april and i am beside myself with the sheer excitement of being responsible for the life of a child brimming full of God's purpose. but not so much with the monetary requirement thereof.
the economy is a black hole as we all know and despite everything i do to not worry about it, i am still uncomfortable and worried about it. yet, last night i was struggling with feeling content. why would i do that? why struggle with feeling content? simple. it goes against all this worry i have for everything going on around me.
being the good husband- i tell my wife: "don't worry about paying that" or "God knows and we'll be fine". easy words to say. not so easy words to actually believe. last night- struggling with actually believing that "God knows and we'll be fine" and my inecessant worry reached a pinnacle: i can be uncomfortably content.
i can be uncomfortable with the unstable world around me but i don't have to worry. i can be content with what i have (see my previous blog: a love of money). i can be content with where i am and with my circumstances. as paul says in the above scripture (and i paraphrase): "i have learned the secret of being content in every situation. i can do everything through him that gives me strength."
no matter if im living paycheck to paycheck or living off of a lottery winning (caffeine rarely works does not endorse gambling!) God gives me the strength to be content. i just have to learn to do everything through Him and not through my worry. after all- faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. why worry about what i can't see or control when God offers me the strength to conquer whatever lies ahead through my contenment in His purpose? there isn't a logical reason this side of sanity to do so!
as evidenced today- God is taking care of what i can't take care of and working everything out for His purpose. the next time i tell my wife "it's going to be okay, God's got this" i will make the greatest effort to put my faith and not my worry behind those words. i will be uncomfortably content.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
a love of money
i normally don't write about political or economic situations here, but i feel compelled to express what's spinning through my head as we watch wall st., the government and the world deal with the current economic "crisis".
i'm not going to discuss or outline what's going on but rather there's a point i want to drive at.
"Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. 6 Therefore, we may boldly say:
The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God's word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:5-8 HCSB)
what we are witnessing is a perverse love of money showing it's true colours on a grand scale. i'm not saying that i have never loved money or what it could bring me, but i do know that God has instructed me to be free of the love of money. and now more than ever, i intend to do so.
fear is the absence of faith. because God has said that He will never leave me, i can boldly state that I will not be afraid. then why do i currently find myself fearful and doubting? because i'm not free from the love of money.
the stock market is crashing. banks are collapsing. my tax dollars are going to help people that probably dont need my help. bills are due. i have a kid on the way. gas costs way too much. nothing is free anymore. etc...
where is this fear coming from? a love of money. we love money to much to give up worrying about it. we fear what could happen if we dont have it. we hold dear every bit of it we have and burn in jealousy at the bit of it we don't have.
i find it hard to be content with what i have. i have a good car but it could be a better car. i have a nice apartment but it's no 3 bed 2 bath house. i have a good job but its a lousy job. what fuels my desire to be discontent? money. for, in order to upgrade all i have, i would need more money.
God says be free of the love of that discontent. be content with what i have. why? He will never leave me alone. That's why i can say that He is my help; i am not afraid. what can man do to me? after all, if He can clothe the grass that is cut and thrown away; and feed the birds of the air, He can most certainly provide for me.
if i'm sitting here, becoming more worried by every new thing that happens in the stock market or the way things go at work or all the bills and things that need to be paid- then it's up to me to free myself from the love of my discontent. The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid, for faith is the absence of fear.
i'm not going to discuss or outline what's going on but rather there's a point i want to drive at.
"Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. 6 Therefore, we may boldly say:
The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God's word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:5-8 HCSB)
what we are witnessing is a perverse love of money showing it's true colours on a grand scale. i'm not saying that i have never loved money or what it could bring me, but i do know that God has instructed me to be free of the love of money. and now more than ever, i intend to do so.
fear is the absence of faith. because God has said that He will never leave me, i can boldly state that I will not be afraid. then why do i currently find myself fearful and doubting? because i'm not free from the love of money.
the stock market is crashing. banks are collapsing. my tax dollars are going to help people that probably dont need my help. bills are due. i have a kid on the way. gas costs way too much. nothing is free anymore. etc...
where is this fear coming from? a love of money. we love money to much to give up worrying about it. we fear what could happen if we dont have it. we hold dear every bit of it we have and burn in jealousy at the bit of it we don't have.
i find it hard to be content with what i have. i have a good car but it could be a better car. i have a nice apartment but it's no 3 bed 2 bath house. i have a good job but its a lousy job. what fuels my desire to be discontent? money. for, in order to upgrade all i have, i would need more money.
God says be free of the love of that discontent. be content with what i have. why? He will never leave me alone. That's why i can say that He is my help; i am not afraid. what can man do to me? after all, if He can clothe the grass that is cut and thrown away; and feed the birds of the air, He can most certainly provide for me.
if i'm sitting here, becoming more worried by every new thing that happens in the stock market or the way things go at work or all the bills and things that need to be paid- then it's up to me to free myself from the love of my discontent. The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid, for faith is the absence of fear.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
preface to an idea...
the following is an excerpt from a note i sent to my sister in law via myspace. i think that in these times of chaos we need to know that God is above it all and is always there. this blog is prefacing a longer one which i am working on... look for it in the next few days!
i guess the one thing to remember is God is like the sun- even when the clouds move through, or a hurricane crashes in or if nighttime comes- the sun is always shining. just like the sun- God never changes- stuff may come up, things may get in the way, pain tries to erode but God is still there- shining down. everything changes around us everyday but God will always remain the same. Dont worry too much cus storms always end up blowing away and the sun will shine again...
i guess the one thing to remember is God is like the sun- even when the clouds move through, or a hurricane crashes in or if nighttime comes- the sun is always shining. just like the sun- God never changes- stuff may come up, things may get in the way, pain tries to erode but God is still there- shining down. everything changes around us everyday but God will always remain the same. Dont worry too much cus storms always end up blowing away and the sun will shine again...
Friday, September 19, 2008
breaking news:God pwns volvo
here is a great example of why God is amazing. dimunitive, pesky little locusts are created with more complex programming than an entire team at volvo can develop. the entire earth was created by our Creator in 7 days. so, doing some laymen's guesstamation math, i figure it took about 1 second or so for God to create the locust. try to beat that volvo...
(the following is an article found at http://www.wired.com/)
Volvo is determined to build an injury-proof car by 2020, and the engineers working out the bugs developing so complex a vehicle hope to include a few as well. They're studying the African locust to figure out how to make cars mimic the insect's uncanny ability to avoid crashing into each other as they swarm.
The goal is to incorporate the African locust's "sensory-input routing methodologies" in a car, making it smart enough to avoid hitting people. "If we could trace how the locust is able to avoid each other, maybe we could program our cars not to hit pedestrians," says Jonas Ekmark, Volvo's director of preventative safety.
The way Volvo sees it, there's no difference between millions of locusts swarming across Africa and millions of people commuting to work each morning. If the bugs can avoid hitting each other, they ask, why can't we?
"Locusts are quick-reacting and have reliable circuits, they do their computations against lots of background chatter, much like driving around town," says Dr. Claire Rind, a researcher at the University of Newcastle in London who turned Volvo on to the idea.
Rind's research at the Insect Vision Laboratory focuses on the behavioral patterns of locusts in flight and how it is that millions of them can swarm without hitting each other. Turns out the bugs' visual input is transmitted directly to their wings, seemingly bypassing the brain in what Rind calls the Locust Principle. Volvo engineers first heard of Rind's work in 2002 and set to work trying to adapt the Locust Principle to cars.
The work hinged on developing an algorithm that would mimic the insect's ability to send visual stimuli directly to its wings, then applying it to a vehicle's computerized safety features. Easier said than done. "As it turns out, the locust processing system is much more sophisticated than the hardware and software currently available," Ekmark says. "In the end, technology was no match for nature."
So for now the score remains Locusts 1, Volvo 0. But Volvo isn't giving up. "We still have many years of research ahead to bring that small locust brain into our cars," Ekmark says. "We have found a lowly locust has man beat, at least for now."
(the following is an article found at http://www.wired.com/)
Volvo is determined to build an injury-proof car by 2020, and the engineers working out the bugs developing so complex a vehicle hope to include a few as well. They're studying the African locust to figure out how to make cars mimic the insect's uncanny ability to avoid crashing into each other as they swarm.
The goal is to incorporate the African locust's "sensory-input routing methodologies" in a car, making it smart enough to avoid hitting people. "If we could trace how the locust is able to avoid each other, maybe we could program our cars not to hit pedestrians," says Jonas Ekmark, Volvo's director of preventative safety.
The way Volvo sees it, there's no difference between millions of locusts swarming across Africa and millions of people commuting to work each morning. If the bugs can avoid hitting each other, they ask, why can't we?
"Locusts are quick-reacting and have reliable circuits, they do their computations against lots of background chatter, much like driving around town," says Dr. Claire Rind, a researcher at the University of Newcastle in London who turned Volvo on to the idea.
Rind's research at the Insect Vision Laboratory focuses on the behavioral patterns of locusts in flight and how it is that millions of them can swarm without hitting each other. Turns out the bugs' visual input is transmitted directly to their wings, seemingly bypassing the brain in what Rind calls the Locust Principle. Volvo engineers first heard of Rind's work in 2002 and set to work trying to adapt the Locust Principle to cars.
The work hinged on developing an algorithm that would mimic the insect's ability to send visual stimuli directly to its wings, then applying it to a vehicle's computerized safety features. Easier said than done. "As it turns out, the locust processing system is much more sophisticated than the hardware and software currently available," Ekmark says. "In the end, technology was no match for nature."
So for now the score remains Locusts 1, Volvo 0. But Volvo isn't giving up. "We still have many years of research ahead to bring that small locust brain into our cars," Ekmark says. "We have found a lowly locust has man beat, at least for now."
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
the awful grace of God
"aw·ful" function: adjective date: 13th century meaning: inspiring awe
"day by day and hour by hour
pain drips apon the heart
as, against our will, and even in our own despite
comes wisdom from the awful grace of God" - Aeschylus
i came across this quote while reading "the handbook of christian apologetics". i was struck by the beauty of this ancient statement and it required of me that i write something on God's grace. After all, i view where i am only in the perspective of one who would not be alive if not for grace.
if someone was to ask me what {not who- if its who then my reply is "my wife"} my greatest inspiration is - i would reply "grace". God's awful grace inspires me everyday. Don't forget: by awful i and aeschylus are refering to the definition above and not the modern meaning.
grace by its very nature is all at once beautiful yet demanding. it offers freedom while requiring self control. Paul says (and i paraphrase from several Bible verses) "what then now? should we keep sinning because of the grace offered to us? no! sin should not be your master because we are no longer under law, but under grace." but i, the human i am, still take advantage of grace.
this should come as no surprise. for "where sin abounds, grace abounds so much more." when i take advantage of grace i need grace to rescue me from my taking advantage of grace! but i am diverting from the main point i want to make...
what is "wisdom from the awful grace of God"? the answer is too long so i'll attempt to condense it slightly. we first must define the "pain that drips apon our heart". the death of a friend or the hurt of a broken relationship. the medical condition that keeps one in bed or a twisted ankle. these are all pains that we feel- emotionally and physically. these pains are ones we try to avoid, try to fight off but cannot. this is where grace thrives.
grace thrives in our discontent. it thrives where our pain is the deepest. it longs for our tears. grace is more than comfort. it's God's strength when we can't move an inch further. grace's wisdom teaches us that when we have arrived at the very end of our rope and cannot hang on-the moment we let go is the moment we find the hands of God. the wisdom of grace is found when we wake up in the morning and have breath in our lungs. when we can't find the money for dinner but the food is still there; when we are fighting a hundred illnesses and can still smile. grace is not a fluffy concoction for luke-warm wannabes: it's a tangible substance of God's unfailing love that is freely offered "even in our own despite" to us without reserve. i hope we can each day discover the awful grace of God.
"day by day and hour by hour
pain drips apon the heart
as, against our will, and even in our own despite
comes wisdom from the awful grace of God" - Aeschylus
i came across this quote while reading "the handbook of christian apologetics". i was struck by the beauty of this ancient statement and it required of me that i write something on God's grace. After all, i view where i am only in the perspective of one who would not be alive if not for grace.
if someone was to ask me what {not who- if its who then my reply is "my wife"} my greatest inspiration is - i would reply "grace". God's awful grace inspires me everyday. Don't forget: by awful i and aeschylus are refering to the definition above and not the modern meaning.
grace by its very nature is all at once beautiful yet demanding. it offers freedom while requiring self control. Paul says (and i paraphrase from several Bible verses) "what then now? should we keep sinning because of the grace offered to us? no! sin should not be your master because we are no longer under law, but under grace." but i, the human i am, still take advantage of grace.
this should come as no surprise. for "where sin abounds, grace abounds so much more." when i take advantage of grace i need grace to rescue me from my taking advantage of grace! but i am diverting from the main point i want to make...
what is "wisdom from the awful grace of God"? the answer is too long so i'll attempt to condense it slightly. we first must define the "pain that drips apon our heart". the death of a friend or the hurt of a broken relationship. the medical condition that keeps one in bed or a twisted ankle. these are all pains that we feel- emotionally and physically. these pains are ones we try to avoid, try to fight off but cannot. this is where grace thrives.
grace thrives in our discontent. it thrives where our pain is the deepest. it longs for our tears. grace is more than comfort. it's God's strength when we can't move an inch further. grace's wisdom teaches us that when we have arrived at the very end of our rope and cannot hang on-the moment we let go is the moment we find the hands of God. the wisdom of grace is found when we wake up in the morning and have breath in our lungs. when we can't find the money for dinner but the food is still there; when we are fighting a hundred illnesses and can still smile. grace is not a fluffy concoction for luke-warm wannabes: it's a tangible substance of God's unfailing love that is freely offered "even in our own despite" to us without reserve. i hope we can each day discover the awful grace of God.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
on this day...
...we remember something that bit at the very core of our being. and a tear may still sting in our eye. somehow we were all intrinsically connected to the events that took place 7 years ago to this day. i can still remember vividly where i was and maybe you can too. without saying what has already been said i feel the need to write something on this day called 9/11. our president has coined this day patriots day but i see it in anther light. in some way- good or bad- ordinary humans did extraordinary things and true identities were revealed. modern america had real enemies and we had real heros. today- i pray that those who still feel the hurting bite at the memory of a lost friend or family member lost or the wringing anguish at the sight of the falling towers in the blur of september 11th are comforted.we must also remember this: God's ways are not our ways. somehow, while we still cannot see it, God wroughts his purpose in the fires of our greatest conflicts and pain to produce in us something better; something greater. i hope that we continually grow stronger in the face of evil that intended to weaken and by doing so forge a greater legacy for our children who will inherit all that we have to offer. -josh conti
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
meant to be broken, perhaps (part one)
there is a door at my work that per the rules i am not supposed to use, save for an emergency.
my shift started at 6am this morning, so naturally theres the tendency to be tired... at 845am this morning i decided to take a walk to wake myself up.
the door i am not supposed to use is much more convienent to go out of from where i am at then the main door which i should use. i decided this morning to take my chances and depart from the former door since i didnt feel like using the latter. assuming my role as a modern workforce ninja, i scoped out the area and stealthily slipped out the door i am not supposed to use. quietly doing my best to avoid two managers on their smoke break; i headed for the freedom of the parking lots.
seconds later i ran into a disabled co-worker trying to get our of her car as the handicap spots had been taken up. i was more than happy to assist. and i got to wondering- if i hadn't broken the rules she would have been late to work and not had the help she needed. so we arrive at today's thought: are some rules actually meant to be broken?
to this is i answer: yes. if you're a police officer reading this- this does not mean i drive over the speed (all the time)...
one of my greatest heros is brother andrew (read his book God's Smuggler if you have the chance) who drove a vw beetle across the iron curtain into the territories of the USSR during the post WWII era through the cold war days to smuggle countless numbers of bibles to the underground churches there. the communist powers that be had one big glaring "rule": no bibles.
brother andrew recognized that the christians caught behind the iron curtain had one need: bibles.
his prayer at the border crossings? "Lord you made blind eyes to see, now make seeing eyes blind." a wonderfully short and to the point prayer of faith. and God listens. many times soldiers would tear apart his car to no avail but the bibles clearly sitting in the trunk on on the back seat would make it through and on to the home churches that needed the written word of God.
some rules are meant to be broken. its a gray line and more will need to be discussed. stay tuned for part 2!
my shift started at 6am this morning, so naturally theres the tendency to be tired... at 845am this morning i decided to take a walk to wake myself up.
the door i am not supposed to use is much more convienent to go out of from where i am at then the main door which i should use. i decided this morning to take my chances and depart from the former door since i didnt feel like using the latter. assuming my role as a modern workforce ninja, i scoped out the area and stealthily slipped out the door i am not supposed to use. quietly doing my best to avoid two managers on their smoke break; i headed for the freedom of the parking lots.
seconds later i ran into a disabled co-worker trying to get our of her car as the handicap spots had been taken up. i was more than happy to assist. and i got to wondering- if i hadn't broken the rules she would have been late to work and not had the help she needed. so we arrive at today's thought: are some rules actually meant to be broken?
to this is i answer: yes. if you're a police officer reading this- this does not mean i drive over the speed (all the time)...
one of my greatest heros is brother andrew (read his book God's Smuggler if you have the chance) who drove a vw beetle across the iron curtain into the territories of the USSR during the post WWII era through the cold war days to smuggle countless numbers of bibles to the underground churches there. the communist powers that be had one big glaring "rule": no bibles.
brother andrew recognized that the christians caught behind the iron curtain had one need: bibles.
his prayer at the border crossings? "Lord you made blind eyes to see, now make seeing eyes blind." a wonderfully short and to the point prayer of faith. and God listens. many times soldiers would tear apart his car to no avail but the bibles clearly sitting in the trunk on on the back seat would make it through and on to the home churches that needed the written word of God.
some rules are meant to be broken. its a gray line and more will need to be discussed. stay tuned for part 2!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
sparks
this was a handheld 30 second exposure taken on thursday night during the 5 hour lighting show over the indian river... (picture copyright 2008 joshua conti / conti photography)
Friday, August 08, 2008
there's no time like no time
as i was punching my way through morning rush hour traffic, i passed by a man with several signs spray-painted with "wake up america" and other types of slogans. here was somebody who had the time on a friday morning at 8:53 am to make a stand for his cause. wake up america? i didn't have time to wake up. let alone do anything for a cause... i was just trying to make it work on time.
eveyone has a cause; something they want to bring to the forefront of the world's attention. i have several but i dont have the time to sit by the highway and hold spray painted signs proclaiming how i feel.
we have as many hours in the day as anyone ever had at any time in history and somehow we never have time to do anything. yet we have so much to do. and what we have to do is something that we dont want to do- like work or driving or paying bills, etc.
last night there was an amazing lighting storm going on over the river near my house (pictures will be posted soon). instead of most nights where i would admire it for second then go back to the computer or tv, i actually went outside and took in the show. wait- i had time to do something i love to do? yep. the time was there all along, i just had to adjust my priorities.
where is all this going you might ask? keep up with me here for one second =)
our no time for our cause or the things we want to do is due to our priority system. luke 16:3 says "You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money (CEV)." i think i might be prioritizing the wrong master.
let's pull this all together...
today i passed by a guy who was making his voice and ideas known while i was rushing on my way to almost being late to work. i wished i had the time to do the same (maybe not in the same way). i realized that we all have the same time in the day to do the things we want or need to do and that what we do is based on our priorities. no time? we have all the time we need. we might just be serving the wrong master.
eveyone has a cause; something they want to bring to the forefront of the world's attention. i have several but i dont have the time to sit by the highway and hold spray painted signs proclaiming how i feel.
we have as many hours in the day as anyone ever had at any time in history and somehow we never have time to do anything. yet we have so much to do. and what we have to do is something that we dont want to do- like work or driving or paying bills, etc.
last night there was an amazing lighting storm going on over the river near my house (pictures will be posted soon). instead of most nights where i would admire it for second then go back to the computer or tv, i actually went outside and took in the show. wait- i had time to do something i love to do? yep. the time was there all along, i just had to adjust my priorities.
where is all this going you might ask? keep up with me here for one second =)
our no time for our cause or the things we want to do is due to our priority system. luke 16:3 says "You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money (CEV)." i think i might be prioritizing the wrong master.
let's pull this all together...
today i passed by a guy who was making his voice and ideas known while i was rushing on my way to almost being late to work. i wished i had the time to do the same (maybe not in the same way). i realized that we all have the same time in the day to do the things we want or need to do and that what we do is based on our priorities. no time? we have all the time we need. we might just be serving the wrong master.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
without love: asperity
asperity \as-PAIR-uh-tee\, noun:
1. Roughness of surface; unevenness.2. Roughness or harshness of sound; a quality that grates upon the ear.3. Roughness of manner; severity; harshness.
i'm leaving a reminder to myself today to silence my asperity. even if i don't have all i want and today isn't the best day i could have dreamed up, there is no reason to turn rough around the edges and wear everyone else down. today i will silence any asperity that threatens to leak from me.
1. Roughness of surface; unevenness.2. Roughness or harshness of sound; a quality that grates upon the ear.3. Roughness of manner; severity; harshness.
i'm leaving a reminder to myself today to silence my asperity. even if i don't have all i want and today isn't the best day i could have dreamed up, there is no reason to turn rough around the edges and wear everyone else down. today i will silence any asperity that threatens to leak from me.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
एलेमेंतल राव रेपुब्लिशेद or elemental raw: republished
इ ऍम रेपुब्लिशिंग थिस एंट्री फ्रॉम वे बेक इन थे डे अस अ लिटिल इन्सिघ्त इन्तो माय थौघ्त process =) oops, im writing in hindi... what i was trying to say is this was a blog entry from awhile back which i am republishing as alittle insight into my thought process... enjoy!
standing on the edge of hiding, looking out into acknowledging, i am almost to where i want to be. they say that the first step to recovering is admitting and the words are balancing on the tip of my tongue. to be free is to have no shadows cast by my definition as i walk through life. nothing is everything when you aren't attached to cares and possesions. and this is where i hope to be one day. but for today i'll just be staring out the window of this place called comfort. someday... someday... i will walk out the door and never look back.
standing on the edge of hiding, looking out into acknowledging, i am almost to where i want to be. they say that the first step to recovering is admitting and the words are balancing on the tip of my tongue. to be free is to have no shadows cast by my definition as i walk through life. nothing is everything when you aren't attached to cares and possesions. and this is where i hope to be one day. but for today i'll just be staring out the window of this place called comfort. someday... someday... i will walk out the door and never look back.
a dark reality
having just watched The Dark Knight i am frought with thoughts about my spiritual realities.
first, though, i would like to welcome myself back to my blog after a departure of several months. its been awahile so im plunging right back into the writing game thanks to the encouragement of my good friend Pas Ken of discoverlifechurch.tv.
i have found myself intrigued by heath ledger's joker in a way that no other villian has intrigued me. the movie continually stressed the point that the joker was not a normal "bad guy" as his madness had no concrete explanation. even he (the joker) had but dead end alibis for his victims as to why he was doing what he was doing. his tag line "why so serious?" served only to bely the sheer maniacal force of his will to do whatever he wished without having a purpose.
this morning in the shower i had a thought experiment (just as albert einstein was prone to have - more of this in another blog entry) and i wondered if the joker's character is a glimpse into the mind of the devil. it is my job after all to question everything we think we know and read it through the glasses of skepticism.
have we as modern day christians attempted to ingrain reason into the devil's inconsiderate pandering into our lives? in the dark knight christian bale's bruce wayne struggles with confronting the truth that the joker is not a purposed man but a freak driven by some force unknown. i wonder if its time for us to do the same.
the opening scene sees the joker eliminate even his own henchmen whilst in the process of robbing a bank but leaving one man alive with fake grenade in his mouth who believes he is about to die also. this is the introduction we have to the mind of the joker. he makes a pencil "dissappear" and burns a mountain of money. did he carve those scars into his face or did his father? we'll never know. we watch as he leaves the power of life and death in the hands of a barge of prisoners and a boat of blue collar families. bruce wayne's batman is almost lured into the joker's black hole as he smashes him into the walls and windows of an interrogation room trying to knock reason or information out of the joker. the joker only laughs louder and louder as the blows fall harder. this, ladies and gentleman, is a mad man.
who is the devil then? is he some man who tempts and lures each one of us in the purity of reason and logic? i propose he is not.
he is after all an "... adversary... prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for ANYONE he can devour. " (1 peter 5:8 HCSB)
like the joker he'll toy with anyone's mind. anyone at all. look at the all the ceo's and wall street bigshots that are biting the dirt right now. then look at the druggie or prostitute you walk past today. there is no reason or ryhme to what he does. no one is special to him. like the joker in a very twisted way he is just having fun..."why so serious?". he'll put a smile on your face. this is a scary proposition. am i proposing satan is ludicriously insane? a mad man? a villian without a heart? yes.
issac newton discovered that for every action there is an opposed and equal reaction. satan is a fallen angel who once was heaven's worship leader. when he tried to oppose God, God threw him into hell and all the angels who cared to side with him. let's apply newton's law here. by opposing God he was thrown to hell- God (who by very nature is love) was opposed. the reaction? the making of the antagonist in the story of salvation. what is the opposite of God? the devil. the opposite of Love? chaos.
at the rising of gotham city's protagonist- the Batman- we see the joker arrive: ready to oppose him. why? for no other reason than to introduce chaos and to oppose the batman.
the devil, satan, is not in the same mind frame as our Glorious and Wonderful Creator. he is the opposing antagonist to our protagonist: Jesus. he is chaos and hate where God is Love and Purpose.
for too long, i believe, we have tried to make head and tail (and im not about to introduce two face here!) out of the devil and explain him. to try to make him a reasonable enemy and an annoying pest.
the truth is- satan doesnt care about you at all. he is trapped in his own world that he is king of and burning it to the ground- free of purpose and intent. he'll take anyone with him alive or dead and (as we see in C.S. Lewis' the Screwtape Letters) even run down his own accomplices.
the Bible says that we can overcome him by by the word of our testimony. why is this such an effective antidote to his poison? it reminds him of all the times he's failed at turning our life upside down.
there is a scene where batman and joker are in a struggle stories above a river in gotham city as joker eagerly awaits for one of two barges to explode. he -the joker- has left remotes on each barge to detonate the other barge and left it to the people on board to destroy the other barge to live. when the deadline to do so ends, we watch as complete disblief washes over his face when there is no explosion. the "little experiment" he was conducting ends with no one destroying either boat because he could not account for the compassion and conscience of the people on the boats.
i believe this is the reaction of the devil when we're saved. he knows and understands evil and deception; but when all of his experiments fail - he cannot understand it- because he cannot understand all that is his opposite.
to know our enemy we must understand that he is toying with us for his own enjoyment and satisfaction. when we confront his chaos with the truth of who we are in Jesus, we leave him in a confused daze.
sun tzu says this in his ubiquitous book "the art of war": "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
in the dark knight batman almost loses his battle with the joker because he initially failed to understand his enemy. lets not make the same mistake.
first, though, i would like to welcome myself back to my blog after a departure of several months. its been awahile so im plunging right back into the writing game thanks to the encouragement of my good friend Pas Ken of discoverlifechurch.tv.
i have found myself intrigued by heath ledger's joker in a way that no other villian has intrigued me. the movie continually stressed the point that the joker was not a normal "bad guy" as his madness had no concrete explanation. even he (the joker) had but dead end alibis for his victims as to why he was doing what he was doing. his tag line "why so serious?" served only to bely the sheer maniacal force of his will to do whatever he wished without having a purpose.
this morning in the shower i had a thought experiment (just as albert einstein was prone to have - more of this in another blog entry) and i wondered if the joker's character is a glimpse into the mind of the devil. it is my job after all to question everything we think we know and read it through the glasses of skepticism.
have we as modern day christians attempted to ingrain reason into the devil's inconsiderate pandering into our lives? in the dark knight christian bale's bruce wayne struggles with confronting the truth that the joker is not a purposed man but a freak driven by some force unknown. i wonder if its time for us to do the same.
the opening scene sees the joker eliminate even his own henchmen whilst in the process of robbing a bank but leaving one man alive with fake grenade in his mouth who believes he is about to die also. this is the introduction we have to the mind of the joker. he makes a pencil "dissappear" and burns a mountain of money. did he carve those scars into his face or did his father? we'll never know. we watch as he leaves the power of life and death in the hands of a barge of prisoners and a boat of blue collar families. bruce wayne's batman is almost lured into the joker's black hole as he smashes him into the walls and windows of an interrogation room trying to knock reason or information out of the joker. the joker only laughs louder and louder as the blows fall harder. this, ladies and gentleman, is a mad man.
who is the devil then? is he some man who tempts and lures each one of us in the purity of reason and logic? i propose he is not.
he is after all an "... adversary... prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for ANYONE he can devour. " (1 peter 5:8 HCSB)
like the joker he'll toy with anyone's mind. anyone at all. look at the all the ceo's and wall street bigshots that are biting the dirt right now. then look at the druggie or prostitute you walk past today. there is no reason or ryhme to what he does. no one is special to him. like the joker in a very twisted way he is just having fun..."why so serious?". he'll put a smile on your face. this is a scary proposition. am i proposing satan is ludicriously insane? a mad man? a villian without a heart? yes.
issac newton discovered that for every action there is an opposed and equal reaction. satan is a fallen angel who once was heaven's worship leader. when he tried to oppose God, God threw him into hell and all the angels who cared to side with him. let's apply newton's law here. by opposing God he was thrown to hell- God (who by very nature is love) was opposed. the reaction? the making of the antagonist in the story of salvation. what is the opposite of God? the devil. the opposite of Love? chaos.
at the rising of gotham city's protagonist- the Batman- we see the joker arrive: ready to oppose him. why? for no other reason than to introduce chaos and to oppose the batman.
the devil, satan, is not in the same mind frame as our Glorious and Wonderful Creator. he is the opposing antagonist to our protagonist: Jesus. he is chaos and hate where God is Love and Purpose.
for too long, i believe, we have tried to make head and tail (and im not about to introduce two face here!) out of the devil and explain him. to try to make him a reasonable enemy and an annoying pest.
the truth is- satan doesnt care about you at all. he is trapped in his own world that he is king of and burning it to the ground- free of purpose and intent. he'll take anyone with him alive or dead and (as we see in C.S. Lewis' the Screwtape Letters) even run down his own accomplices.
the Bible says that we can overcome him by by the word of our testimony. why is this such an effective antidote to his poison? it reminds him of all the times he's failed at turning our life upside down.
there is a scene where batman and joker are in a struggle stories above a river in gotham city as joker eagerly awaits for one of two barges to explode. he -the joker- has left remotes on each barge to detonate the other barge and left it to the people on board to destroy the other barge to live. when the deadline to do so ends, we watch as complete disblief washes over his face when there is no explosion. the "little experiment" he was conducting ends with no one destroying either boat because he could not account for the compassion and conscience of the people on the boats.
i believe this is the reaction of the devil when we're saved. he knows and understands evil and deception; but when all of his experiments fail - he cannot understand it- because he cannot understand all that is his opposite.
to know our enemy we must understand that he is toying with us for his own enjoyment and satisfaction. when we confront his chaos with the truth of who we are in Jesus, we leave him in a confused daze.
sun tzu says this in his ubiquitous book "the art of war": "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."
in the dark knight batman almost loses his battle with the joker because he initially failed to understand his enemy. lets not make the same mistake.
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