Vegas Sky vs. the Milky Way

Having spent the last two times in Las Vegas on the infamous Strip, with all its mega hotels and huge casinos, I decided to go for a more down to earth version (if that is truly possible in Las Vegas) by staying at the Golden Nugget in the old downtown part known as Freemont Street. This is where it all started and so why not go there. Recently they have overhauled this section of the city to breath new life into what was fast becoming a place of the past. It seems like it has worked fairly well. One of the ways in which they have done this is by adding a four block cover over Freemont Street. Every 1 hour of so after dark this canopy lights up with millions of little lights, a variable sky of lights.

As I gazed at this canopy which obscured my view of the sky, I couldn’t help remember that only the night before I had been at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah looking up at the stars as they lit up the canopy of the sky. That night in Bryce Canyon I could see a thick band of what looked like dust cresting across the sky. The park ranger had explained to my parents earlier that this was the Milky Way streaking across the sky, the result of millions of stars closely packed together.

Flare in the Milky Way over Utah

But what he also explained afterwards was disturbing. At this point in time only 40% of the world is able to see what I saw just the other night because light pollution had virtually blotted out the stars from our view.

With that in mind I saw the Freemont light show with new eyes. Here, in a city that has a spotlight so bright that it can be seen from outer space, a city that  pollutes the sky with so much light that when I looked out the hotel window the only stars I saw were the ones displayed on the adjacent billboard, they had gone so far as to create their own night sky out of little LED’s.

As if destroying the absolutely awe inspiring night sky wasn’t enough we feel the need to replace it with a tacky light show. We love to pretend to be God but we sure are lousy at it.

Addiction: What is it really like?

Like an Itch

Addiction is like an itch, a mosquito bite

It starts out feeling great to scratch

But once you realize that the itch can’t be satisfied

It becomes an annoyance

And yet it feels so good when you are scratching away

Your mind is released from the constant bother of thinking about scratching

You are feeling the delight of an itch being satisfied

But the moment you stop scratching the need to scratch is still there

It hasn’t gone away, it hasn’t stopped

The satisfaction only lasts as long as you are scratching

It only feels good in that very moment

And your life is consumed with scratching

Everything else fades away

Nothing else is important

Only the need to scratch

Only the desire to fulfill the desire to scratch

You scratch so incessanty that it starts to bleed

It actually starts to hurt

The pleasure is gone

But the itch is still there

The itch that once was so enjoyable now hurts

It aches as you run your nails across it

The skin feels tender as you dig into your bloody flesh

You begin to wonder if this will ever end

You start to think that this scratching will consume your life

As if it hasn’t already

You try and tie your hands behind your back

Thinking that now you will be unable to scratch

But now you can’t do the normal things in life

You can’t feed yourself, or wash yourself or shake hands

You manage to hold off from scratching by sheer will power

Long enough to forget, long enough to for it to fade

Aha you say, I have accomplished the impossible

But then you accidentally itch your arm without thinking, like an old habit

And it all starts over again

You begin to think that there is no getting away from the itch

And so you reserve yourself to scratching it once and a while

Just enough to give temporary relief

Because there is no way to stop completely

But each time you give a little scratch the desire from before becomes stronger

With each pull across the skin your desire increases

Until the blood is once again flowing

In utter despair you lay on the ground and watch a drop of blood drip down your arm

And on to the floor

The blood lays there

Holding you and all your pain inside it.

Don’t worry, there is much more where that came from…

Las Vegas vs. National Parks: Can we know God through Nature?

As I drove through the desert of Nevada this afternoon Las Vegas appeared like a mirage in the distance. It seemed so out of place in this hot and barren land, in a place where nothing but rocks, cacti and a few hardy animals survive. But nonetheless here it was, with the spire of Stratosphere jutting prominently into the sky.

This is my third time to Las Vegas and each time it has been very thought provoking. The difference between this time and the other two was that now I was arriving by car whereas the other two times I came in by plane. And not only was I arrive by car but that same day and the seven days prior I had spent my time driving through Arches, Grand Escalante, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. I had witnessed first hand the amazing power of water as it flowed over sandstone for millions of years and carved out strange and wonderful shapes. I had floated down the Colorado River that cut through the desert so deep that it exposed rock over 2 billion years old. I saw the heavens light up before my eyes 8000 feet above the sea with shooting stars. And here I was, nearing the end of my journey, moving towards a city made by humans.

This stark contrast couldn’t help but bring about a comparison between God’s creation and our creation. While some might say that anything we create is God’s creation there are some subtle differences.

First, when we create something we say, “Look at what I have created,” for indeed we have created it. When we look at nature, and by that I mean the forces that we, at this point, have little or no control over, we say, “Look what God has created.” Our own creations often point to ourselves while nature has a tendency to point towards God.

Second, we only have a finite amount of time to create. As I visited Salt Lake City on the first leg of my journey through Utah I saw the first and most important Mormon Temple, built in the late 1900’s. The Salt Lake Temple took forty years to build; half a life time and probably a persons full working career. And while the temple is a masterpiece I found myself being overwhelmed to a much greater degree once I reached Bryce Canyon. Here  the Hoodoos had taken hundreds of millions of years to be created by the shifting of earth and water. Here I found nature pointing to the incomprehensible amount of time that God has and as a consequence the finitude of his creation, especially humans, and all their attempts at grandeur.

Perhaps my inability to comprehend the complexity of God creating the Hoodoos was what led me to be so awe struck by them. Nature cannot help but point to God, for we have no control over it, we can take no credit, we are but dust.

This leads me to a second and perhaps less interesting point, yet it is one I have thought extensively about. If God is so intricately linked to nature, that is if we see who God is in nature, then wouldn’t God would also decay, fall apart, break down, die. Indeed God does all those things in Jesus. For in Jesus Christ, God decayed in death on the cross, God broke apart into little pieces and died. But like so many of the amazing creations that I saw, it was in the decay that new life was created, something more amazing than we could ever imagine was accomplished.

But less I begin to sound like a Buddhist, who would say that each part of nature is a drop taken from the pool of water that is God, that is to say God is nature, I have to clarify that nature is not synonymous with God, they are not one in the same. For while the creation reveals attributes of the creator, it is limited in what it can reveal. To make God and nature synonymous would limit God by basing our understanding of God on that which we could see and understand. If this was true, then it would only be a matter of time before we understood the secrets of nature, and therefore God, and as appealing as that may sound God is far beyond what we could ever hope to understand. God is not an object to be studied but a subject, a living God that acts in ways that often seem out of sorts and surprising to us. No, God is not synonymous with nature, but we can definitely look to nature as a  revelation, just not the revelation. Jesus truly reveals who God is.

Hits from the Blog: Friends, Followers or Hits?

It is always interesting that whenever I put up a blog post I want to see how many people have looked at it. It seems like each of the social media components has a way of measuring how many people are looking at the things that we post. Facebook is measured by the amount of friends you have, Twitter is measured by the amount of followers you have and Blogging is measured by the amount of hits you have. The more people that are looking the more successful any of these forms of communication are perceived to be. And in turn the more satisfied we are with that part of lives (yes, it’s scary but these components are a part of our lives). Like anything we derive a part of our identity from what we invest ourselves in. And when we do well at a piece of our lives its gives us a sense of accomplishment, helps boost our self image.

It is not surprising that many of the words used to evaluate our success on social media are social words. We are evaluated by how many “friends” we have on Facebook. We are social people and so having friends is part of who we are. No explanation needed. None of us like to be alone.

Yet the word follower is another thing all together. A follower is someone who is devoted to a particular person. A follower is being led by the person in front of them. Followers are needed for leaders, bosses and even dictators to exist. There is a sense of responsibility that comes with having followers but also a sense of power. The word evokes some deep seeded desires including the desire to be in control of others.

Perhaps the least socially linked word is “hits” on a blog. The only other use of the word “hits” that I could think of was from Cypress Hills rap song Hits from the Bong (honestly I never inhaled . In this way the word “hits” has been taken and applied to a totally different context. And yet I still look eagerly at my hits each time I log onto my blog to see who is interested in what I have written. If people are reading my blog then they are interested in a piece of me. I think that no matter if you measure success by friends, followers or hits there is always an egotistical part of us that relishes or even needs to be acknowledged for who we are, however that affirmation comes.

The Resurrection of Pop Pete

When I was at SFU I remember having a debate in class about art. Some people felt that an artist should attempt to be original but others pointed out that no matter what we do whether it is art or writing or anything creative we always have to draw on what came before. Today on Facebook I found a perfect example.

It isn’t often that you get to see culture in the making but after I saw the music video below by Dylan or Arran Shearing, a couple old friends  from Forest Grove in Burnaby BC, I became curious where he got the name Pop Pete from (referenced in the music video). I went on You Tube and low and behold there is a famous animated movie called American Pop by Ralph Bakshi. One of the main characters is named Pop Pete. Now I haven’t asked Dylan or Arran if they got some of their ideas from the original Pop Pete but after watching the older animation I would guess they did. First watch the animation and then the music video. Cocaine, dancing, partying, women and a rising star. Art influencing art. Art imitating art. Take a few minutes to take it all in.

Sex, drugs and music. Not much seems to change.

How to Snuff Out Christianity 101

Vanessa put me on the new video section of the PBS website, specifically their Frontline section which covers world events that just don’t get any press in regular news media. One that grabbed my attention was called Jesus in China.

As you can see in this screenshot from the intro to the video Christianity is getting to the point were the government can no longer ignore it or keep it controlled through persecution. It just isn’t going away. For those Christian history buffs out there (by the way I am not one of those) this might sound vaguely familiar. For everyone else here is why it is familiar.

I was only 1600 years ago when Christianity had reached a critical mass in the Roman Empire. Persecution under Nero and Septimus Severus, to name a few, had done little to deter Christianity during despite the brutality. Here is an excerpt from a writer of the time named Tacitus explaining the twisted nature of Nero’s persecution:

Before killing the Christians, Nero used them to amuse the people. Some were dressed in furs, to be killed by dogs. Others were crucufied. Stll others were set on fire early in the night, so that they might illumine it.

Similarly in China, while not as insidious, house church leaders are arrested and sent to prison and labour camps. But again this has not deterred the chinese Christians and in fact it has only multiplied the numbers. So it was in Rome. In the early 4th century Emperor Constantine needed a way to unit his empire and what better way to do this than to use a common set of beliefs. As such he proclaimed Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. This was a joyous time for Christians becasue persectition ceased. But other changes also occured.

Until Constantine’s time Christian worship had been simple, taking place in private homes and under times of intense persecution in the underground catacombs or burial places. Now as a state religion it was influenced by the state. Worship was more elaborate with incense and and those officiating wearing more luxurious clothing. The congregation began to have a less active role in worship. Choirs were developed. Buildings became elaborate basilicas. Sounds remarkably like the PBS documentary below. This is a shorter version but the full video can be found at Jesus in China.

It seems as though Christianity is an excellent tool for uniting a nation but only if it is done in an orderly way. Somehow order and control in the hands of humans seems to choke out the Gospel. Maybe the Chinese government has it right. The best way to get rid of Christianity or at least sedate  is to accept it.

Mind Mapping and Drawing the Bible

After reading my Dad’s blog on Mind Mapping I thought I would give it a try. His example involved planning for a website that he was setting up for Mt Lehman Credit Union. What I found is that you can also use it for bible study or sermon prep. I took all four texts and attached three headings: Images, Concepts and Theology. From there I went through the texts and added pieces that fit into those categories. The best part about this is that you can connect images or concepts by linking them via relationships. They look like orange dotted lines arrows on the end. By doing this you can see the relationships between each text. It is like a visual map of how each passage connects. Wow. You can download a free 21 day trial at Mindjet MindManager and give it a try for yourself. It is easy to use and a great way to lay out any bible texts that you are reading and studying.

Below is a example of the Gospel reading and Psalm:

 

Before I started fooling around with the mind mapping I did a similar thing with pictures. Instead of using words to map out the biblical texts or pericopes I drew pictures. I put the name of the biblical book along with chapter and verse in the corner. There are four each Sunday so one for each corner. I try and switch which corner I put the readings in each time. For example one week I will put the gospel in the top right and the next week I will put the Old Testament reading there. This is because we read from top right down so it changes the focus. You don’t need to be an artist to do this. I get away with stick men and women. But what it does do is at the end I have an actual picture of how each passage looks and how they might compare and contrast to each other. It gives a real good way to visualize what you are reading at a glance and is a fun way to do biblical studies.

The Church of So You Think You Can Dance

Somehow I have managed to get myself hooked into So You Think You Can Dance on CTV. Time and time again during the auditions people would come out crying because they had not been chosen to go to Las Vegas. And time and time again they would say that dance was the most important thing in the world to them. One girl in particular actually said that it was what helped her get through life. Now we all have reasons to live and support systems to get through life. We are not islands unto ourselves. But what it points to is the tendency for us as humans to find a passion and turn it into a cause which in itself becomes the reason we exist. It is the existential angst, the need to have meaning and understand why we exist that drives us to make hobbies, interests, passions or family the fundamental centre of our lives and the reason that we exist.

For Nigel, one of the judges, So You Think You Can Dance was really drawing peoples attention to the meaning found in dance. He was so passionate about showing the world the beauty of dance. Nigel is a dance evangelist. He has good news and wants to share it. He wants the world to know that dance is a place were life is really found, where we are able to experience the true joy of living, express who we are and be who we are meant to be. It is definitely good news for those who are experiencing its joys but as an outsider I feel a little bit isolated from the whole thing. Maybe if I just gave it a try I would see what he was talking about.

The dance routines themselves where very entertaining and one involving crash test dummies really pushed the envelope as to what dance is. One of the judges commented that he was proud that this show was open to exploring dance in all its forms, even if it was a bit strange. While the judges found the dance routine strange they were willing to accept it.

On the other hand there was a different reaction when two men did ballroom dancing together. The judges could not identify who was leading and who was following and so they could not evaluate if it really was good dance. It did not fit into their understanding (history) of what dance had looked like and commented that they needed the two men to dance with women next time to make it fit into their conception.

All of the judges were struggling with what they knew from the past, that is the history of dance, what they were seeing in the present, what was right in front of them and how that would shape the future of dance. Could what was happening in the present be reconciled to the past in a way that would produce a recognizable future? I guess that all depended on the individual case. The two men, no. The crash test dummies, yes. One will work and one won’t. Sounds vaguely familiar. I must be having deja vu.

He is Gay!

Check out the link to the clip before you read the commentary. It will help give some perspective.

http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/#clip17078

I have to say, that that senior analyst sure has a solid argument I think that this little clip really points to a key problem around the homosexual debate, especially in the church. However for the church he is the one saying “He is committing a SIN!” It seems like Christians are speaking out of two different understandings of what it is to be gay. For some it is a sin pure and simple and because of that there is no way to reconcile the harm that it does to our relationship with God. To accept homosexual behaviour is to accept sin and gives no space for the law to reveal their sinful actions which would help them see the gospel and Christ’s forgiveness and love for them. This partially comes out of the belief that homosexuality is not genetic like heterosexuality. Therefor naming homosexuality as a sin will protect those who have fallen into its clutches, much like the alcoholic, by revealing the sin they are participating in and helping them see God’s forgiveness (second use of the law).

Now in contrast to the argument of homosexuality as sin is the fallen/broken nature of all relationships (original sin), both hetero and homosexual. This puts a different skew on things by taking the light off homosexual activity and focusing on the sinfulness of all sexual activity. It highlights that no actions on our behalf will ever re create the perfect relationship we had with God and the other in the garden of Eden. However I don’t think this point argues against homosexuality as sin. It simply tries to make us all see that we are sinners and are in need of God’s forgiveness (Please correct me if I am wrong)

But if we say that homosexuality is not a sin, and the bible says it is, how does that play out. If, as Lutherans, our hermeneutic is Christ as he reveals himself in the scriptures through the Holy Spirit, then we must test our experiences in the world (context) and the scriptures by looking through this heurmaneutic. After much deliberation, which most of us have probably done, I have no reason to believe that passages condemning homosexuality reveal Christ in as far as they speak against committed homosexual relationships. In fact I believe they may even oppose Christ because of the harm that they cause in peoples lives. There is no gospel for the homosexual when an action that is intricately a part of their relationship with another human is condemned as sin. Therefore if we believe homosexuality is a sin we are better of taking the side of Phil and friends (http://www.confessionalministerium.ca/), otherwise we make the gospel a sham because the gospel is not transformative. Homosexuals are in a perpetual cycle of guilt for living with the sin they know they will commit in order to live in relationship with someone they love. They are never comforted.

However this is not to say that homosexuality is not sinful, it should simply not be defined as a sin in and of itself. It needs to be tested. Like heterosexual relationships, homosexuality can easily be perverted into lust, that is the separation of the person from the function they provide, the objectification of another person. However the litmus test is not its potential for perversion, for all things have that potential, but whether homosexuality, within what we would define as a committed and loving relationship (as far as that is possible), produces the fruits of the spirit, that is love, joy, compassion etc. In my experience these committed homosexual relationships do in fact produce these fruits, which is a part of testing the Spirit through the hermeneutic of Christ, and so it is hard for me to see that such a relationship needs to be killed over and over again by the law, with no hope of being raised into new life in Christ.

Water Waste

The other day I was sitting on the toilet watching the water drip out of my tap. As a result of this profound experience I decided to see how much water is wasted in a 24 hour period. I plugged the tub, told everyone that we were no longer showering and off it went. After 24 hours I measured the volume of water and it came out to 48 litres. That is 12 4L milk jugs in just a days time.

It just gave me a picture of how much water we really waste just on little things. So obviously I went out and fixed it right. Well, no, but I’ll get around to it soon. Just something to think about.