Are They Listening?

 Hello fellow biped.

Guess what?! You know those algorithms and the data mining everyone is paranoid about all the time from the big tech companies? The ones that listen in on your conversation about being cold and wishing your sweater was warmer as you are huddled near your phone only to display a hoodie ad on Instagram the next time you open it? Whelp, I don't think they work quite as well as we have been led to believe.

Other than that, all is well for now. I hope to write something more substantial soon but nothing has struck my mind in quite some time. Good thing I don't do this for a living, right?!

 2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 88.5 miles

Books Read: 3

    Completed: The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons review here

    Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller review here

    The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick review here

Bible Progress: Joshua 6

Again and Again, It's Love

Hello fellow humans.

I used to think I knew the Bible. I was often the first pick for Bible Jeopardy in Sunday School so I figured that meant I had it down, that I understood all it had to offer. That was pretty cocky for a 10-year old, let me tell ya.

The following decade or so proved otherwise. I had missed some of the essential lessons. Nowadays, I like to focus on the words from the mouth of Jesus. It would only make sense to really hone in on what Christ was telling us if I am trying to be a Christian, no? 

It only takes a cursory glance at the Gospels to see what the focus of Jesus's ministry was: love. Over and over again, Jesus cites love as what is most important. Matthew 22: 34-40 tells us that love in two forms is the most important commandment we are given:

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

When pressed by the Jewish leaders, Jesus didn't say the most important thing was to make sure you paid your taxes or that you go to Temple every Saturday. He told us to love. First, love God, which admittedly contains a multitude of things to consider. Second, love your neighbor. Simple as that. No caveats attached. No "love your neighbor when convenient," or "love your neighbor when they agree with you," or "love your neighbor when they are nice to you." There was no qualifier attached. 

Additionally, some of my favorite words from Jesus include this passage from John 15:

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Jesus calls Christians to lay down their lives (like he eventually would) for their friends. And continues to push his disciples to love one another. Love, man.

I don't have anything truly enlightening to add so I leave it at that for now. 

 2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 43.9 miles

Books Read: 2

    Completed: The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons review here

    Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller review here

Bible Progress: Deuteronomy 29

Hearts and Beliefs

Hello everyone.

January 6th, 2020 will be a day that will not soon be forgotten in the United States of America. I attempted to thoroughly examine the events taking place, the people involved, and those commentating on what was happening. I tried to soak it all in as much as possible, to digest it before making my conclusions and reactions. I won't really speak too much of it specifically because I just don't have the capability to fully analyze and properly disseminate all the necessary information in the socio-political context of the events that transpired. Sure, I could write up a bunch of platitudes about how we need to come together and change, but it wouldn't do proper justice to the situation. Because while soaking it all in, I was overwhelmed by a monumental distaste for one thing in particular: hypocrisy.

I stated in a previous post that both sides of American political discourse are seeped in deep hypocrisy. But the hypocrisy that gave me internal fits of rage yesterday didn't really pertain to any building, election, political group, or person. It was about peoples' hearts. What really has a hold on peoples' hearts? Do they really care about other people? Do they really care about freedom? Do they really care about the US Constitution? Do they really care about equality? Do they really care about change? Do they really care about helping others? What is it that people truly care about? What is their true hearts' desire?

America, the Political

Hello beautiful people.

Over the last couple years or so, I have had a constant internal battle raging in my mind. The reason this battle began was because I actually started to think. Like, legitimately think. I stopped assuming or adopting what I had long assumed were "givens" and began to critically analyze who I was and what I believed. The answer to both of those questions turned out to be one in the same: I am a follower of Christ. That is who I am and Jesus is what I believe. Now there's obviously a lot more depth to the second part of that statement but the aforementioned raging battle relates to being a follower of Christ within the context of this world, and more specifically, the political constructs in which God has chosen to place me.

Or, to bloviate slightly less and get straight to brass tacks (did you know it was tacks instead of tax? I learned that this week... God has a funny way of humbling us on any given day.): how does one reconcile being Christian in the current political climate of America?

It is impossible to cover the many facets of this topic in a short post but I think it is one of the greatest daily time consumers within the context my internal monologue. (Yes, I talk to myself in my head essentially all day. Although, one could argue that that is what thinking is, no?) So I feel compelled to address it here because, especially during these times, it's impossible to share these thoughts with all of the people in my life in a serious one-on-one conversation. Currently, the only adult I interact with verbally on a daily basis is my wife and we have discussed this topic in detail on several occasions. But the pull to further this discussion by floating it out there has been weighing on my heart for sometime.

In any case, the current American political landscape, without providing any personal context just yet, is incredibly messy. Some might even say dangerous. Part of this is because there are a variety of forces beyond just politicians that are at work attempting to influence Americans, whether it be for monetary or political profit. 

Throughout the course of human history, "superpowers" have existed in a variety of iterations. Think of the Persian Empire, the Greeks, the Roman Empire, Genghis Kahn's Mongul Empire, and the "sun never setting on the British Empire" just to name a few. The thing these entities all have in common is they eventually faded; they eventually fell. Similar to the sports' cliché of Father Time being undefeated while referring to aging athletes, even those who were the greatest of their sport, no matter how great a nation-state, empire, country, etc. becomes, it will always eventually be humbled. 

Hiatus Over, Decorations Down, What Next?

 Hello dear readers.

Tomorrow marks a return to work after a long, long hiatus. Let's just say I don't even remember my work account login password at this point. I can't complain about the duration nor, considering the circumstances, the overall results of my time off. It's never enjoyable going back to work after a long lay off but at this point, I'm pretty apathetic.

Additionally, the last fragments of the Christmas decorations were taken down across the house today. Due to the sheer quantity, it is a gradual process that takes several days, despite having very few distractions in the age of COVID. This procedure is generally accompanied with sadness on my end because it truly marks the end of the holidays and returning to the normal grind of every day life.

Today's bible verse was one of repute: John 15:5. It reads (ESV):

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

I suppose this should comfort me as I struggle with the return to work and the end of the Christmas season. If we obey Christ, if we abide by his commands and gospel, we will bear much fruit. This fruit could be in reference to fruit of the spirit, fruit from the witnessing fields, or perhaps the fruits of our labor  (that is, if we follow the suggestions of Colossians 3:23 which states, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters"). I will keep this in mind as I return to a job that is, partially due to current circumstances, more monotonous than it has been in the past. And the comfort in knowing that about 2000 years ago, my savior was born and the celebration of that glorious occasion will come again at the end of 2021. I will try to keep this mind as I begin a new work year tomorrow.

Ah well, as a wise man-giant once said, "What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does."

2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 9.7 miles

Books Read: .8 (Currently reading The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons)

Bible Progress: Deuteronomy 12

Hello Resolutions, Hello New Life

 Hello friend.

Or family member. Or acquaintance. Or stranger. You are reading this now for one of a few reasons: (a) curiosity, (b) unconquerable boredom, or (c) you mistakenly clicked the link when panning through social media searching for a hilarious end of 2020/beginning of 2021 meme. Well whatever the case may be that led you here, let me proactively apologize for the following. and welcome you to what is sure to be an eclectic and very likely to fail project of mine.  I do this because if I set the bar low enough, I can't possibly fail in meeting said bar. 

Self-deprecation has long been a strategy of mine as it pertained to things outside my realm of expertise. Sadly, my realm of expertise has been limited to general trivia (and even then I am only above average) and ping-pong (again, only above average). So when it came to any other aspect of life, I learned over the years to cope with my mediocrity by utilizing self-deprecation to humorous effect. Sometimes, this strategy has been effective. Other times, my reach has exceeded my grasp. If this sounds esoteric, it is. Using movie clichés is a form of misdirection to distract you from my mediocre writing... which reminds me...

I must explain the reason I am starting this inane collection of ramblings. I have long prided myself on going against the grain. I don't like to be a part of things considered trendy. I like to consume media on my own time, such as watching a TV show that everyone raved about 5 years after the fact. I dislike Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Roger Federer, as athletes, if only because everyone else loved them. I have, for the most part, fought popular style in favor of comfort, though concessions had to be made in this department once I became involved in a serious relationship, for better or worse. Despite my best efforts for a long period of my life to combat peer pressures of any kind, I have succumbed in recent years to fixating on one thing that is extremely cliché. Fortuitously, it has yet to be to my detriment. I am referring, of course, to partaking in the tradition of New Years Resolutions.

Perhaps it is due to my penchant for list making, whether it involves ranking or merely a to-do list, but having a vague list of "goals" has allowed me to focus on the macro despite drowning in the micro day-to-day. Last year, I had three resolutions. I succeeded with two of those and failed at the third. This collection of words is my attempt to reconcile that failure. The resolution in question: Write something. The original intent was to compose a piece of fiction and despite many hours of brain-storming and mental story-boarding, and the complete blank slate of free time that was the year 2020, I failed to even approach a passable attempt at completing the aforementioned aspiration.

I will admit, I have copped out this year. Instead of being ambitious enough to suggest I complete a novel or novella or actual story of any kind, I have resolved to merely write what comes to mind in an ironically outdated form of online content. Ironic because it reflects my propensity to try something far after it was popular. Honestly, who blogs anymore? I know I have tried several different iterations in the past but then I was actually trying to get clicks searching for some kind of tiny influence in the vast reaches of the world wide web. Fortunately, I no longer have ambitions of gathering a "following" or trying to make it as a sports writer through blogging and "getting noticed." This will be a grand stream of consciousness, one that might make Faulkner blush, that will qualify as completing one of my resolutions that require measurable results. A couple other intentions for 2021 that are measurable include:

1. Read the Bible in its entirety (Fortunately, I have a bit of a head start on this as I began this towards the latter half of 2020)
2. Read 35 books
3. Walk 1,200 miles with our dog, Moses

My current count of resolutions stands at 12 but not all are for the eyes of millions (or more likely, a dozen or so who may happen upon this in passing). 

In any case, the best thing about this is it can essentially act as part diary, part venting, part record-keeping. There have been years in the past where I tried to write about every day that had occurred in attempts to garner enough memories instead of letting each day pass through my mind like sand through one's fingers. I believe I made it to sometime in May during my first attempt at this audacious endeavor. Then we decided to move while I was simultaneously working a full-time job and I  was getting my master's degree online, and the meticulous records I had been keeping so diligently for over 120 days disappeared.

The content you can expect from this "project" include the following:

• Stuff about Jesus because he's awesome and someone I think everyone should hear about
• Stuff about the current state of the world and how it interacts with bullet point #1
• Sports because despite my best efforts, I can't quit them
• Progress updates on some of the aforementioned resolutions, both public and private
• Anything else I deem worthy of transferring from the firing neurons in my brain to the clunky fingers on my hand

Without further ado, I would like to get to some actual subject matter.

I receive a daily Bible verse from the Bible app I have on my phone. This is a good thing because I much like many people do not go very long without checking my phone. This daily verse is essentially guaranteed to get seen. I would like to share these with you as often as I can. The one for January 1st, 2021 was 2 Corinthians 5:17 (New Living Translation) which reads:

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

I chose the NLT version because I found it most beautiful, mainly because of the use of the exclamation point at the end. Heck, the news contained in this verse is so exciting, even Elaine Benes would approve of the use of this exclamation point (obscure Seinfeld references will be a commonplace occurrence in these proceedings... you better just get used to it). If you are willing to dedicate your life to Christ, that is to say, to belong to Christ, to recognize him as the Lord of your heart and your savior, you will become a new person. As the Scripture says, "a new life has begun!" That exclamation point is incredible. The excitement and passion that accompany knowing that one can leave behind the old life and experience this new life is palpable in this passage. 

Obviously, the people running the YouVersion Bible app knew what they were doing. You see the symbolism with pushing this verse out on January 1st? New year? New life? But Jesus is so far superior to any New Year's Resolution we could ever make. He is flawless. He will never fall short. He will never be pushed off to next year's list of resolutions. 

One thing I do want to get out of this is communication with others. If you've made it this far, you are very likely a relative or close friend or perhaps even an old acquaintance. I would love to hear from you. If you have my number, please, text me or call me. If you don't, feel free to send me an email. I really hope that whatever it is I have to say here makes people want to talk. This isn't a formal 2021 resolution of mine but I would very much like to have more non-superficial conversations with people. However, I also don't know how to solicit those without being invasive, over-bearing, obnoxious or weird. If I ever write something you find interesting, you disagree with, or you would like to discuss further, I would very much appreciate you reaching out to me. I would love to talk to you. The subject matter could be economic and socio-political interactions of class, an acknowledgement of an arcane movie or TV quote I embed into my stream of consciousness on a whim, or anything in between.

I can't wait to see where this goes. Perhaps I will post 5 times in 2021. Or maybe 300. I don't know, I can be really motivated or foolishly optimistic and overestimate my drive and abilities. But if we knew the end of the story, we wouldn't really need to read it would we?

2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 5.5 miles

Books Read: .75 (Currently reading The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons)

Bible Progress: Deuteronomy 12