bread&tea

So I want to do one last post before the year is done. But that's a poor reason to post. No post is necessary unless it is conveying a message or something of importance, right? Well maybe. Because I hope that when you read this blog, two things occur: one, that the post is relevant and influential, and two, that by reading a post, you become more liable to come back again because it was an enjoyable read, and you liked it. Both are important, because without one, the other becomes rather useless. Without enjoying the read, there really is no incentive to come back for another dose of poorly written, uninteresting or irrelevant stuff. And without the stuff with substance to it, there really is no point for me to be writing it, because it's pretty much a waste of time. That said, I think about you often. I wonder at what lives you must lead, if my blog grants some reassurance, or whether it has helped. I picture people that I know, and reflect their convoluted, unique live...

Christmas reminds me of who started the giving. We give, because he gave to us, quite similar to the verse 1 John 14:19, "We love because he first loved us." Problem is, I often stop at the remembering part, and never move on. Remembering the whom, that Christmas is all about is good, being reminded of the one who loves and lay down his life for the worlds sin. But I stop with that. And it's not far enough. Either remembrance should lead us to repentance, or lead us to action for others, or both. Without the second part though, there's really no point. If I am not allowing God to shape my life, remembering that he exists will not change that. In addition to allowing his good work though, now that's when remembrance can bring a powerful change for the better. A pause in the yearly lifestyle to settle back, and simply meditate again, on the one whom my faith is in.  More than remembrance. Christmas isn't a time to just recognize Jesus and drink hot chocola...

Something important I've learned over the past few months. God doesn't just want trust, he wants total dependence. And that's not a bad thing. With first thought, it may seem weak to add dependence to trust in God. After all, we trust him, but we are not meant to simply sit around and depend upon him to meet our needs. What's being assumed here is dependence that signifies an inability of self-sufficiency. Dependence upon God is stronger than that though. It is a dependence of actions, of emotions, of control. We trust that he is in control, or that he is guiding our actions. When we depend upon him in our actions, emotions are controlled as well, for it's not just trust in that he is doing something good, but the strength of everything relying on someone greater. More capable. As I don't feel entirely convinced as to what I'm saying yet, I guess I'll continue to define what it is I'm trying to show. Let me take a few steps back. Matthew 11:2...

Planting an idea in someones head, is not as easy as it sounds. If I told you to think about balloons, what would you think about? Balloons naturally pop up, but you know it's not your idea. To plant an idea, so that another person genuinely thinks it's their own, is all contained in the word inception. Inception, though aptly named, is still largely about other things. Discerning the difference between what is real and what is not. Confronting the difference between what we believe to be real, and what really is. Daring to question whether reality is relevant, or established. If Inception simply stopped there, I might find it interesting. However, Inception is filled, and nicely paced with some sweet action throughout, as well as amazing visual scenes. In my opinion, the interweaving of these two genres, action and thought-provoking questions, combined with stunning visuals, makes for success in my book any day. Negatively, Inception does have some foul language. We shou...

I've been reading "The Church Of Irresistible Influence", by Robert Lewis and Rob Wilkins. After a couple of chapters, here's something I'd like to share that I found interesting, "Our ideas, in time, become our realities". I didn't really agree 100%, but I noticed that what it didn't say, was that our thoughts become our realities. That made sense, because while our thoughts are all over the place, our ideas are specific. (or at least more so) There's only a fine line between thought and idea, but I do think they defer in application. Thought is just the beginning. It can be good or bad. But action only comes from thought, that has progressed into an idea, regardless of the idea's complexity. Here are some definitions from  Dictionary.com Thought. - the product of mental activity; that which one thinks: a body of thought. - a single act or product of thinking; idea or notion: to collect one's th...

I appreciate music. I suppose most people do. Recently though.... I came across an interesting class you can take in school, Music Appreciation. Hm, says I, I wonder what goes on with something like that? So after jumping around on the web for a while, (not the sticky version, that doesn't work to well and it's very hard to find one big enough) finding out what music appreciation classes are all about, I came to some conclusions. Music appreciation, good. Learning why people listened to what they listened to in the past, good. Listening to music..... Um.....what? Well it makes sense that a class called "music appreciation" would involve listening to music, but the reality is, how much music do you already listen to every day? If it were as easy as that, then everybody would appreciate music. How much music does the average American citizen listen to in a day? An hour? Our household has music nearly non-stop, but I don't think that's the norm. If you r...

This is a 1-page paper for school. One page is hard to snap off, but too short for me to get carried away, so it's a good exercise for me. Enjoy the read. Constitutional Concern Although the vast majority of Americans today are not familiar with the Constitution as a whole, almost all carry with them the clause, “All men are created equal”.             This stems from the written Constitution of America. I say written, because that is an important fact. America was essentially the first country to develop based off of a written document. A document compiled to designate how America was to be run, and also how it was not supposed to be run. “In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” (The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, Annals of America , 4:66.)             How so? Today the gove...

An IMAX movie is so cool to see. I mean ya go in there, in that giant room, and there's the screen. Only it's a giant wall, or the whole curved roof. You just kind of settle down in a seat, and the atmosphere is just so much fun. Anticipation for what's coming. There's one thing I don't get though. Going to see a 3-d IMAX, about nature . Really? Twenty dollars to go see nature in 3-d? Come on... we live in 3-d nature. Instead of pining for the feeling of nature pushing against our faces, we could just accept that we are standing in it. The sky is a bigger screen than anybody will ever make in history. IMAX ain't got nothin' on the sky. It's like a little seven inch netbook next to a, well a sky screen. After mulling over this incredibility, the only reason I can fathom for this inexplicable scenario, is that we pay to see it... limited. In other words, it's too big for us to take in unless it's shrunken. Is that the way it's suppose...