I’m Home with a Spiritual Commentary.

Today on the plane I was reading the Screwtape Letters. I read the first 8 letters. Not the literally letters as in abc, but each chapter is a new letter from Screwtape to his nephew. For a brief summary of what the book is all about, I shall condense. This is a book by the incredible author C.S. Lewis. It is a gathering of fictional letters from an elder demon to his nephew, whom is also a demon. The nephew, whose name is Wormwood, is having trouble a soul that he is trying to control. The soul becomes a Christian and the book is written as if Wormwood is seeking advice. The reason I bring this up is because as I am reading this book on an airplane from North Carolina to Long Beach, Ca I suddenly realized a lot of what is happening to the spiritual condition of our modern western culture. This is what I gathered…

The book goes on to tell the strategy for claiming a soul for their “father below”. One thing stuck out to me more than anything else. It was interesting because it was one of the first things to be talked about. It was the idea that the battle for our minds isn’t won by arguments. For if it were up to argumentation the Lord would win every time. We serve a rational God and the only thing that keeps us from that understanding is our stupidity. This is true for both sides, Christian and non-Christian alike. We are too dumb to understand the thoughts of God, but we are able to follow argumentation. If it were up to argumentation the Lord would win every single time. But our culture is not of an argumentative nature anymore. It is about the battle for what is possible and not possible. Not by way of rationalization, but by sensationalism. Meaning the reality of one’s self is by what they feel to be true. If we continue to let ourselves become preoccupied with the false philosophies of this world we will never come to a true understanding of who God is.

This point was driven home by what I was watching on the plane ride home later this morning. I began watching the movie Dogma by the director Kevin Smith. If we were to base an opinion on where the world stands in conjunction to Christ and all things spiritual by this movie, it shows C.S. Lewis as a prophet. Dogma, for those who don’t know, is about two fallen angels who are seeking a way back to heaven. These angels didn’t fall during the same time as Lucifer (Satan) but after do to their defiance to do what God was telling them to do. One angel, whose name escapes me, is the angel of death. The other is a watching angel. The whole movie is wrapped around the fact that Catholic dogma has given them a way into heaven. God wants to stop them, because if they come back to heaven it would show God as being fallible. This is not true, but it is the movie. There is another character that they refer to as the Last Zion. She is a doubting Catholic who doesn’t understand what her faith is. There are a multitude of Characters who are giving her spiritual advice to the true meaning of scripture. None of these characters understand theology, but the over lining theme is that it is ok to believe whatever you want because the Bible is full of mistakes that are there by human error. All ways lead to God as long as you have faith. There isn’t a right and wrong answer. Of course by saying this, they just said that every religion that says Jesus is the only way is wrong. But whatever.

But what stuck out to me was the fact that the characters in the movie were acting out exactly what Screwtape was saying. They never used logical reasoning, basing opinions on history or personal experience. Instead they based everything on wild philosophies that mean nothing. The only thing that I kept coming back to was Col 2:6-12

6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

This world is trying to conform our minds to think the way that pushes rational thought out the window. This movie is pure heathenism but it isn’t meant to be a teaching tool. It is a comedy. The whole thing is just ridiculous. It’s funny but it’s sad at the same time. They exposed false doctrine in the most embarrassing way. The reality is this. The western church, for the most part, has failed to educate their members in way that brings rational thought to the table. We have conformed to this emotional based theology that has brought our battle to a stand still. The reason we don’t notice the hand of God here, as much as some other parts of the world, is that we are doubt the awesomeness of God. This last statement isn’t true of every one. I don’t want to paint people with a single brush stroke, but it does speak to the fact that we rely on the feel good message that up lifts every Sunday as opposed to challenging people to be educated in their faith. J.P. Moorland says, in a round about way, in his book “Praise God with all Your Mind” that we are too emotionally based in our relationship with God. My challenge to you is to take a firm action seek God with your entire mind. Emotional seeking is going to happen, but it is in our minds that our actions are developed from. If we don’t serve God with every part of our selves, starting with our minds, we involuntarily make a mockery of who God is.

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The Sentimental Doesn't Flow

As we all know I am a man of many words. I don’t think I talk too much but I may be on the verge of verbal overload for the minority of you whom do not appreciate long type-edness. I usually start off by writing run on sentences or fragmented ones. I leave words out but nevertheless I write a lot. I really enjoy it. The more ridiculous it is the more I write. My mind keeps going and saying things that ought not to be said. So I say them anyway. The whole point to his early rant is that I find myself long winded in the moments of insubstantial conversation, but when it comes down to the real, I clam up. Why do I do this? Maybe it’s because life is too short for me to be sentimental…

The over baring reality is that I do not deal well with sad times. I don’t mope and I don’t cry over them. I don’t show exuberance on the other side, but I just don’t process things the same way as other people. When I was in 8th grade we had to do this writing assignment. We wrote short stories and poems. Every kid had a dark short story, and a depressing poem. I chalk it up the fact that every 8th grader is way too over dramatic. They stay that way until they turn 19 or 20. It’s true. I have facts locked into my head. Don’t test me. Back to the point, every one wrote these dark stories and I ended up writing something dark but I only did it because I thought that was expected. I thought that being dark made you think deeper and it meant that you were more intellectual if you didn’t view life with a happy tone. This only made me frustrated because I’m not a dark person by nature. I am a sinner by nature, but not an overly dark person. It’s because of this that I see that I don’t follow the norm and have a hard time processing the sadder times in life.

What brought this on is the fact that I am looking through the things of Ben and Jen, as I often do, and I couldn’t help but realize that my comment that is written on their scrap bookish engagement picture is short and somewhat lame. Hannah had asked a bunch of us to write something for the Thorntons, but I couldn’t’ think of anything to write. In my head the words I write don’t change the minds of people nor do the words make the world a better place. In my head, my words are just the overflow of my brain. I like writing because it takes up a lot of time and I get to use words that I can’t pronounce very well in normal conversation. I get to sound smarter than I am. But I can’t talk verbosely about the people I care about in a sentimental way.

Why is it that I can write about the word “Bombatron” (which is sweeping the nation by storm) but I can’t say the things that have substance and baring on the lives of those I truly care about. Don’t get me wrong; I care a lot about the word “bombatron” but not as much as the people who shape me to be the person that I am today. So in this long winded attempt to figure out what my life is doing, I am have made the attempt to relay this thought: Though I don’t express myself through words, I dearly care about every one that comes into my life. I do not do well with sentiments and I find that many if not most sentiments are false anyway. I will do whatever I can to show my love for people through my actions and I don’t rely on my words to carry me through. My only hope is that people see this and know that I do truly care no matter what non-sense is spewing from my lips or fingers.

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On The Road: Episode 6: The Cheeto Bombatron

This edition is broken into three parts after the intro. We have Ben’s pain, My Cheetos of Destiny and Bombatron (it's sweeping the nation)

Today stared out a little laid back because it was very over cast. I slept till about 9 then I went to this Restaurant that has free wi-fi (wireless internet). I had a great Southern breakfast some great service. I think I will go back tomorrow. I have found that the people out here are very nice. You could say that they are the nicest hicks out there. Just kidding, there are nicer hicks. No that’s too mean. The people out here are lovely and I could not be more impressed with their hospitality and good graces. Did I mention that today is bombatron day? Did I mention the results of the Cheeto Urine? Read on to find out more…

First, the eventful happenings of the Amour moving. To set the stage, this Amour weighs a ton. It took 5 guys to get it into the truck. Ben and I got to do it on our lonesome. We got it off the truck without too much of a problem. Going down is always easier than going up. We got into the house, piece of cake. Not as bad as we were originally planning. Then we started up the narrow stairs. The Amour cleared the path by 3 inches on each side, so we thought we were golden. Golden is a word to never be used in these situations. See golden implies that we were on our way to a prosperous run with the Amour of death. Not so much. We get the Amour half way up the stairs and Ben slips. He is on top while I am poised like the Greek god Atlas. I have the Amour on my shoulders and my biceps and triceps are screaming. Ben quickly regains control, just in time for my quads to start singing their lovely tune of protest. When the Amour dropped, the door opened up and got caught on the wall/banister. We have no way of seeing this, for the afore mentioned positioning. I start to shake while Ben is trying to figure out what to do. We finally see the door and fix it then start moving up. We are both exhausted at this point. So we decide to just push forward as hard as we can and forget about taking it slow. Well, I pushed with my godlike quads and when we reached the pinnacle of the struggle of epic proportions I ended up pinning Ben up against the wall at the top of the stairs. That would be bad enough, but let’s face it; life is only funny if people really get hurt. I ended up pinning him right in the testicular region. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sound Ben made. There is only one way to describe the sound. Have you ever seen the old Goofy cartoons when he is skiing and falls down the mountain? He makes that “yahoooooooo” sound that sounds a little like a cry for help and a yodel mixed together. Ben did a perfect impression of that sound. I start laughing not knowing that his manhood is in deep peril. We get him loose and he cries for about 10 mins then we finish the job. We did what took 5 grown men to do. It did take us about 30 mins to make a walk that takes a little less than a min to do free handed. It was spectacular. It took a little more than 2 hours for our muscles to stop shaking.

The Cheetos of Destiny.

I made a promise that I would attempt something that Ben was able to accomplish at a very young age. He was able to consume the larger portion of a family value sized bag of Cheetos and it turned his urine orange. So hearing this story, all I heard was a challenge. I consumed a bag of Cheetos in a somewhat timely manner. I put a lot of effort into this. I have to admit defeat in the fact that my urine was not orange. I had a stomachache but no orange urine. Instead my urine had a hint of green. Not kidding. It hasn’t been that way since that one time, but if there are any nurses out there could you let me know if that is some thing to be concerned about. I have to be honest; right now I am getting a little concernicus.

Bombatron is Sweeping the Nation.

I am tired of all the Children of the world miss using the word bomb, or the bomb digity, bombdizzle. I mean these are all very lame ways of expressing yourself. So I have come up with a new word for us all to use. When something is so great that we can’t hardly contain ourselves the phrase we say is “That was so Bombatron” pronounced Bomb-a-tron. This is going to take over the world. I have made it a point to share this with you so that you may be apart of the first surge. It is important to join a cause at the beginning so that you aren’t called a ban Wagoner. Right angel fans. Any who, the reality is that Bombatron will be bigger than ever when the Transformer movie hits the box office. WHICH IS GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!!!! The best 4th of July ever.

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On The Road: Episode 5: Finally Here

We made it to North Carolina. we made back on Tuesday but I have been without access to the web since Monday. It was a good trip and I have lots of little stories but they won't seem that interesting to you all. So I decided to make some thing up. Not really, I actually thought I would write about what this event means in the life of our friends the Thorntons...

We were driving across the country and it suddenly hit me that the Thorntons were starting a new life. They weren't just moving for a home. they didn't leave just for jobs or the convience of Southern hospitality (which is completely true, these are the nicest people in the world) they left because this is where their new lives begin. It is something to admire. They left the comfortable, the familiar, their friends, part of their family (Ben's sister moved with them), their jobs, and their church to find their own way in life. These are the things you know are the most important things in life to them. they up and left them, they didn't leave them behind but rather they transplanted those things in order to pursue a life they desire. This is a hard thing. I am in the process of looking at schools in the "Great North West" and will be looking forward to finding a new way of life, but with trepidation. The Thorntons did what most people are too afraid to do. For that they will always be admired. I hope that when the time comes for me to move, I would have the same constitution that they left with.

They are a little nervous about looking for a new church and body of believers, but they will find something. It is important for them to find the new body. They know that, and they are excited for their new lives. So I know our prayers are all for them.

Back to the update. We have been unpacking for two days and still seem to have a full truck to unload. Yesterday we did very little unpacking. Instead we spent the day between Costco and Home Depot. Jen spent a little over 5 and half hours, against her will, at the Home Depot. I have never seen some one so ready to kill for the site of the outdoors. Not the woods, no. She longed for the fresh air of Durham. She was ready to crack and eventually after dinner we did. I got a little stir crazy and let loose with the social commentary. I have to say, I am a lot funnier when people have lost the ability to hold onto their minds. At any rate, we all were a little nuts last night and we had a good time. We were able to laugh at the day and find the good things and see the back roads of Durham. I have to be honest, I have never been so scared of not finding our way back as I was last night. We were driving in a foreign land Ben just kept turning. Not really sure of where he was, he would make a turn down a street that looked a lot like the town scene in Back To The Future 2. where they go back and Biff had taken over and the whole area was just slums. It was a little like that, but scarier.

So we finally found our way and made it home, but it was an adventure. An adventure I don't want to repeat. Well, that's all for today. I have some work to do now. Hope to see you all soon.

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On the Road: Episode 4: Come To Think of It

There is only one thing you can count on when you are on the road. Your mind wonders. No matter what is happening there isn't enough mental simulation to facilitate a constant stream of coherent thoughts. So tonight i will share my mind wanderings...

I was listening to David Bowie and started to think, "This guy is so weird." don't get me wrong, I mean Space Odyssey is one of my faves, but have you listened to the lyrics of that songs. They are messed up. None of his songs are all that happy. I always thought that he was a happy person, but no. He is creative, but completely twisted. His story lines are all over the place. But hey what are you going to do?

I also decided to step up my game plan with the music. That's right, today was dance party day as I unleashed the beast of Michael Jackson's greatest hits. I was dancing in the car the whole time. If Ben weren't looking at me as if I were a gay cowboy, I would have listened to it twice in a row. But Ben's stares of concern won.

Whelp, I might write more about the day's exploits. as for now, I'm exhausted. I miss you all, even you Mattias. I will rant on my day again tomorrow, I'm just too tired. Talk to you later.

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On the Road: Episode 3: Move'n On Up

We made it to Oklahoma City!!! I'm not excited about the destination, just what it means for us. We made up 6 hours of driving today. We drove a little over 900 miles to make up for our lousy start. It was glorious. Now what to tell, what to tell...

My day started off a little rough. We were having breakfast at the hotel. I had a bowl of Raisin Bran and a cup of yogurt. I was also planning on having an English Muffin. Here's what happened with that. I decided that I didn't want to wait by the toaster for my muffin. I placed my muffin into the toaster and left it there and continued my meal. The toaster took too long to just wait for it. I sat down, consumed my food and went to see the progress of said muffin. I checked up on it and it wasn't done yet. Apparently Flagstaff doesn't have normal electricity. They just have two gerbils that are cranking the electric wheel. Unfortunately for me it was the Sabbath, and the gerbil, Larry, doesn't work on the Sabbath. Who knew? So the singular gerbil was cranking out the electricity at about 3 volts an hour. As you can imagine, it takes more than that to heat my muffin. Back to the point, this group of evil Seniors came down to have breakfast. This lady with a Satanically Salmon Colored sweater came up and stole my muffin for herself and sat down and began to eat it. I was too tired to cry and I said that I would give up murder for lent. I regret that one. So she got away with it. I was in a funk all day about my muffin.

We took off from flagstaff and about 5 hours into the trip this thought hit me. People actually choose to live in Arizona and New Mexico. Why you ask? I have no idea. But what I do know is nothing should choose to live anywhere where animals don't choose to live. There was not one animal. The closest things to living were the tumbleweeds. Not a good sign. As we then drove through Texas another epiphany, I then realized how NASCAR has a following. There isn't anything to live for in this part of America. So you might as well watch something that gives you hope of driving away. When Mc Donald’s serves Jimmy Stewart toys (not kidding) with their Happy Meals and no one asks why the Happy Meals come with a MGD, you are in a state where you need to keep driving. We had the chance to stay in Texas, but then decided that we would rather go to Oklahoma than to stay another min in that place. OKLAHOMA was better than those. How sad is that? Very

The only thing that got me through Haiti’s was my music. Guess what got me by? Go ahead I’ll give you a chance ………………………
…………………………………………… That’s right, STYX Baby!!!! Mr. Roboto saved me. Then came the musical onslaught of musical greatness. Something Corporate, Thrice (Vheissu), Dustin Kensrue, Trevor Davis, Mutemath, and Mae. Not in that order, but still incredible.

Miss you all, and I am really enjoying the trip. I really like driving and this is all we do all day, so it is pretty much amazing. If you ever have a chance to drive across country do it, but avoid the crappy states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. If you have a chance to go to Oklahoma, here’s what you do. Watch about 5 minutes of NASCAR and go to sleep. The nightmare won’t end until you wake up and you will have experienced the best the OK state has to offer. No wonder the play Oklahoma was painful. The state’s painful.

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