good bye.?

never mind

prayfortheterrorists's Xanga Site

Saturday, April 07, 2007


Here is something i drew along time ago. What it was, was a picture of a guy blowing up a tank. What it was for, was an illustration for a really ridiculous comic that i did. It was embarrassingly bad. What this picture is, is how i colored it, today. I wanted to paint but thought i would just mess around in photoshop instead. Why i'm posting it is because i am testing what quality and size to post more of my artwork.

about the meaning behind the picture. I don't really think it's ok to blow up tanks. I don't really think we should be blowing up anything. I called it tanks into mountain bikes, because i was thinking of the verse in the bible, in Micah 4:3 where it says..... "they will beat their swords into plowshares." So lets take the "tanks" of our hearts and smelt them into something way more useful. Human powered two wheeled vehicle's.

shalom..... trAv-is


[tanksintobikes]

digital_angel1980's Xanga Site

digital_angel1980's Xanga Site: "'...and I shambled after them as I've been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'

~ Jack Kerouac"


Great quote. i read this on my buddy Ben's page.



and the Passover of the Lord goes forward.

Diognetus. The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus (translation J.B. Lightfoot).

Diognetus. The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus (translation J.B. Lightfoot).: "12:9 and salvation is set forth, and the apostles are filled with understanding, and the passover of the Lord goes forward, and the congregations are gathered together, and [all things] are arranged in order, and as He teacheth the saints the Word is gladdened, through Whom the Father is glorified, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

The early church fathers, as they called themselves, were Really cool.

The early church is still the church, There aren't millions of churches and millions of denominations.

There is one Church and it is The bride of Christ.

We are.

In Deuteronomy chapter 7:5 it says:

5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles [a] and burn their idols in the fire.

Enough entertaining idols and viewing false alters with reverence, Complacency and Pluralism are killing us all.

the Way the Truth the Life. There is Good News. And this will, Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles [a] and burn their idols in the fire. So join me in Spreading that Good News.

Jesus loves you and wants you to accept Him now.

This means everything.

God bless you all. Sleep tight, and Pray.

stone chimney

Are there such things as, birds that are afraid of heights or claustrophobic moles. or spiders with arachnophobia. My coworker and I were thinking of these types of things. Vegetarian Sharks. Albino Polar bears.

He asked me if i believed in aliens. I said that it's possible that they exist but honestly, i don't think there are such things... I said they don't necessarily contradict my Faith, although they're not mentioned in the Bible, He said he wasn't sure he believed in the Bible..

He asked who wrote it. I told him God. Through 40 or so writers and through 60 or so books, spanning thousands of years. The most historically accurate book/ collection of books ever. Provable through archeology. Provable by science. Proved by fulfilled prophecies. Over Two thousand prophecies. The only ones that haven't happened are the ones concerning the end of this Place. Which could be any day any second.

I didn't get the chance to tell my co-worker this, But the most important and powerful proof of the bible's truth is the experiential tests. This is when you. YOU and I. When we Lay down your pride. We give up our know it all attitudes. Our Control everything policies. We let go of the reigns and we ask Jesus if he can really help us. We actually address Him. Not a picture, not a cross. WE ASK HIM.

And He will. It's guaranteed. It Has worked for millions and millions of people. This is not a joke. This is not a hoax.

This means everything.

Jesus does Save!

My coworker. Later on said that he did believe everything happens for a reason. I agreed, Yes it does. He said he believed that every encounter that you have, every accident, sickness, conversation, everything has a meaning. I agreed.

I told him about how two years ago i was dying. I was dying spiritually. I was drinking way too much. I was depressed beyond belief. I felt like crap all day long. i told him about how shortly after i asked God if he was real and if he could help me. Very shortly after that i met four people, in an amazing set of circumstances, that were bold enough to share their faith.

And eventually led me to Jesus. And that they were right there at the exact time that i needed them. That was meant to happen that way.

He said right on.

Was I there at the exact time i needed to be for my coworker? I Pray i was.

In Jesus' Name i pray, i was.

amen.

~keri smith illustration~

~keri smith illustration~

this girl. her name is kerri smith. her website is filled with very fun and creative ideas' she's an artist and she thinks you should be too. I agree with her. everyone should. If you have a few minutes. which no one does. go to her website. and if you are rich, send her twenty dollars. Just for the heck of it.






SO... this is my ... err shall i say it. blog.

i still hate that word. But it seems it here to stay. I'm think about writing on here more often. Publishing digitally. TO potentially millions of people. but realistically to no one.

I was thinking of journaling anyway. and then at least it's safe here, on the old nerd-net. In case my house burns down, i'll still have my online crap saved. Yippee.

so long as someone doesn't accidentally burn down blogger.


So here's to me.

Dear me....

the past few days so many things have happened. I want to write about everything. even the boring stuff. i am a writer and i want to write more. Is typing writing?

The trouble is it takes longer to write it than it does to live it.

so i may never catch up.

but to quote King Solomon. this too is meaningless.

Hey in case you haven't heard. The Messiah has come. And he really is coming again. if you are at all interested in knowing him, or knowing him more, you really can pray to him right now. Pray everyday for him to show himself to you more.

and then just watch how your life changes. awesome.

i'll quit preaching now.

Good night, love trav-is

System of a Down - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

System of a Down - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Harout, Paul, Armik"

i think these are Armenian music makers of some sort.

i shall look them up. This is a note to me,. not to you.

MSN Hotmail - Sent Message Confirmation

if there's a link to a bad credit thing. sorry. WHat?

Here's something i read in a book by CS LEWIS. "the screwtape letters."

It's about sarcasm.. here it is:

"A thousand bawdy or even blasphemous jokes, do no help towards a man's damnation so much as his discovery that almost anything he wants to do can be done, not only without the disapproval but the admiration of his fellows,if only it can get itself treated as a JOKE."

Think about it. Anything bad, turned into a joke, doesn't seem quite so bad. This is extremely dangerous. It's like my friend Sam Nooney said. It's the small things that are the really bad things.

Physics and Astronomy - PhysLink.com

Physics and Astronomy - PhysLink.com: "
Paul Dirac'A theory with mathematical beauty is more likely to be correct than an ugly one that fits some experimental data. God is a mathematician of a very high order, and He used very advanced mathematics in constructing the universe.'

Paul Dirac
(1902-1984)"

Jesus Radicals

Jesus Radicals

This is where all the Christian Anarchists hang out.

read learn.

Worship our Heavenly Father.

capitalism is another one of satan's dirty tricks.

i'm tired but i'm not going to sleep just yet.

Jesus loves you. I love you, with Jesus' help.

,,,,,,

Friday Morning 6:15

Friday Morning 6:15:

My brother writes the blog for our Friday morning IDEA WRITING ART AND OTHER meetings. at a little restaurant in Bellaire, mi. He and our cousin are atheists, without a cause. This is how he described part of one of our conversations.....

"Anyway, talk soon turned to religion, as it always does. Or more specifically, the origin of life. I proposed we take a vote and, based on the outcome, decide if there really is a Higher Power which...umm...whom... uh... hath... created us all. Score: Atheists-2, Rory-1. High five for not really knowing, or caring! Again determining never to discuss such topics, we talked about the revolution."


High Five? not knowing or caring?

And so I've been thinking. Why is it that no one wants to talk about the origin of life? Shouldn't it be exciting to everyone. believers and non-believers alike?

I guess that saying is true....

If God doesn't exist then nothing matters.
but if GOD does exist, then NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.

Can i get an A-----men ---AH !

arwins theory of Devolution

The London Artifact is an iron hammer, surrounded by a solid mass of cretaceous rock. The handle was partially PETRIFIED. It was discovered in London, Texas. Notice the shiny spot on the metal part. The family who found the hammer, filed the metal to see if it was really metal; the spot has not rusted yet, even though it has been about forty-five years. Is it really iron? A test was done on the metal. This hammer contains 96% iron, 2.6% chlorine, and 0.74% sulfur. There are no bubbles in it at all. Yes, it is iron. The quality of which equals or exceeds the quality of any iron found today.

I found that picture and thought, How did that sweet hammer get stuck in Cretaceous Rock? Did you ever think there might not be a cretaceous period?





about the theory of D-evolution. Devilution.

It's a very clever trick Satan uses to make God seem less and less important. But folks, There is just no way that all this, came from space dust which came from nowhere.

God created this beautiful planet. Humans cursed it by their own sin, and God made all these matters, of fossils and dinosaurs and everything a great mystery so that when you choose Him. When you LOVE him with all you Heart Mind and Soul. It is so much more powerful.




"And in man is a three-pound brain which, as far as we know, is the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe."

Dr. Isaac Asimov (biochemist; was a Professor at Boston University School of Medicine; internationally known author), "In the game of energy and thermodynamics you can't even break even.". Smithsonian Institute Journal, June 1970, p. 10

There are some crazy websites out there.

Just in case i didn't get rid of the link i had on this post. i thought i'd write to say something about the page that it went to. It was a page that had a whole bunch of weird USA and crap on how everyone's bible are corrupt except for thiers. and it said we need war, and that all catholics are satanic. These guys. the guys who run that website, are confused. They need prayer, we all do.



"'Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?' (Psalm 94:16)"



here is what Jay Bakker said to CNN.

rock!

What the hell happened? Where did we go wrong? How was Christianity co-opted by a political party? Why are Christians supporting laws that force others to live by their standards? The answers to these questions are integral to the survival of Christianity.

While the current state of Christianity might seem normal and business-as-usual to some, most see through the judgment and hypocrisy that has permeated the church for so long. People witness this and say to themselves, "Why would I want to be a part of that?" They are turned off by Christians and eventually, to Christianity altogether. We can't even count the number of times someone has given us a weird stare or completely brushed us off when they discover we work for a church.

So when did the focus of Christianity shift from the unconditional love and acceptance preached by Christ to the hate and condemnation spewed forth by certain groups today? Some say it was during the rise of Conservative Christianity in the early 1980s with political action groups like the Moral Majority. Others say it goes way back to the 300s, when Rome's Christian Emperor Constantine initiated a set of laws limiting the rights of Roman non-Christians. Regardless of the origin, one thing is crystal clear: It's not what Jesus stood for.

His parables and lessons were focused on love and forgiveness, a message of "come as you are, not as you should be." The bulk of his time was spent preaching about helping the poor and those who are unable to help themselves. At the very least, Christians should be counted on to lend a helping hand to the poor and others in need.

This brings us to the big issues of American Christianity: Abortion and gay marriage. These two highly debatable topics will not be going away anytime soon. Obviously, the discussion centers around whether they are right or wrong, but is the screaming really necessary? After years of witnessing the dark side of religion, Marc and I think not.

Christians should be able to look past their differences and agree to disagree. This allows people to discuss issues with respect for one another. Christians are called to love others just as they are, without an agenda. Only then will Christianity see a return to its roots: Loving God with all of your heart and loving your neighbor as yourself.

The Apostle Paul describes this idea of love beautifully in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

But don't take our word for it; look at what Jesus and his followers stood for in his time and what Christianity stands for today. Then come to your own conclusion.

pray for the terrorists

"if you hold up a mirror to another mirror, will the mirrors go back and forth forever?


Link a page to the same page

Just in case anyone reads this i want to say something of vital importance.,


Jesus is real. He does want a Relationship with you. You can talk to Him. He can and will save you. Pray to Him.

Seek and you WILL find!


and it only gets easier after that,

grace.

travis...."

conversation.

Matt Seaton



Joined: 13 Sep 2004
Posts: 46


PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 4:42 pm Post subject: Christianity and a monopoly of truth Reply with quote
Quote:
when jesus said he was the way, the truth, and the life he was saying that what he taught and lived were the physical embodiment of the eternal way, the eternal truth, and the eternal light. Some of the best christians in history weren't christians at all--buddha, lao tzu, ghandi, the dhali lama, ...


I've heard this argument before. To be honest I find myself believing it most of the time. But I am curious to what the rest of us think.

I am sure this topic has been discussed exhaustively on this site. So, please feel free to redirect me if this is redundant.

Peace,
Matt
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Mike Friesen



Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 1172
Location: Dublin!

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:45 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
Some of the best christians in history weren't christians at all--buddha, lao tzu, ghandi, the dhali lama


Tremendously arrogant as well as wrong. N.T. Wright pointed it out that a lot of the (post)modern views about anonymous Christians tend to be highly condescending. In essence, it amounts to saying that if anyone is/was good he/she is/was a Christian. If you were to say to a Buddhist that, no, she was not a Buddhist at all, but a Christian why would the Buddhist agree? Perhaps a compliment was meant, but why can't one say that she was a good Buddhist, better yet a good person, and leave it at that? The anonymous Christian gimmick is a way of saying Christianity has a monopoly on virtue rather than truth which is wrong as well as arrogant.

Christianity is about entering into right relationship with God through the mediation of Jesus Christ. One author I read put it this way: original revelation in all religions, yes ; salvation, no. St. Paul taught that humans maintained even after the fall a memory of the one, true God. G.K. Chesterton points out that it is probable paganism is a degeneration of monotheism since many polytheistic religions emphasize one high god or sky god that is infinitely beyond the other, lesser gods, but who remain more accessible. God made himself accessible in a unique way to the Jews who were to become a light for the world. The mission Jesus sent his followers on was to share that light with the world.

Christians should not dismiss those truths which are present in other religions, but it would be naive to think all religions teach the same truths, more or less. The current teaching of the Catholic Church says that the truth in other religions exists as a preparation for the gospel. Furthermore, the Church rejects nothing that is holy in the major religions. Nevertheless, the Church, out of fidelity to Christ, must recognize the fullness of truth resides within the Christian Church. That does not rule out salvation of people of other faiths. Indeed, the Church teaches that such salvation is part of God's plan. What's important to stress is that all salvation comes from the Church of Christ.

'There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.' Acts 4:12

Peace and blessings.
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Jacob



Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 542
Location: airtha

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 8:25 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
A pagan could turn Chesterton's argument around (some have). A Jew or Muslim could call Christianity a religion degenerating from monotheism. To use it we would have to establish that religions diverge from Christianity itself, not from some other monotheism, and not from polytheism.

I would ask whether God prepared for those outside Christianity. Has God comndemned those who came before Jesus Christ? Has He condemned those who came before missionaries reached their lands? Has He condemned those who arrogant churchmen, talentless missionaries, or us blindly offensive Christians have driven away?

I cannot think so.

Has he condemned those born deaf, who cannot know the spoken name of Jesus Christ?

Of course not!

He has provided for those who cannot know the sound of His name (of the Son). Has He also provided for those who cannot know the particulars of His life? Has He also provided for those within other religious systems to find some sign of Him?
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Mike Friesen



Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 1172
Location: Dublin!

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 11:59 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Rom 1:19-23:

Quote:
Ever since God created the world his everlasting power and deity - however invisible - have been there for the mind to see in the things he has made. That is why such people are without excuse; they knew God and yet refused to honour him as God or to thank him; instead, they made nonsense out of logic and their empty minds were darkened. The more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew, until they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for a worthless immitation.


Before beginning, I do mean to show that St. Paul hints at what Chesterton was saying here about the one true God being neglected for pagan worship. Actually I find the argument advanced in Triumph that the anti-Trinitarian theology of Islam flourished mostly in those areas that had difficulty accepting the notion of the Trinity. If I were to invent my own religion it would resemble Islam; it would not resemble Christianity. Regardless, both Christianity and Islam share the truth that God is one, however they may understand that. Christianity, as you know, is monotheistic. It is interesting to note, however, that the God who would become Allah in Islam was the high god of pagan Arabians prior to the advent of Muhammad. Could it be Muhammad proves Chesterton right?

Quote:
I would ask whether God prepared for those outside Christianity. Has God comndemned those who came before Jesus Christ? Has He condemned those who came before missionaries reached their lands? Has He condemned those who arrogant churchmen, talentless missionaries, or us blindly offensive Christians have driven away?


A couple points. First, the Church reveres those who anticipated the coming of Jesus as saints having been saved as all other souls by his work on the cross. Second, those who have not heard the gospel do not stand to account for it. That is the teaching of Vatican II. They will be judged according to how they respond to the grace of God as revealed in their lives. Which brings me to my third point: humans do not convert humans. I actually was rebuked for having that belief by an evangelical this New Year's Eve. It is the Holy Spirit that converts souls to Christ. There is more to conversion than the good or bad example of Christians. I was raised by loving atheist-agnostics who had awful experiences with the Church, which I also experienced, but I ended up converting. I know I converted in part because, after much struggle, I chose to cooperate with the Spirit of God in my life. As scripture affirms, 'By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.' (1 Jn 4:2-3). In any event, every Mass I've attended has prayed for those souls who have been turned off by the poor example of Christians. I believe God hears those prayers.

When I converted to Christianity I started out as an inclusivist. Then I moved towards a kind of pluralism before returning to inclusivism. Currently, I still consider myself an inclusivist, but think inclusivists overstate the hope of salvation for those of other religions. I am willing to grant that I do not know who will or will not enter into heaven, but I am aware of the urgency of preaching the gospel. I think you and I would both agree here. Jesus taught in no uncertain terms that all salvation comes from him and that humanity would be judged according to its response to him. We can quarrel about those people who for whatever reason have not heard the gospel, but to that I reply all the more reason for missions! Not only that, but are either of us living in societies where not knowing Jesus is an excuse? I can't speak for you, but I can say that the almighty secularism rampant in Canada is infidel rather than heathen.

Peace in Christ.
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rebekah



Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 65
Location: Lake Country, BC

PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 1:57 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
its good, blackemma. i appreciate your ability to speak truth with such clarity. i always get all muddled. i feel like i’ve learnt so much from you so far! thanks…Happy
i’ve never labelled myself before, but i suppose i am also an inclusivist, though as you said, there is definitely a line to be drawn where one begins compromising truth. there comes a place where we must trust that our God IS a Just Judge, and that our God looks at so much more than technicalities, whether one has prayed the “sinners prayer” or not, whether one knows the Word, or even knows Jesus’ name! I have to trust that no man is with excuse, and because of the boldness of that statement and its possible implications, i also must trust that God loves the lost so much more than i, that God desires everyone to spend eternity in Heaven so much more than i, and that God will do everything S/he can without violating free will to draw humanity to His heart. when we stray into believing that surely other religions lead people to heaven, then the equal reality is that if that is not true, God is a harsh, cruel god that lacks the love he claims. we must have faith in Gods character. we must trust Gods love and Gods ability to see the truth and Gods justice and mercy. God looks at what we know, not what we don’t know, to hold us accountable. God looks at the heart. the motivations. the things we cannot see. it is through those eyes that S/he derives judgements. and that is amazing.

blackemma:
Quote:
I am willing to grant that I do not know who will or will not enter into heaven, but I am aware of the urgency of preaching the gospel.


let us never lose or water down that urgency.
i’m so glad that God is God.

(since i’ve now tentatively labelled myself…in brief what are the definitions of inclusivism and pluralism?) Happy
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Matt Seaton



Joined: 13 Sep 2004
Posts: 46


PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 2:32 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
I am willing to grant that I do not know who will or will not enter into heaven, but I am aware of the urgency of preaching the gospel.


Well said indeed.


Peace,
Matt
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Mike Friesen



Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 1172
Location: Dublin!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 4:59 am Post subject: Reply with quote
Wow. Thanks for the feedback. I was expecting to be shot down by someone for being too evangelical. Thanks to Rebekah especially for saying the nicest thing to me I've heard all week. Cheers!

To address your question though, the difference between pluralism and inclusivism is that pluralism states that all religions are (more or less) true and that salvation can be obtained from many sources. Inclusivism states that there is one source of salvation though people may access it through secondary mediums. So a Christian pluralist would say, 'Jesus is my Saviour and Buddha is yours.' A Christian inclusivist would say, 'Jesus is the only Saviour, but it is conceivable that Jesus would save a Buddhist.' It's a small but, I think, important distinction. Exclusivism says that only Christians who meet the requirements, whatever those may be, enter into heaven with the saints. Using those categories, I would call myself a conservative inclusivist. People of other faiths will be saved, but we shouldn't overstate our confidence in that belief or allow it to soften our committment to evangelism.
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Jacob



Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 542
Location: airtha

PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 3:18 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
If there is one idea which I hold so firmly everything else shifts around it, I know it is this: that salvation is available to all. I guess it is the core, if not the whole, of my faith. Everything else is commentary.

So salvation does not depend on anything that could be taken away from us but depends only on those which can never be taken away from us. I believe that salvation does not depend on access to some inerrant scripture, because it could be taken away, and it has been unavailable to many. I believe that salvation does not depend on knowing the name of our savior because many have not known the name of our savior (my example of deafness was a bit strange). I believe that salvation does not have to come before death because some have died without salvation, so I also believe that in His love and wisdom He has provided for those who die without salvation.

But I do not believe this necessarily comes in other religious traditions; I believe this comes within other people, that is that everyone already has whatever is necessary for salvation within themselves (not, that is, to work salvation, but to accept salvation). Since we are talking about teaching, I might say that everyone has the necessary knowledge independent of any religious teaching, including Christianity, but that brings gnosis to mind and it is not really knowledge, and not only knowledge, that is necessary anyway. And knowledge is taught, but this is already there. I do believe that other religious traditions come from this, or from some basic understanding, from a search for understanding, from a mythmaking impulse, from a storytelling impulse, etc. that are closely allied with this. I do believe that other religious traditions may express some aspect of this which Christianity does not express.

At the same time I am a Christian particularist. The life of Christ does recount the incarnation, and it is worth recounting, not because recounting it will save anybody, but because recounting it is, well, just worth doing in itself. I am uneasy with the suggestion that this was the only time God has been incarnate. I don't have any strong opinion on whether He has been incarnate at some other time/place but I do believe other religions and philosophies are relevent regardless of whether He has. (Even false ones are worth studying, and they cannot all be entirely overliterally true.)
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Mike Friesen



Joined: 16 Jan 2004
Posts: 1172
Location: Dublin!

PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 4:22 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Call me a conservative, but I look at good old S&T when unable to answer questions by myself. S&T, of course, referring to Scripture and Tradition, which inform one another by the way. (I don't see them as being in competition.) I recognize that much of what you say appeals to me, but then I wonder to what extent I'm project my notions of justice onto God. As Michael Novak put it recently, 'He judges us. We don't judge Him.' The teachings of Jesus were offensive in His day as they are in our day because they demand total obedience. They weren't touchy-feely nice stuff that one could accept or reject without consequence. This was a man who claimed that people's eternal destiny depended upon how they reacted to Him. This was a man who claimed He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Even if one goes only by the synoptics, the picture that emerges is of someone who believed Himself to have authority as high as God. Now normally I wouldn't take such claims seriously, but when God raises this individual from the dead in order to validate His teaching then I'm astonished. Subsequently I submit to Him as my Lord.

In the end, Scripture as read through Sacred Tradition settles the matter for me. The above passages express how I feel though, like you, I hope and pray for the salvation of many.

Peace and blessings.

to clear up some confusion

if you hold up a mirror to another mirror, will the mirrors go back and forth forever?


Link a page to the same page

Just in case anyone reads this i want to say something of vital importance.,


Jesus is real. He does want a Relationship with you. You can talk to Him. He can and will save you. Pray to Him.

Seek and you WILL find!


and it only gets easier after that,

grace.

travis....





To all my friends. I am a Jesus Freak. and i love you all.

How can i not?

me

Father forgive me for being so self centered lately.

amen.

this was in an email to a friend, but i thought i'd share it with the whole world. (potentially)

i pray to let go everyday and then a situation comes up and i do whatever i want. or i think of what i want and then the thought of what i should do comes second, and then still i almost always do what i want. that's crazy.

i read a quote from the author Chuck Palahniuk yesterday that made me think about this. i don't know what he was talking about really but i think a lot of time this could applie to what God's will for us might be.:

"Don't do what you want. Do what you don't want. Do what scares the heck (hell?) out of you."

at first we don't want to do it, but after we do it we are so glad we did.

here's something else i was thinking about

mustard seed sized faith can move a mountain, so when we pray for something and then with the next breath whisper a doubt (that it will happen) to ourselves, what sized faith does that amount to? maybe one atom within that mustard seed?




GRACE AND PEACE BE YOURS>.....

capitalist mantras - Google Search

gaianeconomics.blogspot.com this lady, Molly has some good posts about stuff, that i'm writing a novella about. wait and see.

marshillchurch.org bible podcast?

Tao of Simplicity: 5 Minimalist Writing Tips From Hemingway

Tao of Simplicity: 5 Minimalist Writing Tips From Hemingway: "5 Minimalist Writing Tips From Hemingway
I read a good article on Writing Tips from Ernest Hemingway.

His tips are:

1. Use short sentences.

2. Use short paragraphs.

3. Use vigorous English - make your writing forceful.

4. Use positive words instead of negative ones - i.e. software is 'stable' rather than 'bug-free'.

5. Write one page of masterpiece vs. 91 pages of garbage.

He was all about simplicity, minimalism, terseness, doing more with less, and quality over quantity.

His fourth step corresponds to the Law of Attraction - i.e. focusing on what you want instead of what you don't want."

LA Weekly - She Breaks Your Heart

She Breaks Your Heart

Chuck Palahniuk on Amy Hempel

Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 12:00 am

Illustration by Rachel Salomon

WHEN YOU STUDY MINIMALISM IN THE NOVELIST Tom Spanbauer's workshop, the first story you read is Amy Hempel's The Harvest. After that, you're ruined. I'm not kidding. You go there, and almost every other book you ever read will suck. All those thick, third-person, plot-driven books torn from the pages of today's news -- after Amy Hempel, you'll save yourself a lot of time and money.

Or not. Every year on my tax return's itemized C schedule, I deduct more money for new copies of Hempel's three books, Reasons To Live, At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom and Tumble Home. Every year, I want to share these books. What happens is they never come back. Good books never do. This is why my office shelves are crowded with nonfiction too gross for most people, mostly forensic autopsy textbooks, and a ton of novels I hate.

At a bar in New York last year, the literary bar KGB in the East Village, Hempel told me her first book is out of print. The only copy I know of is behind glass in the rare-book room at Powell's Books in Portland, a first-edition hardcover selling for $75 without a signature. I have a rule about meeting the flesh-and-blood version of people whose work I love -- that rule I'm saving for the end.

Unless Hempel's books are reprinted, I may end up spending more or making fewer friends. You cannot not push these books on people, saying, "Read this," saying, "Is it just me, or did it make you cry, too?" I once gave Animal Kingdom to a friend and said, "If you don't love this, we have nothing in common."

Every sentence isn't just crafted, it's tortured over. Every quote and joke, what Hempel tosses out comedian-style, is something funny or profound enough you'll remember it for years. The same way, I sense, Hempel has remembered it, held on to it, saved it for a place where it could really shine. Scary jewelry metaphor, but her stories are studded and set with these compelling bits. Chocolate chip cookies with no bland "cookie" matrix, just nothing but chips and chopped walnuts.

In that way, her experience becomes your experience. Teachers talk about how students need to have an emotional breakthrough, an "ah-hah!" discovery moment in order to retain information. Fran Lebowitz still writes about the moment she first looked at a clock and grasped the concept of telling time. Hempel's work is nothing but these flashes, and every flash makes you ache with recognition.

Right now, Spanbauer's teaching another batch of students by photocopying The Harvest from his old copy of The Quarterly, the magazine edited by Gordon Lish, the man who taught minimalism to Tom and Amy. And me.

At first, The Harvest looks like a laundry list of details. You have no idea why you're almost weeping by the end of seven pages. You're a little confused and disoriented. It's just a simple list of facts presented in the first person, but somehow it adds up to more than the sum of its parts. Most of the facts are funny as hell, but at the last moment, when you're disarmed by laughter, it breaks your heart.

She breaks your heart. First and foremost. That evil Amy Hempel. That's the first bit Spanbauer teaches you: A good story should make you laugh, and a moment later, break your heart. The last bit is: You will never write this well. You won't learn this part until you've ruined a lot of paper, wasting your free time with a pen in one hand for years and years. At any horrible moment, you might pick up a copy of Hempel and find your best work is just a cheap rip-off of her worst.

To demonstrate minimalism, students sit around Spanbauer's kitchen table for 10 weeks taking apart The Harvest. The first thing you study is what Tom calls "horses." The metaphor is -- if you drive a wagon from Utah to California, you use the same horses the whole way. Substitute the word "themes" or "choruses" and you get the idea. In minimalism, a story is a symphony, building and building, but never losing the original melody line. All characters and scenes, things that seem dissimilar, they all illustrate some aspect of the story's theme. In The Harvest, we see how every detail is some part of mortality and dissolution, from kidney donors to stiff fingers to the television series Dynasty.

The next aspect, Spanbauer calls "burnt tongue." A way of saying something, but saying it wrong, twisting it to slow down the reader. Forcing the reader to read close, maybe read twice, not just skim along a surface of abstract images, short-cut adverbs, and clichés.

In minimalism, clichés are called "received text."

In The Harvest, Hempel writes, "I moved through the days like a severed head that finishes a sentence." Right here, you have her "horses" of death and dissolution and her writing a sentence that slows you to a more deliberate, attentive speed.

Oh, and in minimalism, no abstracts. No silly adverbs like sleepily, irritably, sadly, please. And no measurements, no feet, yards, degrees or years-old. The phrase "an 18-year-old girl" -- what does that mean?

In The Harvest, Hempel writes, "The year I began to say vahz instead of vase, a man I barely knew nearly accidentally killed me."

Instead of some dry age or measurement, we get the image of someone just becoming sophisticated, plus there's burnt tongue, plus she uses her "horse" of mortality.

See how these things add up?

What else you learn about minimalism includes "recording angel." This means writing without passing any judgments. Nothing is fed to the reader as fat or happy. You can only describe actions and appearances in a way that makes a judgment occur in the reader's mind. Whatever it is, you unpack it into the details that will re-assemble themselves within the reader.

Amy Hempel does this. Instead of telling us the boyfriend in The Harvest is an asshole, we see him holding a sweater soaked with his girlfriend's blood and telling her, "You'll be okay, but this sweater is ruined."

Less becomes more. Instead of the usual flood of general details, you get a slow drip of single-sentence paragraphs, each one evoking its own emotional reaction. At best, she's a lawyer who presents her case, exhibit by exhibit. One piece of evidence at a time. At worst, she's a magician, tricking people. But reading, you always take the bullet without being told it's coming.

SO, WE'VE COVERED "HORSES" AND "BURNT tongue" and "recording angel." Now, writing "on the body." Hempel shows how a story doesn't have to be some constant stream of blah-blah-blah to bully the reader into paying attention. You don't have to hold readers by both ears and ram every moment down their throats. Instead, a story can be a succession of tasty, smelly, touchable details. What Spanbauer and Lish call "going on the body," to give the reader a sympathetic physical reaction, to involve the reader on a gut level.

The only problem with Hempel's palace of fragments is quoting it. Take any piece out of context, and it loses power. The French philosopher Jacques Derrida likens writing fiction to a software code that operates in the hardware of your mind. Stringing together separate macros that, combined, will create a reaction. No fiction does this as well as Hempel's, but each story is so tight, so boiled to bare facts, that all you can do is lie on the floor, face down, and praise it.

My rule about meeting people is -- if I love their work, I don't want to risk seeing them fart or pick their teeth. Last year in New York, I did a reading at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square where I praised Hempel, telling the crowd that if she wrote enough I'd just stay home and read in bed all day. The next night, she appeared at my reading in the Village. I drank half a beer and we talked without passing gas.

Still, I kind of hope I never see her, again. But I did buy that first edition for $75.

Chuck Palahniuk is the author of Fight Club and Choke. He will read from his new book, Lullaby, at the Beverly Hills Library, 444 N. Rexford Dr., on Monday, September 23, at 7 p.m. For more information, call Book Soup at (310) 659-3110.

Adobe - Reader download thank you

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