I've asked a fair number of people about the function of a church, and I've been able to get a diverse group of satisfying answers so far. Naturally, I can never stay completely satisfied, so I continue to seek out more answers. I went to a discussion last night concerning pastoral counseling. It was a very interesting discussion, but it led me to think to think about another valuable element of church function--counseling. As a side note, I believe Calvin really touched on the church function topic in this quote,
"Because it is now our intention to discuss the visible church, let us learn from the simple title “mother” how useful, indeed necessary, it is that we should know her. For there is no other way to enter life unless this mother conceive us in her womb, give us birth, nourish us at her breast, and lastly, unless she keep us under her care and guidance until, putting off mortal flesh, we become like the angels (Matthew 22:30). Our weakness does not allow us to be dismissed from her school until we have been pupils all our lives. . . . God’s fatherly favor and the especial witness of spiritual life are limited to his flock, so that it is always disastrous to leave the church."
29 July 2007
Center and Circumference
"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."
Psalm 61:2-3
He is my tower, my firm foundation, my rock. He is all these things and more. He is the epitome and the focal point; moreover, He is the center. He makes simile possible, because even the most seemingly un-finite conception of Him would still fall drastically short in grasping His oneness. So as I stand here in this field dumbstruck, feeling the grit that is my body and bones shake and stir, I throw my feet backwards in some hopes that I might remotely fathom what He wholly is; only to realize how much more I do not know. The beauty of this being not reveling in my finiteness or my depravity. No. The beauty of this is that He covers and consumes me. The center becomes the circumference. He protects and guards me. Even in the wake of a battle I should not have fought alone when I am beaten, battered, and broken by sin (and still too proud to see it), He puts me on His shoulders and carries me like the cross. He is my Lord and my Savior. He is the center and the circumference.
Psalm 61:2-3
He is my tower, my firm foundation, my rock. He is all these things and more. He is the epitome and the focal point; moreover, He is the center. He makes simile possible, because even the most seemingly un-finite conception of Him would still fall drastically short in grasping His oneness. So as I stand here in this field dumbstruck, feeling the grit that is my body and bones shake and stir, I throw my feet backwards in some hopes that I might remotely fathom what He wholly is; only to realize how much more I do not know. The beauty of this being not reveling in my finiteness or my depravity. No. The beauty of this is that He covers and consumes me. The center becomes the circumference. He protects and guards me. Even in the wake of a battle I should not have fought alone when I am beaten, battered, and broken by sin (and still too proud to see it), He puts me on His shoulders and carries me like the cross. He is my Lord and my Savior. He is the center and the circumference.
21 July 2007
Family Reunion.
Family Reunions are a patchwork quilt of stories, tastes, and characters that have a single genealogical thread sewn throughout them. Family Reunions are a good time to sample your Aunt's prize winning casserole only to secretly realize that your Mom's is better. Family Reunions also remind you why your family decided to only have one once a year--or two. Most of all, Family Reunions are the only time where you can truly say, "It's all relative(s)."
14 July 2007
Stoicism and War
It had been on my mind lately what was mentioned earlier this week about Stoicism and association with the military, and while I wandered through religion and philosophy section at the library today I found a book simply titled Stoic Warriors that was authored by Nancy Sherman. It seemed like a fairly interesting read from what I was able to flip through. The author touched on the connection between Military determination, dedication, and drive (summed up in phrases like "Suck it up!" and "Have a stiff upper lip" as the Brits would say) and the writings and thoughts of Roman Stoics such as Seneca, Epictetus, and Marucs Aurelius just to name a few. Anyhow, the book seemed worthwhile however Boethius and Philosophy weighed heavily upon me so I set the book down with hopes of returning to it. The author did reference poems that touch on the subject matter and I particular found interesting so I'll post one of them up now.
"Insensibility"
I
Happy are men who yet before they are killed
Can let their veins run cold.
Whom no compassion fleers
Or makes their feet
Sore on the alleys cobbled with their brothers.
The front line withers.
But they are troops who fade, not flowers,
For poets' tearful fooling:
Men, gaps for filling:
Losses, who might have fought
Longer; but no one bothers.
II
And some cease feeling
Even themselves or for themselves.
Dullness best solves
The tease and doubt of shelling,
And Chance's strange arithmetic
Comes simpler than the reckoning of their shilling.
They keep no check on armies' decimation.
III
Happy are these who lose imagination:
They have enough to carry with ammunition.
Their spirit drags no pack.
Their old wounds, save with cold, can not more ache.
Having seen all things red,
Their eyes are rid
Of the hurt of the colour of blood for ever.
And terror's first constriction over,
Their hearts remain small-drawn.
Their senses in some scorching cautery of battle
Now long since ironed,
Can laugh among the dying, unconcerned.
IV
Happy the soldier home, with not a notion
How somewhere, every dawn, some men attack,
And many sighs are drained.
Happy the lad whose mind was never trained:
His days are worth forgetting more than not.
He sings along the march
Which we march taciturn, because of dusk,
The long, forlorn, relentless trend
From larger day to huger night.
V
We wise, who with a thought besmirch
Blood over all our soul,
How should we see our task
But through his blunt and lashless eyes?
Alive, he is not vital overmuch;
Dying, not mortal overmuch;
Nor sad, nor proud,
Nor curious at all.
He cannot tell
Old men's placidity from his.
VI
But cursed are dullards whom no cannon stuns,
That they should be as stones.
Wretched are they, and mean
With paucity that never was simplicity.
By choice they made themselves immune
To pity and whatever mourns in man
Before the last sea and the hapless stars;
Whatever mourns when many leave these shores;
Whatever shares
The eternal reciprocity of tears.
-Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918)
"Insensibility"
I
Happy are men who yet before they are killed
Can let their veins run cold.
Whom no compassion fleers
Or makes their feet
Sore on the alleys cobbled with their brothers.
The front line withers.
But they are troops who fade, not flowers,
For poets' tearful fooling:
Men, gaps for filling:
Losses, who might have fought
Longer; but no one bothers.
II
And some cease feeling
Even themselves or for themselves.
Dullness best solves
The tease and doubt of shelling,
And Chance's strange arithmetic
Comes simpler than the reckoning of their shilling.
They keep no check on armies' decimation.
III
Happy are these who lose imagination:
They have enough to carry with ammunition.
Their spirit drags no pack.
Their old wounds, save with cold, can not more ache.
Having seen all things red,
Their eyes are rid
Of the hurt of the colour of blood for ever.
And terror's first constriction over,
Their hearts remain small-drawn.
Their senses in some scorching cautery of battle
Now long since ironed,
Can laugh among the dying, unconcerned.
IV
Happy the soldier home, with not a notion
How somewhere, every dawn, some men attack,
And many sighs are drained.
Happy the lad whose mind was never trained:
His days are worth forgetting more than not.
He sings along the march
Which we march taciturn, because of dusk,
The long, forlorn, relentless trend
From larger day to huger night.
V
We wise, who with a thought besmirch
Blood over all our soul,
How should we see our task
But through his blunt and lashless eyes?
Alive, he is not vital overmuch;
Dying, not mortal overmuch;
Nor sad, nor proud,
Nor curious at all.
He cannot tell
Old men's placidity from his.
VI
But cursed are dullards whom no cannon stuns,
That they should be as stones.
Wretched are they, and mean
With paucity that never was simplicity.
By choice they made themselves immune
To pity and whatever mourns in man
Before the last sea and the hapless stars;
Whatever mourns when many leave these shores;
Whatever shares
The eternal reciprocity of tears.
-Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918)
13 July 2007
Three More From the Attic
I remember how a good friend of mine was thoroughly perplexed as to why I decided to alter what could have been a perfectly sappy short poem into a borderline-cynical ode to office supplies and glue. I guess I just have thing for office supplies...
I’m busy
Papers stacked a mile high,
Goodness gracious they're touching the sky.
oh my, oh my the white out is dry.
Pens galore and,
Books a million score.
Staplers here.
Sharpeners there.
Erasers and Highlighters too
...but if only, if only I could get a glance, a call, a whisper or two
Never does a moment pass without thinking of glue.
I don't have much to say about this one. I believe this was pre-Eliot-Enlightment and also pre-Patrick-has-lost-the-desire-to-rhyme.
The Waiting Room
tapping my foot to the rhythm of the second hand
sitting here half drowned in bated breath
hoping for each minute to pass faster
done all there is to do
skimmed last month's magazines,
a dozen times through.
at the cuff of the seat
waiting to hear my name
"pa...
...tricia"
or so i could only wish
the road trip syndrome setting in
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
bouncing around in my head.
good news—bad news
better than no news
i need advice,
and that's a fact!
"the doctor is always on time"
they say.
"He's the best in town"
said lula may.
i wish so; He would not tarry
read His book
till the edges were hairy
mending hearts is His practice,
saving souls from the great abyss.
He sure is one, I dare not miss.
so this is the story of the waiting room,
the bride a waiting for her groom.
This one is a modified and exaggerated dialogue that I always wished would be turned into a comic.
“I needed to make a statement.
A statement that would say,
‘Down with Pseudo-Democracy and Presidential Puppetry!
I’m the new leader of the free-freaking-world,
and I love Halfway Communism and Ruthless Military Tyrants!’”
“Let me get this straight. You wanted to make a passionate, persuasive statement, for the entire world to see—”
“Uh huh.”
“So you set fire to the school cafeteria…”
“Precisely!”
“For Pete’s sake, the lunch ladies are mourning of their now smoldering humble abode, not to mention, their ten year’s supply of plastic spatulas and hairnets.”
“Remember the great words of Mr. Jefferson. ‘The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.’”
I’m busy
Papers stacked a mile high,
Goodness gracious they're touching the sky.
oh my, oh my the white out is dry.
Pens galore and,
Books a million score.
Staplers here.
Sharpeners there.
Erasers and Highlighters too
...but if only, if only I could get a glance, a call, a whisper or two
Never does a moment pass without thinking of glue.
I don't have much to say about this one. I believe this was pre-Eliot-Enlightment and also pre-Patrick-has-lost-the-desire-to-rhyme.
The Waiting Room
tapping my foot to the rhythm of the second hand
sitting here half drowned in bated breath
hoping for each minute to pass faster
done all there is to do
skimmed last month's magazines,
a dozen times through.
at the cuff of the seat
waiting to hear my name
"pa...
...tricia"
or so i could only wish
the road trip syndrome setting in
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
bouncing around in my head.
good news—bad news
better than no news
i need advice,
and that's a fact!
"the doctor is always on time"
they say.
"He's the best in town"
said lula may.
i wish so; He would not tarry
read His book
till the edges were hairy
mending hearts is His practice,
saving souls from the great abyss.
He sure is one, I dare not miss.
so this is the story of the waiting room,
the bride a waiting for her groom.
This one is a modified and exaggerated dialogue that I always wished would be turned into a comic.
“I needed to make a statement.
A statement that would say,
‘Down with Pseudo-Democracy and Presidential Puppetry!
I’m the new leader of the free-freaking-world,
and I love Halfway Communism and Ruthless Military Tyrants!’”
“Let me get this straight. You wanted to make a passionate, persuasive statement, for the entire world to see—”
“Uh huh.”
“So you set fire to the school cafeteria…”
“Precisely!”
“For Pete’s sake, the lunch ladies are mourning of their now smoldering humble abode, not to mention, their ten year’s supply of plastic spatulas and hairnets.”
“Remember the great words of Mr. Jefferson. ‘The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.’”
10 July 2007
Old and Dusty
It's amazing, what you'll find on an old computer hard drive. I dug up some rather dated word documents, most of which were fireplace worthy, but some were worth keeping around, so I'll post them up as I see fit for nostalgia's sake:
The Cubicle Cats
-for Thomas Stearns
They are the cubicle cats
They are the pencil pushers
Milling about
Heart-valve heaped with ash
Such sinking hearts
Veins dry, colour-blind, emaciate dreams
This is the simpleton hovel
This is the workspace parade
Here the plastic keys
Are pushed, here they receive
The attention of comatose appendages
Under the flicker of a fluorescent bulb
The dreams are not here
There are no dreams here
In this reciprocal of lost years
This paper jam of their lost loves
Between the heart
And soul
Between the empty
And full
Lies the grey-truth
This is the office peddlers’ end
Not with a death but a cubicle.
Shoelaces
Years ago, a farsighted old fogey lived across the street from us.
he’d tell us everyday the dreams
he bore up in that beautiful mind of his
such perfect dreams.
he saw every sunrise and sunset
each microcosm in every day
and every amount of quips and notions
involving those lost ideologies
he’d tell us how he saw
outside the smog, the city, and
the dreary punch in/out log
searching the horizon line he’d see
peace, love, joy, and chivalry…
and tell us the most poetic rhetoric
that some would say,
could even soothe the broken heart.
but I’ll tell you one thing the man never did see
he never saw that
every morning when he shuffled out his door
his shoes were untied.
The Cubicle Cats
-for Thomas Stearns
They are the cubicle cats
They are the pencil pushers
Milling about
Heart-valve heaped with ash
Such sinking hearts
Veins dry, colour-blind, emaciate dreams
This is the simpleton hovel
This is the workspace parade
Here the plastic keys
Are pushed, here they receive
The attention of comatose appendages
Under the flicker of a fluorescent bulb
The dreams are not here
There are no dreams here
In this reciprocal of lost years
This paper jam of their lost loves
Between the heart
And soul
Between the empty
And full
Lies the grey-truth
This is the office peddlers’ end
Not with a death but a cubicle.
Shoelaces
Years ago, a farsighted old fogey lived across the street from us.
he’d tell us everyday the dreams
he bore up in that beautiful mind of his
such perfect dreams.
he saw every sunrise and sunset
each microcosm in every day
and every amount of quips and notions
involving those lost ideologies
he’d tell us how he saw
outside the smog, the city, and
the dreary punch in/out log
searching the horizon line he’d see
peace, love, joy, and chivalry…
and tell us the most poetic rhetoric
that some would say,
could even soothe the broken heart.
but I’ll tell you one thing the man never did see
he never saw that
every morning when he shuffled out his door
his shoes were untied.
08 July 2007
Let's Talk Flowers...
Here’s a bit of a cut and paste history of the Five Points of Calvinism (aka TULIP):
A controversy in Dutch churches triggered by the rise of Arminianism prompted the National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618, which is more concisely known as the Synod of Dort. The main purpose of the Synod of Dort was to settle the controversy stirred up by Arminianism and its followers. After his death, the followers of Jacob Arminius expressed objections to both the Belgic Confession (Confession of Faith) and the teaching of John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and their followers. Furthermore, the objections against Calvinism were compiled together and published as The Remonstrance of 1610 (proponents of said document were thus called Remonstrants). In short, the document outlined the Five Articles of Remonstrance. In strictly basic and concise form, they appear as follows:
1. That the divine decree of predestination is conditional, not absolute;
2. That the Atonement is in intention universal;
3. That man cannot of himself exercise a saving faith;
4. That though the grace of God is a necessary condition of human effort it does not act irresistibly in man and
5. That believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace.
In conclusion, the Synod of Dort rejected these views. In turn they established their own set of five points based on Reformed doctrine. These points were: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints, or as we now refer to them as the mnemonic TULIP or the Five Points of Calvinsim. Furthermore, “The Canons are not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of Reformed doctrine, but only an exposition on the five points of doctrine in dispute.”
Just to expound a bit more I’d like to just take the opportunity to add some quick and most likely unsubstantial definitions to each point represented by TULIP since their titles alone can’t really answer for themselves.
Total Depravity- "Man, by his fall Into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto." -From the Westminster Confession
Unconditional Election- “God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21).”
Limited Atonement- “Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. Support for this position is drawn from such scriptures as Matt. 26:28 where Jesus died for ‘many'; John 10:11, 15 which say that Jesus died for the sheep (not the goats, per Matt. 25:32-33); John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the ones given Him, not those of the entire world; Acts 20:28 and Eph. 5:25-27 which state that the Church was purchased by Christ, not all people; and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion where he would bore the sins of many (not all).” I know what you may be thinking; the verses mentioned are somewhat unsubstantial. I’ll try to get back to it later but I’d like to mention that the premises of this doctrine heavily rely on unconditional election, in which I believe there’s more to be sought out.
Irresistible Grace- "All those whom God has predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone, and giving them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.” “This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from any thing at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed by it."
"Effectual calling is the Work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the Gospel." –from the Westminster Confession and the Shorter Catechism
Perseverance of the Saints- "They whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved." –from the Westminster Confession
Still working on putting together Greek definitions of sin in I John 3:9 as well as consolidating commentaries and views, but that should be up sometime tomorrow. However, it's 0500 and I'm going to get some sleep.
A controversy in Dutch churches triggered by the rise of Arminianism prompted the National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618, which is more concisely known as the Synod of Dort. The main purpose of the Synod of Dort was to settle the controversy stirred up by Arminianism and its followers. After his death, the followers of Jacob Arminius expressed objections to both the Belgic Confession (Confession of Faith) and the teaching of John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and their followers. Furthermore, the objections against Calvinism were compiled together and published as The Remonstrance of 1610 (proponents of said document were thus called Remonstrants). In short, the document outlined the Five Articles of Remonstrance. In strictly basic and concise form, they appear as follows:
1. That the divine decree of predestination is conditional, not absolute;
2. That the Atonement is in intention universal;
3. That man cannot of himself exercise a saving faith;
4. That though the grace of God is a necessary condition of human effort it does not act irresistibly in man and
5. That believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from grace.
In conclusion, the Synod of Dort rejected these views. In turn they established their own set of five points based on Reformed doctrine. These points were: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints, or as we now refer to them as the mnemonic TULIP or the Five Points of Calvinsim. Furthermore, “The Canons are not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of Reformed doctrine, but only an exposition on the five points of doctrine in dispute.”
Just to expound a bit more I’d like to just take the opportunity to add some quick and most likely unsubstantial definitions to each point represented by TULIP since their titles alone can’t really answer for themselves.
Total Depravity- "Man, by his fall Into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto." -From the Westminster Confession
Unconditional Election- “God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not (Rom. 9:15, 21).”
Limited Atonement- “Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect. Support for this position is drawn from such scriptures as Matt. 26:28 where Jesus died for ‘many'; John 10:11, 15 which say that Jesus died for the sheep (not the goats, per Matt. 25:32-33); John 17:9 where Jesus in prayer interceded for the ones given Him, not those of the entire world; Acts 20:28 and Eph. 5:25-27 which state that the Church was purchased by Christ, not all people; and Isaiah 53:12 which is a prophecy of Jesus’ crucifixion where he would bore the sins of many (not all).” I know what you may be thinking; the verses mentioned are somewhat unsubstantial. I’ll try to get back to it later but I’d like to mention that the premises of this doctrine heavily rely on unconditional election, in which I believe there’s more to be sought out.
Irresistible Grace- "All those whom God has predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone, and giving them a heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by His almighty power determining them to that which is good; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ, yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace.” “This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from any thing at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein, until, being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed by it."
"Effectual calling is the Work of God's Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, He doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the Gospel." –from the Westminster Confession and the Shorter Catechism
Perseverance of the Saints- "They whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved." –from the Westminster Confession
Still working on putting together Greek definitions of sin in I John 3:9 as well as consolidating commentaries and views, but that should be up sometime tomorrow. However, it's 0500 and I'm going to get some sleep.
People
"Just as Martin Luther was a heretic for teachings the necessity of the sacraments for salvation, John Calvin was also a heretic. Calvin taught infant baptism and that the Sacraments were EQUAL with the Word of God. Calvin and Luther BOTH taught baptismal regeneration. Calvin even had people killed for disagreeing with his heresy on infant baptism. So many people today are naive of such men. I've been reading Christian books for years that quote Martin Luther and John Calvin, come to find out they both endorsed the sacraments and infant baptism. There is NO way that such men could be saved because they ADDED works to faith, which is no faith at all. Calvin taught that believers must persevere to the end to be saved. This is works salvation. The reformation was plagued with the remnants of Catholicism, enough to pervert the simple plan of salvation. As I have often said --Martin Luther came out of Catholicism, but Catholicism didn't come out of Martin Luther. The same can definitely be said of John Calvin. Why is it that so many people feel compelled to join existing religions rather than read the Word of God for themselves? It is clear to any knowledgeable Bible student that the "great whore" of Revelation is likely Catholicism." -David J. Stewart
You know, after reading things like this; I'm never quite sure how to feel. If we're talking about base emotions, I can't helping feeling a mixture of sadness, anger, and genuine confusion. I'm not going to completely discredit Stewart's tirade, mostly because I haven't researched it all, but it's not like his arguments really compel me to do so anyway. Like I said, I'm not exactly sure how I should feel or react. The words "Ye shall know them by their fruit" in Matthew 7:16 seem to readily come to mind. I seem to forget often, that although I admire the both the men mentioned above, they were both men, sinners, and by no means perfect. However, that does not mean the accusations listed are any more founded than before, and I will go out on a sturdy limb to say they are not. That being said, people concern me, they do not wholly scare me, anger me, nor do they shake me, but they do wholly concern me, and it causes me to wonder how we've even been allowed to make it this far.
You know, after reading things like this; I'm never quite sure how to feel. If we're talking about base emotions, I can't helping feeling a mixture of sadness, anger, and genuine confusion. I'm not going to completely discredit Stewart's tirade, mostly because I haven't researched it all, but it's not like his arguments really compel me to do so anyway. Like I said, I'm not exactly sure how I should feel or react. The words "Ye shall know them by their fruit" in Matthew 7:16 seem to readily come to mind. I seem to forget often, that although I admire the both the men mentioned above, they were both men, sinners, and by no means perfect. However, that does not mean the accusations listed are any more founded than before, and I will go out on a sturdy limb to say they are not. That being said, people concern me, they do not wholly scare me, anger me, nor do they shake me, but they do wholly concern me, and it causes me to wonder how we've even been allowed to make it this far.
07 July 2007
"America"
Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!
Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.
Claude McKay
And sinks into my throat her tiger's tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!
Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate.
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time's unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.
Claude McKay
03 July 2007
Eidolons
1. A phantom; an apparition.
2. An image of an ideal.
of course, there's more to a definition than that, but for the sake of being concise, it's the most effective. suddenly, whitman's poem make's much more sense; of course, whitman being a transcendentalist should have set off the alarms earlier. furthermore, "eidolons" is pronounced "eye-doe-lens."
2. An image of an ideal.
of course, there's more to a definition than that, but for the sake of being concise, it's the most effective. suddenly, whitman's poem make's much more sense; of course, whitman being a transcendentalist should have set off the alarms earlier. furthermore, "eidolons" is pronounced "eye-doe-lens."
02 July 2007
Holy Sonnet XIV
Batter my heart, three-person'd God ; for you
As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy ;
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
-John Donne
As yet but knock ; breathe, shine, and seek to mend ;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy ;
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
-John Donne
01 July 2007
bones, boots, and bowling pins.
when the skeletons are out of the bag they tend to die hard like the cat that got stuck in the closet with the baggage and next to the yoke i wear around my neck that i so eloquently named “bad habits”—or maybe i mixed that up; like the time when the grass was only half as full as the greener glass on the other side.
and he took time in his reply when he said, “Oh, this one. He’s going to re-write history.”
Then my eye-lids open in my palms with the light trickling through the windows in between my fingers: destiny isn’t so hard to think about when the boots aren’t so big.
Sometimes I feel like a bowling pin. If the ball doesn’t get you, the racking machine sure will. But don't let the simil-nalogy distract you. What really matters is: if you were a bowling pin, which way would you face?
and he took time in his reply when he said, “Oh, this one. He’s going to re-write history.”
Then my eye-lids open in my palms with the light trickling through the windows in between my fingers: destiny isn’t so hard to think about when the boots aren’t so big.
Sometimes I feel like a bowling pin. If the ball doesn’t get you, the racking machine sure will. But don't let the simil-nalogy distract you. What really matters is: if you were a bowling pin, which way would you face?
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