The Unworthy Saint

I’ve been reading the book of Mark lately.  I read through it last month, now I’m reading through it again.  I don’t read every day – though I feel that I should.  But I do enjoy reading the bible – specifically Mark.  I like Mark particularly because of Frederick Buechner’s notes on the man and the book in his own book Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who’s Who.  Buechner specifically writes about Mark’s hurried nature – he’s always starting sentences with “And”, one of his favorite words is “Immediately”.  Buechner also points out the fact that Mark leaves many things out of his gospel, but also includes many small details.  So I enjoy reading through Mark and noticing these things.  I think they make the pages “come alive” a bit.  Besides that, it’s always good to read about the person and work of Jesus Christ – there’s something transformative about the scriptures.

I changed the name of my blog.  It was “Only a Boy.”  I liked the name for a time, but the new one came to me yesterday and I like it more at this stage of my life.  Only a Boy came about with the view of my need to always learn and grow – never really moving past that boyish fascination with the world around me.  I still value that perspective, but I think the Unworthy Saint expresses my view better at this point in my life.  It is a step toward humility – it is a declaration of perspective.  It’s not to say I view myself as an unworthy saint, but I certainly should view myself that way.  So that’s the new title of my blog.  I’m hoping that it sinks in sooner or later and I really understand God’s grace.

Colby and I got into a discussion about game theory the other day.  He had never heard of it but it’s a topic I find rather interesting.  The basic outcome is being able to predict, mathematically, what decisions people will make.  If you know of John Nash or saw A Beautiful Mind, John Nash was innovative in a few fields, one being game theory.  I’m not sure how I got there, but one of the most intriguing articles to me was The New Nostradamus featured in Good Magazine.  The article is mostly about Bruce Bueno de Mesquita who has made a computer model that can predict the outcomes of international conflict. Very interesting.  Of course, if you’re looking to learn about game theory yourself you can do what I did and look into the open courseware available online for free.  And now I’m going to go tape the bridge of my glasses, thanks.

Edit: Also, game theory was really apparent in the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight.  Check out the Prisoner’s Dilemma then go watch the movie.  Hint: Boats.

I’ve been thinking a bit lately.  This happens most when other things in my life clear up.  This instance of thought is brought to you by the end of school semesters.  My head clears and I feel like throwing up on paper (digital paper as it may be).  Here are a few random thoughts:

Something in connectivism rings true in me.  I think they’re on to something.  I think the way we learn is changing to be how well we recognize pattern, how adept we are at finding information, and how well we can either process, or find tools to process, the information we find.  Here’s a link to a project I was working on.  And here’s the proposal about it that should tell you something of what I was trying to accomplish, though I have yet to finish it.

Tim sent me an article a colleague of his wrote for the New York Times on Digital Intimacy and the fact that we’re all becoming exhibitionists and voyeurs, however it may not be a bad thing (as it may force us into introspection).

I skimmed an article from wired about the new NIN concert production and started drooling.  They’re doing things with art and technology that makes my heart very jealous.

I’ve been thinking about something Tim Keller talks about quite a bit – culture and how the word for culture and cultivate are the same.  He talks about how we’re all essentially farmers – we create something out of some raw materials.  A photographer takes the raw materials of light, object, optics and film and creates something out of it.  They cultivate those things to grow into something greater.  And this is key for a Christian approach to work – we are to create flourishing.  We are to cultivate the raw materials around us to create human flourishing.  This means we create beauty, we impart knowledge and wisdom, we relieve suffering – all as a way to point back to Christ ultimately, but this is a way to be Christ to our neighbors.  Ultimately God created the world in such a way that it promotes human flourishing.  It is God’s work we do when we participate.  When we farm, in some way, we are mimicking God – no matter what field you’re in.  I happen to cultivate young minds and also ideas/technology in my field.  We are all farmers, whether we embrace it as such or not. So the question would be, are you looking at farming as a way of life/love and in what way do you farm? In what way are you cultivating that which will create human flourishing (in the name of Christ)?

Other than a horribly titled blog post that really reminds me of myself and my own titling conventions, Geoff’s post about evolution was interesting and brought up some thoughts.  So here is my response to his post:

One of the things I’ve been thinking about, after listening to Keller, is major in the majors and minor in the minors, but trying not to get the two switched.  His main point was “Do you believe Christ died and rose again?  If you do, everything else is secondary.” (bad paraphrase) Essentially what he was getting at was, if there are errors in scripture, or at least things that seem contrary to what we know, that shouldn’t be what your faith is based on.  Of course we believe the Word is absolute truth and of course we believe God created the world, but even if those things were proven wrong (they won’t), the fact remains that God came as Christ, died and rose again, for our sins, and you still have to do something with that – believe or disbelieve.  Once you’ve figured that out, your other beliefs should line up from there.  But those beliefs are ultimately secondary or tertiary, not primary.

All that to say, the thought that comes to my mind after reading his post, and the thing that I’ve been thinking on lately, is that it’s an interesting topic and certainly something to meditate on, discuss and research – but not something that should decide someone’s faith one way or the other.  Whether or not evolution happened, whether or not God created things to evolve, those are secondary issues to the question of Christ.  Sadly, I have a tendency to put things like that first.

I want the wisdom and knowledge of God.

I think it’s my natural reaction, when I am feeling overhelmed, to try to push away.  Most of the time it’s stuff.  I want to push away from all the junk lining the rooms in my apartment.  Why do I need so much stuff?

I’m falling in love with the concept of a tiny house.  It sort of makes me laugh to think about it.  Maybe I could drive a mini crossover.  I am kind of drawn to the girl who said she saw a sharp spike in her electric bill last month, it doubled from $4 to $8… oh the goodness of being a tiny homeowner.

Sometimes I see artwork. Mostly I see paintings. The difference, I think, is whether they appeal to me or not. There are very few works of art in my world. There are many paintings. Very few works of art. Many songs. Few works. Many films. You get the idea. The Arnolfini portrait is one of the few that I love.

Belief in science cannot be much more than faith in human faculty rather than the divine.

The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

Hypocrrisy is not telling your child to make his bed when yours is unmade.  Hypocrisy is telling your child all the beds in the house should be made, so he should go make his, when yours is not made.

Christians are pegged as hypocrites quite a bit – but orthodox christianity, thus orthodox christians, are not.  We do not claim to be perfect.  Quite the opposite, we claim to be flawed – so much so that we are unable to do any good apart from Christ.  Call us crazy for believing what we believe, but don’t call us hypocritical – we make no claims to be better than anyone, no – the playing field is level on this side of Heaven… we are all sinners deserving of Hell.  But by the grace of God, some of us are being and will be saved from that Hell.