introducing myself finally!

Hi, I'm Emily. I live with Amanda. I used to live with Mary.
Come January I will live with both of them. I'm not a great
writer because my communication strengths lay in visual
communication (2D art & dance). Except research papers!
I'm good at writing research papers. And I love to read.
If you know me at all, even a little bit, you know I'm a talker.
I talk alot. So when I post on this blog I will try to pretend
I'm just having a verbal conversation rather than writing.
That'll help me shake the nervous feelings I get when I
have to publicly write. I like cats.


















Blog posts don't feel right to me without pictures,
so I will probably have a picture each time - even if it's
unrelated to the post. Which it probably often will be.

"christian music" and alcohol.

while reading this, i found myself shouting in agreement at least every few sentences.

first of all, yes! "christian music" is so easily recognizable on the radio to me, and i could never really find words to explain why it was so easy be flipping through stations, recognize the "christian music" and then inadvertently roll my eyes or feel embarrassed. this blog post by michael gungor of gungor (check their music out!) put words to what i was feeling. christian "artists" are making cheap and cheesy "art" and it all seems the same, and it all seems shallow...the opposite of what it should be. christians are called to be deeply creative; we have been created by a Creator who made us all ridiculously unique and deep and complicated in our own ways. i also agree with the article in that their are SOME christian artists who are making real art, real music from the depths of their humanity...but there are so many songs on the radio created to make sad christians feel happy, rather than to portray the depths of the human soul and point other deep human souls to Jesus, the only one who can give them real, meaningful peace (which, by the way, does not mean you pretend to be happy and nonchalant all the time). it's a matter of these "christian artists" choosing sentimentality over honesty and truthfulness, i think.

ahem. next, the alcohol issue. ALCOHOL IS NOT SINFUL. Jesus drank alcohol=God drank alcohol. Jesus made alcohol=God made alcohol. Alcohol is not sinful. It is not sinful to go out for a glass of wine with friends, in fact, i think it's a beautiful thing to spend time with friends drinking glasses of wine and talking about life and loving each other. GO OUT FOR A GLASS OF WINE PEOPLE. obviously, there is a point when you can be drinking too much alcohol. and an alcoholic person probably should not even touch alcohol, and their friends should love them enough to refrain from drinking in their presence. but the same goes for other things...food. there is a point when you eat too much food, or when you demand delicacy (read the screwtape letters by c.s. lewis, i think its chapter 6 or something in there...such a good depiction of the gluttony of delicacy). reading books at the library (this one's for the book nerds like myself). there is a point when you're reading so many books that you lose touch with reality or you neglect reading God's word. and the list goes on. the point is, anything can be taken too far, and alcohol is just another thing that gets taken too far sometimes. but that doesn't make it inherently evil or sinful to drink it.

anyway, here's the actual post, you should read it. let us all know what you think:
Zombies, Wine, and Christian Music

P.S. I would like to give a warm welcome to all of you from Russia who keep reading this blog, according to the stats. Привет!

World Religions

I've been thoroughly enjoying my "Western Religions" class this semester, and it really makes me want to visit houses of worship for other religions!  Have any of you ever visited temples, mosques, or other types of churches?  I want to know :)

happy thursday,

Kelsey

five things :)

I forgot to list my five favorite things of late! Right now, my favorites include:

1.  An iced, venti, unsweetened, light ice & light water, green tea from Starbucks.  But really, any decaf tea will do  :)

2.  Going to daily mass.  I'm Catholic, and it puts me in a calming mood to go to 8am mass any morning that I can.  Hearing the Bible readings and reflecting before the day is extremely comforting.

3.  My cat, Coco.  (Even when I hear hairballs-in-progress at 3am...)

4.  Seeing the old people checking out books at the library where I work.  They never fail to be extremely adorable.

5.  Harry Potter anything.  Deathly Hallows Part 2 comes out on DVD on the 11th, and I can't wait!

Hope you're all going to have a lovely weekend!

Kelsey

memories and me

Hi, I'm Elisabeth and I'm currently an undergraduate student for 42 more days. That's pretty much what I think about lately (that and my impending doom future). But some things that I enjoy consist of:

Learning: I'm a huge fan of actually taking the time to figure stuff out, letting it seep into your mind sometimes more slowly than you'd like, but quick enough to not get discouraged. I am particularly partial to the subjects of philosophy, culture, social norms (which includes a strange fixation I currently entertain regarding birthday cakes and patterns of behavior...yes, I'm mostly serious.), art theory & Modernity, Christian theology, and literature & English grammar.

Rain: I really enjoy a rainy day much more than a sunny one. Perhaps moving to Los Angeles was not the best idea in this department. Portland could be next.

Dreaming: I love dreams; sometimes, it's almost like living another life at night - but not like that. I go to bed never knowing what's going to come up and wake up either confused or intrigued by my unconscious self.

Thinking: This probably is categorized in the first topic, but I don't think you have to be learning to be thinking. Sometimes it's more like reflection or processing.

Here's something I have written on the topic of memories, because Amanda and Kelsey's discussion below reminded me of this in particular.

What brought me to my mental and physical place?
Events from the past now exist mainly in the faulty recesses of my mind. The events my memories are based on have built me, raised me, educated me, contemplated me, critiqued me, supported me, and entertained me. But most of all they have transported me. I am only sitting in La Mirada, California and not Elmhurst, Illinois or anywhere else on the face of the earth because of what has happened to me.
But memories are more than “things that happen to me”. They are also “things I remember”. Sometimes, my mind tries to create one without the other; rememberings without happenings or happenings without rememberings. These are possible produce, but they are not memories.
By remembering a space, I am remembering more than just four walls. In addition to how I felt, I am also wrenching forwards what I know now. Without the space, I would have nowhere to place and root the experience. By nature, the space is both the container for my rememberings and the conductor for the happenings.
The interesting thing about memories is that you can only ever interpret and piece them together in light of “now”. They are not infallible. Memories morph and grow and shrink and may even be in a continual, unconscious state of flux. But what does it mean to remember and consider “then” and “now” at the same time? What kind of a space does this create? Does it alter the role of the space to become something in between a container and a conductor? Is it a maintainer?

The "maintainer" can be different for different people; in fact, it should be different for yourself at various stages of your life. Just something to think about.

"There are no unwanted children, just unfound families."

Nice to meet all of you new, and old, friends. Here are some of my thoughts on adoption (some of you may have read this via my personal blog here but for those who don't I thought I'd share).

It's National Adoption Month.

Adoption is an issue that is near and dear to my family as my two brothers are adopted, and is becoming more and more of a passion as I work with children and families in adoption in my internship this fall.

It is an issue of social justice. There are thousands of kids in this country, and in this state, without a family to be theirs forever. They have no sense of permanency or commitment. They are waiting for mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters to love them no matter what. They are just waiting.

My eyes get to see the faces of these kids every week, but yours don't. I get to hear their pains and stories ridden with more abandonment than any of us will ever know. As human beings, citizens of this country, and as followers of Jesus, we are called to act.

To stay silent is to say we think this is okay. And it is not okay for children to go to bed wondering where they will live next year or the next day. They are desperate for the everlasting love of a family, a family that will not leave them, no matter what may come. No matter what.

Adoption is not easy, and the journey is far from smooth, but it is beautiful. It is the greatest gift you could ever give a child.

In one way or another, God calls us all to take care of the orphans, and I know that doesn't mean adoption is God's calling for everyone. But he calls everyone to act. So many of us have a lot to give. Yes, it is sacrificial, but so was God's adoption of us.

We were orphans before He made a way for us to become His children, through the greatest sacrifice of His son. As Christians we now have a forever home and family in Jesus Christ. His sacrifice was the greatest, and He asks us to sacrifice for others. How much of us have the love, time, money, and commitment to give, but are just too selfish to do so?

Let's take some time this month to think of what it means for us to be adopted as God's children, and ask God what He would have us do to love those without families.

My Introduction

Hello everyone.

I'm Yukhe, I'm a student, currently enrolled in an Apologetics program, I'm a drummer, and I'm passionate about food. I have to tell you guys up front that I might have a different point of view about many things, sometimes even unconventional. After all, I grew up in Indonesia and I'm pretty adventurous in exploring new ideas that happen to intrigue me.

Recently, these are a few of my favorite things:

1. Eating chocolate chip cookies with milk. Actually this is a new thing for me, I got the idea from a friend a few months ago, who just mentioned it in passing because apparently it's a common thing for people here. I've heard about eating Oreo with milk, but not chocolate chip cookies.

2. Spinning my drumstick. I found this video on YouTube about spinning a drumstick using only four fingers with no thumb and it just inspired me.

3. Singing along old Disney songs, especially the songs that belong to the movies that I watched so frequently when I was little.

4. Vivaldi's Summer (3rd movement) by Epica: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcl1ZDL-0Sg. The combination of strings, intense electric guitar and bass, and full blown double-bass drums is simply ecstatic. Yes, I like symphonic metal.

5. Sleep. I've always been a big fan of sleep (I am aware of the warning in Proverbs 20:13, by the way), but during my undergrad years at Biola I was just deprived of that luxury. Not anymore. I have enough sleep, more than ever, and I am way happier.

INTROS!!!

Hello my beautiful people. You are all very beautiful. You know what else is beautiful? Drinking iced white blueberry Tazo poolside in Phoenix, AZ. I was doing that about 4 hours ago when I first started to try to post to this blog. Guess what??? I finally figured it out!!! ...actually I called Amanda and she told me what I was doing wrong, but I'm here now! Yes! Pumped.

My name is Matthew Danielson. My background as a Christian is that I was born into a very lawful, critical, protestant family that had beef with one aspect or another of every denomination, so I bounced around churches a bunch. I've never really belonged. Being that I heard Christianity from a variety of viewpoints as a child, I have learned to love listening to and discussing these different views with various people. I have also developed a few unique viewpoints of my own. One of the strongest is my general distaste of the current state of the church, and a strong admiration of small groups studying and learning more about the creator, our father, and the source of all light and love in this world. I certainly hope that this group will eventually go down that road. I think that's what it's for, right Amanda?

So, to go with the flow, these are a few of my favorite things:

1. Lately, making lists.

2. Tea. I'm sorry. I feel like the goose in this pool of ducks right now. I really do have an appreciation for coffee. I love it. I love the texture, the warmth, the story of the beautiful tropical places it comes from, and the social ambiance it creates. But honestly? It makes me dance with goats. I get a caffeine hangover from decaf. Tea has just always been more my thing.

3. Music. When I moved to Phoenix, I had room for 4 things on the back of my motorcycle: a backpack of clothes and food, a sleeping bag, a skateboard, and a guitar/ ukulele. A guitalele. It's basically a ukulele sized guitar, and it's already been there for me more than most humans.

4. Humans. I forget that I like them sometimes, but I really do. They are cool.

5. Everything that isn't a human. I love animals, I love trees, I love plants, and I love the earth. I want to explore every nook and cranny of it. I want to fly with birds and swim with fish. I want to meet every animal and organism and hear their story. I just wish I didn't have to give up so much to pursue that dream.

6. God. The most important thing is definitely easy to bury, isn't it? That's why people like you are so rad. Thanks guys!

intros?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, today
probably, the best halloween of my life. except for the year my friend kari & i were siamese twins and we fell over trying to pick up her fallen snickers on the ground and couldn't get back up--that has its own category. i made a piñata costume out of a box and construction paper and we (me, my roommates ashley and jordana, and jordana's boyfriend andy) walked to chipotle and waited in line for $2 burritos. then we brought them back to our place and watched a good 3 to 4 hours of really crappy werewolf movies on tv. it was so good.

that said, i'm mary, also excited about the blog, glad that we are all doing this. things i like, assorted:

1. a really good cold press iced coffee.
2. when God says things that i am not expecting him to, when i am not expecting him to.
3. pictures that, no matter how many times i see them, will always make me laugh just as much as the first time.
4. people. especially people that i know and love. and also people that i will love. and also people that i am around. people in general.
5. i'll add a fifth, for good measure--nevermind, i'm going to turn out the lights instead

Oh hey guys.

My name is Danae Moran and I'm excited about this blog.

I love Jesus.
I am young and married.
I am an (almost) social worker.
I am passionate about adoption and families.
I am an artist.
I am a part of a family.

5 things I have been liking lately ...

1. Coldplay's new Mylo Xyloto album. It's golden.

2. LibriVox -- an awesome resource of free online audiobooks to download! You can also volunteer to read and add to the library, I'm currently listening to Little Women.

3. Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster - currently reading and discussing with my sister. A book to challenge and teach you how spiritual growth and change happens through disciplines such as meditation, prayer, study, and fasting.

4. This season -- fall is my favorite. Lots of  brisk mornings, over sized sweaters, warm drinks, and good conversations.

5. My internship. I'm so blessed to work with amazing children, helping them move out of the foster care system into their forever families (via adoption).

Meaningless Vanity

This morning I was heading to church by myself, and as I was driving there I decided I really did not want to go to church, but instead I wanted to go have coffee by myself and listen to a sermon online from what I believe is the best church in the United States (based on my personal preferences, my passion for hearing the truth told in a very blunt and straightforward manner, and my distaste for churches made up of a congregation from the same economic class, race, political system, etc...basically a congregation in a box of SAME-ness in something other than a love and passion for Jesus). Anyway, I went to the Red Raven, ordered a beautifully created vanilla latte and watched this sermon:

A Tale of Two Preachers (Reality LA sermon, part of a series on Ecclesiastes)

I thought it was the best teaching on Ecclesiastes I'd ever heard, and I'm excited to continue watching the series. Any of Pastor Tim Chaddick's sermons are worth taking an hour out of your day to listen to, so definitely look around the website for topics you're interested in. If your internet sucks (like mine) and streaming doesn't always work, then you can get the podcasts of the sermons here.

P.S. Kelsey, I love your post and I have a lot to say about that concept, I think about it often....I will definitely be commenting on it soon.

saturday afternoon philosophy

Hey everyone  :]

This is my first post to The Blog.  I'm Kelsey and I like poetry, green tea, and teepees.

I have a quirky philosophical topic to toss out to the wind, and I wonder how many other people think about this idea.  The other day I realized that, in my mind, I categorize time frames in my life, and they all have their own unique "feeling" that includes smells, colors, and emotions.  An example would be the year when I was in specific shows at a theater, or the time when I lived in a 3-story flat as a kid.  Anyway, even if it's a time period in my life that I wasn't particularly fond of, when I look back on it, I miss it. 

Recently, I've analyzed this about myself, and I started to wonder what it will be like when the life I'm living right now becomes a part of the "past", and I start to miss the little things that happen to me at this point in my routine.  Without a doubt, I'm going to miss my part-time job shelving books at a library, talking to co-workers with whom I'm not even that close, and having to hold onto hot tea because it's too cold.  It kind of started to weird me out thinking about my life as if I'm viewing it from the future.  At the same time, though, it made me start to appreciate everything I'm doing right now, from my slightly frustrating Political Science class, to hoodie I wear all the time, to the schedule I have at work.  Because at some point, even though I'll be in another stage of life that I hope to like just the same, I'll miss where I am now.

Just a random thought, tell me if you've experienced similar things!  Hope you're all having a lovely autumn.

Kelsey    

A Few of my Favorite Things...Today.

Well, it looks like there isn't much interest in "the blog" these days... So i thought I should post something. Since I am not currently in the right state of mind to come up with something deeply theological, I just wanted to share a few of today's favorite things.

1. My long morning bike ride. The leaves on the trees were beautiful reds and yellows and sometimes still green, and the leaves on the ground were crunchy. I determined which way I would turn by looking to see which street had more crunchy leaves to ride over.

2. I love this video and her youtube channel. "Lonely can be healing if you make it." "How To Be Alone"

3. This book that I'm reading right now and would recommend to anyone who has ever started yelling at God for whatever reason while driving or taking a shower. Angry Conversations With God

4. Playing songs on my guitar and singing really obnoxiously loud and not caring if the neighbors hear me.

5. My cat. Meeeoowww.

6. Amazing friends who are always listening, always calling, always coming over for ten minutes just to give me a hug even though they are way busy, always sharing life with me. I am so thankful for the beautiful friendships that I have in my life.

Please share a few of your favorite things.
Or, you could write something deeply theological too :)

Love love and more love,
Amanda Mae

introductions

hello, everyone.

welcome to "the blog." i would like to give all accreditation for the title of this little blog project to rachel, who came up with it on her porch swing while we drank kefir water and rocked back and forth and talked about how we aren't ever sure how life works. thanks rachel.

i'd like to introduce myself, even though you all mostly already know me. i'm amanda. i'm 21 years old, i live in minnesota, i drink tea mostly every day, i love to write in my journal at coffee shops while staring out the window or listening to other people's conversations, and i'm generally a pretty quiet person unless you know me very very well...then i talk too much or even yell. you may or may not get to know me more as this blog progresses; if you really want to get to know me better then go ahead and buy me coffee. i'll be an open book, i promise.

enough about me, because this blog is not about me. not at all. i kind of had this idea for a blog that would bring people from various locations, life situations, and worldviews together to talk about things. to talk about faith, theology, religion, philosophy, controversy, to ask questions, to just share random life lessons, to discuss and debate lovingly with one another about issues and ideas.

if you have any ideas or thoughts or direction for this blog, i'd love to add you to the list of people who are able to create posts. if you'd rather not write entire posts, then you can just go ahead and start a discussion by posting a comment. this is sort of an experiment, and definitely a work in progress! tell your friends about it, think about things you've been wanting to discuss with people but never have, etc. who knows what will happen... maybe it will just be me writing into some empty, echoing corner of cyberspace.

anyway, say hello, introduce yourself....let's think, let's talk, let's blog, eh?