Observations
My Generation
11/01/08 01:35 PM Filed in: Indiscriminate
I’ve noticed quite a
few irritating trends that seem to be emerging quite
heavily in my generation. And perhaps the most
frustrating notion is the fact that I notice them in
myself as well.
This is a unique generation. We do as we will, we think as we please, and you really can’t tell us to do otherwise. We find ridiculous things funny, we get amusement out of the most childish things, and we’re always right. Always. You can try to educate us, but our minds will hardly be swayed. Pardon the overt cliche, but my generation is, in fact, the post modern generation. Or, at the very least, the most post modern we’ve seen yet. One can only imagine what the next generation, or the generation following that, will be like if this is what my generation has become. And since my generation is the one that will be molding the minds of the next, or at least trying to, it seems inevitable.
When I say you can try to educate us, I’m not implying that we’re stupid. Granted, statistics will tell you that the current generation being schooled in America is the dumbest yet, but we have ingenuity wrapped up in our brains somewhere. What I mean is that, when you try to get us to understand your ways, we’re closed minded. Or maybe we’re too open minded and that’s the problem. And maybe that’s the biggest misunderstanding; my generation is a paradox.
So, what makes us so unique? I’ve tried to come up with the most obvious traits that seem to be evident in most of my generation. Not all of them are, mind you, and some of them may seem as though I’ve taken them to the extreme, but I’m trying to make a point that I think needs to be made.The most disturbing thing I find in all this is that the below attributes seem to be just as commonly found in Christian circles as they are in non-Christian circles. It’s like my entire generation has become numb, not just the secular portion of my generation.
You’re Actually Wrong
We love to be the ones to have the right answer. We love to know everything. So much so, in fact, that we feel the urge to correct you about everything you say.
When I was younger, my older brother used to always ask, “What time is it?” I would reply something like, “It’s 2:47.” Andrew would huff and roll his eyes stating irritatedly, “Alex, you don’t have to give the exact time. Just round it to 2:45 like normal people.” He had this thing with trying make me not feel like a normal person. It took me quite a while to get the idea, but I finally caught on.
Today, things seem to be just the opposite. If you aren’t exact, you aren’t right at all. We’ve become so literal. But the trouble is, you see, you can’t be exactly right. Only we can, and that’s why we feel the urge to correct you, because we’re the ones who really know. It gives us a sense of pride, proving to you how much we know.
That’s Just Your Opinion, Which May Also be Right
On the occasion, you may say something and actually be right in some statement you make. Exactly right. How are we to correct you on this? My generation has brought a new concept to the table, the concept of dismissing absolutes. If nothing can truly be absolute, then “exactly right” is really only your opinion and, once again, we have the opportunity to correct you with what we know to be the exactly right answer. And, trust us, our exactly right is more accurate than your exactly right.
The biggest issue with this is that neither of us can truly be absolute about our exactly right, therefore neither of us can truly tell the other person that they’re wrong. This leaves us with the conclusion that their may be two right answers, and have come to accept that fact.
Don’t Tell Us; We Already Know
Since we tend to build on pride on how much we know, making it obvious to you that we already know it is key. Don’t try to tell us about the newest Lamborghini concept, something you just heard today about politics on CNN, an up-and-coming movie release starring Denzel Washington, the rumor of Green Day’s next LP, or even what the definition of LP actually is; we already know it. We fill our minds with useless information just so we finish your sentences for you.
We’re so full of our own self pride that we can’t be told anything new, even by someone with clearly superior in intellect to us. Apparently it would be a mockery of our own intellect to learn something from someone else and not the internet.
An Insatiable Hunger for Hilarity
We always have to be laughing at something, and we always have to be making you laugh. In my generation it has become awkward to sit in silence; to not hear some twisted joke just to break the tension. We feed ourselves humor constantly, be it from friends, movies, television, websites, or anything. In fact, if we can’t find something humorous in what’s going on around us, we’ll take someone else’s words and twist them, just to make someone laugh. It’s a nervous addiction we have, but it can never be fed enough.
It’s obvious that some of our elders try to make efforts to reach out to my generation. The problem is, we’ll just make a fool of you for a cheap laugh from our friends. You can tell us the funniest joke you know, but it won’t make us laugh. We’re obliged not to. What will be funny is the condescending remark we make towards you directly after. Take the same joke, put it in the mouth of Ben Stiller or Will Ferrell in a movie with a ridiculous plot, and we’ll find it hilarious.
See, it’s not just about laughing. It’s about knowing what to laugh at, and twisting everything else so others will laugh at your “wit”.
Vulgarity and Sacrilege
Our insatiable hunger for hilarity gets worse. We’re at the point where we must make absolutely everything funny, no matter how much of a stretch. The easiest and cheapest way to make anything hilarious is to make some sexual innuendo out of it. But we don’t stop there. We’ll make references to pornography, rape, incest, bestiality, or any other abomination you can think of, just to get you to laugh. Oh, you’re not laughing? You must be an idiot then, because everyone else thinks what we’re saying is hilarious.
Just take, for example, the recently overwhelming popularity of “That’s what she said” jokes.
In conjunction with vulgarity, we’re not afraid to offend the Creator whom we should be worshipping with our words. How many times do we take the Lords name in vain every day? I imagine most of us lose count before lunch. How little we respect someone who has done so much for us. We constantly take Him for granted. We fail to realize that all of the things in this list, when used improperly as they most commonly are, are means of sacrilege, because in sinning, we are continuing to destroy the perfect character God intended for us.
The Odds in Our Favor
We arrange our lives so that everything works perfectly in our favor. Our relationships, our schooling, our income, everything. If anything starts to fall apart, we drop it and leave, never looking back. We have a horrible issue with commitment for this reason. We figure that if something does go wrong, it must be because we aren’t meant to be in the given situation, so we bail. A loving God wouldn’t expect us to fail, right? We avoid confrontation, which could resolve the issue and bring a closer to those around us, and we choose to back out. It’s the short term, easier approach to solving all of our problems.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
It all goes back to our pride, but we have to look like we have it all together, even though we’re probably an emotional wreck. Yes, I wear expensive clothes. Yes, I have a fancy car. Yes, I buy Apple because they cost more than PC. Yes, my Daddy’s rich and pays for my college. Yes, yes, yes. Is my economic status impressing you? Because it should be.
We always have to have the latest and greatest new product, no matter how useless and overly priced it may be. Sure, we could have found a cheaper brand for $5, but this was has a name attached to it, and it cost me $50!
Maybe it looks like we have money, but we really don’t. We have plastic and we have PayPal, the things that have done more damage to our economy than anything else in history. When we see something we want, we can’t wait. My generation has no patience. We must have it now, not at the end of the month when we get our paycheck. We know we can always buy it on credit and pay it back later or, better yet, use the credit card our parents pay off.
We want you to be impressed with the size of our house. We want you to be impressed with the things we can afford. And, in reality, you probably are. But you aren’t impressed with us as a person, and that’s what our human nature truly craves. But how can you be impressed with us as a person if we act so superficial towards you?
Constant Occupation
Do we look busy enough to you? In the same way we feel we must always make someone laugh, we also feel the urge to constantly look busy. We’re always texting, always in a rush to get back to the dorm to check our Facebook and email, always calling someone, always doing homework, always doing something. If we sit back in silence and let our minds wander, we might actually realize how messed up and far from God our lives have become.
Shock Value
We aim to offend. It could be how we dress, it could be how we talk, it could be what we watch. But somewhere along the lines, about the time we lost all respect for our elders, we decided to take it to the next level and openly offend them.
My generation thrives on awkward situations ... Awkward for you. We don’t find much awkward because we’re so numb to the world, but we know you do. In our cravings for attention from others and, yes, even from you, we’re willing to do just about anything to shock everyone around us into being impressed. Maybe you’re not impressed, but you gave us your attention for a moment, right? And, trust me, our friends are impressed. It’s why we talk so loudly in public, lacing our sentences with obscenities that actually make us sound ridiculous. It’s why we wear formfitting outfits that look cost twice as much but look like the sewing machine ran out of thread half way.
It’s the same reason we tease the kid with the short temper. We want to see him snap; it’s what bullies thrive off of. My generation is just a generation of bullies towards everyone they meet. As soon as you snap and yell at us, we get our adrenaline high.
Apathy
We’ve reached the point where we’re almost raised not to feel in certain situations. It’s not that we’re completely against feelings; on the contrary, we can be quite emotive. We’re only against feelings when there’s the potential for vulnerability or hurt. Our apathy can be responsible for most of the inconsistencies in our character; it’s why we try to offend and it doesn’t phase us, it’s why we have a lack of commitment, it’s why we have no respect for our elders, it’s why vulgar music doesn’t phase us, and it’s why we don’t jump in scary movies. Nothing phases us because we just don’t care. This behavior is completely against everything humans are created to be. Feelings are at the root of our very beings. Being vulnerable is the only real way we can ever express those feelings.
Maybe this is evident in every next generation, and maybe everyone at some point or another has the same feelings of annoyance that I do toward their own generation (and their own characteristics), but I felt the need to get my thoughts out there to see if anyone else felt the same way.
And I think I feel better now.
This is a unique generation. We do as we will, we think as we please, and you really can’t tell us to do otherwise. We find ridiculous things funny, we get amusement out of the most childish things, and we’re always right. Always. You can try to educate us, but our minds will hardly be swayed. Pardon the overt cliche, but my generation is, in fact, the post modern generation. Or, at the very least, the most post modern we’ve seen yet. One can only imagine what the next generation, or the generation following that, will be like if this is what my generation has become. And since my generation is the one that will be molding the minds of the next, or at least trying to, it seems inevitable.
When I say you can try to educate us, I’m not implying that we’re stupid. Granted, statistics will tell you that the current generation being schooled in America is the dumbest yet, but we have ingenuity wrapped up in our brains somewhere. What I mean is that, when you try to get us to understand your ways, we’re closed minded. Or maybe we’re too open minded and that’s the problem. And maybe that’s the biggest misunderstanding; my generation is a paradox.
So, what makes us so unique? I’ve tried to come up with the most obvious traits that seem to be evident in most of my generation. Not all of them are, mind you, and some of them may seem as though I’ve taken them to the extreme, but I’m trying to make a point that I think needs to be made.The most disturbing thing I find in all this is that the below attributes seem to be just as commonly found in Christian circles as they are in non-Christian circles. It’s like my entire generation has become numb, not just the secular portion of my generation.
You’re Actually Wrong
We love to be the ones to have the right answer. We love to know everything. So much so, in fact, that we feel the urge to correct you about everything you say.
When I was younger, my older brother used to always ask, “What time is it?” I would reply something like, “It’s 2:47.” Andrew would huff and roll his eyes stating irritatedly, “Alex, you don’t have to give the exact time. Just round it to 2:45 like normal people.” He had this thing with trying make me not feel like a normal person. It took me quite a while to get the idea, but I finally caught on.
Today, things seem to be just the opposite. If you aren’t exact, you aren’t right at all. We’ve become so literal. But the trouble is, you see, you can’t be exactly right. Only we can, and that’s why we feel the urge to correct you, because we’re the ones who really know. It gives us a sense of pride, proving to you how much we know.
That’s Just Your Opinion, Which May Also be Right
On the occasion, you may say something and actually be right in some statement you make. Exactly right. How are we to correct you on this? My generation has brought a new concept to the table, the concept of dismissing absolutes. If nothing can truly be absolute, then “exactly right” is really only your opinion and, once again, we have the opportunity to correct you with what we know to be the exactly right answer. And, trust us, our exactly right is more accurate than your exactly right.
The biggest issue with this is that neither of us can truly be absolute about our exactly right, therefore neither of us can truly tell the other person that they’re wrong. This leaves us with the conclusion that their may be two right answers, and have come to accept that fact.
Don’t Tell Us; We Already Know
Since we tend to build on pride on how much we know, making it obvious to you that we already know it is key. Don’t try to tell us about the newest Lamborghini concept, something you just heard today about politics on CNN, an up-and-coming movie release starring Denzel Washington, the rumor of Green Day’s next LP, or even what the definition of LP actually is; we already know it. We fill our minds with useless information just so we finish your sentences for you.
We’re so full of our own self pride that we can’t be told anything new, even by someone with clearly superior in intellect to us. Apparently it would be a mockery of our own intellect to learn something from someone else and not the internet.
An Insatiable Hunger for Hilarity
We always have to be laughing at something, and we always have to be making you laugh. In my generation it has become awkward to sit in silence; to not hear some twisted joke just to break the tension. We feed ourselves humor constantly, be it from friends, movies, television, websites, or anything. In fact, if we can’t find something humorous in what’s going on around us, we’ll take someone else’s words and twist them, just to make someone laugh. It’s a nervous addiction we have, but it can never be fed enough.
It’s obvious that some of our elders try to make efforts to reach out to my generation. The problem is, we’ll just make a fool of you for a cheap laugh from our friends. You can tell us the funniest joke you know, but it won’t make us laugh. We’re obliged not to. What will be funny is the condescending remark we make towards you directly after. Take the same joke, put it in the mouth of Ben Stiller or Will Ferrell in a movie with a ridiculous plot, and we’ll find it hilarious.
See, it’s not just about laughing. It’s about knowing what to laugh at, and twisting everything else so others will laugh at your “wit”.
Vulgarity and Sacrilege
Our insatiable hunger for hilarity gets worse. We’re at the point where we must make absolutely everything funny, no matter how much of a stretch. The easiest and cheapest way to make anything hilarious is to make some sexual innuendo out of it. But we don’t stop there. We’ll make references to pornography, rape, incest, bestiality, or any other abomination you can think of, just to get you to laugh. Oh, you’re not laughing? You must be an idiot then, because everyone else thinks what we’re saying is hilarious.
Just take, for example, the recently overwhelming popularity of “That’s what she said” jokes.
In conjunction with vulgarity, we’re not afraid to offend the Creator whom we should be worshipping with our words. How many times do we take the Lords name in vain every day? I imagine most of us lose count before lunch. How little we respect someone who has done so much for us. We constantly take Him for granted. We fail to realize that all of the things in this list, when used improperly as they most commonly are, are means of sacrilege, because in sinning, we are continuing to destroy the perfect character God intended for us.
The Odds in Our Favor
We arrange our lives so that everything works perfectly in our favor. Our relationships, our schooling, our income, everything. If anything starts to fall apart, we drop it and leave, never looking back. We have a horrible issue with commitment for this reason. We figure that if something does go wrong, it must be because we aren’t meant to be in the given situation, so we bail. A loving God wouldn’t expect us to fail, right? We avoid confrontation, which could resolve the issue and bring a closer to those around us, and we choose to back out. It’s the short term, easier approach to solving all of our problems.
Keeping Up With the Joneses
It all goes back to our pride, but we have to look like we have it all together, even though we’re probably an emotional wreck. Yes, I wear expensive clothes. Yes, I have a fancy car. Yes, I buy Apple because they cost more than PC. Yes, my Daddy’s rich and pays for my college. Yes, yes, yes. Is my economic status impressing you? Because it should be.
We always have to have the latest and greatest new product, no matter how useless and overly priced it may be. Sure, we could have found a cheaper brand for $5, but this was has a name attached to it, and it cost me $50!
Maybe it looks like we have money, but we really don’t. We have plastic and we have PayPal, the things that have done more damage to our economy than anything else in history. When we see something we want, we can’t wait. My generation has no patience. We must have it now, not at the end of the month when we get our paycheck. We know we can always buy it on credit and pay it back later or, better yet, use the credit card our parents pay off.
We want you to be impressed with the size of our house. We want you to be impressed with the things we can afford. And, in reality, you probably are. But you aren’t impressed with us as a person, and that’s what our human nature truly craves. But how can you be impressed with us as a person if we act so superficial towards you?
Constant Occupation
Do we look busy enough to you? In the same way we feel we must always make someone laugh, we also feel the urge to constantly look busy. We’re always texting, always in a rush to get back to the dorm to check our Facebook and email, always calling someone, always doing homework, always doing something. If we sit back in silence and let our minds wander, we might actually realize how messed up and far from God our lives have become.
Shock Value
We aim to offend. It could be how we dress, it could be how we talk, it could be what we watch. But somewhere along the lines, about the time we lost all respect for our elders, we decided to take it to the next level and openly offend them.
My generation thrives on awkward situations ... Awkward for you. We don’t find much awkward because we’re so numb to the world, but we know you do. In our cravings for attention from others and, yes, even from you, we’re willing to do just about anything to shock everyone around us into being impressed. Maybe you’re not impressed, but you gave us your attention for a moment, right? And, trust me, our friends are impressed. It’s why we talk so loudly in public, lacing our sentences with obscenities that actually make us sound ridiculous. It’s why we wear formfitting outfits that look cost twice as much but look like the sewing machine ran out of thread half way.
It’s the same reason we tease the kid with the short temper. We want to see him snap; it’s what bullies thrive off of. My generation is just a generation of bullies towards everyone they meet. As soon as you snap and yell at us, we get our adrenaline high.
Apathy
We’ve reached the point where we’re almost raised not to feel in certain situations. It’s not that we’re completely against feelings; on the contrary, we can be quite emotive. We’re only against feelings when there’s the potential for vulnerability or hurt. Our apathy can be responsible for most of the inconsistencies in our character; it’s why we try to offend and it doesn’t phase us, it’s why we have a lack of commitment, it’s why we have no respect for our elders, it’s why vulgar music doesn’t phase us, and it’s why we don’t jump in scary movies. Nothing phases us because we just don’t care. This behavior is completely against everything humans are created to be. Feelings are at the root of our very beings. Being vulnerable is the only real way we can ever express those feelings.
Maybe this is evident in every next generation, and maybe everyone at some point or another has the same feelings of annoyance that I do toward their own generation (and their own characteristics), but I felt the need to get my thoughts out there to see if anyone else felt the same way.
And I think I feel better now.
|
"Those People" You Hate On Facebook
10/23/08 03:16 PM Filed in: Indiscriminate
You know those Facebook
personalities that float around, haunting the world's
best social networking site. Everybody knows
them. They're unavoidable. Well, here's a
list of the most common and annoying ones that I've
found. If you find that you fit one of
these stereotypes, please, do all of your friends a
favor. Stop doing that
thing.
The Poker
I don't actually need to say anything about this. It's self explanatory. Why does poking exist? It's stupid. Stop poking me.
The Groupie
The Groupie is the guy who thinks every cause, every inside joke, every event, everything deserves a Facebook group. It doesn't. Coincidently, most Groupies tend to be quite illiterate and can't even properly convey their cause in less than seventy-five characters. This leads to his group name having far too many punctuation marks and not enough legitimate words. Also, lots of abbreviations.
As if there aren't already enough groups out there. Heck, there are duplicates of groups, just spelled and exclaimed differently. You can find fan groups, anti-fan groups, event groups, groups trying to be the biggest group, groups against groups, groups that are against groups that are against groups, groups against duplicate groups (ironically, there's a ton of those ... Check it), groups ... You get the idea. All that, and there's not even really a point to them. If you're a fan of something, why join a group? Add it to your Interests ...
The Groupie may also be known for being ...
The Invitation Freak
Back in 2007, shortly after Facebook apps were launched, Facebook had over 3,000 apps you could add, and was averaging 100 new apps every day. That's way too many to sift through. Unfortunately, The Invitation Freak will somehow find time to sift through them all and invite you to all of them as well. Numerous times. (I'm still not sure whether vampires or werewolves are better ...)
But he won't just do this with apps. No, he'll do it with groups, pages, events ... everything. Anything that has the "Invite People to Join" button, The Invitation Freak will invite you to it. The reason Facebook has become so insecure recently and has been the result of countless hacking attempts is essentially the fault of The Invitation Freak. Anyone can write an app; therefore the same geniuses who keep Symantec and McAfee in business will also make apps to hack Facebook.
The Obnoxious Tagger
The Obnoxious Tagger thinks your life isn't complete without theirs. That's why they have to tag you in all of their notes, photos, and videos. They think you need to know about the good time they had, about how depressed they are, or whatever.
Quickly check out this page on tagging in Facebook. Notice, under photos, it says, "Facebook provides users with the opportunity to identify the people in their photos by 'tagging' the images." ... Hold on, let me just say it again "... identify the people in their photos ..." This would imply the person was, in fact, in the photo. This principle should also be applied to Notes. If the person is not actually mentioned in the note, you don't need to tag them.
Look, everything you do or add on Facebook will show up in my News Feed moments after you do it, so it's not like I don't know you wrote a note. I suppose the cause of this may be because The Obnoxious Tagger is also actually ...
The Attention Monger
The Attention Monger has to be seen on Facebook. They update their status on an unhealthy basis, constantly put pictures (of themselves) into albums, update their status again (even though they aren't doing anything new), comment on all your photos and notes, right on everyone’s wall (because it will show up in the News Feed!) ... Anything that can be posted on, they will post on. Anything that can be updated, they will update so they're always at the top of your News Feed. Just met them? They'll add you. Just added an album and forgot to tag them in a photo? They'll tag it for you.
Their profile is completely full. They list every band, every movie, every everything they possibly can in their profile. They even have that Extended Profile app to add MORE, just in case you actually do pay attention to them for once ... They want you to know how awesome they are.
Unfortunately, people who see The Attention Monger all too often must ask the question ...
Do I Know You?
This person adds you when they don't really know you. You meet them once, they permanently engrain your name into their memory because they think you're cute, and then they go back to their dorm and add you as a friend. But you aren't really friends. Webster says a friend is "one attached to another by affection or esteem" or "a favored companion". Someone can't be either of these things after one or two meetings, no matter how cute they are.
Then there's the person on Facebook who thinks they're on MySpace. I think they literally just search for random names and add people when they're bored. I used to know somebody who would just always look up their own name and add anyone whom they had that common bond with.
Finally, there's the "I know you through your cousin" guy. Look, we've never met, so why are you adding me? I don't care if you know my cousin, or you went to school with my parents and you're fifty (that happened to me once). Facebook is a social networking site, not an online dating community. Although some of you seem to have a pretty severe misunderstanding about that.
The Creeper
The Creeper always is the first to comment on your photos of the previous night’s slumber party. He always knows your latest status update (he has them texted to his phone), and he's not afraid to ask you about them in person. He's always curious about your camping trip last weekend (he knows you went on it because he saw the album). He sends you messages and writes on your wall about how he hasn't seen you in a while, but you look like you're having fun.
Oh, and he also started texting you. He got your number from your profile.
The Complainer
The Complainer basically hates Facebook. Everything about it. The new design sucks, it's always slow, and you need to be able to customize profiles, why don't they make an app that does this?
Look, if you want a customizable profile, go back to MySpace. We don't want your glitter here. Facebook is clean and intuitive (and quiet ... Yes, you, who uploads music on your MySpace). Go design your own website if Facebook isn't good enough for you, but there's a very important fact you must remember: Facebook is free. And has far less obnoxious ads than MySpace or Xanga.
And, I just have to say this, no matter how many people you get to join a group, some magnificent thing will not happen. For instance, Facebook will not change the design back if you get 10 million people to join your group. They invested months into designing and programming it, and you think they're going to just throw it away? They'll try to upgrade it more to please you, but they will never go back to the old layout. And they will never support both layouts. That would be impractical, a nightmare to maintain, and downright stupid.
Why bother?
They're the opposite of The Attention Monger. They have nothing on their Facebook. They even have The Question Mark as their profile picture. They list maybe one or two interests, bands, and movies, and that's pretty much it. Their About Me section is empty. They have no photo albums or notes, and they never update their status. They've never commented on a single photo or note since they registered. In fact, they only really got a Facebook because you forced them to. Because you're The Attention Monger and you wanted them to look at your profile. Nice work ...
That concludes the rather extensive list. Basically, if you're thinking you may be doing something wrong (or annoying) on Facebook, consult The Ten Commandments of Facebook before continuing. It will answer all of your questions if this list didn't.
The Poker
I don't actually need to say anything about this. It's self explanatory. Why does poking exist? It's stupid. Stop poking me.
The Groupie
The Groupie is the guy who thinks every cause, every inside joke, every event, everything deserves a Facebook group. It doesn't. Coincidently, most Groupies tend to be quite illiterate and can't even properly convey their cause in less than seventy-five characters. This leads to his group name having far too many punctuation marks and not enough legitimate words. Also, lots of abbreviations.
As if there aren't already enough groups out there. Heck, there are duplicates of groups, just spelled and exclaimed differently. You can find fan groups, anti-fan groups, event groups, groups trying to be the biggest group, groups against groups, groups that are against groups that are against groups, groups against duplicate groups (ironically, there's a ton of those ... Check it), groups ... You get the idea. All that, and there's not even really a point to them. If you're a fan of something, why join a group? Add it to your Interests ...
The Groupie may also be known for being ...
The Invitation Freak
Back in 2007, shortly after Facebook apps were launched, Facebook had over 3,000 apps you could add, and was averaging 100 new apps every day. That's way too many to sift through. Unfortunately, The Invitation Freak will somehow find time to sift through them all and invite you to all of them as well. Numerous times. (I'm still not sure whether vampires or werewolves are better ...)
But he won't just do this with apps. No, he'll do it with groups, pages, events ... everything. Anything that has the "Invite People to Join" button, The Invitation Freak will invite you to it. The reason Facebook has become so insecure recently and has been the result of countless hacking attempts is essentially the fault of The Invitation Freak. Anyone can write an app; therefore the same geniuses who keep Symantec and McAfee in business will also make apps to hack Facebook.
The Obnoxious Tagger
The Obnoxious Tagger thinks your life isn't complete without theirs. That's why they have to tag you in all of their notes, photos, and videos. They think you need to know about the good time they had, about how depressed they are, or whatever.
Quickly check out this page on tagging in Facebook. Notice, under photos, it says, "Facebook provides users with the opportunity to identify the people in their photos by 'tagging' the images." ... Hold on, let me just say it again "... identify the people in their photos ..." This would imply the person was, in fact, in the photo. This principle should also be applied to Notes. If the person is not actually mentioned in the note, you don't need to tag them.
Look, everything you do or add on Facebook will show up in my News Feed moments after you do it, so it's not like I don't know you wrote a note. I suppose the cause of this may be because The Obnoxious Tagger is also actually ...
The Attention Monger
The Attention Monger has to be seen on Facebook. They update their status on an unhealthy basis, constantly put pictures (of themselves) into albums, update their status again (even though they aren't doing anything new), comment on all your photos and notes, right on everyone’s wall (because it will show up in the News Feed!) ... Anything that can be posted on, they will post on. Anything that can be updated, they will update so they're always at the top of your News Feed. Just met them? They'll add you. Just added an album and forgot to tag them in a photo? They'll tag it for you.
Their profile is completely full. They list every band, every movie, every everything they possibly can in their profile. They even have that Extended Profile app to add MORE, just in case you actually do pay attention to them for once ... They want you to know how awesome they are.
Unfortunately, people who see The Attention Monger all too often must ask the question ...
Do I Know You?
This person adds you when they don't really know you. You meet them once, they permanently engrain your name into their memory because they think you're cute, and then they go back to their dorm and add you as a friend. But you aren't really friends. Webster says a friend is "one attached to another by affection or esteem" or "a favored companion". Someone can't be either of these things after one or two meetings, no matter how cute they are.
Then there's the person on Facebook who thinks they're on MySpace. I think they literally just search for random names and add people when they're bored. I used to know somebody who would just always look up their own name and add anyone whom they had that common bond with.
Finally, there's the "I know you through your cousin" guy. Look, we've never met, so why are you adding me? I don't care if you know my cousin, or you went to school with my parents and you're fifty (that happened to me once). Facebook is a social networking site, not an online dating community. Although some of you seem to have a pretty severe misunderstanding about that.
The Creeper
The Creeper always is the first to comment on your photos of the previous night’s slumber party. He always knows your latest status update (he has them texted to his phone), and he's not afraid to ask you about them in person. He's always curious about your camping trip last weekend (he knows you went on it because he saw the album). He sends you messages and writes on your wall about how he hasn't seen you in a while, but you look like you're having fun.
Oh, and he also started texting you. He got your number from your profile.
The Complainer
The Complainer basically hates Facebook. Everything about it. The new design sucks, it's always slow, and you need to be able to customize profiles, why don't they make an app that does this?
Look, if you want a customizable profile, go back to MySpace. We don't want your glitter here. Facebook is clean and intuitive (and quiet ... Yes, you, who uploads music on your MySpace). Go design your own website if Facebook isn't good enough for you, but there's a very important fact you must remember: Facebook is free. And has far less obnoxious ads than MySpace or Xanga.
And, I just have to say this, no matter how many people you get to join a group, some magnificent thing will not happen. For instance, Facebook will not change the design back if you get 10 million people to join your group. They invested months into designing and programming it, and you think they're going to just throw it away? They'll try to upgrade it more to please you, but they will never go back to the old layout. And they will never support both layouts. That would be impractical, a nightmare to maintain, and downright stupid.
Why bother?
They're the opposite of The Attention Monger. They have nothing on their Facebook. They even have The Question Mark as their profile picture. They list maybe one or two interests, bands, and movies, and that's pretty much it. Their About Me section is empty. They have no photo albums or notes, and they never update their status. They've never commented on a single photo or note since they registered. In fact, they only really got a Facebook because you forced them to. Because you're The Attention Monger and you wanted them to look at your profile. Nice work ...
That concludes the rather extensive list. Basically, if you're thinking you may be doing something wrong (or annoying) on Facebook, consult The Ten Commandments of Facebook before continuing. It will answer all of your questions if this list didn't.
Politicians and Elections
10/22/08 10:33 PM Filed in: Indiscriminate
The days of honest
politics are far behind us, unfortunately. Which is
frustrating. Seems you can’t just find out what a
candidate actually
stands for these days,
all you can find out is how horribly terrible of a
candidate the other candidate is. And, trust me, he’s horrible. The
things he did as a teen ...
So, what’s the deal with politicians literally just making up crap about their opponent? Well, according to a fairly unreliable source (Mom, don’t read that article), the first election who’s advertising campaign was built solely on tearing the opponent down was in 1800, in the election between Jefferson and Adams. Believe it or not, people actually debated about prevalent issues of society before the 1800 election. Crazy to think about, I know.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s rather fed up with misleading (and flat out lying) campaign ads. Look, I know you think my generation is stupid, and, quite honestly, my generation and the up-and-coming generation are probably the stupidest America has yet to see, but ... Give us a little credit. One campaign ad comes on, discrediting the candidates opponent, saying things about them that sound absolutely horrible ... How could you vote for such a person?! But wait, there’s more. The very next commercial you see is an ad for the opposing candidate, first addressing all the “lies” of the previous ad, and then telling you the real story ... Turns out the candidate you thought was so good was actually caught up in a dishonest canal scheme back in his prime. And you thought that only happened in Oscar Wilde plays.
So, who am I supposed to believe? You both flat out contradict each other. You both accuse the other of horrendous acts that I clearly wouldn’t support. But, according to the other one, these accusations are just completely made up. Apparently both parties are just making up crap about the other candidate ... Or so the other candidate claims. It’s a vicious circle.
Every once in a while a candidate may actually claim he stands for some political viewpoint. Ironically, this claim may change, depending on how the public reacts to their opponents claims, or what’s popular. But the vast majority of their campaign money is spent simply tearing the other candidate down.
Oh, also, when they finally do get around to telling you views/strategies, they won’t make any sense. Not because you’re too stupid to understand them, but because they’re actually too outlandish for anyone, President or not, to accomplish. Fact: The President doesn’t even have enough power to do 90% of what his campaign ads claim. (The percentage isn’t really a fact, but the rest of the statement is.)
I would like to see a 1796 election again, where candidates actually talked about pressing issues in society, told us what they stood for, and told us what they were planning (like, for real, not some ridiculous statement that sounds good but is impossible to perform) to do about current events that needed attention. Honestly, why is it Fox even has to hold the “Fact Check” (or whatever it’s called) after each debate to see which “facts” one candidate said about another that wasn’t actually true. Or, why the moderator at the Vice Presidential Debate even had to ask the question, “What have your candidates campaign ads promised the American public that they can’t actually deliver?” Honestly, what annoys me the most is that the next leader of our country, the man whom we should all revere, can’t even adequately or properly explain his own viewpoints, let alone accurately portray his opponents. Worse, he flat out lies about his opponent. And we want him running our country?
The annoying thing is, an honest election will never happen. Because we’re on a roll, in a vicious cycle, that probably can’t be broken without some law being passed. Something about slander or libel being illegal, I don’t know. So, I guess we’re doomed to never actually have an honest election again. And if a candidate even tried, there’s no way his opponent would honor that ... They would just rip him apart like the innocent pup he would be.
So, what’s the deal with politicians literally just making up crap about their opponent? Well, according to a fairly unreliable source (Mom, don’t read that article), the first election who’s advertising campaign was built solely on tearing the opponent down was in 1800, in the election between Jefferson and Adams. Believe it or not, people actually debated about prevalent issues of society before the 1800 election. Crazy to think about, I know.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s rather fed up with misleading (and flat out lying) campaign ads. Look, I know you think my generation is stupid, and, quite honestly, my generation and the up-and-coming generation are probably the stupidest America has yet to see, but ... Give us a little credit. One campaign ad comes on, discrediting the candidates opponent, saying things about them that sound absolutely horrible ... How could you vote for such a person?! But wait, there’s more. The very next commercial you see is an ad for the opposing candidate, first addressing all the “lies” of the previous ad, and then telling you the real story ... Turns out the candidate you thought was so good was actually caught up in a dishonest canal scheme back in his prime. And you thought that only happened in Oscar Wilde plays.
So, who am I supposed to believe? You both flat out contradict each other. You both accuse the other of horrendous acts that I clearly wouldn’t support. But, according to the other one, these accusations are just completely made up. Apparently both parties are just making up crap about the other candidate ... Or so the other candidate claims. It’s a vicious circle.
Every once in a while a candidate may actually claim he stands for some political viewpoint. Ironically, this claim may change, depending on how the public reacts to their opponents claims, or what’s popular. But the vast majority of their campaign money is spent simply tearing the other candidate down.
Oh, also, when they finally do get around to telling you views/strategies, they won’t make any sense. Not because you’re too stupid to understand them, but because they’re actually too outlandish for anyone, President or not, to accomplish. Fact: The President doesn’t even have enough power to do 90% of what his campaign ads claim. (The percentage isn’t really a fact, but the rest of the statement is.)
I would like to see a 1796 election again, where candidates actually talked about pressing issues in society, told us what they stood for, and told us what they were planning (like, for real, not some ridiculous statement that sounds good but is impossible to perform) to do about current events that needed attention. Honestly, why is it Fox even has to hold the “Fact Check” (or whatever it’s called) after each debate to see which “facts” one candidate said about another that wasn’t actually true. Or, why the moderator at the Vice Presidential Debate even had to ask the question, “What have your candidates campaign ads promised the American public that they can’t actually deliver?” Honestly, what annoys me the most is that the next leader of our country, the man whom we should all revere, can’t even adequately or properly explain his own viewpoints, let alone accurately portray his opponents. Worse, he flat out lies about his opponent. And we want him running our country?
The annoying thing is, an honest election will never happen. Because we’re on a roll, in a vicious cycle, that probably can’t be broken without some law being passed. Something about slander or libel being illegal, I don’t know. So, I guess we’re doomed to never actually have an honest election again. And if a candidate even tried, there’s no way his opponent would honor that ... They would just rip him apart like the innocent pup he would be.
YouTube Evangelism and Music Videos
12/22/07 08:13 AM Filed in: Technology
| Media
I always chuckle a bit
when I browse my way over to some YouTube video by
Korn, Mudvayne, or some equally controversial band.
It's not so much the videos that amuse me, it's the
comments left if you scroll down below the videos. We
all know these are mainstream bands, and we all know
metal bands can be known for their colorful language
and often lyrics relating to the occult, so let's not
hold them to any moral standards, OK? But then we
have the Christian users who enjoy searching for
these videos and then leaving comments pointing out
how wrong all the artists fans are for liking it.
First of all, why are you searching for the video if
it offends you? You don't have to be listening to it
or watching it. Second of all, leaving a comment
saying, "You guys are idiots. This music is not
edifying to God in any way. He wouldn't be happy that
you're watching this. You're all going to Hell."
Well, those aren't the exact words, but there are
oh-so-many comments that say almost exactly that, or
at least allude to that.
Listen, telling someone they're an "idiot" for what they believe is not going to get them excited about switching to your religion. And since when has your personal relationship with Christ been about how guilty someone made you feel, so you just HAD to become a Christian. Isn't it way more beneficial to slowly but surely show someone God's love through the way you act? I'm pretty sure insulting someone's entire way of life through harsh words isn't a good way to show God's love.
Personally, I don't think you can even begin to "witness" to someone on a YouTube discussion board for a Slipknot music video, so please stop! Do you realize it makes all the fans hate Christian even more than Slipknot (and most of America) already does? Just look at some of the posts following when someone attempts to "witness" in response to a video like that. They're not pretty.
The comments on YouTube are to comment on the video ... what you liked about it, what you disliked about it. If you absolutely hated it, generally nobody cares, and you would have been better off spending the five minutes of your life doing something more productive. And why take another five minutes to write a demeaning comment to everyone else who did like the video or song? That just doesn't make sense to me ...
On that note, and probably going in the complete opposite direction of what I just said, may I please have permission to point out the terribly quality of our music videos today? What happened to the days of Thriller, when Michael Jackson was still black and music videos held a story line and a point and weren't so vague they left you feeling numb and wondering, "Wow ... I can't decide if that was really deep or completely pointless." The vast majority of music videos today are spent simply showing the band playing their instruments, usually off time with the music. The videos then pan to some girl or boy, but usually a girl, who is probably struggling with something, running from something, or arguing with her boyfriend or parents. Oh, and don't even get me STARTED on rap videos. The only budget cost you have in a rap video is the cost of the scantly clad strippers you hire to dance around the rapper while he sits on a cruise ship floating through the Caribbean.
It's all too predictable! What happened to the five minute dance scenes and a gripping plot line, almost making the music video a short film! Thriller the song was nearly six minutes long, but the video was extended to nearly fifteen, with a budget of 800,000 1983 dollars (that's about 1.4 million 2007 dollars.) That's the way it should be.
Another problem is the artists lip movement synced with the audio. It's not. Ever. It's ridiculous that with all our modern technology, and the amount of money we pay the digital guru's who mix these videos, that we can't manage to get the artists lip movement to actually look like they're singing the song. I would suggest that perhaps it's a more difficult task than we give them credit for, but that's simply not the case. Perhaps I should allude again to any Michael Jackson video ... the audio is synced almost perfectly with his mouth. Basically in all old music videos that told a story, the audio was synced so much better than it is in todays MTV hits. What is the deal?!
Music is getting less and less good and more and more repetitively stupid, if you ask me, the videos are showing for it. Too bad the good artists who could dance, sing, and direct/produce good music and music videos have unfortunately undergone too much plastic surgery to even be able to bust a dance move, let alone sing a proper note.
Listen, telling someone they're an "idiot" for what they believe is not going to get them excited about switching to your religion. And since when has your personal relationship with Christ been about how guilty someone made you feel, so you just HAD to become a Christian. Isn't it way more beneficial to slowly but surely show someone God's love through the way you act? I'm pretty sure insulting someone's entire way of life through harsh words isn't a good way to show God's love.
Personally, I don't think you can even begin to "witness" to someone on a YouTube discussion board for a Slipknot music video, so please stop! Do you realize it makes all the fans hate Christian even more than Slipknot (and most of America) already does? Just look at some of the posts following when someone attempts to "witness" in response to a video like that. They're not pretty.
The comments on YouTube are to comment on the video ... what you liked about it, what you disliked about it. If you absolutely hated it, generally nobody cares, and you would have been better off spending the five minutes of your life doing something more productive. And why take another five minutes to write a demeaning comment to everyone else who did like the video or song? That just doesn't make sense to me ...
On that note, and probably going in the complete opposite direction of what I just said, may I please have permission to point out the terribly quality of our music videos today? What happened to the days of Thriller, when Michael Jackson was still black and music videos held a story line and a point and weren't so vague they left you feeling numb and wondering, "Wow ... I can't decide if that was really deep or completely pointless." The vast majority of music videos today are spent simply showing the band playing their instruments, usually off time with the music. The videos then pan to some girl or boy, but usually a girl, who is probably struggling with something, running from something, or arguing with her boyfriend or parents. Oh, and don't even get me STARTED on rap videos. The only budget cost you have in a rap video is the cost of the scantly clad strippers you hire to dance around the rapper while he sits on a cruise ship floating through the Caribbean.
It's all too predictable! What happened to the five minute dance scenes and a gripping plot line, almost making the music video a short film! Thriller the song was nearly six minutes long, but the video was extended to nearly fifteen, with a budget of 800,000 1983 dollars (that's about 1.4 million 2007 dollars.) That's the way it should be.
Another problem is the artists lip movement synced with the audio. It's not. Ever. It's ridiculous that with all our modern technology, and the amount of money we pay the digital guru's who mix these videos, that we can't manage to get the artists lip movement to actually look like they're singing the song. I would suggest that perhaps it's a more difficult task than we give them credit for, but that's simply not the case. Perhaps I should allude again to any Michael Jackson video ... the audio is synced almost perfectly with his mouth. Basically in all old music videos that told a story, the audio was synced so much better than it is in todays MTV hits. What is the deal?!
Music is getting less and less good and more and more repetitively stupid, if you ask me, the videos are showing for it. Too bad the good artists who could dance, sing, and direct/produce good music and music videos have unfortunately undergone too much plastic surgery to even be able to bust a dance move, let alone sing a proper note.
Don't Judge A Band By Its Label
05/04/07 08:16 AM Filed in: Media
I need to see some
hands. How many of you have purchased, or at least
listened to, the newest Chevelle CD, Vena
Sera?
I've long held the opinion that bands should not be dubbed "Christian" or "Secular" simply by their label. I also hold to the opinion that a band, made of Christian members, should not be judged simply because every one of their songs does not say "Jesus" or "God" somewhere in it. In general, appearances shouldn't deceive you. Don't look at a band and say, "I think this and this" about them. Pick up the CD and listen to it. Go to the bands website. Look at the members lifestyles. Then make a judgement.
P.O.D. is a band that is often critisized for headlining Ozzfest, playing on MTV, or touring with bands like Korn. But I like what P.O.D. has to say to that in an interview with FamilyChristian.com.
---
"You know what, we're not trying to play for the Christian. It's been almost 10 years that P.O.D.'s been for the people that don't know God. To get to this point where God puts us in front of millions of people that don't know God, that's a dream come true and it's an act of prayer for P.O.D."
---
On a side note, P.O.D. was originally produced by the Christian record label, Rescue Records. They have since then by produced by Atlantic Records (Tooth & Nail Records helped distribute The Warrios E.P .) and Rhino Records, both owned by the Warner Music Group. They are currently produced by Columbia Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment. P.O.D. has currently released 12 albums, and is planning on releasing their newest album in the early Summer of 2007. I say all this to point out that P.O.D. is produced by well known record labels. Mainstream record labels. And they are still a Christian group. It's silly when people say, "Why are they playing in front of millions of Non-Christian with that terrible band?" Um... why not? Do you witness to people sitting on your couch watching Veggie Tales? No! You go out, you build a relationship, you learn how to relate, then you share God's love. That's what P.O.D. is doing.
Let's look at the flipside. Chevelle just released their latest effort, Vena Sera (which means vein liquid and is said, by band frontman Pete Loeffler, to describe "the blood of the band and the work we put into the album"). The album was released on April 3rd, 2007. It was the bands third album release produced by Epic Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment.
Chevelle released their first album, Point #1, in 1999, produced by the little-know record label Squint Entertainment. Squint was owned by Word Records. Word Records was owned by Warner Music Group. Word Records was known to be the Christian label of Warner Music Group. Perhaps you've heard of Mark Schultz? Stellar Kart? Jaci Velasquez? Nicole C Mullen? Building 429? Amy Grant? Those groups are all also produced by Word Records. So Chevelle's debut CD was immedietly thrown into Christian stores. At the Dove Awards in 2000, Point #1 took "Hard Music Album" of the year award.
After hearing Mudvayne's album L.D. 50, Chevelle was inspired to sign with Epic Records for their next album release, Wonder What's Next. Christian stores still held their CDs. The band members made no claim not to be Christian, and they had clean lyrics, so why not? Wonder What's Next went Platinum in June, and this attention landed the band as co-headliner for Ozzfest, 2002. Guess who was helping headline Ozzfest that year. That's right, P.O.D.! (And, of course, Ozzy Osbourne... Duh.)
Just like with P.O.D., as soon as Chevelle went to Ozzfest, everyone started questioning. This whole broadening your horizens and witnessing thing is a risky business, you know. Unlike P.O.D., Chevelle remained neutral about their faith. They didn't see a big reason to point it out to people who didn't already "know", and for those who did know, well... they knew. That was all they needed.
In 2004, Chevelle release This Type Of Thinking(Could Do Us In). Hands down, their best effort, musically, vocally... lyrically? Christian stores didn't accept This Type Of Thinking due to a few mild expitives on the album. However, Christian book stores still kept the bands two previous albums in stock. After all, those albums were still Christian, right?
The first single from the album, This Type Of Thinking, does attempt to make a vague observation of Christ's death with the lyrics, "Could we have known, never would I, helped to nail down. With nothing to gain, here's the clincher: This should be you. Now saturate and touch. Now saturate the Earth!" Assuming you're able to make out those lyrics amongst the screaming, you might say, "Hey, they're talking about Christ's death on the cross, and how it was for my wrong doings that he was 'nailed down'." However, they don't really make it a point to go out of their way to confirm that's what they're talking about.
Chevelle is kind of known for making their lyrics cryptic. Never finishing sentances. Leaving you saying, "That song was great, but uh... what was he talking about, anyway?" That song was because of the musical style, but it's hard to make out what he's talking about between his cryptic lyrics, soft mummblings, and loud screamings.
In 2007, Chevelle finally "came out"! They didn't waste their time with "mild" explitives on Vena Sear. They got right to their point, and it seems that the other bands at Ozzfest might have rubbed off on them just a bit. Though they still did end up stearing away from a "Parental Advisory" sticker, which doesn't really say much with today's music...
In an interview with Entertainment Insiders, Chevelle happily stated that they "had nothing to do with the Christian rock industry" and, if anything, they were "recovering Catholics," they said, laughing. To that, the interviewer said, "I feel qualified to state that there are no sermons detected on the album. Now I can enjoy Chevelle's music without fear of subliminal Christian messages intruding my subconscious. Thank God, no pun intended." Well, that's encouraging...
So how is it that Chevelle got the Christian name in the first place? Loeffler says, "It's something that's probably going to follow us around forever and that's fine. It's pretty simple. We originally signed with a record company that was backed by Word, so the record was in Christian bookstores. It was really an accidental thing." So Chevelle never even realized they were signing with a Christian label in the first place. Don't you just love parent companies?
As of their latest album release, if you go into most any Christian book store, you won't find any Chevelle CDs. Not even Point #1.
Here's a quick biography. Chevelle is made up of three brothers: Sam, Pete, and Joe Loeffler. Originally homeschooled and from a family of nine in the suburbs of Chicago, the brothers wanted to form a hard rock group to make use of their musical talent. Pete played lead guitar and screamed vocals, Sam was the drummer, and Joe played bass. Since their formation in 1994(ish), the band has been a definition the Hard Rock/Metal/Thrash Metal genres.
Hey, wait, back up... where did Joe go? I don't remember seeing his name as "Bassist" for Vena Sera. Oh, yah, about that. In 2005, Chevelle announced that Joe was leaving the band due to due to "irreconcilable differences." That's what Pete and Sam said. According to Joe, he didn't "leave the band." He was fired. When Pete and Sam came to him and asked him to "stay home." To which Joe replied, "The only way I'm staying home is if you fire me."
Joe says, "I told them I would never quit and they would have to fire me. They were trying to get me to quit and told my managers that I did. I called Sam and said, 'Why are you doing this?' and he said, 'We don't want you to come back.' I said, 'I will not quit.' The next day Pete called for the first time and said, 'Did (our managers) call you and tell you you're out?' I said 'No, were they supposed to?' He eventually said in that short conversation, 'You're fired.'"
Well, that's brotherly love isn't it?
The entire affair ended in a lawsuit and Pete and Sam have not talked to Joe since it was all "resolved" in late 2005, according to Joe.
Pete was kind enough to include a song, Humanoid, dedicated to Joe on Vena Sera. The lyrics are something like, "I paid you, squeaky wheel. Go try healing this too. That said, you're full of it. On a bend. Beg to fail. Properly holding your grudge. That said. You're full of it. Try accepting this. Why not face today. Forever one to crawl out. Fade out next to lazy. End it all within." I don't think I need to go on... I'm sure you can clearly see the love in this relationship.
That said, I don't recommend Chevelle's new CD for adding to your "Christian" collection. And let that be a lesson to you. Don't judge a band by its label! Chevelle isn't the only artist that I've asked, "How did I buy this from a Christian book store?" Don't stereotype, and don't judge by appearances. That rule can be applied to anything, not just bands.
I've long held the opinion that bands should not be dubbed "Christian" or "Secular" simply by their label. I also hold to the opinion that a band, made of Christian members, should not be judged simply because every one of their songs does not say "Jesus" or "God" somewhere in it. In general, appearances shouldn't deceive you. Don't look at a band and say, "I think this and this" about them. Pick up the CD and listen to it. Go to the bands website. Look at the members lifestyles. Then make a judgement.
P.O.D. is a band that is often critisized for headlining Ozzfest, playing on MTV, or touring with bands like Korn. But I like what P.O.D. has to say to that in an interview with FamilyChristian.com.
---
"You know what, we're not trying to play for the Christian. It's been almost 10 years that P.O.D.'s been for the people that don't know God. To get to this point where God puts us in front of millions of people that don't know God, that's a dream come true and it's an act of prayer for P.O.D."
---
On a side note, P.O.D. was originally produced by the Christian record label, Rescue Records. They have since then by produced by Atlantic Records (Tooth & Nail Records helped distribute The Warrios E.P .) and Rhino Records, both owned by the Warner Music Group. They are currently produced by Columbia Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment. P.O.D. has currently released 12 albums, and is planning on releasing their newest album in the early Summer of 2007. I say all this to point out that P.O.D. is produced by well known record labels. Mainstream record labels. And they are still a Christian group. It's silly when people say, "Why are they playing in front of millions of Non-Christian with that terrible band?" Um... why not? Do you witness to people sitting on your couch watching Veggie Tales? No! You go out, you build a relationship, you learn how to relate, then you share God's love. That's what P.O.D. is doing.
Let's look at the flipside. Chevelle just released their latest effort, Vena Sera (which means vein liquid and is said, by band frontman Pete Loeffler, to describe "the blood of the band and the work we put into the album"). The album was released on April 3rd, 2007. It was the bands third album release produced by Epic Records, owned by Song BMG Music Entertainment.
Chevelle released their first album, Point #1, in 1999, produced by the little-know record label Squint Entertainment. Squint was owned by Word Records. Word Records was owned by Warner Music Group. Word Records was known to be the Christian label of Warner Music Group. Perhaps you've heard of Mark Schultz? Stellar Kart? Jaci Velasquez? Nicole C Mullen? Building 429? Amy Grant? Those groups are all also produced by Word Records. So Chevelle's debut CD was immedietly thrown into Christian stores. At the Dove Awards in 2000, Point #1 took "Hard Music Album" of the year award.
After hearing Mudvayne's album L.D. 50, Chevelle was inspired to sign with Epic Records for their next album release, Wonder What's Next. Christian stores still held their CDs. The band members made no claim not to be Christian, and they had clean lyrics, so why not? Wonder What's Next went Platinum in June, and this attention landed the band as co-headliner for Ozzfest, 2002. Guess who was helping headline Ozzfest that year. That's right, P.O.D.! (And, of course, Ozzy Osbourne... Duh.)
Just like with P.O.D., as soon as Chevelle went to Ozzfest, everyone started questioning. This whole broadening your horizens and witnessing thing is a risky business, you know. Unlike P.O.D., Chevelle remained neutral about their faith. They didn't see a big reason to point it out to people who didn't already "know", and for those who did know, well... they knew. That was all they needed.
In 2004, Chevelle release This Type Of Thinking(Could Do Us In). Hands down, their best effort, musically, vocally... lyrically? Christian stores didn't accept This Type Of Thinking due to a few mild expitives on the album. However, Christian book stores still kept the bands two previous albums in stock. After all, those albums were still Christian, right?
The first single from the album, This Type Of Thinking, does attempt to make a vague observation of Christ's death with the lyrics, "Could we have known, never would I, helped to nail down. With nothing to gain, here's the clincher: This should be you. Now saturate and touch. Now saturate the Earth!" Assuming you're able to make out those lyrics amongst the screaming, you might say, "Hey, they're talking about Christ's death on the cross, and how it was for my wrong doings that he was 'nailed down'." However, they don't really make it a point to go out of their way to confirm that's what they're talking about.
Chevelle is kind of known for making their lyrics cryptic. Never finishing sentances. Leaving you saying, "That song was great, but uh... what was he talking about, anyway?" That song was because of the musical style, but it's hard to make out what he's talking about between his cryptic lyrics, soft mummblings, and loud screamings.
In 2007, Chevelle finally "came out"! They didn't waste their time with "mild" explitives on Vena Sear. They got right to their point, and it seems that the other bands at Ozzfest might have rubbed off on them just a bit. Though they still did end up stearing away from a "Parental Advisory" sticker, which doesn't really say much with today's music...
In an interview with Entertainment Insiders, Chevelle happily stated that they "had nothing to do with the Christian rock industry" and, if anything, they were "recovering Catholics," they said, laughing. To that, the interviewer said, "I feel qualified to state that there are no sermons detected on the album. Now I can enjoy Chevelle's music without fear of subliminal Christian messages intruding my subconscious. Thank God, no pun intended." Well, that's encouraging...
So how is it that Chevelle got the Christian name in the first place? Loeffler says, "It's something that's probably going to follow us around forever and that's fine. It's pretty simple. We originally signed with a record company that was backed by Word, so the record was in Christian bookstores. It was really an accidental thing." So Chevelle never even realized they were signing with a Christian label in the first place. Don't you just love parent companies?
As of their latest album release, if you go into most any Christian book store, you won't find any Chevelle CDs. Not even Point #1.
Here's a quick biography. Chevelle is made up of three brothers: Sam, Pete, and Joe Loeffler. Originally homeschooled and from a family of nine in the suburbs of Chicago, the brothers wanted to form a hard rock group to make use of their musical talent. Pete played lead guitar and screamed vocals, Sam was the drummer, and Joe played bass. Since their formation in 1994(ish), the band has been a definition the Hard Rock/Metal/Thrash Metal genres.
Hey, wait, back up... where did Joe go? I don't remember seeing his name as "Bassist" for Vena Sera. Oh, yah, about that. In 2005, Chevelle announced that Joe was leaving the band due to due to "irreconcilable differences." That's what Pete and Sam said. According to Joe, he didn't "leave the band." He was fired. When Pete and Sam came to him and asked him to "stay home." To which Joe replied, "The only way I'm staying home is if you fire me."
Joe says, "I told them I would never quit and they would have to fire me. They were trying to get me to quit and told my managers that I did. I called Sam and said, 'Why are you doing this?' and he said, 'We don't want you to come back.' I said, 'I will not quit.' The next day Pete called for the first time and said, 'Did (our managers) call you and tell you you're out?' I said 'No, were they supposed to?' He eventually said in that short conversation, 'You're fired.'"
Well, that's brotherly love isn't it?
The entire affair ended in a lawsuit and Pete and Sam have not talked to Joe since it was all "resolved" in late 2005, according to Joe.
Pete was kind enough to include a song, Humanoid, dedicated to Joe on Vena Sera. The lyrics are something like, "I paid you, squeaky wheel. Go try healing this too. That said, you're full of it. On a bend. Beg to fail. Properly holding your grudge. That said. You're full of it. Try accepting this. Why not face today. Forever one to crawl out. Fade out next to lazy. End it all within." I don't think I need to go on... I'm sure you can clearly see the love in this relationship.
That said, I don't recommend Chevelle's new CD for adding to your "Christian" collection. And let that be a lesson to you. Don't judge a band by its label! Chevelle isn't the only artist that I've asked, "How did I buy this from a Christian book store?" Don't stereotype, and don't judge by appearances. That rule can be applied to anything, not just bands.
Entropy vs. Atheism
04/04/07 07:45 PM Filed in: Academia
| Indiscriminate
Let's start with a few
definitions to make things clear.
The Law of Conservation of Mass: Mass is neither created nor destroyed in any ordinary chemical reaction. The mass of substances produced (products) by a chemical reaction is always equal to the mass of the reacting substances (reactants).
The Law of Entropy: There is an inevitable tendency towards disorder within a closed system as potential energy gets "spent". "The physical Universe's macrocosmic proclivities of becoming locally ever more dissynchronous, asymmetric, diffuse, and multiplyingly expansive.
Entropy: A measure of the amount of disorder in a system.
_______________________
Let's Start With Entropy:
The Law of Conservation of Mass, put simply, (because let's face it, an actual definition is never put simply) basically says when you have a chemical reaction, you can't lose any atoms or molecules. If you start with carbon, you'll have carbon in the final product as well in some way, shape, or form. It may look different, and it may act different, but you can never just lose it.
The Law of Entropy simple says everything is constantly moving towards a state of disorder. Let's face it, if you leave your room for three weeks, the next time you go in there it's not going to look cleaner. In fact, it will be messier. It will be more disorganized until you put some energy back into it to reorganize it. Sadly, it's a law of nature and, thus, cannot be argued with. Just learn to deal with it.
With these two facts of life staring you in the face, keep in mind they are LAWS. There's no question about it. They've been proven millions of times. Any scientist you talk to will tell you, "Yes, those are laws. They cannot be disputed." So what does that mean for Evolution?
Evolution suggests that we're constantly evolving, becoming more developed and more complex. How does that work with the Law of Entropy? I usually define the evolution theory as, "Nothing exploded and created everything. Perfectly synced, perfectly built, perfectly organized. The everything that we know as the infinite(?) universe."
First of all, you're suggesting that in one instant things didn't become more disordered. No, in fact, everything came into perfect order, all at once. I can't get my mind to grasp that, and I've tried. That contradicts the Law of Entropy, and I don't think that the Law of Entropy was also "created" in the same instant the entire universe was.
Second of all, we're contradicting the Law of Conservation of Mass. According to that, I can't react two simple molecules together and gain or lose ANY of them. They must all stay intact. And you're saying, somehow, someway, absolutely NOTHING had a chemical reaction with NOTHING, exploded (because that's essentially what a chemical reaction is), and created all matter as we know it. Once again, you're contradicting yourself, and science says that if there's even a shred of evidence to contradict a law or theory, for instance, the Theory of Evolution, that theory is no longer acceptable. So why do we still accept Evolution and teach it in our schools when it's contradicted? Maybe I'm missing something... please point it out to me if I am. I'm open to opinions.
Sydney Harris, a popular, syndicated columnist once said, "There is a factor called 'entropy' in physics, indicating that the whole universe of matter is running down, and ultimately will reduce itself to uniform chaos. This follows from the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which seems about as basic and unquestionable to modem scientific minds as any truth can be. At the same time that this is happening on the physical level of existence, something quite different seems to be happening on the biological level: structure and species are becoming more complex, more sophisticated, more organized, with higher degrees of performance and consciousness."
I don't understand how you can say that. How can you say, "Well, yah, it is a law. But only here. Over there it's not really a law." It's like saying, "Well, officer, I'm from Montana, and we don't have speed limit laws there, so why do I have to follow your speed limit laws here?" You just do. It's a law. How much more obvious do I have to make it?!
I asked my Chemistry teacher, who introduced me to the Law of Entropy, "This is a law, right?"
"Yes."
"How does this work with the Theory of Evolution than?"
"Yah, the thing is, it really doesn't. Scientists will try and tell you it does, but it's bogus. They can't work together."
_______________________
And Then Move On To Atheism:
If you can convince me, and make me comfortable with the fact, that there is no God, couldn't be a God, and even shouldn't be a God, I will consider atheism.
Laws of science are great and all that, but they beg another question. Where does the law come from? What force makes that law a law? And how is it that the universe is infinite? How is it that something can't have an end? Everything has an end. This minute has an end. This hour, day, week, month. Life. Our minds are not built to grasp the concept of infinity, no matter how much Calculus tries to prove it. More importantly, that matter which we cannot gain or lose in a chemical reaction? Where did it come from in the first place?
Sure, a star is a burning ball of gas. And a gas is free flowing molecules that continuously circle around each other. And a molecule is a bundle of atoms. And atoms are built up of protons, neutrons, electrons, and a nucleus. So what? Where did the nucleus come from? What makes the nucleus? You can't even SEE the nucleus!! How do you even know it exists to hold the matter you're sitting on together?
How is it we have feelings? What are feelings? Where do they come from? From your emotions. What spawns emotion? Your brain waves, which are your thoughts. What are thoughts? Where do they come from? Are they molecules of some kind too? If so, how do they contain information?
Why am I not an atheist? After all, it would be so much more fun if I didn't have to believe in God, right? Life would be easier, and I could do whatever I wanted. No rules to bog me down... nothing. I'm not a Christian because my family are Christians. I'm not a Christian because anyone has made me a Christian. I'm not a Christian because I read my Bible, go to Church on Sundays, or pray before I eat a meal. I'm a Christian because science leaves too many question unanswered. There are too many open doors that scientists claim they can answer, but if you throw enough ten letter words that nobody knows the definition of into your explanation, of COURSE you sound like you know what you're talking about!! Among other things, I'm a Christian because, to me, it's the most sensible religion! Where did all these things come from? A supreme being, a being far beyond our comprehension, just like infinity, created them. That's why they don't make sense to us. Honestly, think as hard as you can. Give me another explanation that works as well as that one and I'll consider believing it. I'm a Christian because believing there is a supreme being, God, who created me and is watching over me and cares about me more than I could ever fathom seems a whole lot less scary to me than believing I'm alone and lost in this world. Just another nobody. Is that using God? I think so. But isn't that exactly what he wants?
When I think of atheism, I think of free falling without ground to ever be hit. You're falling, falling, falling... nothing to catch you, no reason to be falling, no reason to even exist, you just ARE. In the words of one of my good friends, "We're like rocks.... STUCK on the river." We don't serve a purpose, we just look kinda pretty. And some of us not even that.
I don't mind heights, but I hate falling. Especially when I don't know how far I'm falling. There's absolutely no point to do anything if you're an atheist. Sure, live for the moment, and do what feels good now. But the inevitable will happen someday. Just like everyone else you know, you too will die. What happens then? Do you believe in reincarnation? That's submitting to a higher being to reincarnate you, and then you're not a true atheist anymore. How do you KNOW you'll reincarnate? That's putting an awful lot of faith in a guess and hope! Are you just going to die and cease to exist? In a black nothingness? What does that mean? Where did that black nothingness come from? Are you going to have some sort of after life? What governs that after life? What made you die in the first place?! What makes you EXIST in the first place?!
Honestly, there are too many unanswered questions that no scientist will EVER, no matter how hard he or she tries, be able to convince me of an answer. I'm saving these questions for Heaven, because I'm convinced someONE must have had a say in the creation of me, everyone around me, and everything around me, and He'll know the answer to all of these questions.
Being an atheist would scare me. I, for one, hate being alone. Atheism seems lonely to me. I feel comfortable and safe knowing that I have a God who is watching over my life. I don't just think that, I can feel it. You can't know what I mean unless you experience it for yourself, because there's absolutely no way of describing it. It seems to me that believing in God is the only sensible solution. The only solution that works. And the only belief that doesn't scare me. So why is it that Christianity is the most targeted religion for persecution?
I can't understand why, if you are going to be an atheist, you would have morals. Seriously, if you're not believing in anything, and you're not living for anything but for yourself, others, and the moment, why have morals? Think of how much fun you could have. But what do you even try to base those morals on? A feeling in your heart that tells you, "Hey, maybe you should do this. That would be a good idea." OK... once again, where does that feeling come from? But basing a moral on a feeling is dangerous ground for yourself and those around you. I, for one, know how unstable feelings are. One minute you may say, "Hey, I am NOT going to touch that girl because... well, I don't know why, but it somehow just seems wrong is all." But what about when it's really late? And you're tired. What if she's wearing a really tight skirt, or a low cut shirt? What if she's just looking especially beautiful that day? What if she leans forward? Are your feelings changing now? Basing a so called "moral" on a feeling will most certainly hurt you, and will also those around you. My morals are based on convictions I have from the Bible, which is one of God's ways of communicating to me. Basing your morals on someone elses convictions doesn't work either, because either that persons convictions may change, or, like I stated earlier, you might get tired... you can't trust your own feelings.
Does all this make you uncomfortable? Does it scare you? It scares me. I don't think these are little questions. They're huge, life changing questions, and the answers, according to an atheist, are very vague, if not impossible. I could go on for quite a while, but I think the imagination is the most creative way to form any idea, so I'll leave the thoughts up to yourself. I don't have all the answers. I don't have hardly any of the answers.
Why am I not an atheist? Because I can't answer the question, "Why?"
The Law of Conservation of Mass: Mass is neither created nor destroyed in any ordinary chemical reaction. The mass of substances produced (products) by a chemical reaction is always equal to the mass of the reacting substances (reactants).
The Law of Entropy: There is an inevitable tendency towards disorder within a closed system as potential energy gets "spent". "The physical Universe's macrocosmic proclivities of becoming locally ever more dissynchronous, asymmetric, diffuse, and multiplyingly expansive.
Entropy: A measure of the amount of disorder in a system.
_______________________
Let's Start With Entropy:
The Law of Conservation of Mass, put simply, (because let's face it, an actual definition is never put simply) basically says when you have a chemical reaction, you can't lose any atoms or molecules. If you start with carbon, you'll have carbon in the final product as well in some way, shape, or form. It may look different, and it may act different, but you can never just lose it.
The Law of Entropy simple says everything is constantly moving towards a state of disorder. Let's face it, if you leave your room for three weeks, the next time you go in there it's not going to look cleaner. In fact, it will be messier. It will be more disorganized until you put some energy back into it to reorganize it. Sadly, it's a law of nature and, thus, cannot be argued with. Just learn to deal with it.
With these two facts of life staring you in the face, keep in mind they are LAWS. There's no question about it. They've been proven millions of times. Any scientist you talk to will tell you, "Yes, those are laws. They cannot be disputed." So what does that mean for Evolution?
Evolution suggests that we're constantly evolving, becoming more developed and more complex. How does that work with the Law of Entropy? I usually define the evolution theory as, "Nothing exploded and created everything. Perfectly synced, perfectly built, perfectly organized. The everything that we know as the infinite(?) universe."
First of all, you're suggesting that in one instant things didn't become more disordered. No, in fact, everything came into perfect order, all at once. I can't get my mind to grasp that, and I've tried. That contradicts the Law of Entropy, and I don't think that the Law of Entropy was also "created" in the same instant the entire universe was.
Second of all, we're contradicting the Law of Conservation of Mass. According to that, I can't react two simple molecules together and gain or lose ANY of them. They must all stay intact. And you're saying, somehow, someway, absolutely NOTHING had a chemical reaction with NOTHING, exploded (because that's essentially what a chemical reaction is), and created all matter as we know it. Once again, you're contradicting yourself, and science says that if there's even a shred of evidence to contradict a law or theory, for instance, the Theory of Evolution, that theory is no longer acceptable. So why do we still accept Evolution and teach it in our schools when it's contradicted? Maybe I'm missing something... please point it out to me if I am. I'm open to opinions.
Sydney Harris, a popular, syndicated columnist once said, "There is a factor called 'entropy' in physics, indicating that the whole universe of matter is running down, and ultimately will reduce itself to uniform chaos. This follows from the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which seems about as basic and unquestionable to modem scientific minds as any truth can be. At the same time that this is happening on the physical level of existence, something quite different seems to be happening on the biological level: structure and species are becoming more complex, more sophisticated, more organized, with higher degrees of performance and consciousness."
I don't understand how you can say that. How can you say, "Well, yah, it is a law. But only here. Over there it's not really a law." It's like saying, "Well, officer, I'm from Montana, and we don't have speed limit laws there, so why do I have to follow your speed limit laws here?" You just do. It's a law. How much more obvious do I have to make it?!
I asked my Chemistry teacher, who introduced me to the Law of Entropy, "This is a law, right?"
"Yes."
"How does this work with the Theory of Evolution than?"
"Yah, the thing is, it really doesn't. Scientists will try and tell you it does, but it's bogus. They can't work together."
_______________________
And Then Move On To Atheism:
If you can convince me, and make me comfortable with the fact, that there is no God, couldn't be a God, and even shouldn't be a God, I will consider atheism.
Laws of science are great and all that, but they beg another question. Where does the law come from? What force makes that law a law? And how is it that the universe is infinite? How is it that something can't have an end? Everything has an end. This minute has an end. This hour, day, week, month. Life. Our minds are not built to grasp the concept of infinity, no matter how much Calculus tries to prove it. More importantly, that matter which we cannot gain or lose in a chemical reaction? Where did it come from in the first place?
Sure, a star is a burning ball of gas. And a gas is free flowing molecules that continuously circle around each other. And a molecule is a bundle of atoms. And atoms are built up of protons, neutrons, electrons, and a nucleus. So what? Where did the nucleus come from? What makes the nucleus? You can't even SEE the nucleus!! How do you even know it exists to hold the matter you're sitting on together?
How is it we have feelings? What are feelings? Where do they come from? From your emotions. What spawns emotion? Your brain waves, which are your thoughts. What are thoughts? Where do they come from? Are they molecules of some kind too? If so, how do they contain information?
Why am I not an atheist? After all, it would be so much more fun if I didn't have to believe in God, right? Life would be easier, and I could do whatever I wanted. No rules to bog me down... nothing. I'm not a Christian because my family are Christians. I'm not a Christian because anyone has made me a Christian. I'm not a Christian because I read my Bible, go to Church on Sundays, or pray before I eat a meal. I'm a Christian because science leaves too many question unanswered. There are too many open doors that scientists claim they can answer, but if you throw enough ten letter words that nobody knows the definition of into your explanation, of COURSE you sound like you know what you're talking about!! Among other things, I'm a Christian because, to me, it's the most sensible religion! Where did all these things come from? A supreme being, a being far beyond our comprehension, just like infinity, created them. That's why they don't make sense to us. Honestly, think as hard as you can. Give me another explanation that works as well as that one and I'll consider believing it. I'm a Christian because believing there is a supreme being, God, who created me and is watching over me and cares about me more than I could ever fathom seems a whole lot less scary to me than believing I'm alone and lost in this world. Just another nobody. Is that using God? I think so. But isn't that exactly what he wants?
When I think of atheism, I think of free falling without ground to ever be hit. You're falling, falling, falling... nothing to catch you, no reason to be falling, no reason to even exist, you just ARE. In the words of one of my good friends, "We're like rocks.... STUCK on the river." We don't serve a purpose, we just look kinda pretty. And some of us not even that.
I don't mind heights, but I hate falling. Especially when I don't know how far I'm falling. There's absolutely no point to do anything if you're an atheist. Sure, live for the moment, and do what feels good now. But the inevitable will happen someday. Just like everyone else you know, you too will die. What happens then? Do you believe in reincarnation? That's submitting to a higher being to reincarnate you, and then you're not a true atheist anymore. How do you KNOW you'll reincarnate? That's putting an awful lot of faith in a guess and hope! Are you just going to die and cease to exist? In a black nothingness? What does that mean? Where did that black nothingness come from? Are you going to have some sort of after life? What governs that after life? What made you die in the first place?! What makes you EXIST in the first place?!
Honestly, there are too many unanswered questions that no scientist will EVER, no matter how hard he or she tries, be able to convince me of an answer. I'm saving these questions for Heaven, because I'm convinced someONE must have had a say in the creation of me, everyone around me, and everything around me, and He'll know the answer to all of these questions.
Being an atheist would scare me. I, for one, hate being alone. Atheism seems lonely to me. I feel comfortable and safe knowing that I have a God who is watching over my life. I don't just think that, I can feel it. You can't know what I mean unless you experience it for yourself, because there's absolutely no way of describing it. It seems to me that believing in God is the only sensible solution. The only solution that works. And the only belief that doesn't scare me. So why is it that Christianity is the most targeted religion for persecution?
I can't understand why, if you are going to be an atheist, you would have morals. Seriously, if you're not believing in anything, and you're not living for anything but for yourself, others, and the moment, why have morals? Think of how much fun you could have. But what do you even try to base those morals on? A feeling in your heart that tells you, "Hey, maybe you should do this. That would be a good idea." OK... once again, where does that feeling come from? But basing a moral on a feeling is dangerous ground for yourself and those around you. I, for one, know how unstable feelings are. One minute you may say, "Hey, I am NOT going to touch that girl because... well, I don't know why, but it somehow just seems wrong is all." But what about when it's really late? And you're tired. What if she's wearing a really tight skirt, or a low cut shirt? What if she's just looking especially beautiful that day? What if she leans forward? Are your feelings changing now? Basing a so called "moral" on a feeling will most certainly hurt you, and will also those around you. My morals are based on convictions I have from the Bible, which is one of God's ways of communicating to me. Basing your morals on someone elses convictions doesn't work either, because either that persons convictions may change, or, like I stated earlier, you might get tired... you can't trust your own feelings.
Does all this make you uncomfortable? Does it scare you? It scares me. I don't think these are little questions. They're huge, life changing questions, and the answers, according to an atheist, are very vague, if not impossible. I could go on for quite a while, but I think the imagination is the most creative way to form any idea, so I'll leave the thoughts up to yourself. I don't have all the answers. I don't have hardly any of the answers.
Why am I not an atheist? Because I can't answer the question, "Why?"
Will Someone Please Explain to Me Why It's Snowing
04/04/07 06:16 AM Filed in: Stories
I woke up late today.
It seemed to be a common theme. Jenna and Joey did,
as did the parents. My alarm initially went off at
6:30, but I stumbled out of bed and switched it to
7:00, subconsciously, of course. I woke up a bit
later and rolled over, glanced at the clock, at
noticed it said 6:59. Suddenly I panicked and jumped
out of bed and smacked my alarm off. No, I didn't
panic because I was late or anything. I just hate the
beeping noise it makes, and whenever I can wake up
before my alarm, my day just gets off on the right
foot.
I grabbed my Mae shirt and some jeans from the dryer and headed for the bathroom for a warm shower. After I was all clean, dressed, and smelling good, I went to the table for breakfast. The parents were just getting to the table as well. I ate my bowl of Wheat Chex, mostly in silence (I'm not a morning person 90% of the time). It was 7:30. I usually leave the house at 7:30. Somehow I wasn't in a rush. Perhaps because it was -3 degrees outside with the windchill, and it was snowing.
The munching stopped and Dad reached for his Bible. Usually I miss the morning reading because either I eat really fast and go to school, or Dad's already gone before I get to the breakfast table. Everybody was running slow this morning, so I actually got to sit in on it, which was good, because I didn't hadn't had time to read my own Bible yet.
Dad has this thing where he really likes "Our Daily Bread." I do too. It's quick and to the point, and usually a pretty good point at that.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. " — John 14:12-14
I think most of the time we take these passages out of context. Or we think of them as the "God for Me" verses, because they're all about what God can do for me, if I ask him for it. And I think most of the time we miss the bigger point, and we just say, "God's supposed to give us anything we ask for!" But I think the verse lays out some conditions, first of all. "He who believes in me," "In My name," "That the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Now it's not quite so easy. I mean, if you look at it, it's not really what God can do for us. It's what we should do for God so that the Father may be glorified. So we aren't even getting any of it (or we shouldn't)!
God's not saying, "Ask for stuff and I'll give it to you." I think the part that says, "The works that I do, he will do also" is pretty convicting. He's straight up saying, "If you believe in me, you'll do what I do." I don't know about you, but I do plenty of things I know God wouldn't do, or even be pleased with. "And greater works than these he will do." I don't know about that one. How are we supposed to do greater works than God?
We like to think of these passages for our bettering, and don't get me wrong, they are. But "our" bettering isn't always "God's" bettering, if you follow. If we truly abide in Christ, we won't ask for anything but what Jesus would ask for. But since we are inherently sinful, that can never happen. God's not saying he'll give us whatever we want, I think he's saying he'll give us anything that Christ would ask for.
On the flip side, he's also not saying he won't give us what we want. Sometimes I think we pray so hard for one thing, because we're sure if we just have that one thing, everything will be better, and that has to be God's plan for us, right?! Let's just throw an example out there that I'm sure nobody's ever done: A guy or a girl. Somehow we think that with our finite minds, we know what's really best for us. So we pursue one thing with all our heart. Not God's will, but our will. Maybe we're sure it's God's will though. So we pray constantly for it. Guess what, God may actually give that to you. He may give it to you saying, "I will give you what you ask for. You could have had something better, but you're so bent on having this one, here you go. That way next time you'll learn to ask in My name."
I think too often we pray for our wants and "needs", when in reality we should be praying for God's will to be done, just like in the Lord's prayer. "Our Father ... YOUR will be done." Don't get me wrong, God wants us to talk to him about our struggles, aspirations, dreams, little wishes, big wishes, and all that. But I think, even when praying for something we desire with all our heart, we need to finish it with, "... This is what my human nature wants, God. But my heart wants your will to be done, because your plan for me is perfect and is the best, and even if I don't see it all right now, I want your plan for my life to be fulfilled.”
In the words of my good brother-in-law, Stephen, "Jesus said to the Pharisees that they would have what they wanted, which was reward on earth, and that would be all they got." God has the best idea for your life, and it's fulfilled in Heaven. That's why we can't always see it. That's where our faith comes in.
I grabbed my Mae shirt and some jeans from the dryer and headed for the bathroom for a warm shower. After I was all clean, dressed, and smelling good, I went to the table for breakfast. The parents were just getting to the table as well. I ate my bowl of Wheat Chex, mostly in silence (I'm not a morning person 90% of the time). It was 7:30. I usually leave the house at 7:30. Somehow I wasn't in a rush. Perhaps because it was -3 degrees outside with the windchill, and it was snowing.
The munching stopped and Dad reached for his Bible. Usually I miss the morning reading because either I eat really fast and go to school, or Dad's already gone before I get to the breakfast table. Everybody was running slow this morning, so I actually got to sit in on it, which was good, because I didn't hadn't had time to read my own Bible yet.
Dad has this thing where he really likes "Our Daily Bread." I do too. It's quick and to the point, and usually a pretty good point at that.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. " — John 14:12-14
I think most of the time we take these passages out of context. Or we think of them as the "God for Me" verses, because they're all about what God can do for me, if I ask him for it. And I think most of the time we miss the bigger point, and we just say, "God's supposed to give us anything we ask for!" But I think the verse lays out some conditions, first of all. "He who believes in me," "In My name," "That the Father may be glorified in the Son."
Now it's not quite so easy. I mean, if you look at it, it's not really what God can do for us. It's what we should do for God so that the Father may be glorified. So we aren't even getting any of it (or we shouldn't)!
God's not saying, "Ask for stuff and I'll give it to you." I think the part that says, "The works that I do, he will do also" is pretty convicting. He's straight up saying, "If you believe in me, you'll do what I do." I don't know about you, but I do plenty of things I know God wouldn't do, or even be pleased with. "And greater works than these he will do." I don't know about that one. How are we supposed to do greater works than God?
We like to think of these passages for our bettering, and don't get me wrong, they are. But "our" bettering isn't always "God's" bettering, if you follow. If we truly abide in Christ, we won't ask for anything but what Jesus would ask for. But since we are inherently sinful, that can never happen. God's not saying he'll give us whatever we want, I think he's saying he'll give us anything that Christ would ask for.
On the flip side, he's also not saying he won't give us what we want. Sometimes I think we pray so hard for one thing, because we're sure if we just have that one thing, everything will be better, and that has to be God's plan for us, right?! Let's just throw an example out there that I'm sure nobody's ever done: A guy or a girl. Somehow we think that with our finite minds, we know what's really best for us. So we pursue one thing with all our heart. Not God's will, but our will. Maybe we're sure it's God's will though. So we pray constantly for it. Guess what, God may actually give that to you. He may give it to you saying, "I will give you what you ask for. You could have had something better, but you're so bent on having this one, here you go. That way next time you'll learn to ask in My name."
I think too often we pray for our wants and "needs", when in reality we should be praying for God's will to be done, just like in the Lord's prayer. "Our Father ... YOUR will be done." Don't get me wrong, God wants us to talk to him about our struggles, aspirations, dreams, little wishes, big wishes, and all that. But I think, even when praying for something we desire with all our heart, we need to finish it with, "... This is what my human nature wants, God. But my heart wants your will to be done, because your plan for me is perfect and is the best, and even if I don't see it all right now, I want your plan for my life to be fulfilled.”
In the words of my good brother-in-law, Stephen, "Jesus said to the Pharisees that they would have what they wanted, which was reward on earth, and that would be all they got." God has the best idea for your life, and it's fulfilled in Heaven. That's why we can't always see it. That's where our faith comes in.