Yeah, that's a lot of fun. I swear I'll stop with the nostalgia thing soon enough. But I found this last weekend, and I just couldn't pass it up. Too good.
Wasn't that marvelous? I think I'm high in that last picture. Seventh grade, baby. And I'm just crazee thugged out in that Six Flags photo. Memories.
Don't forget to check out the new photos at ThePhotoHat.
Exciting photographs are here. Check 'em out.
Easter was delightful ... filled with good conversations and much-needed time with friends and family. I brought some pretty sweet little artifacts back with me ... "tokens from the past," if you will. I'll try to post those ASAP.
Until then, I've got all kinds of tests and stuff this week. Take care.
Since you're all so amazing, here are two quizzes you can take to see how well you know me.
Have a delightful Easter holiday.
This was the topic of discussion in our service this morning. The last time I felt overwhelmed by the subject of moral obligation, my brain stopped working. It was in my Christian Ethics class ... All of the sudden, I felt that life had too many complications ... so I just checked out for a couple of days.
But this time, I feel sane enough to face the issue head on. The parable in Luke 16 poses a serious question for affluent Americans like myself. Will I indeed burn in hell if I don't sell all I have and give to the poor? This question cannot be pushed aside as a little Sunday School hypothetical exercise in ethics - It requires a complete about-face in lifestyle.
I began to ponder how much money I spent in the past week ... on meals I didn't enjoy, luxuries I didn't appreciate, and plain crap I didn't need. We went on a ski trip as a church ... a ski trip. If that isn't a luxury, I don't know what is. Forty people, multiplied by, oh, $400 per person. That's $16,000 worth of Spring Break vacation. Did it change my life? No. It's a good memory (since I don't have enough of those). But that money could have made a world of difference to someone who really needed it.
Was our church ski trip a sin? We can write it off as "a good time of fellowship" or "growing as a community" ... but is that all just a load of crap? Are we just giving ourselves excuses to waste money and not feel guilty about it?
This message hit me hard, as you can tell. It can't be written off by the "well, I don't believe in God so this doesn't apply to me" excuse. It has to do with being a human, not just being a Christian. Those of us who live in affluence have our physiological needs met. When those are met, we desire love, acceptance, community ... we desire to adventure and create. But we use our resources to meet those higher needs, and we forget that much of the world lives (and dies) in poverty and starvation.
Waco is a perfect little dichotomy. One culture is made up of those who live on the street in starvation. The other culture has far too much, and wastes it on pure shit. Why do we need DVD players and 8mm cameras and records and iPods and picture frames and Sunday lunches at McAlister's and Instant Messenger and baseball games and books about the history of art. Even this damn computer ...
Our needs are met. We're bored. So instead of using our blessings to feed the hungry, we spend thousands to entertain ourselves for a week.
"But I give to the church." Yes, so we can listen to pretty music and eat doughnuts in an ornate, air-conditioned building and show off our fancy Sunday clothes. If we truly were wise stewards of our resources, things would look different around our churches. I can't imagine that God cares one bit for worship from a self-absorbed congregation with twisted values.
This issue doesn't just apply to Christians. If it did, I wouldn't pay so much attention to it. You know that. But this is a part of being a human, and living in community with six billion other people, many of whom don't have food to feed their children. Christians should be the first to willingly sacrifice for the poor. Otherwise, our faith is worthless to the outside world.
We can create excuses. I do it all the time. I reason away my inclination to give to the ten million homeless people in Waco. "They'll waste it on booze." Wouldn't you? They have no hope of climbing out of poverty ... they might as well forget their problems. Sometimes a good work ethic and minimum wage just doesn't cut it. They know it, and they've resigned themselves to it as "inevitable."
In the same way, we resign ourselves to burn in hell. We know we can't change our lifestyles. Following Christ's commands takes more than dropping a dime in the Salvation Army bucket or writing a check each month to World Vision. In our hearts, we know we can't change. We know we're going to hell. The little donations to Goodwill just make us feel better.
Jesus wasn't kidding.
"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
Get your own "Jesus Lollipop" here.
Days on the road
At 3 a.m. this morning, a busload of weary Baptists arrived at the FBC Waco parking lot. I don't remember much about the last leg of the journey, because the miracle drug "Dramamine" knocked me out for the final four hours. It was glorious. For those of you who fall asleep easily in a moving vehicle, you'll never know how satisfying that feeling is ... when you wake up and realize that yes, you did indeed fall asleep on a bus.
The trip home was a tad rough. Despite clear skies and good roads, we managed to get our charter bus stuck in a mudhole between a ranch gate and a cattleguard, a few miles out of Raton, New Mexico. On a dirt road, mind you. I don't even think I can explain it ... That was the most random "sticky situation" ever ... yeah ...
Double the freshness, fun
I'm reading a book called Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour: an Introduction by my dear friend, Jerome David Salinger. This catt knows how to develop characters. I wasn't crazy about this double-novel when I started it, but I'm obsessed with it now. Both of the stories focus on the Glass family, about whom Salinger wrote multiple books and short stories. It's really interesting to gather aspects of these characters through all the different accounts and perspectives. The book Franny and Zooey is about the same family. So good.
I'm always amazed when I talk to people who've never read any Salinger. He's my absolute favorite. I loaned my beloved copy of Catcher in the Rye to a friend over Spring Break. If you need to read Salinger, let me know. I'll hook you up. If you'd like to discuss Salinger, let's talk.
Time for a shower. I went for a little Saturday night trek on the BearTrail, and now I smell like it.
So FBC Waco is going on a ski trip to Red River ... We leave tonight at 10 p.m. I'm not crazy about driving all night, but I have Thoreau, Salinger and Dramamine to keep me company.
I bought the latest Tom Waits album (pictured above). It's much scarier than "Mule Variations," which was pretty friggin' scary. I'll listen to this puppy on the bus tonight until I fall asleep ... and then wake up from multiple nightmares. This newest album, "Real Gone," is described as "gospel music flipped inside out -- an unholy voice, singing about the conspicuous absence of divine mercy." What I love about "Mule Variations" is that it's terrifying, yet punctuated by redeeming beauty. I can't seem to find the light in "Real Gone."
Tom Waits is an interesting guy. He's been recording music and acting since the early '70s, plus he's a great writer. His work is full of grotesque characters and darkness, which makes him a sort of contemporary musical version of Poe. But his stuff is always cutting-edge, even thirty years into his career. If you're interested in his music, go buy either "Mule Variations" (1999), "Bone Machine" (1992) or "Rain Dogs" (1985).
My family came to Waco yesterday. We ate brunch at Cracker Barrel, and the server dropped my mom's plate and broke it. Everyone stared. After passing a couple of hours at my apartment, we took a little trip to the Cameron Park Zoo. Delightful. I took a roll of pictures, most of which looked like crap.
We had an early dinner at "El Siete Mares" on Dutton Ave. It's this hole-in-the-wall Mexican seafood place, so - needless to say - it was outstanding. I had mahi-mahi and shrimp, sauteed in peppers and butter and lemon (or something like that). It was served with rice and vegetables. Awesome. $15-20 will get you the finest and most filling seafood meal this side of the Brazos. On a scale of 1-10, if Joe's Crap Shack is a "3" (and that's being generous), El Siete Mares is a "10,000" ... I swear.
This picture has nothing to do with anything. I just liked it.
I suppose I'll peace out right about now. I've a long list of things to do for this trip ... and miles to go before I sleep ... and miles to go before I sleep ...
That's right. I've posted a new set of pictures at The Photo Hat. Enjoy.
And I think this is pretty interesting.
Just living life right now. Yeah ...