Don’t hold your breath or your vote until you think you’ve finally found a savior up on Capitol Hill…

February 16th, 2008 at 3:08 am by (General)

I’m still undecided on who I’m going to vote for this year. My sister is completely and totally hardcore for Mike Huckabee, though he likely won’t become the Republican nominee. That will probably be John McCain, whom I honestly would probably rather see in office. I’ve always liked the way McCain carries himself, and he’s a bit of a moderate. I’m incredibly interested in Barack Obama, however, especially with a lot of the things I’ve been reading about him. I agree with him on most of the issues, with the exceptions of gay marriage and abortion, but I’m much more middle-of-the-road on those two subjects than most evangelicals. But some of the comments I see from Obama in this interview, and this transcript of him speaking at Ebenezer Church in Atlanta really encourage me. Obama is definitely not afraid to address the faith issue while still remaining true to the way he approaches the issues. Take for instance what he says here, about abortion:

I don’t know anybody who is pro-abortion. I think it’s very important to start with that premise. I think people recognize what a wrenching, difficult issue it is. I do think that those who diminish the moral elements of the decision aren’t expressing the full reality of it. But what I believe is that women do not make these decisions casually, and that they struggle with it fervently with their pastors, with their spouses, with their doctors.

Our goal should be to make abortion less common, that we should be discouraging unwanted pregnancies, that we should encourage adoption wherever possible. There is a range of ways that we can educate our young people about the sacredness of sex and we should not be promoting the sort of casual activities that end up resulting in so many unwanted pregnancies.

Ultimately, women are in the best position to make a decision at the end of the day about these issues. With significant constraints. For example, I think we can legitimately say — the state can legitimately say — that we are prohibiting late-term abortions as long as there’s an exception for the mother’s health. Those provisions that I voted against typically didn’t have those exceptions, which raises profound questions where you might have a mother at great risk. Those are issues that I don’t think the government can unilaterally make a decision about. I think they need to be made in consultation with doctors, they have to be prayed upon, or people have to be consulting their conscience on it. I think we have to keep that decision-making with the person themselves.

But I especially like his response to the “are you a Christian” question:

I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful. I didn’t ‘fall out in church’ as they say, but there was a very strong awakening in me of the importance of these issues in my life. I didn’t want to walk alone on this journey. Accepting Jesus Christ in my life has been a powerful guide for my conduct and my values and my ideals.

I don’t know if I’m going to vote for Obama (I do hope he gets the Democratic nomination over Hillary Clinton, though. That lady just scares me), but I’ll definitely be watching him as we get closer and closer to November.

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Two years?!?!?

February 10th, 2006 at 9:46 pm by (General)

So I just realized this blog has been around for more than TWO YEARS now…that’s just crazy.

And if you look at my old blog, you’ll notice that I’ve been blogging for a total of THREE years now…

good Lord….that’s just craziness.

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Latest mix – “Look out, that monkey has a gun!”

December 9th, 2005 at 10:39 pm by (General)

EDIT – I changed the tracklisting…there were a couple of songs I had to add in..so I took one or two out as well to make room.

So I decided to start a category about mix cds…because I make on average two a week…and have a bit of an obsession with them. I joined the rmfo mix cd circle and drew richard’s name….and the title he gave me was “Look out, that monkey has a gun!”

So…I didn’t have much to go on as far as inspiration for songs….but a couple came to mind…a few more seemed to fit well…

anyway, the final result is a mix cd that really doesn’t have anything to do with the title…which is still fitting…because the title is random…as are the songs.

Yeah…

anyway, here’s the tracklisting

1. The Gambler – Mike Doughty (Kenny Rogers cover…this cover just entertains me….so I HAD to include it)
2. I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor – Arctic Monkeys
3. To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, To Be High) – Ryan Adams
4. My Father’s Gun – Elton John
5. Jungle Trail – Steven Delopoulos
6. Company Car – Switchfoot
7. Narrow Escape – Ray LaMontagne
8. Street Spirit (Fade Out) – Radiohead (my fave Radiohead song EVER)
9. Speed of Sound of Loneliness – Amos Lee
10. Your Ex-Lover is Dead – Stars
11. Buckets of Rain – Blue Merle (Bob Dylan cover)
12. Our Secrets – Helen Stellar
13. C.C. Rider – Old Crow Medicine Show
14. Float On – Iron Horse (a BLUEGRASS modest mouse cover…heck yes)
15. Passenger – Powderfinger
16. For No One – Ryan Adams
17. Jealous of the Moon – Nickel Creek
18. Hallelujah (live) – Brandi Carlile (Jeff Buckley cover)

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Have a holly jolly….

December 3rd, 2005 at 4:55 pm by (General)

So for those of you wishing to buy me something for Christmas….and yes, that means you Mr. Grinch.

Here’s my wishlist

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Oh yeah…

June 5th, 2005 at 8:36 pm by (General)

I forgot to mention the new look. Very summery, eh?

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Everybody Hurts…sometimes

May 8th, 2005 at 9:52 pm by (General)

Someone I care about very much is hurting right now.

And there’s nothing I can do about it.

And this bothers me.

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Rmfo-blogs.com…what is it?

June 3rd, 2004 at 2:46 pm by (General)

So in case those of you who AREN’T part of the rmfo.net community are wondering just what this place is, Geof did a nice job of explaining it.

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The Passion of the Christ

March 4th, 2004 at 10:38 pm by (General)

I’m going to see The Passion of the Christ tomorrow. Anticipation is building. So is concern. Not so much for the movie itself, but for what it is being turned into. Some of the marketing that is going on, especially some of the products coming out, i.e. the Passion of the Christ nail pendants….well, it’s all really concerning me.

Capitalism at its best? Yes.

But is it a good thing? I haven’t decided yet.

But now, I’m leaning toward no.

I’m afraid some people are mistaking this for the Gospel. It is not…no matter how accurate, it can never replace God’s word…it will always be just another interpretation. Does that mean I can’t learn from it and grow from it? No. But it does mean that I should be very careful how I treat it.

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What is most shocking about the Passion?

February 26th, 2004 at 11:33 am by (General)

I still haven’t seen the film. But I can already tell you what the most shocking thing is. Is it the violence, in which Christ is beaten to a bloody pulp? No, it’s the reaction to the violence. The media and others in the world that are condemning the film for it’s graphic content, saying that it should not have been THAT graphic. That is what shocks me. Why does it shock me?

Do these people think that Christ’s sacrifice was a cakewalk? The Messiah didn’t get a lethal injection, and quietly go to sleep for our sins. He had to SUFFER. For hours on end, he had to suffer. More pain than any other man could endure, and he had to suffer it.

And with that, I am shocked that anyone can sit in their comfortable Hollywood chair and bash this film for it’s depiction of suffering.

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What a weekend

February 16th, 2004 at 1:16 pm by (General)

Well, folks, it’s been quite a weekend. I went to see Miracle Friday and came away amazed. What a great film. Saturday was the Andrew Peterson concert, and the meeting of the .netters…they’re all mad at me for not hanging out or talking that much…for which I am sorry, but it was a long day. Anyway, the concert was great. Andy P did not disappoint. Yesterday I had church, and as usual I was going to stay all afternoon with my other youth group friends and jam. Well, that didn’t happen. A big whoppin snow came, church was cancelled for the night (our church is up on a hill…hard to access in a snow, especially one following a rain), and I came home. Then, I procrastinated on my homework…because, well, that’s what I do. Woke up around 10:30 this morning (gotta love 4-day weekends) and had some leftovers…and here I am. Man, I’m tired…and I still have to write an essay and do some accounting homework.

Life is exciting.

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