Has anybody else seen all the updates to facebook's privacy options, lately?
You can choose which groups or individuals get to view which things on your profile.
For instance, if I took some pictures the night I went out drinking, I could make sure that none of the people at my church saw them.
While I do agree that people do have the right to privacy, when you publish it on the internet you kind of lose that right.
My problem with these new privacy abilities is that it does not necessarily serve privacy so much as it serves dishonesty. I could live a complete double life with this. Nobody at my church would ever have to know about my skinny dipping habits (not that those pics are allowed on facebook anyways, thanks goodness) and none of my manly buddies would find out that I snuggle in a den of bunnies and feed them carrots with my mom every Saturday afternoon. Teenagers especially have a problem with pegging down an identity, and I don't think enabling them to not decide on a personality helps their emotional well-being at all.
There need to be consequences for our actions, and people should stop being afraid of sharing all of themselves with other people. We're so worried about our own privacy that we have become unable to have a true self to hide.
6.30.2009
6.24.2009
Coincidental Sin
Is it just me or could we draw a lightning bolt on Derek's forehead to make him and Ainslee look like Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley?
She even has the older brothers.
She even has the older brothers.
6.14.2009
Days Off
Before the last 2 weeks, I had kind of viewed a full time job as a commitment to be somewhere 40-60 hours a week.
Under this definition, youth ministry is not a full time job. It's a freaking lifestyle.
Days off are basically days where I don't go into the office, but I do all the other work that people ask me to do. Then I go into the office to check my email and such.
But, it's really not that bad.
One of the things I'm noticing is the difference between the life of a single guy and that of a married guy.
I've worked until 9 or 10 and never had to tell anybody where I'm going. Never had to run any errands that weren't job related. I only go to the grocery store once every 2 weeks. And when I get home at night, I walk around in my boxers and play guitar.
It's a little too... simple for me. I don't think I could do the single's lifestyle until I retire.
I'm about to leave for summer camp, though, where I will be doing crazy things until the wee hours of the morning all week. I'm excited. See you guys in a week.
Under this definition, youth ministry is not a full time job. It's a freaking lifestyle.
Days off are basically days where I don't go into the office, but I do all the other work that people ask me to do. Then I go into the office to check my email and such.
But, it's really not that bad.
One of the things I'm noticing is the difference between the life of a single guy and that of a married guy.
I've worked until 9 or 10 and never had to tell anybody where I'm going. Never had to run any errands that weren't job related. I only go to the grocery store once every 2 weeks. And when I get home at night, I walk around in my boxers and play guitar.
It's a little too... simple for me. I don't think I could do the single's lifestyle until I retire.
I'm about to leave for summer camp, though, where I will be doing crazy things until the wee hours of the morning all week. I'm excited. See you guys in a week.
6.07.2009
The Long Term Starts Today
Today I was in the process of writing a long-winded and painful blog about church, but I decided it was too whiny and deleted it.
I think that's my favorite thing about blogging.
I have a tendency to be stupid at first and wise in the long run.
This lets me get my stupid out, delete it, and then write something worthwhile.
Have you ever seen the movie Click?
It's an awful movie, because Adam Sandler is a pervert.
But it addresses a fantasy that crosses the mind of everyone who has ever used a VCR:
What if we could edit and rewind or fast forward our lives?
If I could go back and fix all of my mistakes, sure, I bet I could have a more successful, less sinful life. But if I could just go back and fix anything I messed up, I would cease to recognize my own weaknesses. Sure, I'd be able to see where I screwed up so I could go back and fix it, but a free "Win" button would remove any doubts about how great I am.
I think it would make it impossible to have true relationships.
Aside from the fact that I could redo every conversation that didn't go the way I wanted, giving me infinite attempts to get someone to like me, I think that people relate to each other and become close only because we are all flawed.
Intimacy is impossible without mutually knowing and accepting each other's weaknesses, correct? I am such a failure in this area because I HATE showing people my weaknesses, especially since mine are generally harder to see than a lot of people's are. I'm good at hiding them.
I can never pretend that I'm perfect in front of people who really know me, and that gives me the ability to be humble and loving the more I come to show myself to them.
In the same way, I copied that crappy, whiny blog I wrote before this and saved it to my hard drive. I can't pretend it never happened, I don't want to just rewind and ignore the way I feel just because I know it was wrong of me to feel that way.
I'd like to think I'll read it again in 3 or 4 years and recognize how weak I was, how much I've grown, and how much I still have left to go.
I prefer foolishness over invincibility any day, because foolishness allows for the wisdom to admit you make mistakes.
I think that's my favorite thing about blogging.
I have a tendency to be stupid at first and wise in the long run.
This lets me get my stupid out, delete it, and then write something worthwhile.
Have you ever seen the movie Click?
It's an awful movie, because Adam Sandler is a pervert.
But it addresses a fantasy that crosses the mind of everyone who has ever used a VCR:
What if we could edit and rewind or fast forward our lives?
If I could go back and fix all of my mistakes, sure, I bet I could have a more successful, less sinful life. But if I could just go back and fix anything I messed up, I would cease to recognize my own weaknesses. Sure, I'd be able to see where I screwed up so I could go back and fix it, but a free "Win" button would remove any doubts about how great I am.
I think it would make it impossible to have true relationships.
Aside from the fact that I could redo every conversation that didn't go the way I wanted, giving me infinite attempts to get someone to like me, I think that people relate to each other and become close only because we are all flawed.
Intimacy is impossible without mutually knowing and accepting each other's weaknesses, correct? I am such a failure in this area because I HATE showing people my weaknesses, especially since mine are generally harder to see than a lot of people's are. I'm good at hiding them.
I can never pretend that I'm perfect in front of people who really know me, and that gives me the ability to be humble and loving the more I come to show myself to them.
In the same way, I copied that crappy, whiny blog I wrote before this and saved it to my hard drive. I can't pretend it never happened, I don't want to just rewind and ignore the way I feel just because I know it was wrong of me to feel that way.
I'd like to think I'll read it again in 3 or 4 years and recognize how weak I was, how much I've grown, and how much I still have left to go.
I prefer foolishness over invincibility any day, because foolishness allows for the wisdom to admit you make mistakes.
6.04.2009
Career Aptitude
Since I'm actually doing concrete training in my profession of choice right now, youth ministry, I'm beginning to recognize some of my strengths and weaknesses in this particular area.
When you first decide on a career, you have lofty ideas in your head of the perfect job for you. I'm sure I'm not the first one to tell you that it doesn't all work out that way.
Doctors, for instance, often become doctors (or so the stereotype tells me) because they want to help people. People go into law because they want to fight injustice.
This all operates on one particularly flawed assumption. They assume that all the work they do will work towards meeting their goal of helping people or fighting injustice, when really so much of it ends up being paperwork and manual labor.
There are 2 components to a profession. One is the actual subject of that profession. The subject of a teacher's job is education, the subject of a senator's job is government policy, etc. The second component of the profession is the method of application.
The first component focuses primarily on that ideal which I talked about earlier. The teacher studies the ideals and goals of education, and then the application, the actual teaching, is where the rubber hits the road.
I'm learning more and more that the primary goal of my profession of youth ministry is the spiritual development of youth, but the applications of that are ALL OVER THE PLACE. It could be playing basketball or painting or teaching a Bible study or playing Guitar Hero. I am finding ways that God has uniquely crafted me with skills and talents that make me relevant to youth. The gifts that God has given me help me encourage kids to listen to what I have to say.
Obviously, I am not skilled at everything, so there are some kids that it is harder for me to reach than others. I'm finding more and more that I am really not that interested in leading middle schoolers. High school, maybe college eventually, is what I want to focus on teaching because I see myself more effective there.
A lot of pastors and youth pastors might say that makes me selfish.
Sure, there might be times where I am called on to help in the spiritual development of people outside of high school, and I am not limiting myself to that. That's just where I want to focus.
I sure hadn't thought of any of that when I first thought I wanted to do youth ministry. Eesh.
When you first decide on a career, you have lofty ideas in your head of the perfect job for you. I'm sure I'm not the first one to tell you that it doesn't all work out that way.
Doctors, for instance, often become doctors (or so the stereotype tells me) because they want to help people. People go into law because they want to fight injustice.
This all operates on one particularly flawed assumption. They assume that all the work they do will work towards meeting their goal of helping people or fighting injustice, when really so much of it ends up being paperwork and manual labor.
There are 2 components to a profession. One is the actual subject of that profession. The subject of a teacher's job is education, the subject of a senator's job is government policy, etc. The second component of the profession is the method of application.
The first component focuses primarily on that ideal which I talked about earlier. The teacher studies the ideals and goals of education, and then the application, the actual teaching, is where the rubber hits the road.
I'm learning more and more that the primary goal of my profession of youth ministry is the spiritual development of youth, but the applications of that are ALL OVER THE PLACE. It could be playing basketball or painting or teaching a Bible study or playing Guitar Hero. I am finding ways that God has uniquely crafted me with skills and talents that make me relevant to youth. The gifts that God has given me help me encourage kids to listen to what I have to say.
Obviously, I am not skilled at everything, so there are some kids that it is harder for me to reach than others. I'm finding more and more that I am really not that interested in leading middle schoolers. High school, maybe college eventually, is what I want to focus on teaching because I see myself more effective there.
A lot of pastors and youth pastors might say that makes me selfish.
Sure, there might be times where I am called on to help in the spiritual development of people outside of high school, and I am not limiting myself to that. That's just where I want to focus.
I sure hadn't thought of any of that when I first thought I wanted to do youth ministry. Eesh.
6.02.2009
Greetings from my NEW HOME
Hey, everybody.
I miss all of you guys. I'm not totally bored here or anything, but it's not exactly like being home for the summer.
I'm not going to really be using this to update you all on my life. If you want to know, just call and ask me. Or facebook, the new phone.
Now, down to the nitty gritty.
This is something people say all of the time, but I really think they fail to realize how true it is. Every single person on this planet is short-sighted, and only cares about immediate gratification instead of long term benefit.
I blogged pretty recently about gasoline. The entire gasoline and automobile industry is based on a need for immediate gratification!
But the worst thing was what I saw today.
As a bit of an explanation, the Lowe's in Siloam has one main entrance, and one main exit, on opposite sides of the building. You cannot enter through the exit or exit through the entrance. It's not very efficient, but hey, I didn't design it.
I drove up to Lowe's (for like the third time in 2 days) to return some stuff I had bought. It took me some time to notice it, but as I was parking I realized that everyone, not just some or even most, but every single person who was parked at this Lowe's had parked in front of the entrance. This means that they had a short walk into the store, but the walk out of the store would require a long haul - including all of the hardware that they had just purchased - around the entire building. I saw a couple guys doing just that with a REFRIGERATOR!
Everybody was so concerned about getting that parking spot close to the entrance. You know, they drive up and down the lanes looking for the closest spot, when really they were just setting themselves up for frustration in 15 minutes.
It was hilarious.
You know, I read somewhere that the vast majority of drivers are only looking like 5 or 6 seconds ahead, when really we need to be looking 10 or 20 seconds ahead for safety's sake. Ridiculous. Is instant gratification really worth that? Does it make you happy to delay inevitable pain? Everybody says to work before you play, and get the hard part out of the way first, but nobody does it.
I'm certainly guilty of this, too, I just think people are sillyheads.
I miss all of you guys. I'm not totally bored here or anything, but it's not exactly like being home for the summer.
I'm not going to really be using this to update you all on my life. If you want to know, just call and ask me. Or facebook, the new phone.
Now, down to the nitty gritty.
This is something people say all of the time, but I really think they fail to realize how true it is. Every single person on this planet is short-sighted, and only cares about immediate gratification instead of long term benefit.
I blogged pretty recently about gasoline. The entire gasoline and automobile industry is based on a need for immediate gratification!
But the worst thing was what I saw today.
As a bit of an explanation, the Lowe's in Siloam has one main entrance, and one main exit, on opposite sides of the building. You cannot enter through the exit or exit through the entrance. It's not very efficient, but hey, I didn't design it.
I drove up to Lowe's (for like the third time in 2 days) to return some stuff I had bought. It took me some time to notice it, but as I was parking I realized that everyone, not just some or even most, but every single person who was parked at this Lowe's had parked in front of the entrance. This means that they had a short walk into the store, but the walk out of the store would require a long haul - including all of the hardware that they had just purchased - around the entire building. I saw a couple guys doing just that with a REFRIGERATOR!
Everybody was so concerned about getting that parking spot close to the entrance. You know, they drive up and down the lanes looking for the closest spot, when really they were just setting themselves up for frustration in 15 minutes.
It was hilarious.
You know, I read somewhere that the vast majority of drivers are only looking like 5 or 6 seconds ahead, when really we need to be looking 10 or 20 seconds ahead for safety's sake. Ridiculous. Is instant gratification really worth that? Does it make you happy to delay inevitable pain? Everybody says to work before you play, and get the hard part out of the way first, but nobody does it.
I'm certainly guilty of this, too, I just think people are sillyheads.
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