John 17

"JERUSALEM (CNN) -- An unusual sight greeted Jerusalem police as they entered one of Christianity's holiest sites Sunday morning: dozens of monks punching and kicking each other in a massive brawl.

Israeli police scuffle with an Armenian monk Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Monks from the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations were preparing for a ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City when a disagreement led to a full-fledged fistfight.

The fight began when Armenian clergy were holding a procession to commemorate the finding of the cross believed to have been used in the crucifixion of Jesus, according to The Associated Press.

The Greek members of the clergy wanted one of their monks present, the AP reported, for fear that the procession would undermine their claim to an ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus.

The two sides could not agree, and when the Armenians tried to begin the procession, the Greek monks stepped in and the fighting began, the AP reported.

"We were keeping resistance so that the procession could not pass through ... and establish a right that they don't have," a young Greek Orthodox monk with a cut next to his left eye told the AP.

Many among the dozens of monks came away with cuts and bruises, said police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld.

Officers were called to the scene to break up the brawl. They detained two monks, one from each denomination, Rosenfeld said.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem is thought to be built on the site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Rivalries between the different sects that share control of the church often lead to tensions" (More here, both video and pics)

These guys obviously need to check out John 17:20-23 (emphasis mine):
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Although this is really a funny story, and ought not to be taken too seriously or be over-analyzed, it is a reminder of how petty we can be, especially when dealing with denominational differences. They matter not. Getting our pants in a twist over submersion, predestination, Christ's presence (or lack thereof) in the Eucharist, is complete nonsense. Granted, they are all important questions; but not so important that they ought to break our fellowship with people who are of a differing opinion. St. Augustine said:

"In essentials unity,
In doubtful things liberty,
But in all things love."

And not to mention how off putting out pettiness and disunity is to those outside our family of faith! Bickering and backstabbing you can get anywhere, but true fellowship, love and unity is something rare and attractive that ought to be visible in our life and interaction with each other.

SC = Blue

Realize it wont last long, but it's a rare thing to see...

Impossible Germany, Unlikely Japan

Today's the day! Get out there and vote! and don't forget to swing by Starbucks to get your free coffee...

"We preach the virtues of democracy abroad. We must practice its duties here at home. Voting is the first duty of democracy." (Lyndon B. Johnson)

"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost." (Aristotle)

"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country." (Hermann Goering)

At the end of day remember the following;
"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." (Paul/Holy Spirit/Rom 13:1)
What a source of comfort to all of you/us, no matter what political persuasion...

Some favorite combinations

Remembering why it's the little things in life that often makes it good:

• Coffee and Toblerone
• A fire and a great book
• Vanilla yogurt, blueberries and granola
• Running and a cool crisp morning
• Prayer and nature
  
• Thirst and an ice cold coke
• Rich Mullins and a road trip through the mountains
• Chocolate ice cream and a good movie
• Family and a meal
  

i'm not sure what to say about this

I know i'm impressed... but it at the same time, it seems like this guy might have too much time on his hands.

Either the coolest or stupidest thing I've seen in a while

Ever been out camping, roughing it for a few days in the mountains and suddenly thought, i really, really need an espresso? well look no further...
The Handpresso Wild

Personally the idea of roughing it and drinking espresso seem contredictory. You're supposed to drink coffee straight from the pot right off the firepit, grounds getting stuck in your teeth... but hey, to each his own, i guess

yup

i was definitively over thinking things in my last post. I ought rather to start a second blog if i ever think of some unified theme i wish to blog about. Last but not least will remain a source of wasted time and useless information.

Came across Film Metro today. They give out free tickets to movie screenings.Pretty cool if you live in a big city. Closest city for me would be Atlanta, Sadly it'll cost 5 times the price of a ticket in gas, not to mention the 5-6 hours I'd spend in the car driving back and forth.

I had my tongue surgically altered last week. As i like my bottom front teeth where they are, i had to clip part of my tongue-tie, because it was pulling so hard that my gumms were receding. Good fun; smoothies and soup for days on end. Better now though.

I can't decide on the new Cold War Kids album. So far i don't like it nearly as much as Robbers & Cowards. We'll see, it might be one of those that i need to listen to for a while to really appreciate.

Anyone planning on watching Appaloosa? Anyone read the book? Any good? I'm always a sucker for a western movie. Interesting cast. Might not be too shabby. Of course it's R... Oh well, it might be out on DVD by the time I go on Christmas break.

without title

nothing to report today. i think that's good. i wish it wasn't though. it'd be nice to have some exciting news to share, but honestly, i mostly complain or post other people's thoughts and ideas or some useless link/pic/video.

what a self filled post this is so far; me, me, me, me. come to think of it, most of this blog is self focused, and honestly, i'm not that interesting. i need to find something bigger and important to focus on. don't you agree? simply cutting and pasting White Ninja just wont do anymore (not sure it ever really did)

it might be a Norwegian's observations of the Deep South, or all the reasons why Swedes are stupid, or maybe something more important like world hunger, fair trade or eco-farming? something spiritual? (what's bigger and more important that God?) something needs to change, i just don't know what or how.

i have a feeling this post will either be the death or the rejuvenation of this blog. time will tell which it'll be.

maybe i'm just taking all this way too seriously.

so good

Here's another one

I don't know why i find these so funny. The dryer the better.

Tuesdays

They stress me out a little. School, driving, etc. Everything is so up in the air. I prefer days that are a little more routine. I like the car ride though; be on my own, listen to the radio/CD/podcast/audio book (t.m.i., i know). Sometimes it's nice just to keep it quiet though. I don't have enough quiet in my life. There's always something happening. Quite often this is my own fault.

My counseling prof just told us that the reason Star Wars was so popular was because they were based on Jungian principles. I'm not sure what that means. Mostly because I nothing about Jung.

My prof also said "We can’t change history, but we can sanctify it". I really like this. Just look at Joseph being sold into slavery.

I though that i might have lost my iPod today, but it was just hidden deep down in my book bag. It needs to be cleaned out.

I really want to go to Nashville Oct 20th and 21st, Man Man and Cold War Kids back to back.

I really want a bike. My budget is about $13, which wont get me more than a brake pad. I really like Troy's but he had to sell his car ;p

Recommended podcast of the week; The Final Sprint (running oriented, hosts are kinda cheesy, and their jingle should be banned worldwide and the composer ought never be allowed to touch an instrument ever again), but there are some interesting interviews, features, etc

New iPods are out

the Nano Chromatic is pretty cool looking. i like that you can tilt them just like the Touch/iPhone AND that they brought the "old" shape back.

The thing about the iPod releases are that the updates are not amazing enough to discard your old one. I mean i'm sure i'll by another iPod when my classic dies, but i'm not going to by a new one until then, based on what they lauched today. having said that, i'm sure that there'll be a few hundred trillion iPods under the Christmas trees come December.

Turn the light out say goodnight no thinking for a little while

I've noticed a great increase in physical activity amongst the people i spend most of my time with. Swimming, biking, running, weight lifting, all that good stuff. i think it's great! but it's curious that it's happening for so many at the same time. Is it that we're all getting older an realizing that we're in a "now or never" scenario? Is the mere act of some one exercising somehow contagious, creating a desire in others to do the same? Or, is it simply a means to an end, we can now eat more cheeseburgers, because we just ran 3 miles? Maybe it's a combination of all of the above...

Another favorite childhood TV memory:

"La Linea"/"Streken"/"The Line" - there are hundreds of these. All made by some Italian guy in the 70s

In other news, we had a little fire in the kitchen last night (our first ever). Baking soda is incredibly versatile.

Don LaFontaine is dead...

More here. What are movie trailers going to be like now? It's actually kinda sad.

i was doing some editing

in my friends list and contemplated whether to delete those who hadn't updated in a while. but i realized that this would mean deleting almost all of the links... so i decided against it. It made me a little sad though. Shame on you! (not that i'm that much better, i know.)

Recommended podcast of the week is Relevant Magazine's podcast. It's mostly fluff and hardly anything really important or thought provoking comes out of it, but they do at times make me laugh or bring up some interesting artists, etc... Probably a little too close too the emergent camp (although not officially in it) for me to fully endorse them, but they're good for a lark, and sometimes it's nice to listen to something Christian that's not a sermon.

Yo! Gabba Gabba!

This is hands down the weirdest kids show i have ever ssen:

Of course Matias loves it...

"...it's been a while.." (please hear Fred Durst sing in your head)

had no motivation at all this summer

first of all let me apologize for the grammar and spelling in the previous post, that was so bad i can't even blame it on the whole "English-is-not-my-first-language" spiel, which i feel is semi-justified, half the time.

I start school on Tuesday

check out Steven's new blog.

This week's recommended podcast is Cornerstone Simi Valley, Francis Chan's church (you might know him from the Passion conferences)

Troy! Happy for you, sad for me... Cried myself to sleep every day this week. Anyone else miss him?

New things and old memories

Well i'm now in my third week at my new job at Calvary Chapel Greenwood. Tentative tile is Pastor of Youth and Administration. THis may cnage, but it might not. So far so good. CCG is in and interesting and exciting place. God's definately up to something. This also means that Leah is able to quit her job and stay home with Matias. Yet it does NOT mean i'm done with seminary. Still while to go there.

Came across this clip the other day. Definately one of my top three characters from Sesame Street.

Well

..it's done, but far from the semester that i'm the most proud of by any stretch of the imagination.

I can't tell whether American movie is funny or sad. What's the deal with Mike Schank? you just can't make characters like that up...

Gratulerer med dagen Norge!

For the ignorant masses; May 17th is our 4th of July (except we celebrate the Constitution). It's a day of marching bands, egg races, hot dogs and ice cream.

Swedes and GPS

Not surprisingly the Swedes are struggling with these incredibly complicated gadgets, so much so that they now cause 10% of all auto-accidents (btw, article is in Swedish). Here's a little hint to GPS saftey; if there's not a road there, don't turn left.

Speaking of Swedish idiots; this is from a newspaper's questions to the man-in-the-street scenario, the questions are as follows: 1) Do you care if products you buy are made by children? 2) Do you do anything to control whether this in fact is the case? The lady circled answered as follows: 1) Yes, children have no sense of quality, you can tell by the product. 2) No

I think there's a theme going on here... This is just plain dumb.

a political one... (part 2)

[EDIT: I'm realizing that I sound rather grumpy or upset in both of these posts, which I am not at all. this post was a failed attempt at humor, both items below were if not exactly hilarious, at least in my opinion worthy of a half hearted smile]

Please, if you have not already, read the post "a political one...", dated 5/6/08. the following email which I received today, is a prime example of the paranoia and "dooms-day-prophesying" that annoys me so much...

There are less than eight months until the election, an election that
will decide the next President of the United States.

The person elected will be the president of all Americans, not just
the Democrats or the Republicans. To show our solidarity as
Americans, let's all get together and show each other our support
for the candidate of our choice.

It's time that we all came together, Democrats and Republicans
alike.

If you support the policies and character of John McCain, please
drive with your headlights on during the day. If you support Obama
or Hillary, please drive with your headlights off at night.

That this one was the expense of the Dem, is completely arbitrary, there are surely, if not identical, emails circulating which do the same to the Republicans. Here is an example:

So here we are then

so close to being finished, but there's still so much left to do...

watched half of a recording of Austin City Limit's featuring Explosions in the Sky, really liked it, i'd never seen them perform. Been really enjoying that genre of music lately; Ours to Alibi, Mogwai, Dirty Three (a more recent discovery), etc... just something about it that has a certain beauty that's hard to define.

circumcision is a funny word - very difficult to say 10 times fast, and also becomes completely nonsensical...

the new friends suggestion app on facebook causes some rather aquard situations. i don't think that facebook is better for it... do people know you reject their suggestions? Do the one's who are suggested know?

i haven't had dinner today, and it's not looking like i will either...

Snippets from my day...

1. I overslept by over an hour - always a good start to a day.
   
2. I noticed a small crack in my laptop.
3. My prof paid for my lunch.
4. I drank my first V8 Fusion Pomegranate and Blueberry Juice (not bad at all)
5. I listened to many of the the sample songs on the ANTI- website as i finished up a couple of papers (Check especially out Michael Franti, The Promise Ring, Grinderman, Tim Fite, Tricky, Xavier Rudd and of course Man Man and Tom Waits).
6. I wrote a book report on Roy B. Zuck's "Teaching as Jesus Taught".
7. Troy called me about some pretty exciting Tom Waits news, which resulted in #4 above.
8. I was so desperate to procrastinate that had to post a blog post with snippets of my day.
9. I listened to parts of a podcast that must be one of the worst out there called "Hit or Miss", don't even remember downloading it or what i thought looked interesting about it
   
10. By midnight tonight i'll be done with 2 of 5 classes.

a political one...

It's interesting for me as both an outsider and and insider to observe some of the goings on leading up to the election. I struggle with most of what's going on. Conservatives are freaking out because their only "real" option is McCain, who is far from a conservative favorite, liberals on the other hand are worried as they fear that as Obama and Clinton tear each other apart, McCain has time to strengthen his position. As a cynic, I struggle to see how it will make a difference. Granted, the president appoints supreme court justices and his/her stance on the war(s) will impact troop withdrawal, an many other such issues. nonetheless, how much will life change for the average Joe in Greenwood, New York or Memphis? Not much. Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in democracy and voting for the candidate who most closely represents your views. I just cannot see that if a president, prime-minister, or what have you, is elected that you strongly disagree with, warrants some of the doomsday prophecies that are coming out of both camps.

[EDIT: I am sure that I am revealing my ignorance of American politics in the above statements, so for anything erroneous I apologize.]

well then, hopefully that was my one and only political one for the year, i usually don't like to share my political opinions in a public forum, but since i am criticizing both sides, i thought it'd be okay.

on a less serious note, here's another "Cyanide and Happiness" strip:

Political views defined

Stole these from my friend Sigmund's facebook wall:

Socialism:
You have two cows, the government takes one and gives it to your neighbor.

Communism:
You have two cows, the government takes both and gives you milk.

Bureaucrats:
You have two cows, the government takes both, shoots one, milks the other and then pours out the milk.

Fascism:
You have two cows, the government takes both and sells your milk.

Nazism:
You have two cows, the government takes both and shoots you.

Capitalism:
You have two cows, you sell one and buy a bull.

Well i don't know what to tell you...

There's just not much going on, staying way to busy with school/work/parenting to really have much time for much of a social life (with the exception of the occasional movie or round of Cranium at Anna and Justin's) or to do anything truly interesting.

I cannot wait until school is out. i have a pretty serious case of senioritis, even more scary is that i don't graduate until Christmas... bodes well for next semester doesn't it.

I need to go get my lunch, but i left it in the fridge up on "The Hill"; so I can't be bothered yet.

L and I watched Princess Mononoke, liked it, pretty huge leap from Totoro, though.

Coldplay has put their new single "Violent Hill" (from their forthcoming album "Viva La Vida or Death and all his friends") up on their website as a free download for the next week or so (limited time offer, so to speak). Pretty interesting, a little different actually, need to listen to it more before i can make up my mind. Parts of the song are more rock'n roll than usual, not in a bad way though. Still pretty obviously Chris Martin & Co.

weary of academia

yup, it's official...

in other news; Leah was able to save a stove-top percolator (a yard-sale-reject-item) before it was sent off to a local charity. Still not quite perfected the process, had a slightly over-cooked flavor. i really enjoy a good cup of percolated coffee, so this is something i do not with to quit. If any one has any good hints and tips they're greatly appreciated.

In a related note wikipedia stinks, the article on percolators was total misinformation. Generally, to equate this site with an encyclopedia is silly, for example it is not peer reviewed, nor are there any actual or real qualifications needed to contribute. We are not allowed to refer to it in our papers. It might be an OK site to find out about Battlestar Galactica (not a dig, i like it) or as a quick intro to the history of ice cream.

I almost deleted my MySpace account yesterday. Hadn't been on there in a very, very long time. not sure why i didn't. it seems like there is very little activity there anymore (at least within my Friends, the list actually keeps shrinking). Additionally, it's just noisy, ugly and cluttered.

Tomorrow and Thursday needs to be days of some serious catching up.

I love the piano solo at the end of Larry Norman's "Last Supper" on Upon This Rock. So sad.

Time to get back into the Greek translation thing.

I Can't Belive it's April

Time passes all too quickly these days. The two weeks with my parents came and went so fast it was almost a little sad. We had such a great time. Mostly just hung out. Particularly important for them to hang out with M. Parent/child are an odd relationship at times. It seems like it is not possible to truly understand how much they mean unless there is some time spent apart. I would give almost anything to be able to see them as often as we wanted. Yet that is not what God has for us right now.

I was hoping to have some kind of April fools thing on here, but nothing which was clever enough came to mind. But for those of you who are Norwegians out there, check out Vårt Lands fantastically funny gag about Trond Giske (for you non-Norwegians, think the "annoyingness" of Al Gore, multiplied four or five times, and rather talking about the environment and being the inventor of the internet, as Minister of Church and Education) becoming Archbishop (a post we by the way do not even have in the Norwegian Church)

i could really go for a big juicy burger, but sadly as i'm stuck at school it'll just be the cafeteria salad bar, as the regular food they serve here is so gross that i'd rather not eat at all. if i finish my home work early enough i might take the time to drive somewhere and eat.

I've been listening to Leeland's song "Carried to the Table" a lot lately. I was a little disappointed by their recent sophomore release (Opposite Way).

BAAAARGH!

feel better now. it's one of those days... my parents are in town (!), but i'm stuck here at school. It feels like i'm wasting a whole day. when you only see your family or part of it once a year, if that, the time you have together is precious.

qtrax is supposed to be available for the Mac platform today, but nothing has been put out so far. oh well... hearing good things from the PC users, so hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

i wish i had some sort of dinner thing with me. i'm pretty hungry. the cafeteria food at school is actually worse than not eating.

obviously all i'm doing right now is procrastinating. i needed to turn my brain off for a few minutes and think of something else than translation work.

i'm struggling to think straight today.

gosh, this is a whiny post so far

On a lighter note; i found the Czech animated show "A Je To" (or, "To Gode Naboer" in Norwegian) the other week, i loved this show growing up. Heres' a good sample for you:
It always pleases me when i re-watch a show years later and it's still great. This might be one of those shows you had to grow up with to truly appreciate. i dunno. all i know is that it's still funny.

Thoughts...

Trying to get several papers done tonight. Struggling with all of them, not because it necessarily is all that difficult, it's more just that my brain has shut down. Actually, often it feels like my brain shut down several months ago. I don't know what it is, but sometimes there just seems to be some sort of mental block when it comes to schoolwork. maybe it's because I've been in school for the last 21 years... goodness, that's actually a quite shocking to see written down. i dunno... i need to get back to the papers.

[5 minutes later]

this weekend is all about getting the house ready for my parents' visit. those of you who have been over since Leah gave birth to a tornado a little over a year a go, know all to well what state most of the house is in. Leah and I were never overly orderly or clean, but after M it all just fell completely apart. I found a mixing/baking bowl in the bathroom today , he uses them as drums or hats, sometimes both at the same time. back to the paper.

[10 minutes later]

Now i don't even have anything to say, I'm just procrastinating. turning my focus away from the paper, and hoping that something will come to mind that i can blog about that's not a complete waist of both your and my time... sorry to disappoint

[7 minutes later]

Came across Cyanide and Happiness the other day, pretty funny actually, though some of them are quite crude. below is a sample; random, unconnected stuff like this will almost always make me laugh/chuckle/smile:

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

[45 minutes later]

well, one paper down, two to go. gah, I'd better really buckle down, and get this stuff done, which entails not getting on here every ten minutes or so to write nonsense.

Got $2 mill. you don't know what to do with?

Look no further:
The Koenigsegg CCX-R. I'm usually not much for cars, but this is beautiful.

I love it when i'm wrong

Leah and i went to a Xavier Rudd and Ane Brun show in NYC the summer of 2006. We already "knew" Ane Brun, as she is Norwegian (not that i know of every single Norwegian musician, but you get what i mean). She was warming up for Xavier Rudd, whom we had never heard of before, but really, really enjoyed. But, we also agreed that his music was the kind that probably only would be good live. Now i'm listening to "Solace" for the first time; and boy, were we wrong... should most certainly have picked up a couple of albums while we were there...

my parents are coming in a week, and staying for 15 whole days (!)

Gal 3:8 - "And the Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." (ESV)

Babelfish is fantastic

From English: "amazing grace how sweet the sound"

to Italian: "tolleranza stupefacente quanto dolce il suono"

then on to French: "tolérance de stupéfiant combien doux le son"

followed by German: "Suchtstofftoleranz, wieviel zart der Ton"

then back into English: "Craze material tolerance, how much tenderly the clay"

What a loss...

Larry Norman
4/8/1947 - 2/24/2008

Was there a more ever a more influential Christian rock musician, historically speaking?

Just like Betamax and VHS...

...only this time Sony (who created Betamax) is on the winning side. Blu-ray will soon be the only option, as Toshiba is apparently about to give up on their HD-DVDs. Already Netflix, WalMart and BestBuy no longer offer (or are phasing out) HD-DVD products.

I have yet to purchase either, so I really don't care.

NEW KAIZERS ALBUM!

Out Feb. 18th!!! Stream the whole album on their MySpace Pretty Exciting, sounds quite different, yet again. These guys are easily in my top three bands of all time. There's just something about their sound that really appeals to me. Love the noise, love Ottesen's voice, love all the weird instruments and arrangements. Just wish they would get over here and tour; in particularly going through the South East. I still have not seen them live. They are apparently amazing.

Finally...

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I only today got around to listening to "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace". I really, really like it. There's something about Grohl's different ways of singing that really appeals to me. I also like how varied the songs are.

I'm realizing more and more how out of touch I am becoming when it comes to the "current music scene" or whatever you want to call it. I used to be pretty up to date and have a fairly extensive knowledge of what was going on, but now i more or less totally rely on the scraps that fall from Troy and my two brothers-in-law's tables... I don't know what it is... maybe it's age, or having a family, or being so busy with school and work combined with little to no money for non-essentials like CDs etc... it's probably all of these factors, plus several others...

I think I use the "triple period" (...) more than anybody else i know, it's a bad habit and i'm trying to stop, but for some reason i just can't seem to give it up

With the exeption of water

I don't think there is a single beverage which is as tasty and versatile as coffee. It can be prepared a thousand different ways; hot, cold, black, with milk, weird coffee shop frappa-jappa-mappa's, etc. But coffee doesn't stop there; it's great in ice-cream, cakes, chocolate, candy, even as a marinade(!) It increases alertness and stimulates the mind. It has tons of anti-oxidants, so it'll even keep you beautiful.

I'm just now realizing how much this post smacks of the desperation to "blog about something, anything". I enjoy posting but so rarely have anything of importance that i actually want to communicate.

Oh, btw, Leah and I found a website last night that shows you how to make a compost bin out of old shipping pallets. Pretty cool idea, looks really ugly though... might give it a try if we can get hold of some free pallets.

I've had this weird craving for almonds all day.

procrastination

I've noticed that i both write more often and check other people's blogs, spaces and faces when school is in...

Rom 5:1-14

"1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come."

Is this mind blowing or what!?!?!

Rediscovering old friends

Few things please me more then when I rediscover an old favorite album. I don't know how many times I listened to "Upon This Rock" by Larry Norman when I was a middle-schooler, I even saw him live when I was in high school. How wonderful it was to put it on my iPod yesterday, and listen to it over and over.

This happens to me every once in a while (sadly, all too rarely, though). I think I enjoy it even more than when I first encountered it. It is like being reunited with an old friend. It is not just the actual music, but also all the memories, people and places which are associated with the songs. A couple of examples; "Undone/The Sweater Song" will always remind me of Kjell's parents' basement, and "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" brings me back to my 16th birthday (the truly astute reader will know that this is impossible as the album came out 8 days after my birthday; but take one guess as to what I spent my birthday money on).

Music is so much more than just a melody and lyrics; it's memories, hopes, dreams, old and new friends, places, and feelings; all gloriously mixed together into (sometimes) life changing experiences which you can take with you through life. I think this makes us better people; or at least more conscious of how joy, sadness, fellowship and loneliness all play a part in who we are becoming.

yup, we got a walker...