I went on a run...

after brewing some beer. I figured it was fitting since it was St. Patty's Day!

It was pretty awesome. It took a bit of time, but was a good adventure none the less. One of the more frustrating aspects is that I won't get to taste it for another 5 weeks or so, and I therefore won't know if I screwed it up until then.

Below are what I started off with.. the malt is in the container. Next to that are the milled grains, then the sugar for bottling, yeast for fermentation, and hops for taste.

I have already figured out a bunch of what I would do differently next time, particularly with the cooling process. Also, the directions told me to add 2.5 gallons of water to the fermenting pail, but that ended up setting me up with some 6 gallons total rather than 5. Not sure how that is going to affect it. This should be interesting.

I am thinking I might bottle this first batch rather than keg just in case it sucks. Which it has some potential to do!

It took me 5 hours, largely because it takes so long to boil such a large quantity of liquid!

I then went for a 3 mile run, and took Lewis for a walk, all before work.

Love not having to go to work till 5!

Happy St. Patty's day peeps!

So I washed my car...

and thought about how awesome ritual is. I mean, I was in the middle of washing my car, listening to some country, and when I looked up was rather surprised to see myself in my backyard in California. I fully expected to be back in SD. Wiping down the Jeep became so a part of my SD summers, and there is something which I rather miss in the frequent washings which just are not a requirement out here in the desert land of socal.

Made me want to be home.

So I purchased tickets...

to Big Kenny today. I am pretty stoked. Life is good.

So I awoke to shaking...

and slowly opened my eyes. I was slightly confused, wondering if it was a dream or reality. My typical method of detection is to lay very still and look to see if Janelle is engaging in another of her highly active dream states. She was already out of the bed walking to the living room. In my sleepy state I asked her what she was doing, to which she responded that she was responding to Lewis' barking, assuming he needed to go outside. She returned confused, wondering why Lewis was still just sitting in his beanbag rather than wanting to go outside. I asked if she felt the earthquake, to which she suggested that I was delusional or half sleeping. I was perhaps both.

Yet, upon awaking the internet blogrolls informed me that I was in fact correct.

The rest of my morning has been much more uneventful. But it is a wonderful summer day and I am in the mood for some outdoor landscaping projects. I am sitting on my front step, drinking some refreshing cream soda with Lewis lounging in the shade of my chair, and just thinking of summer.

After the last few weeks of rain, and a couple trips to the mountain snow, it feels like spring has come in fast forward. Summer is here, things are green, and the outdoors is beckoning me to make it beautiful. Something about not having class frees up my time and allows me to dream about all these projects I want to start. I am pretty excited. Here are a few...

1. Brewing beer. I am going to start this project tomorrow and keep you all up to date on its progress. I am pretty excited.

2. Create flower bed. We have this space in front of our living room window that is just dirt. No boarder between it and the lawn. I want to put something there, some colorful flowers perhaps. We shall see.

3. Build a fireplace. This one would be a process but totally awesome. We have the beautiful twin palm trees in our backyard and it would be pretty kickass to go get a bunch of bricks and build a little patio/fireplace like I have always been annoying my dad to build in our yard back home. You can pick up all kinds of cheap bricks on craigslist so we shall see. Something to plan at least, and I sure do like to plan.

4. Remove top and doors from the jeep. I think I will go conquer this one right now. It is beautiful outside and gives me a reason to work on tanning my extremely manly body. Janelle will be very appreciative.

So I went to the store...

the beer brewing store to be exact. I purchased a brewing kit and the necessary ingredients to begin my first trial brew. It is similar to Sierra Nevada, at least that is what it is supposed to be like. Pictures shall be posted soon.

My excitement is peaked!!

So I went on a run...

in order to take my mind off of my imminent final papers and just continued to mull issues in my head. I am currently in a Life of Jesus class which is one of the few which I don’t need to entertain myself by surfing the internet for the newest beer brewing ideas. Instead I find myself intently listening and responding, even speaking up in class to answer questions, which any of my peers will tell you is a rarity.

I hate speaking in class, unlike in the outside world.

Anyway, the final paper is a response to a book on five views of the Historical Jesus. The arguments range over a broad spectrum, from some claiming that Jesus never stepped foot upon the earth, but instead was merely a societal construct along the lines of myth, to the traditional evangelical understanding in which the gospel material is a reliable source of history (both of which seem slightly crazy to me).

Well, I got to thinking about how different the arguments are, but how each truly believes they are right. In fact, each has devoted countless hours scouring the text in order to support their argument, and in so doing have come to a strikingly different conclusion than their associates.

I was on the last leg of my run when “God on our Side” sung by Straylight Run, came on my iPod. This is originally a Dylan song I believe, and if anyone wants to truly understand what I was contemplating they should listen to the song as it sums up my thoughts and likely caused me to select Straylight for my run in the first place.

I mean it goes on to speak of the countless times humanity, individuals, and societies have had God on their side to do something strikingly contrary to anything “good.” From WWII to countless other atrocities, God is always on the side of the victor. It is odd. It is scary.

The song goes on to contemplate Judas, finally questioning whether or not Judas too had God on his side. It is a valid question which we rarely ask. I mean the guy gets a bad rap, he killed the Christ for crying out loud. But pre-Easter, there isn’t much wonder why he doubted the guy. I mean Jesus seemed to pretty much stick his nose up at the religious establishment multiple times. He was certainly flying lose with the law on multiple occasions, and his social practices were not beyond reproach. He was accused of being a drunkard and possessed by Satan.

We often look at Judas as the idiot who wanted the damn silver, but often I wonder if he just wanted to do the right thing. I mean, from one side of the line Jesus looked pretty ridiculous. He was playing lose with the Scriptures, taking all the laws which were meant to keep Israel in God’s good graces and placing them under the single banner of loving ones neighbor. How often have I heard it preached that God won’t let you into heaven for merely being a “good person.” Jesus sure seems to disagree here. Jesus was suggesting that the Jewish people fundamentally alter their beliefs. No wonder Judas began to believe that perhaps this was not the Christ after all.

Yet, as I began to open the gate at the end of my run I contemplated my own beliefs. I wondered, if Jesus came back and spoke of something contrary to my expectation what would be my response? All too often I believe I would be the first to hammer in the nail. I mean, if he came and proclaimed that people were created for Hell I would probably hammer in two for good measure. I don’t say this with flippant regard, but in utter honesty concerning my convictions. I fear my convictions at times, for the same convictions concerning who I believe is the Christ were in Judas as well.

The question is who is right.

Or perhaps the question is, who is capable to hold these beliefs loosely enough to never pound in a single nail in the first place.

Those people probably don’t exist in Seminary.

I was reading a blog...

and thought I would share it with all you lost fanatics out there. Namely Mom and Dad because I don't think many other people really pay attention to this blog.

neverseenlost.wordpress.com

I went on a run...

And was repeatedly amazed about how latent thoughts connect when you give them room to roam. In the past year I have increasingly found myself spending more and more time in front of my TV, Xbox, and computer, commanding the world to entertain me in every moment of free time. I have made a conscious effort to minimize this, and it has been highly beneficial.

So on my run today I wasn’t thinking of much at all, I was just putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the smell of the fresh rain. Then on my way back this article came to mind. I read it while in my Jeremiah Exegesis class. It has nothing to do with Jeremiah, but honestly, I am not finding the prophet to be too enthralling at the moment.

I was first rather offended by the article, writing the author of as an arrogant asshole at the time, and still think that he/she was at the least an obtuse provocateur who immediately isolates half the population in his language. Further, I highly disagree with his argument that highly intelligent people will go against biological urges of paranoia and in turn embrace atheism (which resembles more a series of assumptions more than anything), largely because he bases this upon an IQ difference of 103 to 97. Yet, it has been proven numerous times that IQ testing varies by as much as 15 points depending on a variety of factors. In this study the author makes extremely broad assumptions on 6 points?

Yet, despite this, it is interesting to note his findings concerning intelligence creating novel values which overcome biology. Essentially what he is arguing is that “humans are evolutionarily designed to be conservative, caring mostly about their family and friends, and being liberal, caring about an indefinite number of genetically unrelated strangers they never meet or interact with, is evolutionarily novel.” The author goes on to explain a variety of novel beliefs and behaviors which s/he identified in the studied population, but what struck me most was its correlation with the Biblical narrative.

Upon thinking about the Biblical Narrative I began to see many of what the author proclaims as “Liberal” views. Namely, the narrative is repeatedly calling the people of God to be a liberal community beyond race and creed. While tribalism was certainly present in ancient Israel, a necessary aspect of cultural constriction which I was thinking about last time, they were repeatedly called by God for something greater. God was not calling them to enclose within themselves, to care for only one another and their genetically related offspring. I mean they were to be a light to the world. The entire Promised Land was hinged upon them taking care of the widow and orphan! This sounds pretty “Liberal” to me based upon the authors definition.

As the narrative continues, Jesus pushes the community more. While his ministry was effectively for only the Jews, which some may claim to be a “conservative” movement. He was essentially rallying a community into which his Apostles could invite the world. While the functioning of the early church has repeatedly been idealized, there was certainly a “liberal” desire in their attempts to sell everything and provide for all who had need. They were impressed to care for those beyond their families and to love their enemies.

Further, the narrative as a whole testifies to the felt presence that biology is not the final determining factor. With the narrative expressing the feeling of a “broken humanness” it is not necessarily arguing for the platonic dualism of a sinful flesh and a heavenly purity. Instead, it appears to be arguing that there is something more; that there is some “novel existence” beyond biology. There was a felt presence even in the ancient Israelite community that our biological drives were not the complete story. Instead we were capable of something greater.

Jon, correct me if I am wrong in reading this authors argument, but it seems the Biblical narrative can be read in a correlational way, suggesting that there is much more room for dialogue than the author suggests.

So I was reading the news this morning...

...and realized that if I took the book of Revelation literally I would probably be pretty scared right now.

I went on a run... and skipped class....

and was thinking about adoption and how odd it is that so many people will get so worked up over the “pro-life” movement while leaving countless children without parents, hoping to get adopted. I mean, if this movement is so pro-life, why is there so much life not cared for in our world? To me it seems that the life which already exists is just as much, if not more valuable than the unborn, especially at the embryonic stage. It isn’t that I have something against pro-lifers, it is just that I believe the argument is hinged upon the wrong issue.

All too often it comes down to legislature, attempting to convince the courts to bend the will of the other to one’s own. Further, it seems that many pro-lifers don’t really think of the consequences if abortion was illegal, namely the huge influx of children into the foster system. The system is already strained almost to the breaking point, with children getting trapped within the beast of bureaucracy.

So now what, abortion is illegal, life is born, and life is left without care.

Some may argue that the people would step up, save those who are left in the system. But this is hardly the case today, with thousands of children left without families. Further, when the budget gets tight it is the social services for such marginalized populations that get cut first. I wouldn’t want to birth my child into such an environment, is it that much of a surprise that abortion continues to be viable alternative?

Many argue that it is a woman’s choice to be protected; others argue that one should choose life. I believe it is hardly a choice at all. The notion of free will is so overblown at times. Circumstances always constrict our options, hardly presenting the freedom of choice which we ideologically create in these political debates. Many times abortion presents itself as the best possibility for the health of the child, to prevent the certain abuse and neglect.

Yet, what if we created an environment which countered this, one which presented a viable option of possibility for the child. What if there was certainty that the child could be brought into the world with the hope of being loved and cared for? What if there were so many people waiting to adopt that it was certain that the child would be given an immediate loving home? It seems to me that it would make life a much more persuasive argument.

I don’t think the majority of individuals choose to abort. The majority are frequently forced to abort as a result of constricted cultural context. Whether that be abuse, rape, or the view that neglect and abandonment are all but certain in their current circumstances. Abortion becomes the best of the options. Rather than making laws without changing the system, we need to change the system and make the laws irrelevant. If we were able to create a system which so favored adoption we would deter abortions to much greater extent than by any legislative means. Yet, this would require us to do something rather than just say something.

So pro-lifers, start changing the system. Go adopt. If you find yourself in a position unable to adopt, then find another way to care for these abandoned children. If not, stop calling your movement pro-life, because there doesn’t seem to be much pro-life when we leave behind the life that already exists.

So I went snowboarding...

and it was awesome!! The Vandriels put in some solid time teaching me how to carve the slopes, and I sucked. It was rough, but I enjoyed it none the less. Ron and Janna graciously sent us some cash for the wonderful day known as my birthday and Janelle and I spent it in less than 24 hours by purchasing lift tickets and heading for the mountain. It was amazing. We were in Christmas, got snowed on, I highly improved my boarding ability, and then we returned to 80 degree weather. I don't have anything really important to say about it, but here are some pictures.

Janelle picked me up some sweet snow pants so I would at least look skilled before I started.

Also, notice the quality Canadian tuke which made me more Canadian than Janelle that day. I also had a quality Olympic Canadian scarf which gracefully flowed in the wind as I tore down the slopes!! Booya.

The ride up one of the lifts. It sure didn't feel like we were only 40 minutes from LA.

We stopped on our slope and just took in the view of the rest of the runs. Beautiful.

Well thats it.

See ya later.

So I got back from a run...

and showered only to notice that Janelle had unclogged our drain. I am excited because I can now once again pee in my shower.

So I went on a run...

And began to think of how theology is music. Good music has an effect, it stirs the soul. It somehow strikes the listener as rich, meaningful, creative, and worthwhile. It is an interpretive exercise, and that is part of the beauty. I often judge music based upon how it effects me, I do the same with theology. I don’t really find much point in theology unless it effects me in some way, unless it translates into some form of action, whether than be physical or emotional. I think that is a large part of what I meant in my previous post when I was talking about a dead eschatology. It mutes action, it prevents us from taking initiative, from mimicking the divine creator. What is more dead and boring than a lack of creativity? We should be constantly creative, constantly striving to create a world of difference, something more beautiful, something more meaningful, something which we want to hold on to. Not something we hope will soon be thrown away.
This is just how I judge theology, by what effect it has upon me. I don’t care much about the theology nearly as much as its effect. That is all I really have to say on that.
But music, that is beautiful. It is creative and dynamic, and I love images which I previously had not thought of before. Today I was listening to Wilco on the last leg of my run, and in their song “Jesus, etc,” one line strikes me as especially relevant to this conversation.
“Our love, Our love is all we have,
Our love, Our love is all of God’s money
Every one is a burning sun.”
What if that is it. What if our love is all of God’s money. What if our love is all God has to use in the transformation of the world. I don’t know about you, but the thought makes me happy. It makes me realize that we have a purpose beyond some divine tragedy. We are the transformative agents, and rather than theology being the straight jacket of our faith, it is merely that which compels us to action. Theology too can be beautiful. We just have a tendency to prefer the jacket.

So I went for a run…

And began to think of how our eschatology is dead, and the church is soon to follow. I believe that eschatology drives faith and deed. We are all too frequently driven by a belief in the after life, and all too often we use visions of puffy clouds and fiery torment to manipulate action and control the masses. We have become content with a belief that heaven is cut off from our world completely, and as a result nothing we can do affects its creation, and therefore we must just save our own skin.
We have therefore created an apathetic Christianity in which what one does matters naught except to receive a heavenly reward. Some will counter that it is faith and not action which is necessary to receive the ticket to heaven, but in reality what is faith but mental action? We have all too often traded the difficult life of obedience of the First Testament for the life of “faith” in order to avoid such annoyance.
The First Testament testifies to something much different, and you therefore find a community of individuals possessed by a spirit of creative eschatology. They were a community which truly believed that their actions could usher in the heavenly dream, the Promised Land. True, they understood God as the final powering force bringing their creation to fruition, but they were to be the people who were to act a certain way, retain purity and social justice, care for the widow and orphan, and follow the way of the LORD. It was after doing this that the LORD would usher them into the Promised Land, in the here and now! They even touched their dream under David, understanding his son to be the Son of God.
This Promised Land was not in the distant future, it was not upon the clouds of heaven. They understood their actions as directly contributing to their promised eschatology. A golden age when the law of the LORD would be written on the hearts of every person, and they themselves were creative agents!
We have lost this and exchanged it for a dead and dreamless theology. Rather than understanding our actions as directly contributing to the goals of God so as to usher in the Promised Land, we have understood ourselves as cut off, only responsible for our own entry into some platonic celestial city. We need to revive an eschatology of immediacy, one in which our actions directly contribute to its fruition. Only then will our faith once again matter, and only then will it once again transform a community so they can become a light to the world.