Blog Entries

  • Black History Self Education

    It's Black History Month. Since I am not in school I am not forced to read anything about black history. However, racial relations are important to me and the racial divide has become icnreasingly close to my heart in the last several years. MLK Day is a big day for me. February is big too. This year I'm completing a project I planned for last year. I'm reading a few books...

    I'm excited about this. I will plan to read these all this month. After this weekend I should be done with the first two and started with the third. The fourth is pretty thick and I'm not sure I care to read the whole thing. We'll see. If I fix my computer then I'll end up watchign some movies and documentaries I've saved on my Netflix account (Malcolm X, Lean on Me, Glory, and The Color Purple). I recently watched Martin Luther King Jr.; A Man of Peace in a Time of War.

    What are you reading, watching, doing to learn more about black history? What books or movies would you suggest for those who want to learn about black history?

  • Buying A Car

    2000VWJettaGLX001

    I'm possibly buying a car this week. Mine isn't lasting much longer and I figure I might as well make the smart move and buy one now. I originally only wanted to spend 3,000 but I'm willing to go as high as 5,000. The cars I'm looking at (all 4 are 2000 VW Jetta) are selling for 6,000 or close to. All of them seem to be just under 100,000 miles. Here are some thing I know I can do to help my chances of lowering the price:

    • Pay in cash. It's hard to resist 50 100 bills.
    • Don't show all my cards. Let them know I only want to pay 4500 (or so?).
    • Mention that I've seen the same car for slightly less (which I have).

    Are these good ideas? How can they be improved? Do you have other pieces of advice? Do you know anything about this car?

     

  • A Quick Update

    My computer is still busted. It may be time to get a new one (this will require saving money since I have not been doing so). Lacking internet and typing ability has been a bit of a blessing this week.I've been reading more, something I'm happy to be doing again, and it has been very good for me.

    I've been reading some books by Elie Wiesel (Day, Dawn, and Night). He is incredibly negative and obsessed with dead. He essentially tells the reader the has been dead for some time through his self-reflecting main character in the fiction pieces. I believe it. The books are taking a toll of my soul it seems. I'l be glad to end the series tonight. Perhaps I will find something uplifting to read next before beginning some bigger projects.

    I'm working a lot this week. Well, a lot in comparison to the weeks and months prior. I have about 20 hours at one job (usually I get 10 or 12) and the typical 10 at my other. I'm excited to finally quit the janitor job and work 30-40 at the pizza job. It's not glorious work but it is consistent and it suffices.

    The only day I don't work both jobs this week is the night of my Home Community. I've missed them and getting to be a part of the gathering would be great. Except I am beginning to recall the leader telling me it isn't happening this week. Hmm...

    Finally, I'm going to be gardening again this season and I have an exceptional amount of room in the backyard in which to invest. I'm quite pleased with this. I'm deciding what to plant. I need to do some research on when to plant and how to protect my delicious growing investments.

  • Currently
    Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church
    By N. T. Wright
    see related

    Surprised By Hope (Book Rec)

    Today I'm finishing the last chapter of Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. If you are interested in waht the scriptures say about resurrection, heaven, hell, the intermediate state (purgatory and paradise), and the kingdom of heaven and how all this affects the way we live and worship right now then I highly recommend this book. I wasn't too surprised by anything Wright put forth to be completely honest. We're on the same page theologically. Despite this solidarity I was encouraged to read some of what he wrote concerning resurrection and learned a little bit about what was expected and not expected from a Messiah in terms of resurrection in Judaism at the time of Jesus' death.

    The book is easy to read, down to earth linguistically, and theologically solid. The meat of the book is just under 300 pages. N.T. Wright is a great theologian. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what Christians are to actually believe about resurrection, the afterlife, and the kingdom of heaven. So go pick it up in your local bookstore or grab it off Amazon. You won't regret it.

    Havr you read this book? If so, what did you think? If not, do you think you will at some point? What other literature have you encountered that discusses these topics that you would recommend to others?

  • Jesus Guns for the U.S. Military

    I'm behind the times and learned only minutes ago about this news story: Gunsights' biblical references concern US and UK forces. Let me give you the short version of the story.

    Trijicon (U.S. manufacturer owned by some Christian guy) makes gunsights for the U.S. and U.K. military. On their sights are the markings "2COR4:6" and "JN8:12" which appear after the stock number.* The military is upset because they were unaware of the markings during their purchase and are concerned about offending people. Others are concerned that if soldiers are captured their Muslim enemies will use the inscriptions against them and thus claim the scriptures are a threat to the safety of soldiers.

    A Trijicon spokesperson told the BBC ,"Our effort is simple and straightforward: to help our servicemen and women win the war on terror and come home safe to their families. As part of our faith and our belief in service to our country, Trijicon has put scripture references on our products for more than two decades. As long as we have men and women in danger, we will continue to do everything we can to provide them with both state-of-the-art technology and the never-ending support and prayers of a grateful nation,."

    The Trijicon website states, "We believe that America is great when its people are good. This goodness has been based on biblical standards throughout our history and we will strive to follow those morals."

    *2Corinthians 4:6 - For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
    John8:12
    - Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world;
    he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

    Are the concerns of the U.S. and U.K. military legitimate? Should Trijicon stop marking weapons with New Testament scriptures? Why or why not? Is this something the military should know about before giving a manufacturer 66 million dollars on weapons for a year?

My Pulse

Recent Reads

Current Reads:
A Stone of Hope by David Chappell

Past Reads:
The Black Church Since Frazier by Lincoln
The Negro Church in America by Frazier
Creating a World Without Poverty by Muhammad Yunus

Future Reads:
Autobiography of Malcolm X; As Told to Alex Haley
Satan and the Problem of Evil by Gregory Boyd

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