Living outside the US, there is very little incentive not to pirate.

February 11, 2009 in Guatemala, Life with 2 Comments

I used to be a mp3 downloader. In high school, I downloaded music by the gigs. I had an enormous collection of stolen music, so much so that I never got around to listening to all of it. Then, as I was pushing toward finishing college, I had this thought, “How long can I go on doing this?”

My rationale for stealing was that the music I listened to was hard to find and I didn’t have the money to purchase or order everything I liked. So, I made this deal with myself, if something was good enough to carry around in my CD case (Yep, I was rocking mp3’s before the advent of the iPod), then it was good enough to buy when I saw it in a store. This was good enough to get me through High School and most of college, but the reality of the internet and my financial circumstances were beginning to make this excuse very flimsy. Continue Reading…

Guess what, I’ve been reading your favorite quotes and stuff…

January 28, 2009 in Religion with 5 Comments

Re-posted from Facebook Notes:

I may very well be the only one, but you should know, I read your facebook info. You know, that stuff that everyone fills out when they first join. You put a lot of thought into it when you first did it, some of you even update it from time to time, but I get the feeling that it mostly gets overlooked. Not by me, though. I check those things out. I check them out kind of frequently, actually. I don’t know why I am so interested in your employment record, your favorite movies, or where you eventually graduated. It could be my inner stalker, or maybe facebook has yet to create that feature/app that will consume all my time, and then your info will be left to itself again.

There is something I’ve noticed, though, while looking at all your info’s. When it says “Religious Views,” we’ve all put something different. Facebook generously left this a fill-in, and not a drop down menu, so the answers come out completely varied, even amongst people of the same religion. Now, I’m going to speak to Christians here, because that’s where I am, so, you know, just so we’re all clear. You should know, Christians, I think our varied answers make a subconscious statement. We lack a common acceptable identity. And I know the issues, there are some people who you feel have caused (insert some particular name for Christians) to be tainted, whether it be from theology, social views, political affiliation, church size, etc. etc. etc. And basically, you’re looking for a way to proclaim what it is that you believe, without conjuring up the image of whatever you feel is misrepresenting you. But the mere fact that we can’t settle on an okay name for all of us means something is amiss. Continue Reading…

Today Was A Very Good Day At The School

January 7, 2009 in Guatemala with 0 Comments

Re-posted from Tim’s Mission dot net:

Today was a very good day at the school. But to understand and appreciate what I am going to write, I first need to tell you this.

2008 was a really rough year for the school. Apparently, the previous school year ended on a pretty sour note, and 2008’s began with all that baggage. Arriving in April, I quickly noticed that things were a little tense. The teachers were slacking on many of their responsibilities, and teachers and administration alike were clashing. This lead to several meetings about our disappointment and the need to pick things up. Lori and I would often talk on the way home about the changes that needed to be made and what we would be doing differently the next year. This all came to a head in October, after school let out, when we fired two teachers. It was the first time teachers had ever been fired from Morning Glory, and certainly was the exclamation point to our year. Continue Reading…

You Are Not Alone

March 6, 2007 in Life with 0 Comments

Re-posted from MySpace Blogs:

ACT I

A month ago I was in Chick-fil-a with two of my friends. They both work for the college our office is at, so we often have lunch together. On this particular day we went to Chick-fil-a, and shortly after getting my food, I went to use the restroom. While in the restroom, I heard something that was both strange and familiar.

Usually, when you enter the restroom of a dining establishment you hear some kind of music, either Muzak or satellite radio of a sort. On this day, though, there wasn’t music playing in the restroom, but something else. It was confusing at first, but I quickly figured out what it was: the sound of people ordering food. The drive-thru was being broadcasted over the restroom speakers. I sat there for a second listening to people order. I could hear orders, and I could hear the attendant’s response. This is when a strange feeling crept over me. Continue Reading…

Worst Case Scenario

January 29, 2007 in Life with 0 Comments

Re-posted from MySpace Blogs:

About a month ago, one of my nightmares came true; I over slept for church.

Now, for your average church goer, this isn’t that big of a deal. The crisis for them lies only in trying to make the decision between staying in bed or showing up late. However, for a minister, there is nothing but panic. This is my job. I’ve got responsibilities. There are places I need to be. There are classes I have to teach. So, I forwent a shower, tried to get my hair in some kind of order, and desperately called my students, hoping I could get a hold of one of them, whilst I broke land-speed records on the way to church. Continue Reading…

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