From Richard Hays' commentary on 1 Corinthians:
"... we must wonder whether our proclamation of the gospel can have any credibility unless, like Paul, we respond to the call of God by living a visibly alternative lifestyle that bears prophetic witness against a culture of self-satisfaction." (79)
I will be very excited to receive a copy of Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh soon (with foreword by the Dalai Lama!).
And here's my nerdy question for the day:
When reading the Bible out loud, how do you prefer to read "the LORD"? For those who may not know (e.g., counseling majors!), there is a difference between "the Lord" and "the LORD." The Lord = title given to God in the OT; The LORD = chosen translation for the divine name (YHWH - I Am). Sometimes, I feel like I should read the distinction with "YHWH," but then I feel almost sacrilegious, so then I think maybe I could go Jewish and read "Jehovah," but then I think that most people wouldn't make that connection and be totally confused, so I just read "the LORD." I won't ask whether or not this is a huge deal, because I know the answer to that. I was just curious. Anyone?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Butt Bliss
I had refrained so far this year from posting about the new office chair that my in-laws (holla) gave me for Christmas. I've been working out of a wood chair for the last couple of years, and it has been less than comfortable. I've written many papers and read many books in that old red chair, but the time had come for me to avoid hemorrhoids. The catch was that since we did presents in Atlanta over the New Year, we didn't have room to bring it back with us then. I had to wait for Craig, my father-in-law, to bring it with him. As he was scheduled to be here at the end of January, the wait was not that long. However, as a display of my gratitude and excitement, I made a point to tell Jesse every day up to last Sunday 
how excited I was for the chair to arrive. I couldn't wait. And so now it's here, and I am happy. I just thought you should know. I have included some pictures to show you how much more "work" I am getting done now...
Monday, January 28, 2008
On Cynicism, pt. 2
I have not forgotten about the series I started a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the Christmas vacation stole my fervor for blogging about cynicism. Having begun anew with another year/semester, and a few recent events that have heightened my cynical senses, I find that the time is ripe to continue.
Today, I want to discuss the distinction between being cynical and being critical. Sometimes, criticism can be only a thin veil for cynicism. How then does one distinguish between the two? Is cynicism merely overzealous criticism? I think not. Thus, it becomes necessary to introduce at least an introductory definition of cynicism is, in order to differentiate between it and criticism. Cynicism, I believe, is at its core a perspective on reality that completely lacks hope. That is, the cynic sees what is wrong with something, but believes that there is absolutely no way in which that thing/situation can improve. Cynicism and hopelessness go hand in hand.
However, in considering the difference between cynicism and criticism, the difference is not a lack of hope. That is, criticism is not cynicism with a dash of hope. While it may be simplistic, I prefer to think of criticism as a component of one's view of reality. Being critical may or may not be negative. I may think critically about Jesus as God's Son, but that does not mean that I have no hope for the reality of Jesus as God's Son nor that I reject that idea. Criticism therefore may merely be an absence of intellectual apathy, then. It is intentional, responsible thinking about one's perception of reality. Someone with a critical mind goes to a baseball game and sees much more than the casual fan. Or he or she reads Dickens with a greater appreciation and understanding than the typical high school jock. That is, assuming said jock reads at all.
Thus, there is no inherent problem with being a critical person. However, when that criticism, that self-aware perception of reality begins to merge in a larger perspective of negativity or hopelessness, a cynic forms. So, it is possible to be critical without being cynical. I do think that the two are ontologically different. Of course, being critical can be annoying when abused or over-pursued. There is such a thing as balance. But there certainly is no harm with thinking critically about anything. As to whether or not it is possible to be cynical without being critical, I consider it highly unlikely. A cynic who is not also critical is merely a lazy puppet - eager to repeat the latest postmodern counter-trend, but not willing to think for himself.
So, criticism = good or bad. Cynicism = bad.
Today, I want to discuss the distinction between being cynical and being critical. Sometimes, criticism can be only a thin veil for cynicism. How then does one distinguish between the two? Is cynicism merely overzealous criticism? I think not. Thus, it becomes necessary to introduce at least an introductory definition of cynicism is, in order to differentiate between it and criticism. Cynicism, I believe, is at its core a perspective on reality that completely lacks hope. That is, the cynic sees what is wrong with something, but believes that there is absolutely no way in which that thing/situation can improve. Cynicism and hopelessness go hand in hand.
However, in considering the difference between cynicism and criticism, the difference is not a lack of hope. That is, criticism is not cynicism with a dash of hope. While it may be simplistic, I prefer to think of criticism as a component of one's view of reality. Being critical may or may not be negative. I may think critically about Jesus as God's Son, but that does not mean that I have no hope for the reality of Jesus as God's Son nor that I reject that idea. Criticism therefore may merely be an absence of intellectual apathy, then. It is intentional, responsible thinking about one's perception of reality. Someone with a critical mind goes to a baseball game and sees much more than the casual fan. Or he or she reads Dickens with a greater appreciation and understanding than the typical high school jock. That is, assuming said jock reads at all.
Thus, there is no inherent problem with being a critical person. However, when that criticism, that self-aware perception of reality begins to merge in a larger perspective of negativity or hopelessness, a cynic forms. So, it is possible to be critical without being cynical. I do think that the two are ontologically different. Of course, being critical can be annoying when abused or over-pursued. There is such a thing as balance. But there certainly is no harm with thinking critically about anything. As to whether or not it is possible to be cynical without being critical, I consider it highly unlikely. A cynic who is not also critical is merely a lazy puppet - eager to repeat the latest postmodern counter-trend, but not willing to think for himself.
So, criticism = good or bad. Cynicism = bad.
Friday, January 25, 2008
There's no stopping you
Allow me a couple deconstructionist thoughts, and I promise I will end with something constructive.
I was reminded today of two of my greatest frustrations in the driving world. The first is part frustration, part plain stupid. It is freezing cold today in Memphis, literally. And yet, I always see at least one person this time of year, who is willing to bear the bitter cold for a smoke. What is the deal with this? You would rather drive 40+ miles an hour with freezing air blowing in your face in order to slowly suck the life out of your lungs than be warm and live longer? Plus, I've always wondered, not being a smoker myself, if the wind does cause a problem blowing the smoke back in your face, putting out your light, etc. I don't know, but especially on a day like today, I have to think it is not worth it to smoke in your car. So I give these people the word of the week: "ridiculous."
The other annoying thing, and this happens even more frequently, is the bipolar driver. You know, the one that pulls out in front of you because they are in such a huge hurry that they absolutely must risk their life to be in front of you, only once there, they don't even drive the speed limit. This one happens often at fresh green lights. You're in the right lane, you get the green, and as you start driving, someone decides not to stop at their red, but rolls right through without stopping, almost hits the car in the middle lane (think Poplar) and then drives below the speed limit now that they have their spot. A corollary to this problem is the driver on the highway who would rather speed up and cause you (and whomever may be driving behind you) to slow down while merging onto the highway. For what? So they can be one car length ahead? Is it worth it? So now, I try hard to slow down to let a merging car in front of me, assuming I can't just get over. I find I get to wherever I am going on time in spite of this. The bipolar drivers who do this, whether on the highway or residential streets, are worthy of last week's word: "stupid."
I was thinking about this as both things happened to me this afternoon, and I've decided the real problem is that we cannot stop. What is the first (or, granting the legitimate but sexist thoughts some of you may have, second) thing we assume about drivers who drive like this? They're on the cell phones. Yes, of course. Or, it used to be they were changing they're cd. These days it's the ipod, the GPS, the movie.... Regardless of the cause, it's ultimately about time and the fact that we have lost the ability to stop. The person who pulls out just ahead of traffic would rather put everyone in danger than stop. This is only exacerbated by their subsequent slow driving! It's not even that they are in a hurry, they just don't want to stop!
See, stopping means silence. It means pausing and maybe even becoming conscious of one's immediate context. If you are alone, it means solitude. I think that most people would rather just call someone or listen to music or watch a movie. Anything but silence. No stopping.
Which brings me to my constructive thought. Be a counter-cultural driver? Well, yes. But more than that, be a counter-cultural person. In a culture that cannot stop or even slow down, learn to stop. Learn to be silent. Learn to be alone. On my sidebar, you'll notice (or more likely you didn't) that The Way of the Heart, by Henri Nouwen is no longer on my reading list; that's because I finished it. One of my greatest regrets in school thus far is that I haven't been required to read more of Nouwen. I absolutely recommend anything by him, and The Way of the Heart is at the top of that list. It's a short book, quite simple in presentation, and yet deeply profound. On recommendation from Randy Harris, I got this book last month and had to keep myself from reading it in one day, which is certainly possible. The best thing, though, is to read it as slowly as possible. Let the ideas soak in deep. And then, when you are finished with it, read it again. Once I finish my "masters in reading," I anticipate being free to read what I want, but Nouwen will make the annual rotation, if not more often than that. I won't ruin the material for you by recounting it here, but it has certainly affected the way I live and I imagine it will do the same for you.
So there you have it - a constructive thought. Go and drive likewise.
I was reminded today of two of my greatest frustrations in the driving world. The first is part frustration, part plain stupid. It is freezing cold today in Memphis, literally. And yet, I always see at least one person this time of year, who is willing to bear the bitter cold for a smoke. What is the deal with this? You would rather drive 40+ miles an hour with freezing air blowing in your face in order to slowly suck the life out of your lungs than be warm and live longer? Plus, I've always wondered, not being a smoker myself, if the wind does cause a problem blowing the smoke back in your face, putting out your light, etc. I don't know, but especially on a day like today, I have to think it is not worth it to smoke in your car. So I give these people the word of the week: "ridiculous."
The other annoying thing, and this happens even more frequently, is the bipolar driver. You know, the one that pulls out in front of you because they are in such a huge hurry that they absolutely must risk their life to be in front of you, only once there, they don't even drive the speed limit. This one happens often at fresh green lights. You're in the right lane, you get the green, and as you start driving, someone decides not to stop at their red, but rolls right through without stopping, almost hits the car in the middle lane (think Poplar) and then drives below the speed limit now that they have their spot. A corollary to this problem is the driver on the highway who would rather speed up and cause you (and whomever may be driving behind you) to slow down while merging onto the highway. For what? So they can be one car length ahead? Is it worth it? So now, I try hard to slow down to let a merging car in front of me, assuming I can't just get over. I find I get to wherever I am going on time in spite of this. The bipolar drivers who do this, whether on the highway or residential streets, are worthy of last week's word: "stupid."
I was thinking about this as both things happened to me this afternoon, and I've decided the real problem is that we cannot stop. What is the first (or, granting the legitimate but sexist thoughts some of you may have, second) thing we assume about drivers who drive like this? They're on the cell phones. Yes, of course. Or, it used to be they were changing they're cd. These days it's the ipod, the GPS, the movie.... Regardless of the cause, it's ultimately about time and the fact that we have lost the ability to stop. The person who pulls out just ahead of traffic would rather put everyone in danger than stop. This is only exacerbated by their subsequent slow driving! It's not even that they are in a hurry, they just don't want to stop!
See, stopping means silence. It means pausing and maybe even becoming conscious of one's immediate context. If you are alone, it means solitude. I think that most people would rather just call someone or listen to music or watch a movie. Anything but silence. No stopping.
Which brings me to my constructive thought. Be a counter-cultural driver? Well, yes. But more than that, be a counter-cultural person. In a culture that cannot stop or even slow down, learn to stop. Learn to be silent. Learn to be alone. On my sidebar, you'll notice (or more likely you didn't) that The Way of the Heart, by Henri Nouwen is no longer on my reading list; that's because I finished it. One of my greatest regrets in school thus far is that I haven't been required to read more of Nouwen. I absolutely recommend anything by him, and The Way of the Heart is at the top of that list. It's a short book, quite simple in presentation, and yet deeply profound. On recommendation from Randy Harris, I got this book last month and had to keep myself from reading it in one day, which is certainly possible. The best thing, though, is to read it as slowly as possible. Let the ideas soak in deep. And then, when you are finished with it, read it again. Once I finish my "masters in reading," I anticipate being free to read what I want, but Nouwen will make the annual rotation, if not more often than that. I won't ruin the material for you by recounting it here, but it has certainly affected the way I live and I imagine it will do the same for you.
So there you have it - a constructive thought. Go and drive likewise.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Life Update
I did find out today the answer to the house-sitting mystery - it was work-related. What's worse though, is I now realize that I have opened the door for taunts concerning my status as a "band geek and/or dork." Guess I should have kept that one to myself.
I should also note that most of the material on NRNet is not mine. I am only responsible for the philosophy of youth ministry article, and the book review of Kingdom Come.
I should also note that most of the material on NRNet is not mine. I am only responsible for the philosophy of youth ministry article, and the book review of Kingdom Come.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Things No One Cares About, Life Edition
Because everyone cares so much about my life....
First, the major thing that has influenced the last week or so is the great house-sitting mystery of 2008. Jesse received a strange call on Monday of last week asking if we wanted to house-sit for a couple we know at church. The short end is that we agreed to stay at that house, take care of their two dogs, while leaving ours at home and checking on him at least twice a day. Not the most convenient deal, but it was worth it, if you know what I mean. So last Thursday, we moved out there for what we thought would be a two-week period. Then, Sunday morning, we received a call that the couple would be coming back that afternoon (roughly two weeks early). We don't know why the plans changed so drastically, but the general idea was, they wanted to catch us before church so that when they got home that afternoon, only the keys would be in the house. That was 6:30 AM Sunday morning. Obviously, we had a very busy Sunday morning. The good news is, we're back at our house now and Owens is happy. We're still not sure what happened, though. Strange.
Second, Steve Guinn (holla) finally got his way. I am now a member of the Bartlett Community Concert Band. The Guinn's have been after me for awhile, and with the persuasive influence of my wife, the three of them made all the arrangements. So there you go, after eight years of silence, the old sax is getting some use. The first rehearsal was kind of shaky for me, but I know that I can do it, so I think I'll be back. Yesterday's post attests to that - I will master the Bartlett Community Concert Band.
Finally, I encourage any interested reader to head over to NRNet (see the link at the top of this blog). You can find several things of interest at the fledgling site, in particular, my philosophy of youth ministry (in abbreviated form) under the (wiki) topic of mission.
First, the major thing that has influenced the last week or so is the great house-sitting mystery of 2008. Jesse received a strange call on Monday of last week asking if we wanted to house-sit for a couple we know at church. The short end is that we agreed to stay at that house, take care of their two dogs, while leaving ours at home and checking on him at least twice a day. Not the most convenient deal, but it was worth it, if you know what I mean. So last Thursday, we moved out there for what we thought would be a two-week period. Then, Sunday morning, we received a call that the couple would be coming back that afternoon (roughly two weeks early). We don't know why the plans changed so drastically, but the general idea was, they wanted to catch us before church so that when they got home that afternoon, only the keys would be in the house. That was 6:30 AM Sunday morning. Obviously, we had a very busy Sunday morning. The good news is, we're back at our house now and Owens is happy. We're still not sure what happened, though. Strange.
Second, Steve Guinn (holla) finally got his way. I am now a member of the Bartlett Community Concert Band. The Guinn's have been after me for awhile, and with the persuasive influence of my wife, the three of them made all the arrangements. So there you go, after eight years of silence, the old sax is getting some use. The first rehearsal was kind of shaky for me, but I know that I can do it, so I think I'll be back. Yesterday's post attests to that - I will master the Bartlett Community Concert Band.
Finally, I encourage any interested reader to head over to NRNet (see the link at the top of this blog). You can find several things of interest at the fledgling site, in particular, my philosophy of youth ministry (in abbreviated form) under the (wiki) topic of mission.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Things No One Cares About, Sports Edition
First, sports. I have two confessions regarding recent events in the NFL. I should begin by declaring my fandom for the Cowboys, my home team. Thus, my first confession is strange: I support the Patriots. And, it's not just a carry over from my illegitimate baseball affiliation. I empathize with the Patriots in the following sense: when I do something, my goal is absolute mastery. The obvious parallel with the Pats is when I play any video game. I don't enjoy it unless I win. I don't enjoy playing with others unless I absolutely dominate my opponents. Just ask Bob, or my brothers. But I'm this way with anything, my marriage (no, I don't want to master Jesse, I want to master being a husband), school, music, fantasy sports, etc. So when I see the Pats doing that in real life, I love watching it. I applaud it. Forget the stupid cheating asterisk. The Jets were horrible anyway, I have a hard time believing only the Pats were doing this, and it seems that it wasn't needed anyway. Isn't the point to win every game? Why are people so mad about this? I, for one, think it's great to watch.
My second confession regards one of the Cowboys' hated division rivals, the New York Giants. I'm not a big fan of Eli, or his southern "drawl." But even more, I can't stand Tiki Barber and that stupid smug look on his face. I refuse to watch anything he does on the Today show (my wife watches Today some mornings) and balk at the stuff he has said about his former team on the Sunday Night Football recap show on NBC. I only watch him there because that show is as close to SportsCenter as I get these days. Tiki is a little too shameless, self-promoting, and arrogant for my tastes. Plus, he's a sell out. He gave up football to be on the fourth hour of Today doing puff pieces with three women? He left the NFL for the NBC cross of Today and The View? Really? All that to say, even after the tragic loss of two weeks ago, I am glad to see the Giants do so well without Tiki. I really am. Now excuse me while I head to Mexico with my favorite Jess...
My second confession regards one of the Cowboys' hated division rivals, the New York Giants. I'm not a big fan of Eli, or his southern "drawl." But even more, I can't stand Tiki Barber and that stupid smug look on his face. I refuse to watch anything he does on the Today show (my wife watches Today some mornings) and balk at the stuff he has said about his former team on the Sunday Night Football recap show on NBC. I only watch him there because that show is as close to SportsCenter as I get these days. Tiki is a little too shameless, self-promoting, and arrogant for my tastes. Plus, he's a sell out. He gave up football to be on the fourth hour of Today doing puff pieces with three women? He left the NFL for the NBC cross of Today and The View? Really? All that to say, even after the tragic loss of two weeks ago, I am glad to see the Giants do so well without Tiki. I really am. Now excuse me while I head to Mexico with my favorite Jess...
Monday, January 14, 2008
On Compromise
I just hated going private because it would inevitably keep the general public from reading my extremely profound thoughts. Or really just because random people I know who might be interested from time to time would be shut out, so why punish everyone on account of one? I did some snooping, and saw that I can moderate comments while keeping the blog public. That should solve the current problem without drastic changes. Still, "going private" did allow me to discover a few lurkers, those rogues, so I guess it was not all for naught. Just to be clear, until further notice, my blog will remain public.
Monday, January 07, 2008
On Patrick
My blog is going private, so if you want to read it, send me an email at nicholas.faris@gmail.com.
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