Olivet Pong Shots

Okay, not much today except this wicked-sweet video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLByTnNwico

It is made by a bunch of college students, who are apparently Christians as well.

It's one of the coolest Youtube videos I've ever seen and kinda makes me want to try some of the stuff they do. Make sure you have your volume on!

CAUTION: This video you are about to see is HIGHLY ADDICTING.

Future of Forestry

Hey all! So, yes it has been forever since I've posted anything and I don't necessarily expect a whole lot of people to pay attention to this and "no" I'm not making any more statements right now about how "I'm going to try to post a lot more now" and stuff like that. I just don't know what's going to happen. I would love to, but there are so many things for me to do. Does anyone else identify with having so many things to do that you just feel that you can't get them all done without exhausting yourself? Better question: Does anyone not identify with this?

How should I spend my time? I feel so often that I should be doing constructive things every second that I'm awake, but isn't that just a perfectionist attitude? Isn't it important to have no plans, no agenda sometimes? Isn't it important to relax without having to force yourself to relax?

I was recently on a church conference/retreat in Duluth and I went to a session there called "Getaway Like Jesus." In this session, we studied and discussed many Jesus' numerous "getaways." These were the times where he would leave to pray to His Father or to focus on His disciples or maybe even (what a shocking thought) to relax and recharge! Anyway, I was convicted that I need to take more time to go off and pray and be in solitude and try just not speaking for an hour. Can you imagine how difficult that will be for Uber-extroverted me?!! However, I think it is important to rest from speaking and to allow the hectic thoughts of the mind to be soothed. We live in such a high-energy, "GO! GO! GO!" society, that I think we've forgotten what it's like to be quiet. Maybe this is sort of what God was talking about when He said in Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God..."

So, even a week and a half later I have still not followed through on taking that time of solitude, but I hope that it is coming soon. Ultimately, I think it'll be about making time for that solitude that I need.

Now, for the reason I originally started writing this post: my favorite band, Future of Forestry has just released its new album entitled Travel. The name Future of Forestry comes from an obscure C.S. Lewis poem about a time in the future when the trees are gone and industry and "progress" has taken over everything. I think this is actually very symbolic of what I've been talking about in this post. It is symbolic of what can happen inside of us. If we are so focused on work and progress, we will slowly "destroy" beauty that was once there: the beauty of being a to pause in a hectic world and be still before God.

Future of Forestry is an excellent band in many ways and they mean very much to me.

So, take some time to relax and enjoy the free music at the bottom of the page!

Status Posts: Is There Any Point?

Okay, so this post is a little different, but it is stemming from a thought I had recently. Do status posts (such as those on Facebook) have any deep purpose? Can God use them? For those who might not know, status posts is where one states his/her current status. For instance, my current status is this: "Joshua is run... though bruised and bloodied, you are not done... run." Lately, this is how I like to use my status. I want to say something that conveys an idea, that is therapeutic for me, that makes one think, and that is art. I would rather not say something that is just a fact, such as, "Joshua is working out" or "Joshua is at school" or "Joshua is hanging out with friends." It's not that I'm against telling people what I'm doing... I think that can be good, but far more intimate is telling your friends what you are thinking.

Someone may ask, "Well, your not just sharing that info with your closest friends. You are sharing it with everyone you have "friended on Facebook." True and for me that amount of people is in the 200 range. However, that doesn't bother me. Even if I shared something more serious like "Joshua is depressed." Why? Because those who don't care, I don't care much about what they think and those who do care, I went to see how I am feeling and what I am thinking.

Now, I think some feel uncomfortable with the idea of broadcasting your emotions in such an open way. Shouldn't we all be sharing such things with family or close friends? Yes. However, I don't think that saying "Joshua is depressed" on my status is such a bad way to do that. (Take note though that I don't know if I've ever actually said something that blatant.) I believe there are advantages to saying such things on one's status. 1. The friends that can help and do care can choose to find out what is going on. 2. The friends who aren't interested in finding out what is going on or who can't handle sharing that burden, can choose to not go into it rather than getting stuck in a difficult situation where someone is sharing a burden with them that they can't handle at the time.

Now that I have shared my thoughts, I would LOVE to hear yours. Are status posts good or bad? What is appropriate to write on them. Do you think they should be used as therapy/a place to vent? Also, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on my current status.