Saturday, March 05, 2011

Moral Cliches

The people in a certain Home knew all the moral cliches so well that they'd just call out a number instead of giving the whole sermon. "One" was that money couldn't buy you happiness. "Three" was that faith could move mountains. "Seven" was that what everybody needed was love, and so on and so forth. Somebody would say, "Fourteen!" and everyone would be deeply moved. Someone else would say, "Seventy-two!" and everyone would be encouraged and inspired. Well, the newcomer listened for while and then called out, "Twenty-four!" but no one was touched. Then the guy in the chair next to him sighed, "I guess some people just don't know how to give devotions."

This slightly passé and easily misunderstood parody is what I feel like when someone tries to preach to me. Not that what they're saying isn't profound and true and the answer. It is. And it's simple. Take a number.


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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

FDTP MEXICO 2007 documentary (re-release)

The FDTP MEXICO 2007 documentary has been re-released and is once again available on Youtube. It's basically just a compilation of all the rough camera work of the notable events, organized, edited, and put together, we hope tastefully, into 12 short segments.
Huge shout out to the photographers, they are definitely the backbone of this whole project.

Here is the first segment, from which you will find links to all the others. Hope you enjoy!

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Sunday, April 05, 2009

5 Things I Love About Jesus

Random: His ability to be random. I know he has a whole intricate plan for the universe and all, but I love how he can still be perfectly random about the things that don't have too much bearing on His plan. Like the bark on a tree, or where the next branch will pop out. Either that or it's not random at all and that branch needs to be exactly there for the universe to run right--but in that case I love how He can still make it look random to me, and I appreciate that much.

Intricate: The other side of random--his ability to be intricate. I love how he can make a whole career out of having seemingly random things happen to you, but then at the end they all come together like the usual suspects and make perfect sense and you're like, aha! It wasn't so random after all! I think that takes a pure genius.

Colour: His obsession with colour. But he's not like some psychedelic hippie God splattering fluorescent around with a wide brush where He trigger-happily pleases. He puts just enough khakis and greys so that when something bright and orange does spring out at you, you can still be like wow.

Passion: His way of being passionate about everything He does. Like for instance if I was gonna create an insect I'd be like okay, a head, few legs, a body--maybe a stinger or something. But He just can't stop at that. He has to get all into it--"Oh, and here I could add some antennae with trillions of little hairs on them to give the insect sentience, then maybe some fold-up wings to hide inside its shell, a compound eye, a few Malphigian tubes (yes, now I'm looking at Wikipedia.....but just to finish this sentence), a trochanter over here, mesothorax over there, and ah yes a subesophageal ganglion." (He's crazy.)
When I create a cloud, I start with a blank piece of paper. Then I draw a line on the bottom and three humps on the top. And I'm done. When He creates a cloud, first of all He has to start with an insanely complex background of atmosphere, then He bunches together millions of microscopic icy crystals (all with their own distinct form and six perfectly asymmetrical sides), an intricate water cycle to give meaning to that cloud, and of course shades of pale and grey to render it in full 3-D. Then He sends a wind and makes it dance.
See what I mean? He just can't seem to get involved in a project without giving it His best. And that's great.

Caring: How he cares. Boy does he care! He cares about everything! I mean every single little tiny microscopic little tiny itsy bitsy little thing. He actually cares about the life and times of every single blade of grass in My front yard. Probably breaks His heart every time a snail dies. Imagine how much importance He puts on YOU. Imagine the detail, care, and planning that must have gone into your existence, your life, and then death.
Wears me out just thinking about it. I am so lucky to have Him.

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