timjusttim's Xanga

Kids Nowadays...

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:47:46 GMT

... Must... have... kids... and train them on kung-fu and hip hop...

Consumption Junction, What's Your Function?

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:41:40 GMT

I went shopping with my sister at Target on Saturday night. It was quite amazing to think that all this stuff is literally today's treasure, tomorrow's trash.

In light of a culture that centers around disposable consumption, I wonder how my definition of "fiscal responsibility" changes. I feel like we're all little kids with free reign in the candy store. Nobody is there to say, "No." And if past experience is an indicator, "No," is sometimes a good thing.

I've got nothing...

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 21:22:44 GMT

It's a wonderful and frightening feeling when I've got nothing - but God. I'm out of aces, Jack.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:45:10 GMT

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1, 2)

This verse highlights a key paradox in my life. On one hand, God grants us grace and freedom from eternal consequence.

Yet I continue to gauge my spiritual progress through "lack" of sin. For example, I "feel" like a "stronger" Christian today because I haven't done this or that in a while. When I think about my spiritual walk in those terms, isn't that the same as if I lived by the law (absent of grace)?

I don't think that it is healthy to frame my spiritual existence by the sins (or lackthereof) in my life.

The attempt to eradicate sins in my life is just one (small?) facet of the spiritual journey. One sliver of a giant painting. I think that God intends for us to have a much richer experience than simple adherence to the rules.

It's hard for me to comprehend that there are other aspects of a healthy spiritual life, but it's time to start looking and discovering.

I Want Kids... Now...

Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:31:08 GMT

Holy crap. The oldest member of this band is 11 years old. If I had kids like this - I'd be a really proud daddy... I'd throw elbows for these guys. Seriously better than the majority of hardcore or punk bands out there right now. I need to get their demo.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 01:47:15 GMT

"...Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

July 4 brought a lot of memories from last Summer.

God redeemed a challenging family situation into a catalyst for the following:

Move my grandparents out of Mott Street and into a really nice retirement community in Boston (Chinatown).
Open my grandmother's eyes to the Gospel. She got baptized this past Spring and loves to pray.
Softened my grandfather's heart towards Christ. He wants to get baptized this Fall.

The passage from first chapter of Joshua gave me courage. Bob Marley's "Catch a Fire" gave me peace. I almost wore out the album last summer.

Here is a Jack Johnson / Ben Harper cover of "High Tide or Low Tide." Listen to it here.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:27:32 GMT

Perhaps this is a succinct commentary on the pathetic state of my life as of late. But faith (to me) is defined as the extent to which I am willing to believe that God's commands far exceed the fulfillment offered by my habitual patterns of sin.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:28:39 GMT

It's gotta be some sort of record. A company rejected my application three hours after I submitted it online.

I am the Corey Feldman of MBA graduates. If not Feldman, then I am probably the equivalent of Vanilla Ice or one of the less famous Baldwin brothers. Hell, even Anthony Michael Hall is working nowadays. *unbelievable*

open mouth. insert foot.

Sun, 24 Jun 2007 21:04:18 GMT

"Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" (James 3:11)

I spent my Sunday burning bridges with matches and gasoline. I learned a huge lesson in when to keep my big mouth shut. Which is 99.469% of the time.

It sucks because I hurt some people who are important to me and it was over something extremely trivial. Even with honest, heart-felt apologies, I'd do anything to take it back.

It's more than just regret. It's this deep-seated remorse that my actions hurt people. It's this fear that - despite my "growth" - I retain the ability to hurt people I care about.

Looking inwards, I have a lot to grow. I want to be somebody who exudes wisdom and edification. I don't want to be the village idiot anymore.

Isn't it scary how the person whom you used to be (before committing to Christ) emerges from the murky depths to haunt you?

Out of Order?

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 01:49:13 GMT

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I've been struggling lately. I'm trying to reconcile the fact that I am a new creation through Christ, but I remain faulted and broken. There is an expectation that I will wake up tomorrow morning and mirror Christ down to the last detail.

Loving people is challenging to me. It is easy to those who are close to me. It's easy to love those who are easy to love.

But to love in the "Good Samaritan" sense of the word is almost incomprehensible to my sensibilities. I don't think that I'm powered by ulterior motives, but taking up the cause of the powerless, the orphaned, and the widowed (a la Isaiah 1:17) is alien to me. Hell, I can't even master on dimension of love, as described in basic terms. (1 Corinthians 13:4)

Ironically, I think I love those who don't necessarily need my love.

I feel the mounting need to jump back into ministry. To see people for who they are, not what they are. And what they are not. And love them for it.