Hi everyone! Now things are configured such that when I post to my Wordpress journal, my Xanga and my Facebook notes are automatically updated with the same content! Thanks Addison and Steven! For now, my photoblog will remain separate. Only Xanga will receive joint postings from my photoblog and my journal.
So if you like Facebook, you can subscribe to my notes, but please visit my photoblog on occasion. I’m not posting my photos on Facebook because the fine print their EULA says that any Facebook photos are their property to use and reproduce without your permission (your posting is your consent)!
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And if that doesn’t sound right, let me clarify: I’m stripping paint off of wooden poles. As some of you may know, we’re in the middle of redecorating the interior of our house: repainting, reflooring, maybe adding track lighting to the hallway. Along our entryway, we have four turned posts that I think would look good in its original wood, stained rather than painted.
Last week, after a few hours at Lowes, my parents and I came back with the most powerful paint stripper we could find, and all the appropriate tools. But after testing an experimental patch, we realized there were actually SIX coats of paint on these poles (since the 1970’s)! So three hours of work actually only got me this far:
That’s when I decided I’d have to set aside at least an entire day to undertake this project. And that day is today!
So, there are a few recent developments that have added or rekindled my desire for some big-ticket items. I’m struggling to put them into a reasonable order of purchase without acting rashly or outside of my means, since I’ve already made a few big purchases in the last 5 months: Photoshop CS3 and two trips overseas (London and Malaysia).
1) Because of increased involvement in worship leading in this past year plus a desire to, after 10 years, own a quality one of my own… I’m looking for a nice acoustic (acoustic-electric) guitar. ($800-$1500, brand/model suggestions welcome). BUT I can continue to use the church’s vintage 1974 Guild, of which I pretty much am the exclusive user anyways. If I get one, I promise to post music online!
2) Because of increased photographic opportunities and the fact I’m still shooting an XT… I’m looking at a Canon 5d MkII. ($2500-$3000, rumored only). BUT I could otherwise get a Canon 5d (MkI) for under $2000 instead. I could also write this off as a photography business expense.
3) Because of Jen Ka and others being willing to learn electric guitar, which means we could actually layer multiple electrics on worship team… I’m looking at a Boss GT-10 or Line6 Pod X3 Live ($500, opinions welcome). BUT I don’t need it quite yet, until the others are trained, and this is also an item that can possibly be purchased and owned by the church.
(Other smaller items I’ve wanted for a while: a secondary 22″ monitor, a video card to support dual monitors, a Wacom tablet for photo editing ease, additional flash strobes and Pocket Wizards, a wide-angle lens.)
In what order should I make it my goal to get these things?
Hmm… this post makes me look like a greedy, materialistic man.
Californians all around the blogosphere are responding to the new hands-free law, now in effect, in the same way I did, but more humorously. Be entertained!
So, I was composing an e-mail this morning but had one of those tip-of-the-tongue (tip-of-the-fingers?) moments. I couldn’t figure out the correct word meaning “scope of differences” for the following context:
“There has been an increasing ______________ between the methodologies of the two systems…”
I thought “discrepancy?” No…
“Discongruency?” No, that’s not a word.
“Disp.. disparagement?” Haha, not the right meaning.
Alas, Jessica and Lynnette were both not online (and believe it or not, I actually signed on to AIM, Gmail, and Facebook to check… that’s how desperate I was) !
So I decided to Google the phrase with a wildcard. A search for “an increasing * between” quickly yielded the word I was looking for: DISPARITY!!!
Hope you guys find that tip handy. It’s especially useful for statistics, e.g. Mt. Everest is * feet tall. Happy Googling!
-Your friendly neighborhood geek-man
P.S. And yes, I write personal e-mails with sentences like “There has been an increasing disparity between the methodologies of the two systems”…
I’ve never read John Owen, but I never thought of redemptive history from this perspective before, in light of the Persons of the Trinity. John Piper speaks on the privilege that it is to be living in the age of the Spirit:
[John] Owen says [in Pneumatologia (knowledge of the Holy Spirit)], there are three periods of redemptive history which correspond roughly, though not exactly, to the three Persons of the Godhead–God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit–and that in each of those periods of redemptive history, a peculiar and unique responsibility lies upon the people who receive that revelation to respond uniquely to that Person of the Trinity.
For example:
Before the coming of Christ, the unique obligation and touchstone of orthodoxy was the unity of God’s nature and His monarchy over all, and our submission to Him as Father.
Then comes the Incarnation with the arrival of the Son of God in the Person of Jesus Christ, and for those some 30 years the new touchstone of orthodoxy for the people of Palestine was: would those who are orthodox on point #1 open their arms to and welcome God the Son?
Then the Son is crucified for our sins, raised from the dead, ascends to the Father’s right hand, and They pour out the Holy Spirit upon the church in unique and new prominence, and from that day forward until the second coming of Jesus Christ, we live in the age of the Spirit where the touchstone of orthodoxy is: will we honor, will we know, will we submit to, will we follow God the Holy Spirit?
First the prominence of God the Father, then the prominence of God the Son, then the prominence of God the Holy Spirit. It was possible for Israel to commit idolatry against God, it was possible for the Pharisees to reject the Son, and it is possible today for people to despise the Spirit. Owen wrote: “the sin of despising His Person and rejecting His Work, now is the same nature with idolatry of old, and with the Jews’ rejection of the Person of the Son.”
We are a favored people, do you know that? We are an extraordinarily favored people to live in the age of the Spirit… And you know why it’s such a privilege? Because of old, people could only look at God the Father and some very dim foreshadowings of the Son and the Spirit. And then they could look at the Son with a partial outpouring of the Spirit. But we live in the place where the whole of redemptive history with the revelation of God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–is spread before us preserved in Holy Scripture. We are rich. We are so rich to know the whole Godhead, and what a responsibility we have to love Him and respond to Him as we ought!
Effective July 1, 2008, a new law prohibits cell phone usage while driving unless a hands-free device is used. However, it fails to address ANY of the issues its purpose is to resolve!
1) You’re still allowed to talk. In the past I often argued in defense of cell phone usage, “in terms of distraction from the road, how is talking on a phone any different from talking to a passenger? The same intellectual and emotional involvement is involved in either case, right?” The usual counter-argument, which I now subscribe to, was “That is true, the distraction level is the same, but a live passenger can help you be aware of the road.” So if that is true, then allowing people to use headsets but still talk does not dispel the dangers of holding a conversation with someone who is not also an additional set of wary eyes in the vehicle.
2) You’re still allowed to dial. I’m too lazy to look up sources (so sue me for being a bad journalist), but I’m pretty sure there was some research that showed that most accidents occur during dialing, not conversation. That makes sense because you have to take your eyes off the road to dial. And if you’re going 65mph, if dialing takes you a cumulative total of 1 second, you’ve gone a cumulative total of 100 feet without looking. And EVEN WORSE…
3) You’re still allowed to text message! That makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. If dialing and texting is the dangerous part, why not pass a law against that? It’s like the time I got a shot at the doctor’s when I was 7 and then she put the bandaid on the wrong spot! You’re not solving the right part of the problem!
So what does this law do at all? The one thing it does is allow one more hand on the wheel during conversation. I don’t think that one hand is enough to make any difference, if the distraction still exists and the delayed reaction time remains the same. In fact, there’s no guarantee that extra hand won’t be doing something else, as more people continue to upgrade their vehicle with more hands-occupying technology (internet access on their phones, GPS systems, iPods and other music systems, entertainment systems, touch-screen dashboards, etc.)
Of course, I have no viable or humorous alternative solution to propose here, like I usually do. This time I’m just complaining.
Laura, who is getting married this August, recently wrote a blog post about serving at weddings. That got me thinking… I can only recall a few weddings in my life that I have attended solely as a guest. I’m used to the bride and groom asking me to assume some voluntary role, either because 1) I’m in the family, and everyone in the family is called into duty, or 2) I’m from the church, and everyone in the church is called into duty. Why is it that at my cousins’ weddings, it doesn’t seem like they’re using church helpers, and then at FCBC weddings, it doesn’t seem like they’re using family helpers? Hmmm?
I’m not complaining, though. I really enjoy helping out at weddings! I’ll expand on this in a future, related post (I’ve been meaning to write about why Ethan and Gisele’s wedding last month was the most fun I’d ever had serving at a wedding).
So, what roles have I taken on at weddings, and what do I think of them?
1. Photography (2 weddings). I’m not considering paid jobs, assisting, or weddings where I was just a casual guest with a camera. There have been two times I was asked to volunteer my skills to cover the candids at the reception and other details the professional would miss.
Thoughts: People assume I would want to do this because they know of my consideration to venture into professional photography. And it is good practice for me, so I appreciate it. The only thing I don’t like is that it takes me away from hanging out and having good times with my friends during the reception and banquet, because I’d be floating around the room much of the time.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
2. Audio/Visual (3 weddings). A limited number of people know my background in this area at UCLA, so it hasn’t been often. I love sound-checking and running the board. I don’t like the equipment transport, set up, and tear down, because there usually isn’t enough help.
Thoughts: Hire a professional. The job is too big to ask a friend to do. Also, a pro will have his own equipment. Don’t have high expectations otherwise, because the venue’s in-house system may be inadequate. Also, if your playlist is iPod-based, your A/V friend will be continually embarrassed when guests keep coming up to ask “are you the DJ?” and requesting songs and wondering why the mix is terrible.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
3. Worship Leader (1 wedding). Worship Band Musician (1 wedding). I LOVE leading worship. As I have been encouraged by so many people at church, this is me in my element. To lead worship at Ben and Leah’s wedding was an honor and privilege, as a friend and as a brother in Christ.
Thoughts: I would actually consider leading worship one of the greatest privileges one could have at a wedding, right up there with best man, maid of honor, and officiating pastor. Why? Probably the same reason Steph (in response to Laura) said, “My favorite part of the wedding is singing hymns/songs about Christ’s redemptive work… I think being at a wedding and singing those songs is such a powerful image of what is to come when Christ returns.”
Rating: 5 out of 5.
4. Performing at the Reception (2 weddings). This only happens at Szeto family weddings, where all the cousins (all ~20 of us) have to perform a musical number together. Think Chinese VonTrapp family. Oh, we do funerals too! (Okay, that was wrong. But we do.)
Thoughts: It’s like Chinese family reunion recitals, where all the parents have to show off their kids’ talents so they set aside one night for all the little ones to perform. Ugh!
Rating: 1 out of 5. Maybe 0.5 more for re-watching value 20 years later.
5. Wedding Party (1 wedding). The only time I was in the party was as a ring bearer for my uncle when I was seven.
Thoughts: I don’t really expect to be in too many lineups in my lifetime, but that’s okay. It was a traumatic experience, anyways (but that’s another story). And I can imagine it would be more stressful as an adult, with more responsibilities.
Rating: 1 out of 5.
6. Setup/Cleanup (countless weddings). I’ve had a lot of experience setting up tables and chairs, moving things, and taking care of random details. That’s what happens when you’re a “church kid,” because you get enlisted with all the 100 other church kids to do the grunt work. Thankfully, all the stuff I wouldn’t want to do goes to the girls: welcome table (Doreen’s bane), boutonnières, kitchen duty, etc. Still, I’ve destroyed two pairs of dress shoes by moving equipment while dressed up.
Thoughts: The most inconsiderate thing the bride and groom can do is assume that the kids want to help, or that because you’ve invited them, they are obligated to help. I can understand the assumption is made because the grunt work normally falls to the kids during special church events and holiday services. But this is different; they are your guests first, your helpers second. Don’t have a task list and schedule printed out for them (and God forbid, handed to them!) before they’ve even RSVP’d. That presumptuousness is most offensive.
Rating: 2 out of 5. I hope my current skill set (including photography and A/V) exempts me from grunt work for the rest of my life. And my current pair of dress shoes is intact!
A. Things I’ve Never Done But Want To Do. I’d like to perform musically at the wedding. I know this is the polar opposite of leading worship in terms of humility. But I think I’d like to play guitar. Maybe sing, like Jen. But I’m a better guitarist than vocalist, by far. I enjoyed hearing Mike attempt to play my solo guitar rendition of “Come Thou Fount” at Steven’s wedding (it wasn’t bad for a 15-minute crash course and no tabs)! And hey, I know how to play “Air on the G String” by Bach on classical guitar now, too!
B. Things I’ve Never Done But Don’t Want To Do. I would be happy to never be an usher. I’ve never ushed, and I probably wouldn’t like ushing. (I know those aren’t words, but that’s how Doreen and I talk.)
The following audio clip is a gripping illustration given by John Piper. He is speaking of the common yet naive perspective toward the dangers of clinging to habitual sin. The gist of the entire sermon is this: to remain unrepentant in this age means remaining unforgiven, both in this age and the age to come–and there will be no opportunity for repentance in the age to come.
As our bodies put our will into visible action, the church, as the body of Christ, puts His will into visible action. Therefore, the plan and the agenda that Jesus had in His physical body on the earth is now implemented by the church as His corporate body in the world.
