From the heavens,
and the heights above,
all the angels
show your love.
The sun and moon,
and the shining stars,
deepest waters,
skies so far...
We can love forever,
never pass away.
All the lightning,
clouds and wind,
moving mountains,
and trees that bend,
the wild creatures
and the mighty birds
show your love
all across the Earth...
We can love forever,
never pass away.
We can love forever,
through the night and the day.
We can love forever,
and never pass,
never pass away.
And an authentic NIV translation for you too :-)
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Celibacy and Homosexuality
Being a Catholic Christian, I believe that marriage is only valid between a man and a woman, and that only married couples should have sex.
Having said that, I don't think that having the homosexual tendency in your thoughts and feelings is any worse than heterosexual thoughts and feelings. Indeed, having lustful thoughts toward anyone who is not your spouse is sinful.
There is no discriminatory standard against homosexuality in the Church, or there shouldn't be. We are all human, and we all have lustful feelings towards both sexes at one time or another. There is the same standard for all humans.
I consider homosexuals having sex outside of marriage the same as heterosexuals having sex outside of marriage. I am tolerant and loving toward people who do it, although I don't personally think it's the best thing.
Homosexuals have to face something very difficult, as we all do in our own way. We all have our own issues that make it hard to be human. Homosexuality is just another part of being human, and it's clear that it occurs naturally. As long as it's not acted on, I don't see this particular tendency as being bad.
Some people are not called to marry, and Paul even discourages people from getting married(if it can be avoided) quite emphatically, as in 1 Corinthians 7. So it is quite an expectable(although difficult for most) thing according to Paul for people to just go through life celibate.
The problem comes in where everyone wants to have sex, no matter what orientation. And so people act to get what they want without doing it properly(i.e. without marriage). It's the same problem with everyone.
A close analogy is if a friend wants something in your house that belongs to your parents, but you don't feel like waiting to ask your parents, so you decide to give it and hope everything works out ok.
I believe God owns our bodies, and we should get permission from Him through marriage in the appropriate way before we can give our bodies to someone else. All this, of course, precludes some belief in traditional Christianity.
Having said that, I don't think that having the homosexual tendency in your thoughts and feelings is any worse than heterosexual thoughts and feelings. Indeed, having lustful thoughts toward anyone who is not your spouse is sinful.
There is no discriminatory standard against homosexuality in the Church, or there shouldn't be. We are all human, and we all have lustful feelings towards both sexes at one time or another. There is the same standard for all humans.
I consider homosexuals having sex outside of marriage the same as heterosexuals having sex outside of marriage. I am tolerant and loving toward people who do it, although I don't personally think it's the best thing.
Homosexuals have to face something very difficult, as we all do in our own way. We all have our own issues that make it hard to be human. Homosexuality is just another part of being human, and it's clear that it occurs naturally. As long as it's not acted on, I don't see this particular tendency as being bad.
Some people are not called to marry, and Paul even discourages people from getting married(if it can be avoided) quite emphatically, as in 1 Corinthians 7. So it is quite an expectable(although difficult for most) thing according to Paul for people to just go through life celibate.
The problem comes in where everyone wants to have sex, no matter what orientation. And so people act to get what they want without doing it properly(i.e. without marriage). It's the same problem with everyone.
A close analogy is if a friend wants something in your house that belongs to your parents, but you don't feel like waiting to ask your parents, so you decide to give it and hope everything works out ok.
I believe God owns our bodies, and we should get permission from Him through marriage in the appropriate way before we can give our bodies to someone else. All this, of course, precludes some belief in traditional Christianity.
Power and Corruption
Everyone likes having power(aka getting what we want when we want it), and we all also like it if there is an easy way to get what we want, and this includes power.
Women in society see that men(almost half the population) have a strong weakness for lustful thoughts and actions.
Men in society see that they are stronger than more than half the population (i.e. women).
These are possible routes of least resistance to gaining power; a third is being just slimy, which can apply to either gender, and will usually be accompanied with sex & violence.
However, we know that the more power you have, the more you tend to be corrupted. Consider the example in the Hitchhiker series, where the ruler of the universe was made to not know he was the ruler, so he could be totally pure in his decisions.
In the same way, I would say the only way to gain power without corrupting yourself is to gain power without trying to gain power, and not trying to keep it once you know you have it. In other words, don't pursue actions with intent to increase or maintain your power.
When you do, you end up corrupted(letting yourself be treated as a sex object, or being a violent person, or being a compulsive liar or cheat).
Women in society see that men(almost half the population) have a strong weakness for lustful thoughts and actions.
Men in society see that they are stronger than more than half the population (i.e. women).
These are possible routes of least resistance to gaining power; a third is being just slimy, which can apply to either gender, and will usually be accompanied with sex & violence.
However, we know that the more power you have, the more you tend to be corrupted. Consider the example in the Hitchhiker series, where the ruler of the universe was made to not know he was the ruler, so he could be totally pure in his decisions.
In the same way, I would say the only way to gain power without corrupting yourself is to gain power without trying to gain power, and not trying to keep it once you know you have it. In other words, don't pursue actions with intent to increase or maintain your power.
When you do, you end up corrupted(letting yourself be treated as a sex object, or being a violent person, or being a compulsive liar or cheat).
Thursday, March 31, 2005
The Schiavo Case
If you are interested in the recently fallen Terri Schiavo and the controversy over the case, I highly recommend these two articles:
Whose Life Is Worth Living?, by Orson Scott Card
Terri Schiavo: Judicial Murder, by Nat Hentoff
They are very well informed and very powerful.
Whose Life Is Worth Living?, by Orson Scott Card
Terri Schiavo: Judicial Murder, by Nat Hentoff
They are very well informed and very powerful.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Spring Break
Spring Break is over and classes have started again.
Over Spring Break, I went to Glasgow, KY to visit my Dad. He owns a 20 acre property that has a creek running through it, and it's verrrry nice there. I spent a night in Lexington, KY where my Dad's family is from, at my Uncle Gerry's house. I had a good time just being with my Dad, and I appreciate that I can spend time with him that's fairly uninterrupted. I was there from Monday until Friday.
Also, on my way down to KY, I stopped in Bloomington, IN to have lunch with a friend named Russel. He's helped me a lot with programming in the past year and it was nice to sit down with him for a while. We went to Django Cafe, which is an interesting jazz cafe with an Asian/Indian/Vegan menu. I got a veggie pita and a strawberry smoothie.
On Easter I went to breakfast at church, then went to the Easter service there, and then I made some fried sweet potatos (yum!) for a potluck lunch over at Natalie's house. It was a great time :-)
By the way, Rachel is my darling girl and I love her very much ^_^ She is so good to me and does everything she can for me. I am blessed and lucky and everything.
Over Spring Break, I went to Glasgow, KY to visit my Dad. He owns a 20 acre property that has a creek running through it, and it's verrrry nice there. I spent a night in Lexington, KY where my Dad's family is from, at my Uncle Gerry's house. I had a good time just being with my Dad, and I appreciate that I can spend time with him that's fairly uninterrupted. I was there from Monday until Friday.
Also, on my way down to KY, I stopped in Bloomington, IN to have lunch with a friend named Russel. He's helped me a lot with programming in the past year and it was nice to sit down with him for a while. We went to Django Cafe, which is an interesting jazz cafe with an Asian/Indian/Vegan menu. I got a veggie pita and a strawberry smoothie.
On Easter I went to breakfast at church, then went to the Easter service there, and then I made some fried sweet potatos (yum!) for a potluck lunch over at Natalie's house. It was a great time :-)
By the way, Rachel is my darling girl and I love her very much ^_^ She is so good to me and does everything she can for me. I am blessed and lucky and everything.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Locked Out!
Today, the morning did not go so well...
I woke up at 8:30, decided to sleep 15 minutes more, so I set my alarm for 8:45. I get up and my clock says 8:45 so I take a shower. When I come back to look at my clock, it says 9:51!!! Still time to catch the bus if I hurry really really quick. So I rush out of the house and...I don't have my keys! So after a while of thinking, I find a paper clip in my backpack and attempt to pick the lock for a half hour(unsuccessfully) while I wait for the next bus to come.
This was the perfect day to be locked out. It just so happens the both of my roommates were out of state just today. One roommate went to Colorado today and the other is in Salt Lake City and will come back tonight(Saturday). At least it was sunny and really warm though, so I didn't get depressed. I missed phonology class and went to my research assistant meeting. Then I called my roommate who owns the place and leave a message to see if anyone has a spare key, then I call a Linguistics grad friend, but no answer there either.
Then I went to the Student Union, ate some snack mix I had, and slept. My friend called me eventually and picked me up and took me to his house. We played NHL 2001 quite a bit and had fun checking everyone into oblivion. His parents came into town today as well, so I got to meet and talk with them. At around 9PM I got a call from Rick, and he told me that his girlfriend has a key to the house. So I called his girlfriend and agreed to come pick up the key. Charles and I went first to Applebees to get a bite to eat and then picked up the key.
Quite a silly day I'd say :-P I would prefer if it didn't happen again, but I think God was teaching me a lesson about something. Maybe it had something to do with taking my time or getting up the first time my alarm goes off. Maybe it had something to do with enjoying the nice day or not having my computer with me 24/7. Maybe I was supposed to hang out with Charles and meet his parents for some reason. Whatever. I did all that today, then got home and played some Warcraft 3 :-)
SPRING BREAK IS HERE!
I woke up at 8:30, decided to sleep 15 minutes more, so I set my alarm for 8:45. I get up and my clock says 8:45 so I take a shower. When I come back to look at my clock, it says 9:51!!! Still time to catch the bus if I hurry really really quick. So I rush out of the house and...I don't have my keys! So after a while of thinking, I find a paper clip in my backpack and attempt to pick the lock for a half hour(unsuccessfully) while I wait for the next bus to come.
This was the perfect day to be locked out. It just so happens the both of my roommates were out of state just today. One roommate went to Colorado today and the other is in Salt Lake City and will come back tonight(Saturday). At least it was sunny and really warm though, so I didn't get depressed. I missed phonology class and went to my research assistant meeting. Then I called my roommate who owns the place and leave a message to see if anyone has a spare key, then I call a Linguistics grad friend, but no answer there either.
Then I went to the Student Union, ate some snack mix I had, and slept. My friend called me eventually and picked me up and took me to his house. We played NHL 2001 quite a bit and had fun checking everyone into oblivion. His parents came into town today as well, so I got to meet and talk with them. At around 9PM I got a call from Rick, and he told me that his girlfriend has a key to the house. So I called his girlfriend and agreed to come pick up the key. Charles and I went first to Applebees to get a bite to eat and then picked up the key.
Quite a silly day I'd say :-P I would prefer if it didn't happen again, but I think God was teaching me a lesson about something. Maybe it had something to do with taking my time or getting up the first time my alarm goes off. Maybe it had something to do with enjoying the nice day or not having my computer with me 24/7. Maybe I was supposed to hang out with Charles and meet his parents for some reason. Whatever. I did all that today, then got home and played some Warcraft 3 :-)
SPRING BREAK IS HERE!
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Movement
I love to move my body. If you observe me in person, I'm always thinking of interesting ways to move my body and a lot of times I do them right in front of people and I don't care. :-) I get this from inspiration from my martial arts training. The body, when it's fine-tuned and strong in certain ways, can do amazing things.
I have a philosophy that the way to exercize your body should be to train motions, not muscles. I think that many people go to the gym and lift weights, but they don't really know what their purpose for it is, and it doesn't necessarily help them in their life practically(except making them have larger muscles).
The better way to train is to think of some action you want to be strong at, and find some exercize that approximates that action. And the less you have to use weights, the better, in my opinion. Muscles like the biceps almost require weights to train, but most muscles can be trained very well without them. Weights are convenient, but they aren't as practical. Why does this matter? Besides your large muscles associated with an action, small muscles are developed by everything you do. So, the exercize you do should closely resemble the practical motion you want to improve.
Think of your body as a multi-functional tool and having a high potentiality for adaptation. If you do certain tasks, actions, and performances in your life, your body would be best served and would look most beautiful if it was extremely efficient at doing the things you do in your life. Especially as we get older, it becomes harder and harder to reshape ourselves for other activities.
Most people don't realize how intricately we can shape the muscles and bones and everything in our body toward a certain goal, fine tuning in such detailed ways that we're not even conscious of. Being conscious of and in control of that fine tuning process will help us to improve our body for what we do in our lives and not just because everyone says it's a healthy thing to do.
My exercizes that I do most everyday I think serve me very well. I mostly want to improve my martial arts skills, so I have three exercizes that I do once per day. One set of each until my muscles max out:
I do push-ups on my knuckles(on carpet). Push-ups are an excellent exercize for improving punches, and I have done this exercize for about 8 years straight almost everyday. To do knuckles push-ups, make fists and put only the knuckles of your index and middle fingers on the ground. Make sure no other fingers touch the ground.
I do leg-lifts/hip thrusts. Laying on your back with your hands palms down under your butt and your legs straight out, knees locked, hold your legs 6 inches from the ground and proceed to lift your legs without bending your knees until your legs make a 90 degree angle with your torso. Then using your abs and lower back(but not your hands or arms), push your hips up toward the ceiling. Then let your hips touch the ground again(controlled). Then lower your legs back down to 6 inches off the ground(don't bend your knees and be in control of the descent). Repeat.
I do uppercuts with a weight. Holding one or two weights, you stand for this exercize. Start with the weight(s) at your side. Then, leading with your fist raise the weight to eye height in an uppercut punching motion. Control the rest of your body so it doesn't move, and control the desent of the weight(s) so that the motion is the same as the one going up. Repeat.
Push-ups generally work the triceps, the wrist, the whole back, the chest, abdominals, thighs, shoulders, and gluts. If you do them on your knuckles you can make your hands and wrists even stronger.
The leg lifts/hip thrust exercize works the lower back, the abdominals, and the thighs. It is a very good exercize to improve the kicking motion, especially the front kick.
The uppercut exercize is good for improving the uppercut punch motion. It works the biceps, hands, wrists, forearms, and shoulders.
Notice that even though some similar muscle groups are worked for these exercizes, the strengths developed will be different. Form is also very important. My philosophy is that if you can't do a repitition of an exercize perfectly, you should not continue doing the exercize until your muscles recover or you can learn how to do it from someone who is trained in doing that exercize. If your muscles are not strong enough to do a certain exercize now, you should find an easier alternative until you gain enough strength to start doing the more difficult exercize.
Well, I hope this provides some insight for some people. Enjoy!
I have a philosophy that the way to exercize your body should be to train motions, not muscles. I think that many people go to the gym and lift weights, but they don't really know what their purpose for it is, and it doesn't necessarily help them in their life practically(except making them have larger muscles).
The better way to train is to think of some action you want to be strong at, and find some exercize that approximates that action. And the less you have to use weights, the better, in my opinion. Muscles like the biceps almost require weights to train, but most muscles can be trained very well without them. Weights are convenient, but they aren't as practical. Why does this matter? Besides your large muscles associated with an action, small muscles are developed by everything you do. So, the exercize you do should closely resemble the practical motion you want to improve.
Think of your body as a multi-functional tool and having a high potentiality for adaptation. If you do certain tasks, actions, and performances in your life, your body would be best served and would look most beautiful if it was extremely efficient at doing the things you do in your life. Especially as we get older, it becomes harder and harder to reshape ourselves for other activities.
Most people don't realize how intricately we can shape the muscles and bones and everything in our body toward a certain goal, fine tuning in such detailed ways that we're not even conscious of. Being conscious of and in control of that fine tuning process will help us to improve our body for what we do in our lives and not just because everyone says it's a healthy thing to do.
My exercizes that I do most everyday I think serve me very well. I mostly want to improve my martial arts skills, so I have three exercizes that I do once per day. One set of each until my muscles max out:
I do push-ups on my knuckles(on carpet). Push-ups are an excellent exercize for improving punches, and I have done this exercize for about 8 years straight almost everyday. To do knuckles push-ups, make fists and put only the knuckles of your index and middle fingers on the ground. Make sure no other fingers touch the ground.
I do leg-lifts/hip thrusts. Laying on your back with your hands palms down under your butt and your legs straight out, knees locked, hold your legs 6 inches from the ground and proceed to lift your legs without bending your knees until your legs make a 90 degree angle with your torso. Then using your abs and lower back(but not your hands or arms), push your hips up toward the ceiling. Then let your hips touch the ground again(controlled). Then lower your legs back down to 6 inches off the ground(don't bend your knees and be in control of the descent). Repeat.
I do uppercuts with a weight. Holding one or two weights, you stand for this exercize. Start with the weight(s) at your side. Then, leading with your fist raise the weight to eye height in an uppercut punching motion. Control the rest of your body so it doesn't move, and control the desent of the weight(s) so that the motion is the same as the one going up. Repeat.
Push-ups generally work the triceps, the wrist, the whole back, the chest, abdominals, thighs, shoulders, and gluts. If you do them on your knuckles you can make your hands and wrists even stronger.
The leg lifts/hip thrust exercize works the lower back, the abdominals, and the thighs. It is a very good exercize to improve the kicking motion, especially the front kick.
The uppercut exercize is good for improving the uppercut punch motion. It works the biceps, hands, wrists, forearms, and shoulders.
Notice that even though some similar muscle groups are worked for these exercizes, the strengths developed will be different. Form is also very important. My philosophy is that if you can't do a repitition of an exercize perfectly, you should not continue doing the exercize until your muscles recover or you can learn how to do it from someone who is trained in doing that exercize. If your muscles are not strong enough to do a certain exercize now, you should find an easier alternative until you gain enough strength to start doing the more difficult exercize.
Well, I hope this provides some insight for some people. Enjoy!
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