It would appear that my posts have grown fewer and father between, my last one being the last day of December. So much has happened between then and now, and so I have something to post, I think I’ll tell you all of it.
December 24, 2008 – I began dating a girl by the name of Emily. We are still dating and I am very happy being with her. By nature I am an optimistic person (as pessimistic I may seem at times) but she has made me an incredibly happy person.
January 16 – 21, 2009 – New York, New York. The $2,000 I spent was well worth it. I would spend it again in a heartbeat if I could go back. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t vocalize how much I miss the city. I’ve made a point to live there someday. Something about is just… magical. And having the oppurtunity to sing in Carnegie Hall. Oh my. I enjoyed every second I spent there and wish I could go back. So much. That was also my first time flying. Loved it. I’ve developed a kind of fascination for airplanes since then.
February – Guys and Dolls. I played Angie the Ox and two other minor characters. I had one line, which was perhaps the most important line of the play, but that is neither here nor there. It was fun, even though the technical aspect of it was… less than mediocre.
April – All My Sons. I played Dr. Jim Bayliss. More of a prescence than Angie the Ox. I enjoyed the play very much, and I actually enjoyed my character. So much fun revolved it, and everyone who was a part of it has a certain emotional connection with it. “Where’s your turtles?”
April 4, 2009 – Prom. The only part I enjoyed about it was Emily. I do not like people, I do not like parties and I do not like that kind of “dancing.” I enjoyed spending time with her, though, and oh my, she looked absolutely stunning in her dress.
May – End of school, Emily’s birthday (the 26th), I moved into an apartment from my “hut.” I made a Twitter some time ago. Don’t really remember when. But yeah, it’s there. Check it out. If you have one as well, follow me. I’ll follow you back, I’m sure.
Well, yeah. That’s about it.
Oh, Lost.
Fifth season finale was something amazing, and now I can’t wait to see how the sixth (and final) season is going to turn out. It’s been many wonderful years, and as happy as I’ll be to know all of the answers, I’ll be sad not having anything with wich to take up my Wednesday evenings.
Well, yeah, that’s about it. Sorry it’s not really meaningful. Some more of that coming shortly, I’m sure.
Well, thanks for your time, guys.
Michael.
So, in about two weeks, I will be flying to New York City with the many other Choir students who paid $2000 dollars to attend this once-in-a-lifetime oppurtunity. What is that oppurtunity, you ask? Why, it’s to sing in Carnegie Hall, of course!
Sometime earlier this year, the Voice of Owasso (how wonderful) received an invitation to sing alongside some other choirs in Carnegie Hall. We are that good, I suppose. The piece we’ll be performing is Mozart’s Requiem (oh, how original). I personally love the piece, but I feel it’s performed to often. As difficult and immense as it is, I think it would make all of us look better, and more excited about performing a large composition, if it were something more obscure. But that’s just me.
Also, January 21 will be the fifth season premiere of Lost. Thankfully, the show redeemed itself at the end of the third season. My hopes for the show were beginning to drop, but after that finale, and the entirety of the fourth season, I’m pumped about the series again. Although these last two seasons are going to be shorter compared to the first three (the fourth one was short as well), the writers won’t have to pull progress out of their asses, and will be able to further the story without ruining it.
I dread and look forward to the series finale. Oh how bittersweet it will be to have all of the questions answered, and the story come to ahead, but at the same time be the end of something truly wonderful. Oh well.
Well, that’s pretty much it. 250+ words of nothingness. Take care.
Michael.
Filed under: Religion
I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking on this, and discussing it with others, just to make sure this isn’t some silly little unintelligible thought, and the product remains the same: is the Bible really the infallible “Word of God?” For so long, the Bible has been referred to without second thought as God’s word, but suppose we do give it a second thought.
What is the Bible? A conglomeration of records, stories, and letters. The Bible itself is not a single book, but rather a collection of literature written over vast periods of time. Noteworthy is the fact that they were written by men. Mortals. Human in nature and mind. Humans subject to everything we are now. Who’s to say that they didn’t have their own beliefs that differed in some ways from others? Little did they know, I’m sure, that what they said would come to shape the entirety of modern-day Christianity.
I’ve found myself thinking that Christianity is based more on the writings and beliefs of Paul rather than the teachings of Jesus [Christ]. So, should modern-day Christianity be reffered to as Paulism? That seems to be a more accurate name for the faith based on what I’ve observed.
This isn’t to say anything bad about about the Bible. In fact, its finer points hold wonderful ideals. However, I just disagree with the Bible being the word of God, literal or otherwise. God, did not write it. God did not tell them to write it. It is commonly said that the Bible is inspired by God. However, the Bible itself does not mention itself being divinely inspired. Either way, being inspired (in the case of this specific argument) is not the same as speaking into existence, which would have to be the case in order for the Bible to be the literal word of God.
What should also be note is the choice of texts used in the final compilation. Unbeknown to most is the existence of many other texts, also “divinely inspired.” Why is what was chosen as the final set favored over other texts?
What we’re taught is that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. However, the Bible is filled front to back with flaws. Continuity errors, historical inaccuracies. If every word within this compilation is the true and living word of God, why would there so many discrepancies? Thus, the assumption that God authored the Bible is a silly one, as God cannot contradict himself.
But how can I call myself a Christian without believing the Bible is the word of God? I simply base by faith off of the Gospels, seeing as they were four different records of the same event, which are, even after their own internal conflicts, more reliable than any other part of the Bible. Anything other than that I apply to my life the same way I apply a meaningful novel to my life.
The Bible is a work of man, not some divine text breathed by God. It is not scripture. It is merely collective literature. Despite this, it is not entirely worthless. There were some wise men who made their contribution to the Bible, that of which should not go unnoticed to Christian and non-Christian alike. You don’t need God to appreciate what is within the Bible. Just take it for what is. Literature. Nothing more, nothing less.
P.S. For the record, I think Revelation is rubbish. A hallucination caused by exhaustion, malnutrition, and isolation. (For those who don’t know, the John who had the revelatory “vision” was presently incarcerated in a prison on an island, notorious for the horrid conditions the prisoners were faced with.)
Filed under: Current Events, Music, Rants | Tags: CCM, Christian, Contemporary, mediocre, mediocrity, Music, Rants, Religion
This question has always burned within me. I, as a member of my church’s music groups, am more than accustomed to playing songs that (supposedly) glorify the name of God. However, what gets me is how almost every song we do or have done uses a single four-chord progression that does little or nothing to elaborate upon itself. The same can be said for the Christian songs that can be heard on the radio. Hearing this constantly has effectively annoyed me.
Now, the common argument is that we’re not there to perform, and I’ve heard this on more than one occasion. The simple fact of the matter is: If I wanted to perform, I would not be playing these songs. They don’t seem to realize this. They say we’re there to play the songs to “glorify God”, but I honestly can’t see how an unneccesarily repetitive four-chord song is very glorifying, especially when the God-given ability of the performer exceeds that of the level at which they’re playing. Just because you use skill in a song doesn’t mean that you’re drawing attention to yourself. In fact, most people won’t realize that you have skill, just like they won’t notice if a mistake is made during the performance of a song. They’ll be sure to tell you to keep it simple, to keep it low key, but how does that effectively glorify God?
We, as Christians (if you are a Christian) are told that we should not conform to the patterns of this world. So, in the act of worshipping through music, we set ourselves apart from the world, but not through skill. We actually subscribe to the musical style of minimalism, refusing to use our God-given talents and abilities to the fullest, and resign to the same four chords, more often than not used in multiple songs. I just wish someone would explain how this “glorifies” God.
When I perform Christian songs, I try to push myself to the fullest of my ability, much to the dismay of my fellow worshippers. For some reason or other, they fail to realize this. The lead guitarist has phenomonal ability when it comes to his instrument, yet he fails to excercise that completely. He has an amazing ability, which he believes is given to him directly by God, yet he fails to return that when he believes he has been given.
The utter lack of originality and effort put into CCM has me burning to show the world, along with some good Christian bands, that Christian music doesn’t have to be the same four-chords used in a repetitive structure. Becoming the Archetype is one fine example of pushing the bounds of Christian music, and they are indeed explicitly Christian.
I leave you to decide.
