"Here I Am"

Out of everything in Genesis 22, I found the reply "Here I Am" to be the most striking. We all know about how God repaid Abraham's faithfulness and trust when he offered up Isaac. It's not a small nor insignificant lesson by any means but the main sticking point for me is how Abraham responds to God's call.

"Here I Am"

I find "living for God" and "walking with Christ" to be just as cliché as Obama's call for "change". I find that too many times, rather than responding to God with "here I am", I respond with "hold on a minute, I'm busy" or "..., I'm tired" or "..., I'm hungry" or "...., I have to go to the bathroom", and you get the point. Maybe that's why it's so hard for me to hear what He is telling me.

It's all too easy to think of dying for Christ when there are the angels spilling their bowls filled with blood and what not upon the earth. If you saw all this happening, then of course you would respond the same way Abraham did. But what makes today any different? What makes it so hard to respond, right now, with a firm, resonant, "here I am?"

Money?
The new Macbooks?
The World Series?
The election?
The new episode of Heroes?

"Most men forget God all day and ask Him to remember them at night"

Let's all fix our eyes upon what really matters.

Posers Can't Stop It

True geek rap fashion with thick frames, big digital watches, and supras/nike SB high tops. 

That handshake is sick nasty, anyone want to partake in it with me?  

It's OK my will is good.

I was definitely the "second-row sleeper".  

I remember in one of my classes, I was talking to some random guy about classes we took the previous quarter and we found out that we were in the same class as each other before.  However, he couldn't remember my face until I told him that I always sat in the front row.  His response was "Dude you were that guy that fell asleep right in front of the professor every lecture!"

Guilty as charged.

There is a Light and it Never Goes Out

"And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hears through the Holy Spirit who was given to us"

-Romans 5:3-5

Well the time just flew, and test date is now officially two weeks away.  LSATs are grueling to say the least.  There is a huge sense of uneasiness that is setting in but at the same time, I am looking forward to the prospect of being done (with this phase of the process at least).  Though I don't feel quite ready, I will be.

I feel that through this whole process, my prayer life has gotten a lot stronger than before.  Part of it has to do with those moments when I'm just completely sick of doing logic games, or assumption questions and I want to take my eyes off 12pt. Times New Roman for a bit.  But, the bigger part of it is that I feel I am becoming more cognizant of my role in God's "big picture".  To clarify, I am beginning to understand what is required of me as a part of the bigger picture, and one important realization is that there is absolutely nothing I can do without God.  There is no characteristic I possess that allows me to be less reliant on God than any other person, and in light of this fact, I have been seeking God much more fervently.  The joy of realizing how little I can do on my own comes from knowing that I can always seek an audience with God to ask for help.  It is not on the basis of this alone that I glorify Him, but it does strengthen the case.

So as I descend into the last two weeks of LSAT fun, I ask for your prayers.  Don't pray that I get a 180 on test day, but pray that whatever I do is God's will.  If I do get a 180, awesome.  If I get really sick and throw up on my test and get banned from all administrations of the LSAT for life, great.  I will praise God either way.

P.S. The title of this post is a song by The Smiths.  It's not related to anything in this post, but it is an awesome song (very much worth an illegal download).

And the Survey Says...

I was taking a practice LSAT today and I came across a LR question that made me LOL while taking the test.

"Polling data reveal that an overwhelming majority of nine-year-olds can correctly identify the logos of major cigarette brands.  However, of those nine-year-olds who recognize such logos, less than 1 percent smoke.  Therefore, there is little or no connection between recognition of cigarette brands and smoking."

If you are really bored, here is the prompt and answer choices.

Which one of the following uses flawed reasoning most similar to the flawed reasoning above?

(A) The concern about the long-term effects on dolphins of small quantities of mercury in the ocean is unfounded.  During a three-month observation period, 1,000 dolphins were exposed to small quantities of mercury in seawater, with no effect on the animals.

(B) Many ten-year olds dream of becoming actors. Yet it is not likely they will seriously consider becoming actors, because most parents discourage their children from pursuing a highly competitive career.

(C) Most dentists recommend using fluoride to reduce the incidence of cavities, but few recommend giving up candy entirely; so, using fluoride is probably more effective in preventing cavities than is avoiding sweets.

(D) A large percentage of men exercise moderately throughout their lives, but the average life span of those do so is not significantly greater than of those who get little or no exercise.  So there is little or no correlation between moderate exercise and good health.

(E) Most people cannot name their legislative representatives. Nonetheless, this is insignificant for when queried, most of them displayed an adequate command of current political issues.

edit (highlight for answer):

The correct answer is (A).  The flaw in the original statement is that the experiment is set up in a way that will yield an incorrect conclusion.  You can't determine the correlation between cigarette ad recognition and smoking if your sample group is a bunch of 9yr olds.  The same goes for (A).  You can't determine the long-term effects of mercury on dolphins if you only study them for 3 mos. 

The Weather is Better in Southern California

College football season has truly started with another overrated Cal team plunging from the rankings and UCLA bending over to take it from BYU (just getting ready to set up another big upset...who will it be this year???)... which means USC fags fans are back in bloom!

Just in time, because I found a lovely article by an OSU fan about his impression of these dodgy characters that can be read here.

(root for your OWN school.  if your school doesn't have D1 football, WNBA season is going on right now)

On an unrelated side note... 4-0 vs. Toon, 3-0 vs. Twente, 4-0 vs. Rovers, 11-nil to the ARSENAL

Ephesians 5:1-2

"If you are repentant, it means that you love.  And if you love, you already belong to God... With love everything is bought, everything is saved.  If even I, a sinful man, just like you, was moved to tenderness and felt pity for you, how much more will God be.  Love is such a priceless treasure that you can buy the whole world with it, and redeem not only your own but other people's sins.  Go, and do not be afraid"

-The elder Zosima, from the Brothers Karamazov

Fyodor, you slay me with your words... God, you bring me to my knees.

???????

Seriously, wtf is the big deal about this guy. I can't believe Tha Carter III is drawing comparisons to Illmatic and Ready to Die. Most talented rapper alive? HOW?

"Do you fools listen to music or do you just skim through it?"
-J-A-Y hyphen, controllin, manipulatin

It's Only Appropriate

So it's only appropriate I write in this thing durin FINALS WEEK (enter obligatory w00 w00) so I though I would share with you a secret of mine for the past week.

Last Sunday, in the midst of unpacking my things, I noticed that I had left my deodorant at home. Now the weather forecast for the week did not look like it was going to favor my absentmindedness but I did not want to buy another one and I sure as hell wasn't going to drive back home for some stupid deodorant. After debating for a few minutes on whether I should just use Alan's, I just figured I would go the week without it.

My conclusion? Deodorant is overrated. Let me tell you how many people commented on any excess B.O. or moisture through this complicated formula.

0+0+0+0+sin(π)+0+0+0+0+3-2+cos(π/2)+1-2+ln1 = ZERO

I am now going to end this entry prematurely because I am tired.

There is Nothing to be Sorry About Between Friends

Dear Vince;

I can't believe it's already been over two months since you've passed. I remember that when you were still with us, I would start wondering where you were if I didn't have any contact with you after two days. The world hasn't been too different since your funeral but my life has been completely changed. Every now and then, I just randomly drift off and remember a conversation I had with you and it really hurts me that these memories are all I have left now.

When I first found out you passed away, I was filled with regrets. I felt sorry that for all the times you asked me to come out and I stayed home to study or all the times that I got annoyed or got in an argument with you. All I saw were hundreds of missed opportunities that I took for granted. I mean how could I have taken them for anything BUT granted? You were such a health freak that I thought you would be alive until you were over 100. You can't imagine how your passing hit me, because it just didn't add up. I sat at my desk dumbfounded for what seemed like hours after Matt called me.

After the initial shock subsided, I didn't know what to do other than to pray. I was praying for you while you were battling that tumor and that was the only option I felt I had left. In my prayers, even though I was absolutely wrought with grief and shock, I couldn't help but thank God that you were a part of my life. I was so thankful to have your influence in my life and I still am. All the conversations, laughter, and arguments that we shared were things that I felt had a lasting impact on me and they were all things that I couldn't help but thank God for. It's funny because that night, I was just praying that I could hear from you one more time and all of a sudden, my phone rang. I was disappointed at the fact that my caller ID showed the name "Timothy Lee" (j/k Tim!) but while we were talking, he just encouraged me with his condolences and also by just reminding me to trust God.

You have no idea what kind of impact you left on the people you came in contact with. Even people you met for just a couple of hours remembered you as a good guy and a positive person. I was talking to Steve that night and I remember he responded to the news by saying "What the heck!?!? I LIKED VINCE!" It's a real tragedy that more people didn't get to experience your influence in their lives.

Later that week, Steven led a prayer with a bunch of my friends and he shared with us this verse from James, "Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (James 4:14)". It's no mystery that we all have short lives on this planet but how sudden your passing was really helps me be reminded to truly appreciate the time and love of all those around me. Your passing has a put lot into perspective and I really want to make sure that I do not lose sight of this invaluable lesson.

Matt and I visited your parents not too long after your funeral and all four of us just couldn't help laughing when we were sharing our stories about you. It's incredible how even after you've left us, just the memories we have of you are filled with such positivity. At your viewing, Vince's dad asked all of your friends to not remember death as a part of you, and to remember you as a positive, healthy, funny, loving person. He was absolutley right, your death is not a part of you in any way. Matt and I actually joked that the way you passed doesn't even coincide with your character because we figured that the only way you would go out is doing something crazy or stupid (like racing Chik down Fullerton on a rainy day).

I titled this post "There is Nothing to be Sorry About Between Friends" because it was a quote from the movie 친구, which was one of the last times we were all together. It's incredible how much truth is in such a simple line, because I realize that even though I may have regrets, there is no point in being sorry. All I have is constant thanks for the memories we have and whenever I feel overwhelmed by your passing, I just remind myself to be thankful that I was able to have such a wonderful influence in my life since as long as the 5th grade. Every time I visit your gravesite on Sunday after church, I can't help but laugh at least once when I reflect upon the memories I have of you.

I think it goes without saying that it is a real tragedy that you did not get to see your 21st birthday, but all of us who loved you are here celebrating your memory Vince. I can't describe how much I miss you and I hope that you are finally finding some time to relax. Thank you so much Vince, and be good up there bro.

Your Friend,
Henry