"I think the best idea's I've ever had were somebody else's... Timeless, transcendent truth is not something that I'm going to come up with." - Jon Foreman.
"Good poets borrow. Great poets steal." - T. S. Eliot
Originality is something most people appreciate and strive for. The song writer wants to write a song thats never been written. The athlete wants to accomplish feats never before done by anyone. The architect wants to build something that looks unique and stands out. The painter wants to paint something extravagant and new.
It's exciting discovering new things. It's even more exciting to come up with these new things; to be named the author. But where does our thirst for originality end? Could it be after we've already left God's side in search for our own path? Does the preacher really want to preach something never preached before?
I'm not saying we don't need change. However, I think in search for the right changes, we leave so much timeless, transcendent truth behind. God gave us his Word not to add to it, nor was it to be a bridge to some other truth yet uncovered. It's the inerrant 'complete' Word of God.
So, I'd say the lesson is simple. Great poets steal. And like Jon Foreman said, timeless, transcendent truth is something I'm definitely not going to come up with. So look's like I'm going to start stealing. God's Word is perfect. Why not start there?
Ecclesiastes 1: 9 "That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun."
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sept. 26th - Jan. 10th
So, it's been some time since I've done any blogging. I usually don't blog about my daily/weekly doings. However, it's been a while so I thought I'd give everyone a recap ... here's a quick run down of how my life has been since I last blogged (sept. 26th)
Well....
September was an enjoyable month. But it could not compare to the month to come. October was a great month full of retreats at Camp Longridge (greatest place on planet Earth, in case you didn't know). Amidst all the retreats I had a wonderful trip to the great Washington, D of C with my parents and brother. It was also a life changing event as it made me realize that I don't hate big cities quite as much as I thought I did.
October 16th I found a wonderful girl who was gracious enough to agree to be my girlfriend and allow me to be her boyfriend. These terms were met as long as she could be sure that it was a three person relationship. Me, her, and God. Or... God, her, then me would be a better order. Anyways, I could go on for some time with this but I'll spare you that in hopes you will read on ;)
I played in the band for TGT again this fall. Interesting experience as it was last year. I got to work KWB with two of my best friends, Mark and Daniel, who should have applied to camp a long time ago. I got to see my nieces (Madeline Grace Smith) first christmas. Msot adorable girl ever born, btw. Spent new years with Mark and Daniel and my brother Justin. Fun stuff, of course. And finally this past weekend was one of my favorites in quite some time. Spent it with camp staff up in Anderson.
So this has been my life since my last blog in a very condensed form. Maybe I'll elaborate on some of this later on, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Oh, and here... read this - Psalm 139: 1 - 18. :)
Well....
September was an enjoyable month. But it could not compare to the month to come. October was a great month full of retreats at Camp Longridge (greatest place on planet Earth, in case you didn't know). Amidst all the retreats I had a wonderful trip to the great Washington, D of C with my parents and brother. It was also a life changing event as it made me realize that I don't hate big cities quite as much as I thought I did.
October 16th I found a wonderful girl who was gracious enough to agree to be my girlfriend and allow me to be her boyfriend. These terms were met as long as she could be sure that it was a three person relationship. Me, her, and God. Or... God, her, then me would be a better order. Anyways, I could go on for some time with this but I'll spare you that in hopes you will read on ;)
I played in the band for TGT again this fall. Interesting experience as it was last year. I got to work KWB with two of my best friends, Mark and Daniel, who should have applied to camp a long time ago. I got to see my nieces (Madeline Grace Smith) first christmas. Msot adorable girl ever born, btw. Spent new years with Mark and Daniel and my brother Justin. Fun stuff, of course. And finally this past weekend was one of my favorites in quite some time. Spent it with camp staff up in Anderson.
So this has been my life since my last blog in a very condensed form. Maybe I'll elaborate on some of this later on, but we'll just have to wait and see.
Oh, and here... read this - Psalm 139: 1 - 18. :)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
"Committed to Love."
So, I was able to enjoy a nice sunday morning church service for the first time in some while. Working weekend retreats kind'a takes that away. But I went with my parents to Phillippi Baptist Church in Edgefield and the pastor there, who just started a few weeks ago, Pastor Josh McClendon, preached a message I'm pretty sure was just for me. :)
He preached out of Matthew 22. The Pharisee's were attempting to trap Jesus in a corner. They asked Him what the greatest commandment of all was. Jesus, of course, responded with "Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." One of the best statement I think Pastor Josh made was the idea of being "committed to love." It's a commandment, and so, just like any other commandment God has given us, we can either choose to obey or disobey.
So, tomorrow, when you wake up, that's when you must decide if you're going to obey or disobey. Are you going to love your neighbor and the Lord your God? It's not a question of weather or not you're in a good mood, or weather the people you're around that day are easy to love. The only question is, will you obey. So let's try and do something very inhuman of us. Let's be committed to love one another, regardless the situation.
He preached out of Matthew 22. The Pharisee's were attempting to trap Jesus in a corner. They asked Him what the greatest commandment of all was. Jesus, of course, responded with "Loving the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." One of the best statement I think Pastor Josh made was the idea of being "committed to love." It's a commandment, and so, just like any other commandment God has given us, we can either choose to obey or disobey.
So, tomorrow, when you wake up, that's when you must decide if you're going to obey or disobey. Are you going to love your neighbor and the Lord your God? It's not a question of weather or not you're in a good mood, or weather the people you're around that day are easy to love. The only question is, will you obey. So let's try and do something very inhuman of us. Let's be committed to love one another, regardless the situation.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
- The Sound (John Perkins Blues)
This is the sound of a heartbeat.This is the sound of the discontented mouths
Of a haunted nation. We are the voice of breaking down.
Can you hear me? This is the sound
Of a desperation bound
By our own collisions
We are the voice of breaking down.
So, this is the lyrics to the course of one of my favorite songs by switchfoot.
It pretty much sums up what I've talked about for the last couple of blogs. Whenever Jon Foreman talks about sound, it usually symbolizes love. So I believe that when he says "sound of a heartbeat" I think he could be talking about our human-version of love. Then it goes on to say that we're discontented and haunted. Meaning even though we've changed love to meet our "needs" we're still unsatisfied and unsettled by everything around us. Then he simply says that this is just a path to destruction. "This is the sound of a desperation bound by our own collisions."
This is, of course, my simple interpretation of the song. Just kinda what it said to me. And it was a sudden realization to me that it had a lot to do with what I was writting about on my blog.
Monday, August 23, 2010
"Without faith man can do nothing..."
"...but with faith, all things are possible."
-Sir William Osler
I've been reading Piers Paul Read's book on the Templars. It's been going through a brief summery of the life of Jesus, noting it's importance in forming the Knights Templar. Piers is talking about how, factually speaking, plausible the life of Jesus really was. He quoted a biblical scholar of whom I've never heard named E. P. Sanders.
"We know that He started under John the Baptist, we know that He had disciples, that He expected the 'Kingdom' that he went from Galilee to Jerusalem, that He did something hostile against the Temple, that He was tried and crucified. Finally, we know that after His death his followers experienced what they described as the 'resurrection': the appearance of a living but transformed person who had actually died. They believed this, they lived it, and they died for it." -E. P. Sanders
That quote really hit me. To hear it put so plainly and simply. You could dismiss the whole thing as crazy, but that last line, "They believed this, they lived it, and they died for it." That line alone will make anyone stop and think a moment. What was it about this Man that these guys died for.
Though I know that the bible is not and will never be factually sound, it's nice to read something like this. But I believe that the smallest amount of faith is much stronger than any amount of knowledge. In the end, faith is the foundation of christianity.
But, here's a bonus quote I also read in the same book.
"He was exactly what the man with a delusion never is: He was a good judge. What he said was always unexpected; but it was always unexpectedly magnanimous and often unexpectedly moderate." -G. K. Chesterton
-Sir William Osler
I've been reading Piers Paul Read's book on the Templars. It's been going through a brief summery of the life of Jesus, noting it's importance in forming the Knights Templar. Piers is talking about how, factually speaking, plausible the life of Jesus really was. He quoted a biblical scholar of whom I've never heard named E. P. Sanders.
"We know that He started under John the Baptist, we know that He had disciples, that He expected the 'Kingdom' that he went from Galilee to Jerusalem, that He did something hostile against the Temple, that He was tried and crucified. Finally, we know that after His death his followers experienced what they described as the 'resurrection': the appearance of a living but transformed person who had actually died. They believed this, they lived it, and they died for it." -E. P. Sanders
That quote really hit me. To hear it put so plainly and simply. You could dismiss the whole thing as crazy, but that last line, "They believed this, they lived it, and they died for it." That line alone will make anyone stop and think a moment. What was it about this Man that these guys died for.
Though I know that the bible is not and will never be factually sound, it's nice to read something like this. But I believe that the smallest amount of faith is much stronger than any amount of knowledge. In the end, faith is the foundation of christianity.
But, here's a bonus quote I also read in the same book.
"He was exactly what the man with a delusion never is: He was a good judge. What he said was always unexpected; but it was always unexpectedly magnanimous and often unexpectedly moderate." -G. K. Chesterton
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
"...The one true innovation."
Love.
I know the last post was about love, but a wise man once said, (sang) "Love is the one true innovation. Love is the only art."
-Bullet Soul, Switchfoot
It's a very common topic of the Bible. And it's something that I think we as human beings might think we have figured out, but then God will wake us up from our arrogance and show us that this incomprehensible emotion that He only can give is something that's growing. Jon Foreman describes love as being a song. Something with so many parts that can't all be taken in at once. It's a masterpiece carefully crafted by God.
Very recently, I've been thinking a lot about what I believe love is. I still don't know. And though I might not ever figure out fully what it was meant to be, I can tell you a little bit about what we, the human race, have made it.
Something exclusive. Social title seems to deem weather or not someone is lovable. I'm not talking about racism or about being rich or poor. I'm talking about things like friendships. We've made love something that has to be deserved or earned. But that's completely unbiblical. Where has God ever shown us that love is something deserved. We were completely undeserving of His love, yet here we are, basking in it everyday.
Or another way to see this is through teenage relationships. Recently I've begun to wonder why must you be dating someone to love them or to be there for them. Or just even to do the little things like talk to them at night or help them through there problems. Sure, girls do this with each other all the time, and even guys from time to time, (though we may not always admit it). But when a girl calls a guy simply because she wants someone to talk to, why does that mean that they should be dating. That's simply showing love for one another which is one of the greatest commandments.
Social title is one wall we've built around love. I pray that we could find a way to bring down this wall.
I know the last post was about love, but a wise man once said, (sang) "Love is the one true innovation. Love is the only art."
-Bullet Soul, Switchfoot
It's a very common topic of the Bible. And it's something that I think we as human beings might think we have figured out, but then God will wake us up from our arrogance and show us that this incomprehensible emotion that He only can give is something that's growing. Jon Foreman describes love as being a song. Something with so many parts that can't all be taken in at once. It's a masterpiece carefully crafted by God.
Very recently, I've been thinking a lot about what I believe love is. I still don't know. And though I might not ever figure out fully what it was meant to be, I can tell you a little bit about what we, the human race, have made it.
Something exclusive. Social title seems to deem weather or not someone is lovable. I'm not talking about racism or about being rich or poor. I'm talking about things like friendships. We've made love something that has to be deserved or earned. But that's completely unbiblical. Where has God ever shown us that love is something deserved. We were completely undeserving of His love, yet here we are, basking in it everyday.
Or another way to see this is through teenage relationships. Recently I've begun to wonder why must you be dating someone to love them or to be there for them. Or just even to do the little things like talk to them at night or help them through there problems. Sure, girls do this with each other all the time, and even guys from time to time, (though we may not always admit it). But when a girl calls a guy simply because she wants someone to talk to, why does that mean that they should be dating. That's simply showing love for one another which is one of the greatest commandments.
Social title is one wall we've built around love. I pray that we could find a way to bring down this wall.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
1 Peter 4:8 Love because you are loved.
"...For love covers a multitude of sin."
Peter wrote a letter to the churches back around 62 AD. He was writing to the churches of the time. Most of them were being persecuted and experiencing a lot of suffering. He was reminding them that despite the troubles they're facing, that God's grace still holds true. In chapter 4, verse 8 he was quoting Proverbs chapter 10, verse 12. Where it actually reads, "For love covers ALL sin." Peter was encouraging christians to keep the love they have for one another and for everyone else. It would be an essential part of they're walk with God. He's telling us that no matter what we're going through, stay true to the love of God. Love because you are loved.
I felt like sharing this because on the last week of camp, I asked Amy to make a craft down at the lake for me. Something I could remember the summer by. I made no special request. But she comes to me at the end of lake time with a leather tag, and on the front it says, 1 Peter 4:8. So I looked it up and read the verse...
"Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sin."
Such words of encouragement. Love one another. And stay true to that love no matter what trails you may face. In fact, the only way to get over those walls that we face is to love one another.
I keep that leather band on my keys now and it reminds me to love everyone, despite what I'm going through or what kind of mood I'm in that day. Thanks Amy.
-Jason Hadden
Peter wrote a letter to the churches back around 62 AD. He was writing to the churches of the time. Most of them were being persecuted and experiencing a lot of suffering. He was reminding them that despite the troubles they're facing, that God's grace still holds true. In chapter 4, verse 8 he was quoting Proverbs chapter 10, verse 12. Where it actually reads, "For love covers ALL sin." Peter was encouraging christians to keep the love they have for one another and for everyone else. It would be an essential part of they're walk with God. He's telling us that no matter what we're going through, stay true to the love of God. Love because you are loved.
I felt like sharing this because on the last week of camp, I asked Amy to make a craft down at the lake for me. Something I could remember the summer by. I made no special request. But she comes to me at the end of lake time with a leather tag, and on the front it says, 1 Peter 4:8. So I looked it up and read the verse...
"Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sin."
Such words of encouragement. Love one another. And stay true to that love no matter what trails you may face. In fact, the only way to get over those walls that we face is to love one another.
I keep that leather band on my keys now and it reminds me to love everyone, despite what I'm going through or what kind of mood I'm in that day. Thanks Amy.
-Jason Hadden
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