the Pernicious Lie

Hey everybody,
A quick post that I meant to write a few weeks ago.
lately I have been getting together with some friends in a small group on tuesday nights. It has been great, encouraging and challenging. we started getting together and catching up on our weeks then discussing a passage from the Bible. lately we have started a video series called "the Truth Project"
It looks at truth from different angles, from a Christian perspective. anyways the last week we watched it, it looked at "who is man?" and discussed the pernicious lie. the pernicious lie is a fundamental lie about who man is
its hard to replicate what was said as each episode is a packed hour of discussion/points, but here is a little tidbit

the question is who is man? there are 3 facets to look at: his essence, his moral state and his need.
the christian perspective (or truth) is that his essence is being in the image of God, both flesh and spirit.
the lie is that he is material, has no purpose, a goo man
the truth about his moral state is that he is fallen.
the lie about his moral state is that he is good, Maslow says we have no instinct for evil (say what?)
the truth about our need is that we need redemption
the lie is that our need is self-actuallization, basically that it is all about us.

now the biggest thing here that stand out is saying that we are basically good or basically evil. well we are not basically good, we are selfish. when we look out only for our interests, we take from others, we don't respect others, we are evil. but the world thinks self-actuallization is what we need. if we only focus on ourselves, the bad part, the selfish part comes through. whereas if our need is redemption, we let God work through us and the hope is that the good outwieghs the bad.
some people say we are good on our own and don't need God. then what influences the terrible things we see? Hitler and the Jews, countries nuclear bombing each other, rapists etc (you can think of more examples i'm sure). why do these things happen? because we think we are completely right to do what we want, often for selfish reasons. sure bad things have happened in the name of religion, no doubt. people can take the part of a religion that benefits them and miss the redemption, the God part, they take scriptures out of context to benefit whatever they think is right.

there is the question of why is there evil? if we are inherently good (as the world would suggest, humanist etc) then how can there be evil. of course there must be some distinction for something being evil, otherwise why does it bother us? how can you feel about about something being bad if everything is right for the person doing the action. there has to be something that governs what is good and what is bad. if are are truely here to self-actualize, as Abraham Maslow suggests, then why are we bothered by evil or bad things. as long as we are self-actualizing, we wouldn't care what happens in Africa or that sort of thing would we?

Did you know in the UK the leading cause for women and 2nd leading cause for men to end up in hospital is suicide attempts? kinda sad, but if we ignore God, we focus on ourselves, and the selfishness can be a dangerous path. we need redemption, and Jesus offers that. we are in the image of God and also ahve a sinful nature. our sinful nature can push out the truth.

I am going to leave it there, hopefully it has provoked some thought, and comment if you want to. We are watching the 4th episode tonight, which is on who is God.

thanks for reading as always,

Adam

March Madness

Hey everybody

Ok, so I’m not really into the march madness basketball tournament, but the title seemed fitting.

I guess it’s been quite a while since I last posted, so I am posting now. What have I been up to?

I went to Lethbridge twice over the Christmas break. the first time I visited Nat and the kids and mom, then drove Mom back to Calgary so she could fly home. Then Dad and I went down for Christmas, spending a few days at Nat and Ryan with family, it was great.

Attending my last semester at University of Calgary for my bachelor of Commerce! (including a block week course). Also I was playing hockey in my floor hockey league (AFHL), but that season is now over (well playoffs are still going, my team missed). Still working with the youth group at my church (BEMC). Went snowboarding at C.O.P. and went to Utah with my dad to visit my mom and step dad, and do some skiing. We also stopped in Lethbridge to visit my sister and the kids.

I Also watched the Olympics, and they were awesome. I got more into them than I ever have before, and loved that they were always on, for the two weeks. It was weird to have them done. Anyways I am proud of our athletes and the fact that Canada got the most Gold medals of any country in the winter Olympics, ever, with 14!

What else? I have been reading a bit. I read two great books in the past few months, Sex God and Jesus wants to save Christians. Yes, one is called Sex God, and it is a Christian book! It’s actually an interesting take on love, and that sex is really about God, comparing things in life where one thing is really about something else. I suggest you read it. also just finished the second book, and it was good as well, read it.

I have been listening to music as usual, but in January Jake and I went to Scott’s parable in Red Deer, mostly just to get new music. I bought a bunch of cds: Hello Hurricane by Switchfoot, Awake by Skillet, Welcome to the Masquerade by TFK, Confessions by Pillar, Forget and Not Slow Down by Relient K, and The Good Album by All-Star United. So much good music. I also bought some new music from Itunes, some Kim Walker, MGMT and Owl City. Jake bought a bunch of CDs too, and one of them is a Junkyard Poets album, which I borrowed, and is also quite good. My favourite CDs recently are Hello Hurricane and Forget and not slow down.

My 14 most listened to songs in the past 3 months are(according to last.fm):

Switchfoot – Needle and Haystack life

Switchfoot – The Sound

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane

Switchfoot – Bullet Soul

Switchfoot – Mess of Me

Relient K – Therapy

Relient K – This is the end

Switchfoot – Red Eyes

Switchfoot – Free

Relient K – Candlelight

Thousand Foot Krutch – Scream

Switchfoot – Your Love is a Song

Relient K – I don’t need a soul

Relient K – if you believe me

And over the last 3 months my top 5 albums are new ones:

Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane

Relient K – Forget and Not slow down

Thousand Foot Krutch – welcome to the masquerade

All-Star united – the good album

Skillet – Awake

For more visit : http://www.last.fm/user/calgarydude/charts?subtype=albums or look at the bar to the right!

Also I have been involved in a small bible study group on Tuesday nights with Justin, Greg and Jon, which has been great. We started the Truth project this past Tuesday, and it led to some great discussion.

I have been applying for jobs the past few days, so that I have a job come graduation in May. My Grad ceremony is June 10^th, which is also my niece Abigail’s birthday. I am hoping to go to Seattle on the May long weekend for a wedding of two of my friends from Capernwray – Colton and Stacia.

I am also hoping to go to Israel with a group from the church in October. It would be awesome to go, see the country, the history and walk where Jesus walked. I have a meeting for it on Sunday.

Also bought YC tickets for the youth group in February, that was tough, they sell so fast, something like 17,000 tickets sold in the first 6 hours!? at $140 a ticket, that is alot of money. with that kind of demand, you would think they could do something like that in Calgary.

I have been busy working on school stuff, have a midterm on Monday and two other assignments due, so it is sort of march madness. Also the Flames have been kicking butt lately, winning 4 in a row, also considering getting Stampeders season tickets with my dad.

Not sure what else to say, or if anyone will actually read this, but i hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for reading,

Adam

um. December 09

Hi people,

well here is another post, likely my last of the decade on here. actually technically the decade ends at the end of 2010, as the decade would start on 1. but the society ends it on the 9 of the decade, making this the last month of the...00's? I guess I don't think of 1990 as being in the 80's, so it works.

I am now done classes for the semester, but still have 4 finals left, and a fairly sucky final exam sched. one final this saturday, then next weekend I have a final friday night, saturday and monday. I am downloading a trial version of a program called crystal ball so i can study for my first final this saturday. My car is in the shop today to get the heating fixed, so I am going to stay home until I can go get it.

Since it is the end of the decade (kinda) i thought I would think back on the standout memories from the past 10 years.

2000 -
May - my first girlfriend. not a significant relationship, but my first girlfriend. it only lasted a month. (that's about as much as I'll discuss relationships on this public post...)
July - I went to a bible camp called River's Edge for the first time. my sister convinced my dad it would be a good thing to go to. I didn't want to go if i had to ride horses, but my dad (not christian at the time) convinced me to go. I had a great time, made some friends and accepted Christ for the first time.

2001 - May - River Roots on victoria day long weekend at camp. the unofficial start of my experience in youth group. half the camp was from my church, of which i knew no one. made new friends, like Kevin and Aaron. started going to youth afterwards
July - back to camp, this time for 2 weeks straight! I rededicated myself to christ, and got sick. a whirlwind 2 weeks.
9/11 stands out. I think most people my age and older remember this. turning on the tv in the morning, a friend came over to walk to school with me, on tv was a building in New York with smoke coming out of it. wow. went to school, found out the other tower got hit, other planes crashed and basically a day watching tv and listening to the radio at school. the next 3 days the only thing on tv was replays of what happened and discussion. I didn't fully realize the magnitude of it at the time, being in grade 9.

2002. February - Olympics - Salt Lake. Canadian hockey womens team wins gold despite biased ref. next day, the country parties as the mens hockey team wins the first hockey Gold for Canadian men in the olympics since 1952. huge.
September - nervous anticipation as I started high school at Beaverbrook.
December - my first actual job - at Sport chek! getting my first paycheck, and working overnight for the first time too.

2003 - august - outward bound camp. I had to miss out on rivers edge but went to a different camp in BC, with 8 other kids from accross the country, hiking into the mountains of BC for 17 days. wild. a challenging but good time.
sep - job at swiss chalet. stayed for 2 months, it was good money but not great, didn't like some of the people i worked with, and couldn't go to youth sunday nights as i had to work.
dec- started at Papa Johns. I had applied there with a friend (travis) a few weeks earlier. they called me a month later for an interview.

2004 - April-June - Flames Stanley Cup playoff run - the city, the excitement, upsets, watching game 6 of the SC final in the mountains, all the red, red mile - crazy times
May - my sister gets married to Ryan. awesome
summer - no camp. Rivers edge camps were cancelled. i worked all summer for the first time, and went to my grandparents 50th anniversary in saskatchewan

2005 - May/June - Graduated high school! woohoo.
June - bought my own car, first car! 1994 Toyota Corolla (still driving it!)
July/august - worked at camp for the summer (rivers edge) made great new friends and fun times
Sep - started college at Mount Royal. it was a tough first semester
November - went to my first Grey Cup game, with my dad. drove to vancouver for the game

2006 - April - quit papa johns despite becoming basically asst. manager, as semester finished because of poor pay. went to do Cribbing (construction)
June - my niece was born - I became an uncle!
july - went to work at camp for the summer, got refocused on God and made more friendships
Sep - got involved with youth as a youth sponsor! helping to lead the gr7-9 boys. had no clue what i was doing, but it worked out well
Oct- got job at marks work wearhouse after someone saw my ad on a job site

2007 - june - quit my job as i got a job at Nexen downtown, thanks to some interviews and connection from my mom and step-dad. my first office job! (and it payed like it too!) had some good hockey talks with a new friend
July - narrowed down what to do with my semester off. from my choices of: working, travelling on my own, capernwray, dts, bible school - i picked Capernwray, then chose to go to the one in Australia! applied for it
Aug - found out I was accepted to the school in aus, now had to figure out how i would pay for it. the excitement began
oct - made new friends in young adults and joined the wednesday wing night tradition
nov- was blessed with some suprise money before i was supposed to get it, to help pay for Capernwray! then went to the Grey Cup in Toronto with my dad. woohoo. also saw Niagra falls, CFL and NHL halls of fame, CN tower, Ivor Wynne stadium and some relatives from the area.

2008 - January - several going away parties and many goodbyes. excitement, joy, disbelief, amazement and more excitement, nervousness and more excitement as I was "leaving on a jet plane" to Australia. packing my bags, realizing how much i would be missed by friends and family, incredible. read my first posts of this blog to read more about that...
January - August - a reel of memories. highlights were travel weekend with friends, hong kong mission trip to newboy house, prac week in sydney, coolangatta, fraser island with friends, Whitsundays sailing trip....i could go on and on haha.
Sep - got another job with nexen, started at University of Calgary. reconnected with friends/youth/family, met my nephew
Nov - Stampeders win the Grey Cup, got my own office at work
Dec - finished with D+ in 2 courses, would have to repeat

2009
january - brother-in-law Ryan gets laid off as youth pastor. sucky, big changes at bonavista
March - snowboarding for the 3rd time of the season - had a blast and gained confidence
April - saw friend Sean from Capernwray
May - got summer student job at TransCanada. another connection gets me a job, and my best one yet (and best paying too!)
June - Ryan got a job as youth pastor in Lethbridge - exciting for him and his family. also means dad moves upstairs and I get basement suite on my own. camping with friends at end of month
August - two trips to banff, visit with friends from Capernwray (Lisa and Michi) and camping in Drumheller
Sep - year 2 at U of C also final year of University!
Nov - went to my 3rd Grey Cup game, in Calgary this time. my Dad and I debated selling tickets and went in the end, glad we did even if the Stampeders weren't in it. (Riders blew it in an epic finish)












wow, so lots of memories, obviously the more recent ones are easier to recall. it has been an amazing decade, one of terrorism, Gold, graduations, changes for relatives, Grey Cup games, faith, youth, friends, family, traditions, adventures and growth. A decade that still no one knows what to call, or how to describe (ok technology/computers/cellphones/mp3 music and facebook).

ok so here are some one liners to finish...


Always remember that you are unique; just like everyone else.
consciousness: that annoying time between naps
there are three kinds of people: those who can count, and those those who can't
why is "abbreviation" such a long word?
nuke the whales
i started out with nothing and i still have most of it
change is inevitable, except from a vending machine
out of my mind. back in five minutes
a clear conscience is usually a sign of bad memory
as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in public schools
laugh alone and the world thinks you're an idiot
sometimes i wake up grumpy; other times i let her sleep
the severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the ability to reach it
you can't have everything. where would you put it?
i took an IQ test and the results were negative
okay, who stopped the payment on my reality check?

hehe some good ones there.
soo i think thats it, enjoy the christmas season, it feels like christmas outside. take some time to reflect on Jesus and have a dangerous Christmas!

thanks for reading,

Adam