11.28.2005

PPU

No, I'm not going to make a joke about the bathroom...

But first, a public service announcement:

theDING wishes to voice his extreme displeasure at the fact that the Eskimos of Edmonton are once again Grey Cup champions. He also hopes that this does not ruin Danny Maciocia as a head coach. A rookie winning the Grey Cup can be dangerous because they all of a sudden have very high expectations placed on them. He is a decent coach, but I think that a lot of it has to do with being in the right place with the right team at the right time. I do not want to see him shuffled off because he can't repeat right away. Otherwise, theDING wishes it to be known that he thought that the game was decent and the half-time show was absolutely horrible.

In this particular case, PPU stands for Peace that Passes Understanding. Today has been an unusual day for me. I have felt at peace for that parts of the day that have transpired so far. It has been absolutely unreal. I have come to the conclusion that either I have completely and utterly burned out and no longer care about anything, or I have been given a large dose of peace and joy from God.

It's nice...

Here's a case in point:

This morning I woke up and totally realized that I had about 30 minutes to get to the school (which is totally par for the course). 10 minutes walk to the school automatically is removed from the figure, leaving me 20 minutes to prep for the day. After settling on some clothes and doing the usual hair thing and such, I looked for the implements of life at school. I could not find anything! My watch, keys, wallet all went through careful search processes. So after resigning myself to going watchless for the day, I dumped some marking stuff into my backpack and went off to the college.

As I left, I realized that I put the assignment marking sheets into my backpack, but not the assignments themselves. I also forgot my mug. And my binder (thankfully, that was at the school). And library books I needed for a paper. But I wasn't nearly as stressed out or frustrated over that as much as I normally would be, I just said "Hey, it will all work out."

In class I realized that I also spent the weekend doing a lot of catching up with friends that I have neglected for the last bit because of stress over teaching and assignments. It was well needed and I consider to be time well spent with awesome people. Unfortunately, I didn't get too much work done and I usually am totally thinking about that all morning. Again, I just said, "Hey, it will all work out." Then I proceeded to make a viable plan that means that I won't have as much time to have breaks, but enough to live on.

This feeling has been just amazing. I am so thankful for a God who loves me like this...

posted by theDING @ 13:29 1 comments

11.23.2005

Would You Like Fries With That?

OK, so it's been about a bazillion seconds since I last posted. I know, ya'll are out there waiting with baited breath, longing for another update...

Here it is!

But first, a public service announcement...

Previously, theDING stated that he would temporarily align his CFL allegiances with the British Columbia Lions. Unfortunately, said Lions have proven toothless against the vile wiles of a large group of Eskimos from Edmoton. As a result, theDING was considering realigning once again to line up with the Eskimos' next opponent, Montreal for the championship matchup. However, the ECFHA has league play on that same day. Despite the fact that the schedule allows the viewing of the game, floor hockey with real people is infintestimately more interesting and theDING will not be cheering, but hoping that Edmonton gets beat nonetheless.

And now back to our studio.

The title for this post is one of the ones that I wrote during the experimental period that I mused about in my last post. So sit back and enjoy...

One of the big things that we talk about here at FGBC is God. Being a theological place, you would normally come to expect that, but sometimes the discussions go off in zany directions. A common thing to happen in the midst of a group of people is for a person to talk about something that they did because of a misguided belief in God or something that they have seen someone else do for the same reason. The actions are often referred to as "putting God in a box".

And rightly so.

How and why do we expect God to fit within our neat little paradigms and ideas? If we keep making assumptions about who God is, one of us is going to end up looking like an idiot (and it won't be God). We need to read God's word completely and in context and couple what we see there with our experiences and those of others. Continous delving at and considering these "relational truths" will eventually break open our box about God...or at least start some leaking at the seams.

However, I often find it sad how Christians, including myself, are guilty of putting ourselves in a box, in a similar way that we do to God. We limit God's power through the "boxing" process and we do something similar to ourselves through the power of our thoughts and words. Even though sometimes we are joking or fooling around when we make comments that go against gifts and talents that the body of Christ has affirmed in us, it can put limits on us. It may not be always noticeable or even manifesting itself in the targeted area, but we fail to realize that our words have power that can bind or "box" our lives.

What we often take for granted is that we have the image of Christ in us. That's the way in which we are created! This image is not something that we have to earn or strive for, but something that has been given to us as God's gift. We have some of the same characteristics as God, such as the abilities to reason, love and have relationships with other people. Even though we do not have these in perfection (like God does), these are some of the things that make us unique and not like animals.

Knowing that we as Christians can depend on God, how much does it pain God when he sees us living in a way that is not to our fullest potential when we fail to trust in God? "Boxing" these divine attributes, whether they are God's directly or the ones that he shows in us is something that we should pay close attention to and make every effort to avoid. God wants us to live a life without limits, but we have to make sure that things stay clear on both ends of our relationship with him.

posted by theDING @ 13:00 2 comments

11.13.2005

E Equals mc Squared

E=mc squared when:

E is epiphany
m is memory
c is the Holy Spirit

More on that later...

Public Service Announcement

theDING would like it to be widely known that, due to the abysmal play of the Calgary Stampeders (and the even more abysmal reffing that went on during the fourth quarter) during the Western Semi-final in the CFL, the Stampeders lost said matchup. Due to the elimination of theDING's favorite football team from the postseason, he has temporarily switched football alliegances to line up with the British Columbia Lions. theDING hopes that the Lions will send the Edmoton Eskimos into utter defeat so that he will be able to assume neutral status in the remainder of the postseason.

Thank you.


Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

I was walking to the dungeon from the aformentioned stunning defeat realizing that I had not posted a blog entry for some time. I had already made plans to write one earlier on in the day and had chosen a topic. I then proceeded to change my mind later on in the day. As I walked, a frustrated youth off to catch up on some much needed work, I realized that I could not remember either topic that I had previously thought of.

Then I realized how sad that was; emotions and ideas lost forever, trapped in the recesses of time, space and the back of my mind. My mind just seems to move too quickly, turning over one idea and checking another.

That's when I came up with today's equation.

You see, epiphanies (sudden realizations of truth) are really only beneficial if you actually remember them and then allow them to change your life and actions. That is why E=m.

However, I believe that because I am saved, I have the mind of Christ and a lot of these things that I think of are inspired by the Holy Spirit. I know that sounds really high and mighty, but if you stop and think about it, we as Christians have the joyous opportunity of hearing God's voice. I think that God speaks to us through many different avenues, one of them being our very own thoughts. In fact, the good thoughts that I have do come from him, because on my own I am nothing. It is so true that every good and perfect gift comes from heaven.

That is why c in my equation equals the Holy Spirit. You see in the original equation, c equals the speed of light. However, the last time that I checked, the phrase "speed of light" does not begin with a c. What does begin with a c is the Latin word celeritas, which means "speed". This is why the equation has stood for so long and scientists haven't replaced it with l for light or something like that. In the same way, the Holy Spirit sends things through my brain, which functions off of electrical impulses which are very fast...I figure, "Why not?" It's even squared, showing how much more of the Holy Spirit is involved and not my memory alone.

So, I've decided to undergo a little exercise to preserve these thoughts and ideas; we'll see if it works.

As you all may know, I enjoy encapsulating a lot of depth and emotion in my titles for my blog entries. To me, they are literary works of art, taking time and careful worded consideration. Often, I do the same thing when I am thinking. So, for the next week, I am going to carry around a pen and a small notebook. That way, when I get an idea that reaches the title stage (which means that it has been rather well-developed), I am going to write it down, along with a brief explanation (one or two sentences). At the end of the day, I am going to take the list and write about one of them. They will likely not end up in this blog...but who knows. Odds are, this will not be a regular, everyday thing that I am going to do beyond this week, but my hope is that I will train myself to write a bit more often as it is something that I feel at peace doing and somewhat enjoy as well.

7 days...hope to write here before then...

posted by theDING @ 20:40 2 comments

11.10.2005

Alone in the Dungeon

It's a Thursday today...

But not just any Thursday; it's reading break Thursday! This simply means that all of my compatriots that normally would be working down here in the dungeon with me right now have fled for greener pastures. This is not really a bad thing per se, but it just feels wierd that I can't yell over the divider in my cubicule and get a response.

Really wierd.

I guess today I'll be marking to the tunes of Mark Mallett and then going off to the library later before heading home to watch the Pens game.

Ah - before I know it, the weekend will be over and I'll be back to work again and I'll be able to yell over the cubicle wall and start riveting conversation once again.

posted by theDING @ 13:52 3 comments

11.07.2005

The Soul

Dark night...please pray.

posted by theDING @ 16:00 0 comments

11.06.2005

Now This is Hockey Night...

In approximately five hours and forty minutes, a new chapter in the history of FGBC will be opened. Whether that chapter lasts for a semester, a year or in perpetuity (like the Stubble Bowl, which has just hit 30 years), nobody knows. It has been what has kept me at the school for meals, made me watch hockey games more attentively and has added another three notches to my already crazy demeanor.

This is what hockey night really should look like.

To think that a mere 10 days ago, four guys in suits sat down (with a fifth, unexpected guy to join about 20 minutes later) with nothing more than a crazy dream, influence and a lot of people staring at us, thinking we were crazy.

It was a night that a floor hockey league was formed.

Armed with the acronym, FHL (floor hockey league), we started the intense process of recruiting general managers and setting up a tentative schedule for the fledgling league. In a step reminicent of the philosophy in the movie Field of Dreams, we put out a sign-up sheet, all the while thinking "If you build it, they will come."

And build it we did. Three days later, we had 30 people, six general managers from the faculty and staff and six team captains confirmed, proving that our vision was not in vain. At that lunch meeting, a new league name was born - the Eston Collegiate Floor Hockey Association. Undaunted by the fact that the abbreviation ECFHA did not really roll off the tounge, the five of us (now calling ourselves the "board of governors") spread the word of draft night, November 1.

Draft night was simply amazing. Captains and general managers came to select their players from the die-hard souls that signed up to engage in an adapted version of Canada's greatest sport. When the dust had settled, the cell phones had silenced and the trade rumors stopped flying, six teams crawled out of the pool, each with a distinct identity:

Fuerza - the Spanish word for "strength", their roster shows it
The Mighty Gophers of Eston - a team drafted over the cell phone, but not lacking in heart
Aslan's Arsonists - a team ready to set the world on fire for Christ
The ABHE - a team that endorses both higher education and hockey in Eston
The Endtimes Hockey Battalion - a team that is out to prove that amillenialism really is an option
The Power Shots - a team with both the name and the skills indicated therein

Amidst all the cheers being formed, the fans being riled up and even sticks and jerseys being purchased all on the team's own initiative, we come to realize just how much of a unique community this is.

And in a little under six hours now, we will see just what happens on the ECFHA opening night - a night where everyone plays and the bullets start to fly for real.

Let it all be for the glory of God.

posted by theDING @ 12:45 2 comments