Illegal copies (Prompt #3)

Full prompt: When it comes to downloading music off the internet, P. Diddy claims "when you make an illegal copy, you're stealing from an artist." U2's Bono states that "bootlegs are fine if you're making a few of them for your friends."

Assignment: Are the notions of copyright and intellectual property relevant in today's file-sharing environment? Is it right or wrong to download music off the web?



P. Diddy says "When you make an illegal copy, you're stealing from an artist." Is that true? Is it stealing to just to copy one or two petty little songs? How bad can it be?

Well, it can get pretty bad pretty quickly, especially in the online world of music downloads. Sure, there are those who just download one or two of their favorite songs, but there are many out there who download thousands of songs, not looking for the music but for the profit. So, is it ok to get a couple of songs off of the internet? The answer is no. Even if they're only for your own personal use, it is still illegal. Allowing some people and not allowing means that a court of law would have to judge someone's motive, something they are not capable of doing.

There are those who have no money, no friends, no CDs; they want music. What do they do? They get copies. After all, it's a win-win situation, right? The band becomes more popular and the person gets their music. However, popularity won't help a band at all if no one pays money to listen to their songs.

The fact is, illegal downloading is exactly what it says, illegal. It does take money away from musical artists, and we can't know how much revenue they need; we can't judge ourselves, saying, "it's not that bad, they'll survive." We can't make excuses, we can't make compromises.

In the end, it really doesn't matter if we think it's right or wrong, the government has made laws about it and we are to submit to those laws.

You can't take it with you(Prompt #2)

Ideas about money have been on the minds of great thinkers for centuries. Henry Fielding said, "Make money your God and it will plague you like the devil." Ken Hakuta once said, "Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle."

Maybe money is, after all, NOT The key ingredient to providing some of life's most sought-after answers?

Assignment: How do you feel about the idea that there are more important things in life than money?



Henry Fielding once said "Make money your God and it will plague you like the devil." This statement is entirely true, but it is not because money is inherently evil. Idolizing money, however, is a sin.

Despite the dangers that money brings with it, it is a very useful medium through which people can carry out business transactions and do many other things. Without money, in the present day united states, one could not buy or rent a house or apartment, could not eat, could not get clothes or other extremely useful items. Very quickly would come a transformation into what we call a "homeless person".

There are dangers though; the two primary reasons that anyone would idolize money are power and comfort. In our modern culture, comfort is everything. Money buys our comfortable beds and other furniture; it buys our tasty food; it buys our air-conditioned cars; it buys cable TV. Money facilitates easy access to our favorite sins: sloth, gluttony, addictions (alcohol, drugs, immorality)

There are many things which are much more important than money to have and care for. First and foremost is our soul. For what gain is it for a man to gain the whole world if he loses his soul? No matter what television or radio or culture or anyone else says, money isn't everything. There is at least one thing money can't buy. Money can't buy heaven.

So rather than storing up treasures on earth that decay and get stolen, gather up spiritual treasures, because if there's one thing that's true, it's this. You can't take it with you when you go.

Pushing it too Far (prompt #1)

Stupid writing prompts...

In the world of medicine there are many studies trying to prove that use of the mind can effect a physical change, in other words, "Mind over matter." As Christians, we know that this type of "mind over matter" would be the power of prayer. We also know that sometimes God answers "no" to our prayers. Study the following quotes:

One can believe intellectually in the efficacy of prayer and never do any praying. --Catherine Marshall

When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't pray, they don't. --William Temple

Those who do not believe do not pray. This is a good functional definition of faith. Faith prays, unbelief does not. --John A. Hardon

Assignment:
In 25 minutes, without the use of outside materials, please write a focused essay explain the validity of ONE of the findings below.

Long-Awaited Medical Study Questions the Power of Prayer
By BENEDICT CAREY
Published: March 31, 2006, The New York Times
"One conclusion from this is that the role of awareness of prayer should be studied further," said Dr. Charles Bethea, a cardiologist at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and a co-author of the study.
Other experts said the study underscored the question of whether prayer was an appropriate subject for scientific study.
In other words:
Do you believe that this is an appropriate scientific study? Why or why not?


"When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don't pray, they don't." William Temple's view on prayer is clear. However, can one study prayer? Is it possible to use science to explain spiritual matters?

Prayer is indeed a spiritual matter. There is absolutely no other way to classify it that would allow it to retain its definition. Prayer is a petition to a greater power, from a human. As such, it would be very odd to try to use science to explain it. How could the scientists know the earnesty of someone's prayer without actually being the person? How could they gauge the effects? After all, everyone is individual and everyone has a different mental reaction to different stimuli. Prayer comes from the mind and the soul; how are we to understand it? We barely even understand the human brain, the physical counterpart of our immaterial mind; and the soul has not even been touched upon in science.

Then again, prayer does have physical reactions. Whether because of one's mental state or one's spiritual state has yet to be determined. Prayer is calming and sometimes, after prayer, odd things happen; miracles happen. When we get to the bottom of it, we can't even explain these physical changes, let alone their cause.

In essence, prayer is an unexplainable human communication to higher spiritual powers, namely, god(s). In order to study prayer as something apart from just thinking or speaking, as something spiritual, one has to first acknowledge that there is something spiritual to pray to. In order to use prayer as a valid scientific study, one must first scientifically prove one of two things. Either God exists or he doesn't. There is no scientific way to prove that god does not exist, so option A is out of the question. Proof by lack of evidence is not only illogical, it is unscientific. As regards to the other option, I don't believe there will ever be any "scientific proof" that God exists. There is evidence everywhere, but no proof.

In conclusion, we find that, for the moment at least, prayer is an inappropriate scientific study. There could possibly be a study about the mental effects of what we call "prayer", but even that would be pushing it too far.

Legal Irony

Sometimes I wonder how the government of this country continues to function.... Read this

Procrastinating

I fell into some bad habits about when to do work in relation to deadlines. It hasn't been a help to me or those around me. Try not to make the same mistake.

Life

Going through life is kind of like playing the violin. The longer you do it the better you get. The more you put into it the more you get out of it. If you slack, you fail. It takes skill and the right touch to do it well. You have to know the pace to set and the tune to play. It can be beautiful or ugly; when it's beautiful, you know you're doing it right; when it's ugly, you learn to compensate. You should never settle for second-best. And the farther you get from the beginnging of a piece, the closer you get to the end.

I would put this into a poem form, cuz 'twould be cool, however, I dunno how I would do it. Anyway, the similarities don't end there. Basically, do it for God and he'll bless you; do it for you and he'll knock you down. And don't ever give up, because in the tune we're playing, you never know what comes next until it comes. Stay focused and remember your purpose.

Coffee

I recently received this in e-mail form and found it to be interesting.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got
together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon
turned Into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his
guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a
large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic,
glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite -
telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the
professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups
were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is
normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source
of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no
quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in
some cases, even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was
coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And
then you began eyeing each other's cups.

"Now consider this...
--Life is the coffee
--The jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They
are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have
does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by
concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has
provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups..........Enjoy your coffee!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make
the best of everything."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest
to GOD.

Devotional Time

I recently started to read Matthew 5. I say "started to read" because there is so much in this chapter that is important and focusing on sections helps alot. In specific I would like to talk about verses 18 through 30.

18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 "for I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 "You have heard that the ancients were told 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
23 "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26 "Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY';
28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already commited adultery with her in is heart.
29 "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
30 "If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

This is a passage that really hits me hard and I'll make an educated guess that it applies to you as well. This passage begins by telling us that Christ is not here to take away the law. Too many people think along this line, Well, Christ saved me so if I do this "little sin" it won't really matter. Christ saved us but he still expects us to try our best and become more like him. It goes on to show us how bad these "little sins" can be. it equates several small, frequent offenses to what we think of as "major sins".

Tell me if I'm wrong, but those of you who have brothers (I believe that this is probably a universal term, and anytime I say "brother" you could plug in "sister", etc) have, at an extremely conservative estimate, been angry at or even hated your brother(s) at least 2 or 3 times. (Ha! maybe if it was per day) But seriously, if I asked how many of you have never been angry with your brother, (given, of course that have one) not one of you would claim this. And every time that we are angry with our brother, we are as guilty as if we have commited murder. I deserve the death penalty about a million times over, and the eternal death penalty even more.

The next part that grabs the attention is "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY". Well, I'm safe from that one, right? Well first lets look just one verse farther. He tells us that if we even look with lust after someone, we have commited adultery with them in our heart. Ready to reconsider whether or not this applies to you? This may or may not have been a common problem in ancient times and/or times leading up to the present, but in present-day America, with the way that our attire or lack thereof is heading, this problem is getting worse every year.

Finally it goes so far as to say we should cut off any part of our body that helps us to sin. Hmmm, if I went along with that advice I'd probably end up being an appendix (I can't think of anything which it does), and that would make it a wee bit hard to type this up. However, hopefully this does not mean that we should literally mutilate ourselves, because if it does, then I'm way behind on schedule. It is stressing the point that we are not to focus on this present physical life, but look ahead to what will happen when we die. It stresses importance based on eternity, on our spiritual existence rather than our short existence on earth.

Obviously this passage has a lot to say, much of which hasn't even been touched by this post. This is the reason for devotions. We go to God's Word on our own time and try to understand it. As our walk with Christ advances, so does our understanding of His Word. Each time we read a passage we should see more in it than we have before. We'll never fully understand all of The Bible, but there's no harm in trying.

Under the Overpass

As some of you might recall, I used portions of this book in an earlier post titled Love Your Neighbor. This hit one or two of the points that are covered in this book but did not get anywhere close to the variety and depth of the subjects in this book.

This book, titled Under the Overpass, if you couldn't tell by my title, was written by Mike Yankoski, sort of "journal style". It is a journal of his life on the streets. Now you might wonder how a homeless person could write a book and get it published. Well, Mike wasn't exactly homeless in the complete sense of the word. He was attending college, going to a nice church, when he realised that he wasn't reaching out with Christ's word to those who are ignored most of the time. So he came up with a plan, asked friends, pastors, etc, and started his journey with his friend, Sam.

Him and Sam first went to two separate homeless shelters and spent almost a month there, learning what it was going to be like and starting to toughen up. They then proceeded to travel through Denver, Washington D.C., Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, and San diego spending considerable time in each location to get the feel of it. This is an amazing book touching some issues that aren't thought of by most people.

In the conclusion of the book, he talks about what it is like to step back into his world of comforts, some things that have changed about his perception of the world, and other points and details of how even his everyday life was changed. I highly recommend this book.

What we deserve

I don't know about you, but I often find myself thinking that I shouldn't have to do as much as I do. I think I work for most of the day on most days, I deserve a break. But is that really what I deserve?

This line of thought isn't wrong in secular view, because, after all, doesn't everyone think that occasionally?, I mean, we're only human, right? Exactly. We're only human. That really sums it up. In a universe created by a loving, merciful, just, omnipotent, omnipresent God, we're only human. We were created perfect in a perfect world, we sinned, we fell, and now the world is literally falling apart.

Some people think that by shutting themselves off from the rest of the world, they can create a utopia. Guess what, they're wrong. Some scientists think that they can creat an artificial, self-sustaining, stand alone ecology. Guess what, they're wrong too. It's time that we realize we're only human. We are imperfect, sinful, twisted reflections of God. But we are not God. We were given the entire world by Him and we have proceeded to warp it into a poor reflection of its original glory.

What do we deserve? We don't deserve free time, we don't deserve pleasure, we don't deserve world peace. What we deserve is something we don't like to think about. We deserve punishment, we deserve death, we deserve eternal torment. Fortunately, God has given us a way to bypass what we deserve. He has taken all of our sins and foulness and laid it on Christ, his son. He has made a terrible sacrifice on behalf of the disgusting fallen creatures we call humans. He has set heaven before us, will we accept it?

Jekyll and Hyde

After reading Him and Mobius's poem, I was reminded of the lyrics to a song on one of our Petra CDs (by the way they're an awesome band). The song's name is "Jekyll and Hyde" on the CD with the same name and the lyrics are pretty self explanatory.

I have a secret that I let nobody see
An evil shadow that's been hanging over me
My alter ego that I try to hold at bay
But despite my good intentions he can always get away

He does the things that I don't want to do

Sometimes I feel like Jekyll and Hyde
Two men are fighting a war inside

I have this secret that I let nobody see
It's like a split personality
And the one I feed is the one who lives
The one I starve will be the one who gives

He won't do things that I know I should do

Sometimes I feel like Jekyll and Hyde
Two men are fighting a war inside
One gives, one takes, I have to decide
Sometimes I feel like Jekyll and Hyde

I need somebody to rescue me
When personalities clash
I know which person I want to be
With no defiance
Just God-reliance

© 2003 Inpop Records
Lyrics obtained from Christianrocklyrics.com.

I don't know about any of you but I can really relate to this song. Let me know what you guyses thinks. I may also be posting more of their lyrics in the future, and maybe even some songs if I can figure out that process.

A poem of life

Life’s purpose is not of this world, of this life
Our soul will remain through our passing last breath
Pleasure is not the aim of our mortal strife
For while we live, we are moving toward death

Life does not last forever, the end is nearing
Don’t sleep through life, our time of action
Don’t wait for tomorrow perchance not appearing
Don’t hold to the past for it is gone

Rather live in the present, the here and the now
Acting according to heart and to God
Be great have an impact, don’t live like a cow
Be a beacon for those in the future downtrod

Give hope to the hopeless, give life to the dead
Live life to its fullest, with God as your head

Parents and God

Recently at our youth group we studied three passages together that don't seem to go together at first glance. However, looking at context and specific parts of these passages shows the relationship. Not only the relationship between them, but the relationships between us, our parents, and God.

The passages we studied were:

Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

Proverbs 1:8-9
Hear, my son, your father's instruction
And do not forsake your mother's teaching;
Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head
And ornaments about your neck.

here's the weird one...

Mathew 10:34-37 (Jesus speaking)
Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

What does he mean by that? Is the Bible contradicting itself? How can we honor our father and mother at the same time that we are turned against them?

The problem with this passage does not exist; the problem in our conception of this passage is where the inconsistency lies. The first two are pretty straight-forward, summed up, honor and obey your father and mother. However, the last one is slightly more difficult.

We are automatically drawn toward the middle of the passage, turning on our parents and family, when we should instead be looking at the END of the passage. The main point of this passage obviously isn't "thou shalt hate thine mother and father", because we are told in the previous two to honor and obey.We look to the end of the passage, where we are told that if we love father or mother more than Him, we are not worthy of Him. An easier way is to look at the inverse; if we love Him more than our father and mother, then we ARE worthy of Him.

The point of the study was that we are to love our father and mother, but not to the point of idolatry, that we are to obey our father and mother, but not to the point of disobeying God, but most of all, we learn that no matter what happens, God is to be the center of our lives and our hearts.

The church

Did you notice my title? It doesn't say "a church" or "my church" or, well you get the point. The church isn't about buildings and it isn't about denominations. Anyone who is a Christian is a part of THE church.

Often, we squabble over minute bits of doctrine and microscopic theological beliefs when really we should be encouraging each other through fellowship and love. I'm not saying we should ignore theological differences; for example, if a "church" believes that you can get to heaven without Christ, I might be a little suspicious about the soundness of their beliefs. (by "a little" I really mean "a lot") Another example, believer baptism versus infant baptism. Should we be baptised soon after birth, or after we have some firm footing in the church? I lean more toward believer baptism but, just because someone else believes in infant baptism doesn't make them any less a Christian than me, or any less a part of the church. If somebody believes that no-one is a Christian until they're baptised, that I would be skeptical about. My point is this: unless the person/church involved doesn't add to the Bible, ignore the Bible, erase from the Bible, or in any other way deface or disobey God's word and teachings, they should be alright.

One of the main problems with us Christians today is that we're much more ready to debate theology then to evangelise and build God's kingdom. We need to stop, look at ourselves, and re-focus on God instead of the speck in our brother's eye.

Love your neighbor

I just started on a new book the other day called "Under the Overpass" by Mike Yankoski. After reading the first two chapters, I started thinking. The whole book is basically a journal of Mike and his friend. You'll have to read the book to get the entirety of the background, but basically, he attended a Bible college, went to Church, all that good stuff, when he realised that he wasn't doing anything. Sure, he was going to college, had a job, etc, but he wasn't doing anything to further God's kingdom. So he got this crazy idea and everybody he talked to agreed with it.

Some time later, laying in his cot at the homeless shelter, he wasn't so sure, but gradually, he was able to reach the homeless, addicted, and downtrodden in their own way. He took the phrase "be in the world but not of the world" pretty seriously. After a month in the shelter, he was ready to leave and start his real journey. This is about as far as I've gotten so far, but you can see where it's going. When asked who our "neighbor" was, Jesus replied in the parable of the good Samaritan. Now, Samaritans weren't exactly cherished by the Jews. In fact, "hated" muight be a better word, and the feeling was pretty mutual. But in this story, after being passed by the respected Jewish leaders, the man (who had been beaten and robbed, in case you don't know the story) was rescued by the Samaritan. He bathed his wounds, put him up at an inn, and basically gave the guy his life back. Most Christians today say that we love our neighbor. However, ask the same people who say that when the last time they worked in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter was. You can guess the answer. What most of us really MEAN when we say "I love my neighbor" is "I tolerate my neighbor most of the time if he isn't too gross". This is definitely not a Christ-like attitude.

We need to show God's love through our actions. Going up to someone who has no home, food, or money, and telling them "when you die you're gonna go to hell" probably isn't the best way to evangelise. However, rather than telling these suffering souls that when they die they're going to suffer even more, tell them of a place where hunger and thirst are gone, where no tear is shed, where we will be filled with joy and comfort for eternity. For those who are suffering, who have no hope, give them hope and comfort. Taking away confidence in earthly things is a lot more effective on those who HAVE earthly things in the first place.

What most people don't realize is how hard it is to give up an addiction. The only people who realize fully are those who have an addiction. Most of the time, in the instance of a drug addiction, the rehab does no good. Oh, sure they don't need the drugs, but when the drugs are gone they have nothing, forcing them right back to the drugs. When someone has been an addict for most of their life, it's not just an addiction anymore. It becomes a lifestyle. The book takes an idea from the movie The Shawshank redemption.

"One of the prisoners, "Red" as he's called, says that men who have been in prison for a long period of time become "institutionalized"-unable to function in the normal world. They didn't know anything other than a life of crime or drugs before they entered prison. Then once inside, they become dependent on the structure that prison provides. Once they're out, they're set up to land right back in prison because they were never truly free."

He goes on to talk about the structure in drug addicted lives and how they need something to fll in the hole. We need to help fill in that hole, that empty vacuum that nothing but Christ can satisfy, we need to spread the news; you can be satisfied, you can be whole, just come to Christ.

A couple years ago, my youth group went on a missions trip to Hamilton, Ontario (that's in Canada). We did volunteer work, helped at kitchens and homeless shelters, talked with the homeless there. They were really glad to see young people actually caring about someone else. It was amzing the hope brought into their lives just because a couple of gangly teenagers came and talked with them. I thought I understood homelessness then, and in a way I did. I understood homelessness; unfortunately I didn't understand what it was like to BE homeless. After reading part of this book, I understand it more, yet reading a book, or even "being" homeless like Mike won't show the truth of what it's like. Mike has the chance whenever he wants to leave the streets and pick up where he left off. The majority of people on the streets don't have that option. They have no earthly store. They need Heavenly treasure, and Godly love. Show compassion on others, and truly love your neighbor. Reflect Christ for those who have nothing, that's what I'm trying to say.

Video Games

I like video games. I don't think I have met a teenage guy who doesn't. But how much should we like video games?

It's not bad top play video games, it's not bad to like video games; however, it IS bad to play video games to the exclusion of all else. Last year, I had the problem that one of my games was taking over my life; I thought about during school, when I went to bed, sometimes even during devotions. This year, when I play video games, I have to limit myself. I have to make sure first, that all my school is done, second, that most if not all of my chores are done, third, that I am actually getting physical exercise during the week. I also have to make sure that I am doing things with other people; I don't want to become a recluse, after all.

What I'm trying to say is, like most forms of entertainment, video games in themselves are not bad (most of them); what IS bad is idolization. If and when we play video games, we should use moderation.

Importance

What do we as a culture think is important? What do we set values on?
I realized today that most of the things that I care most about are frivolous and/or pointless. Take video games for example, I set a big value on winning this game that takes only half an hour and affects nothing in the real world except my ego. Another example is food; I would choose ice cream over salad just about any time you would ask me, yet how does the ice cream help me other than tasting sweet? There are a lot of things that I take to be more "important" than my devotions and schoolwork just because they're more "fun". I would also rather have more stuff too. If I had a choice between doing my homework and getting a free video game, carton of ice-cream, etc, sadly, I would choose the stuff.
I think that today, we set more value on pleasure, belongings, and laziness than on work and genuine accomplishment. All of us avaricious, materialistic, funaholics need to re-focus our goals and look at what's really important.(including me)