Confessions...

Just when I thought I said all I can say, my chick on the side said she's got one on the way. ... Says she's 3 months pregnant and she's keepin' it. First thing that came to mind was you. Second thing was, How do I know if it's mine, and is it true? Third thing was me wishing that I never did what I did, how I'm not ready for a kid and bye bye to my relationship. ... This by far is the hardest thing I think I've ever had to do. To tell you, the woman I love, that I'm having a baby by a woman that I barely even know. I hope you can accept the fact that I'm man enough to tell you this, and hopefully you'll give me another chance. This ain't about my career, ain't about my life, it's about us. Please.

These are Usher's lyrics from Confessions Part II. I absolutely love this song, not only because it's fun to dance and sing to, but also because these lyrics have a real depth and honesty in them. But this honesty makes me wonder what Usher's standards are for being a "man."

What is a man? No, I don't mean just an adult male, but a real, quality man. I agree that a man should certainly have this honesty that Usher refers to, but isn't it more than just that? How deep should it go?

How about a different guy...
I haven't been to the dentist's office in awhile, so I thought I'd get my pearly whites checked on. When I was filling out the papers in the waiting room, this little old lady rushed in and said it was an emergency. She broke her tooth. The secretary said that she would have to wait until a spot opened up for the doctor to fix up her tooth. I could tell that the little old lady was in pain, but she was trying to cover it up. I got up and told the secretary that she could take my spot. The little old lady was very grateful. And I was too because she smiled back at me.

Now, think about this... between Usher and this second guy, who is more of a "man?" You'd probably think the second guy is more of a man, enough to give up his reservation to the old lady with the emergency, right? Because when you compare the two, of course that's better than a guy cheating on the woman that he loves and getting pregnant with the other chick.

Well I happen to know that second guy. He's me. And what I did was just as bad (if not worse) as what Usher sang about. It's called pride.

I may not cheat on my fiancee and I may not get chicks on the side pregnant, but I can actually think so highly of myself that I believe that my esteem comes from myself! Self-esteem is such a joke when you think about how we are such a speck of dust compared to the Lord of the Universe. He can hold the universe in the palm of His hand, and yet I think that I'm so great. Jesus is the One who completes us, He is the One who fulfills us. Self-esteem is inherently problematic because we have flaws. However, God-esteem is perfect for us. God gives us our worth.

So, what is a man? Is it someone who simply acknowledges that he made a mistake to the woman that he loves? No. Is it someone who is proud that he helped out a little old lady when she has a broken tooth by giving up his dentist appointment? No. It's even more sacrificial than that. It's acknowledging the fact that he is nothing compared to Jesus and will be a servant to Him because of how great He is. A man has a servant's heart.

Movie Review #2 - Fever Pitch

Fever Pitch

I love chick flicks and romantic comedies. Especially ones that put a baseball team in the trifecta of the love triangle. I loved this movie because of the fact that there are so many different levels to it: baseball, relationships, love, baseball, choice, devotion, responsibilities, laughter, and did I mention baseball? :-)

It’s about a guy who is in love with the Boston Red Sox. He was raised to love them, he invests his time into them, he studies the team, cheers, boos, and is devoted in the best and worst conditions. As this guy stated in the movie, “It’s good for your soul to be a part of something bigger than yourself.”

And then he meets the girl.

He finds himself struggling between two loves in his life: the Boston Red Sox and his girlfriend of 11 months. One scene shows him going to counsel from one of his students (quite humorous), who advises, “You’ve loved the Red Sox your entire life… but when have they ever loved you back?” Ah… wise words from a pre-teen.

This dude’s devotion is misdirected. His girlfriend was hoping for his love and passion for the Red Sox to be redirected towards her and to their relationship, only to have that hope end up in heartache. He failed her. But isn’t that expected? Don’t we always fail our loved ones sooner or later?

It’s great that at the end of the movie it’s all smiles and laughs as the guy learns to sacrifice his love for baseball and put his girlfriend higher on the priority list. It’s great that at the end of the movie this cute couple gets together and it’s happy. It’s great that at the end of the movie the Red Sox defy history by making the greatest comeback in the history of sports. However, the guy and the girl will fight again and the Red Sox will lose again. It’s not going to be pretty from that point on. It’s going to be hard. There will be huge problems in our relationships because we fail each other. There will be huge problems when we put our hope in that which will fail us.

This guy did have it right when he said, “It’s good for your soul to be a part of something bigger than yourself.” So true. Jesus is the only hope that will never fail us. We can have a relationship that will be more rewarding the more we invest into it.

When two sinners, who will certainly fail each other, put their hope in Jesus instead of themselves, then that relationship will undoubtedly be more rewarding than if they put their hope in each other.

5 out of 5 stars.

Image taken from IMDb.com

By-product: Water.

Remember when it was a sight to see a hybrid car on the road?

Just a few years ago, hybrid technology was brand new, slowly making itself known among the other vehicles out there. However, now it is not uncommon to hear about someone talking about their Prius... heck, even my parents have just recently bought a Saturn Vue.

Of course the technologies in the world are always getting more and more advanced and amazing, but none of these advancements have hit me the same way that this article hit me when I read it at CNN.com.

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This same thing will happen with Hydrogen Fuel-Cell vehicles. According to the article I read, citizens (such as the author of the article) have already begun test-driving them, and the "limited release" date is in 2008. Now I admit that I haven't done much research in regards to hydrogen fuel-cells, but the article talked about the by-product for this fuel-cell being water. Is that it? That's the only by-product? It almost seems too good to be true as a solution to our "oil-dependent," "gasoline-addictive," "global warming-causing" vehicle-driving behaviors. Especially since I did just read another article that says that in order to create the hydrogen, we'll have to burn fossil fuels to do it... not making it much more beneficial. I just don't know who to believe... so I must do more research! More posts on this topic to come later...

For now, just check out these sweet pics from Popsci.com.

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Honda FCX driving down the road

The hydrogen fuel cell under the hood

The interior of the FCX

The sweet central gauge glows red when you use the maximum amount of hydrogen! So cool.

Why Do We Need A Government?

I always love a good debate. I enjoy arguing. So it's probably not surprising that I've become relatively interested in politics in the past few years.

It is a rare occasion when I get upset over a politician's opinion, since I like to think that I have a fairly well-balanced point of view regarding Democratic, Republican, and Independent perspectives on how the nation should operate. However, one such occasion happened recently, and I just can't seem to understand the reasoning of this congressman.

Here is the argument in a nutshell:
We should immediately start the process of taking American soldiers out of Iraq because the American people elected more Democrats into the House of Representatives. Because the American people clearly want a change to happen in regards to the situation in Iraq, it's time for President Bush to start withdrawing the troops and begin to give the Iraqis complete power of their own country.
2006 General Election results: Total of 233 Democrats (gain of 31), a total of 202 Republicans (loss of 30), and zero Independents (loss of 1) in the House of Representatives.

This drives me crazy because the logic seems flawed. Why do congressmen need the help of the citizens to decide what to do about Iraq?

Now, before I wrote this post, I had forgotten a lot of details about how the government works. So I looked up the basics at Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids. Yes, I realize that I'm an adult (most of the time), but it helps me to understand complex topics in their most basic form. It's actually a very interesting and helpful website. Anyway, here is a snippet of what the site has to say to kids:

Why do we need a government? Imagine what your school would be like if no one was in charge. Each class would make its own rules. Who gets to use the gym if two classes want to use it at the same time? Who would clean the classrooms? Who decides if you learn about Mars or play kickball? Sounds confusing, right? This is why schools have people who are in charge, such as the principal, administrators, teachers, and staff. Our nation has people who are in charge and they make up the government.

This analogy is so helpful because it makes perfect sense why kids don't run the school. Kids aren't the ones who are in charge because there would be chaos. It's the same thing with our government. The citizens don't run the country because there would be chaos. That's why we elect people to run the country for us.

Our duty as citizens is to elect the politicians that will best represent us. Our duty is NOT to know which is the best decision to make in regards to issues such as Iraq. We just don't have all the facts.

Image from Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids (click to enlarge)

It is true that the congressmen who argue that, "the people have spoken" by electing more Democrats into Congress, do have a point. However, they are falling back on the opinions of the American citizens who don't have adequate knowledge of the issues. I believe that the average citizen's mind is so warped by the media that they create an opinion based on biased news reports instead of quality primary sources. I fully admit that I don't know what's going on over in Iraq because 1) I have never been there myself, and 2) I have never met with a bunch of people who actually have experienced life over there. So how can I expect to have a well-balanced opinion of what should be done?

The branches of the U.S. government must see their role in the country just as the principal, administrators, teachers, and staff see their roles inside of a school. Those responsible for the school don't ask the students what they should do because the kids don't know what is best for them. Likewise, those responsible for the country must not look at polls or popular opinion of the clueless citizens. They should cooperate with each other and settle on something that will be best for the country as a whole.

I must say that I'm very glad that we as U.S. citizens don't have too much control over the government. If the entire country met in one big gymnasium and tried to come to agreement over the country's issues, nothing would ever be settled. That's why the structure we have is so beneficial to us. The beauty of this country is that we do have some voice as individuals, but not too much. I guess that's why I enjoy listening to the politicians bicker at each other... because that's their job, and I don't have to worry about it.

An Old Dude Touched My Privates

It was a beautiful day yesterday in Seattle. With the sun shining and the cool breeze blowing across my face, I decided to take a stroll around the block and let it all sink in. It's been awhile since I've been outside to enjoy the sunshine. As I left behind the routine tasks of my office job on that bright and cheery afternoon, I was pondering many things. I hope I don't have cancer...Is my digestive tract working correctly?...I think my eyesight is getting worse...What if my desk job at work is giving me hemorrhoids? You might wonder why I thought about such things on such a beautiful day... Well, it's because I was on my way to my first doctor's appointment in about six years.

I met my new doctor yesterday (yes, a medical doctor), and he touched my privates. And I am very thankful. Because now I know that I do not have a hernia. Because that's what he does. Checks for a hernia. Up until yesterday, I didn't know that when he says, "turn your head and cough," he is actually checking to see whether or not your lower abdomen is protruding through an orifice it's not supposed to.

And to my surprise, when I told my fiancee that night that I passed my physical with flying colors, she asked me with a giggle, "did he check you for a hernia?"

"How did you know that's what he was checking for?!" I asked her shockingly. She then proceeded to tell me all about the details of the examination as I am beginning to remember that she has always wanted to be a sex-ed teacher. I smiled, realizing that she might know more about my body than I do. And that's one of the many things I love about her. That's not weird, is it?

After much reflection, this whole touchin' privates thing got me thinking about social norms. Why is it okay that an old guy with an 'MD' does something like this, but it's not okay when an old guy (or any guy, for that matter) without an 'MD' does it? Why can't I call it molestation? Is it just because I was okay with him doing it? What if I wasn't okay with it? Would it then be considered an invasion of privacy? What if somebody off the street who wasn't a medical doctor did something like that to me, simply to check whether or not I had a hernia? If I was okay with it, then it wouldn't necessarily be considered inappropriate. So is the concluding label of the action purely based on my reaction to it?

How about something a little less graphic. While I was in the waiting room (the big waiting room, not the little one where I have to strip down), everyone was sitting quietly. Why is everyone quiet? There aren't any signs there to tell us to be quiet... we just are. The only loud sound was when a little girl and her mother walked into the lobby. The little girl started to scream and talk loudly because she was bored and wanted something fun to do. Well I totally identified with her because I was also bored and wanted something fun to do, however, I was still quiet. How do we know that we are supposed to be quiet? Social Learning Theory shows us that this little girl will likely grow up and learn to be quiet in waiting rooms. It may be her mother who tells her to "shh" when she's loud, or maybe when she gets dirty looks from complete strangers. These strangers have no right to tell people what to do unless there's a sign that tells people they should be quiet. Maybe I'll start talking loud the next time I am in a waiting room.

Another fun way to ignore social norms: Be the last one into an elevator, but don't turn around to face the door. Just face forward.

Real-life Heroes?

Well I suppose that I should start giving plugs to certain links on my page here, seeing as how I am cluttering this page up with advertising. But believe me, it's all quality clutter. Well, to me anyways.

My first plug will be for the amazing new tv show: Heroes. This is its first season, and it's a hit. Very similar to LOST's debut season, the ratings and reviews are through the roof.

I'll provide a brief summary of the season so far. An old geneticist dude living in New York City develops a theory: that a certain few human beings are involved in some type of genetic evolution. Well it turns out that he is right and is murdered because of it. We then begin to jump into the lives of normal people across the globe who have extraordinary abilities: A teenager who can heal from pretty much any type of wound in a matter of seconds, a police officer who can read peoples' thoughts, a Japanese twenty-something who can control time and space, a man who can fly, an artist who can paint the future, among others. Seeing these normal people learning and using their abilities is by far the most entertaining part of the show for me. So anyway, this dude from Japan ends up transporting himself into the future to see a huge explosion ripping apart New York City. He quickly goes back to his present time (a few weeks earlier) determined to be a hero by preventing the city's destruction. Along the way, he meets other people in the show with other abilities, learns that there are others out there that do not use their abilities for goodness, and discovers that being a hero is not all that it's cracked up to be.

Tonight at 9pm PST on NBC, the show moves into the final chapter of the season, ultimately making its way to revealing whether or not New York will, in fact, be destroyed. Will our heroes save the city?

Looking a little deeper, it seems pretty clear to me why this show is so popular. Not only does this show have an all-age audience spectrum, I believe that viewers are also drawn to the extraordinary. Isn't this what we love about Hollywood? May it be science fiction thrillers, fairy tale love stories, or from horror to swashbuckling adventure... human beings love being sucked into that which is NOT the normal, every day ho-hum life. Why is that? What attracts us to characters like those in Heroes who can do things that an average person cannot? Why do we need heroes in our own lives?

Simple. We are human. We fail. This attraction is deep within every human being because we were created in the image of God. He is the ultimate hero. He can do anything we can think of that is extraordinary. He controls time and space, He can fly (or walk on water), He can heal (or raise people from death), He knows the future, and He can read peoples' thoughts. The reason that I'm so attracted to a show like this is because I have a deep need for a hero in my life. Now, I know that deep need is fulfilled through Jesus, but Hollywood often enjoys attributing the powers of God to human beings so that we can identify with them easier. However, Hollywood is most certainly copying God's idea because He already thought about sending Jesus down to Earth so that we can identify with a real hero. The hero over sin and death.

I don't know how this season of Heroes will end, but I'm quite positive that it's going to be a happy ending. After all, the entertainment industry likes to use a good story... because the good story of Jesus has already been written and there's no ending better than that.

Image taken from nbc.com

Blowout.

I have to take this time to pay tribute to a team today. A great team.

The Cleveland Indians.

For their first game, and of course, their first win of 2007. Indians 13, Astros 2. It doesn't matter that it's only Spring Training. Those games still count in my heart.

May the rest of Spring Training be full of destroying other teams' prospects, having fun not worrying about making a mistake here or there, and especially enjoying the Sunshine State instead of the snow falling everywhere else (even in Seattle!).

Play ball! (over and over again)