Well, it has finally happened. I bit the bullet and bought a webhosting package in order to upload my new site to the web. I will begin posting over there from now on. I wanted to upgrade to a more original design, and I wanted to integrate all of the things I like to do into one main site. So, please update all of your bookmarks and rss feeds so that we can continue intelligent conversation in the future.
Click HERE to visit my new site.
This is my favorite quote from one of my favorite movies, Good Will Hunting.
Chuckie: Are we gonna have a problem here?
Clark: No, no, no, no! There's no problem here. I was just hoping you might give me some insight into the evolution of the market economy in the southern colonies. My contention is that prior to the Revolutionary War, the economic modalities, especially in the southern colonies, could be most aptly described as agrarian precapitalist.
Chuckie: Let me tell you something -
Will: Of course that's your contention. You're a first-year grad student; you just got finished reading some Marxian historian, Pete Garrison probably. You're gonna be convinced of that 'till next month when you get to James Lemon. Then you're going to be talking about how the economies of Virginia and Pennsylvania were entrepreneurial and capitalist way back in 1740. That's gonna last until next year; you're gonna be in here regurgitating Gordon Wood, talkin' about, you know, the pre-revolutionary utopia and the capital-forming effects of military mobilization.
Clark: Well, as a matter of fact, I won't, because Wood drastically underestimates the impact of social -
Will: "Wood drastically underestimates the impact of social distinctions predicated upon wealth, especially inherited wealth"? You got that from Vickers' "Work in Essex County," page 98, right? Yeah, I read that too. Were you gonna plagiarize the whole thing for us? Do you have any thoughts of your own on this matter? Or do you, is that your thing, you come into a bar, read some obscure passage and then pretend - you pawn it off as your own, as your own idea just to impress some girls, embarrass my friend?
Clark: [looks down in shame]
Will: See, the sad thing about a guy like you is, in 50 years you're gonna start doin' some thinkin' on your own and you're going to come up with the fact that there are two certainties in life: one, don't do that, and two, you dropped 150 grand on a [explitive] education you could have got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library!
Clark: Yeah, but I will have a degree. And you'll be servin' my kids fries at a drive-thru on our way to a skiing trip.
Will: That may be, but at least I won't be unoriginal. But I mean, if you have a problem with that, I mean, we could just step outside - we could figure it out.
Clark: No, man, there's no problem. It's cool.
Will: It's cool?
Clark: Yeah.
Will: Cool.
Chuckie: [explitive] [explitive] right it's cool. How do you like me NOW?
Morgan: My boy's wicked smart!
I love this quote because it illustrates an important point. We spend tons of money on education only to regurgitate certain information, and thinking by oneself is often overlooked and never taught. I recently heard Tim Keller say that if you listen to/read one author/speaker, you will be a clone. If you listen to/read ten authors/speakers, you will begin to develop your own style. But, if you listen to/read two hundred authors/speakers, you will begin to have your own thoughts; however, you will always come back to those first few who really impacted you. I am really seeing this in my own life recently. I began my external Biblical reading with Piper. His rock solid exegesis helped lay the Biblical groundwork for my theology. If you talked to me a year or two ago, I probably sounded quite a bit like him. I am not saying sounding like him is a bad thing, but I sounded like him because I knew nothing else; I knew no other way of describing and relating the things he said. Then, I began reading and listening to things outside of Piper. I think I am probably at the fifty or sixty author/speaker mark right now, and I am starting to find my own way of thinking and forming thoughts. However, it is heavily reliant upon the authors whom I have read. I am not saying I skip the Text, but I am saying that the way I relate and contextualize the Text is shaped by many different factors.
So, I say all of that to say this: READ and LISTEN. Read variety, and listen to variety. I understand that people are incredibly busy, and many think they do not have time to listen to an hour sermon or read a five page article or tackle a lengthy book. Let me tell you, friend, if you are one of those people who thinks you are too busy to read and listen to the Bible and its exposition, then you are being deceived by Satan. I try my best to relay good information and links that I come across, and I hope you are able to benefit from them. Let me encourage you to find time in your schedule to read, write, and listen. Cut out the stupid box (TV), and pick up a book, an iPod, or a moleskine, and use your brain. Anyway, I will get off my soapbox now.
(*Please note that in all of this, I am assuming that you are engaged in a regular Bible reading program. Don't even think about reading a variety of authors unless you are in the Bible daily.)
Well, I recently got a digital camera (Canon EOS 400D-Digital Rebel XTI), so I am going to be joining the ranks of Steve McCoy and Joe Thorn as a blogger/photographer. I joined their Flickr group, and I have uploaded some photos. You can see my pictures here (Flickr) or here (.Mac). Keep in mind that I am very new to this stuff, and I will take whatever advice I can get.
I did some shooting last night in downtown Flint, and these were my two favorites of the bunch.
(View On Black)
(View On Black)
My Summer Reading List
In all the craziness that has been my life lately I skipped right over my blog's first birthday. Last year on April 15, I started Conquering Thirst. So, for the belated one year birthday of my venture into the blogosphere, I would like to give a "State of the Blog Address. I want to recall a few things such as the reason I started this blog (as well as the reason I continue keeping it up), some fond memories of this past year, some interesting statistics about the blog, and the future plans for Conquering Thirst.
To begin, I want to say that the reason I started this blog was to process my thinking on certain Biblical and theological issues. Though many question whether thinking out loud is the wisest option, I think it has been increidbly beneficial for me as a student of the Word. For times when I do not have anyone to share my most recent theological acquisition, my thoughts on an issue, or some good stuff that I have been reading or listening to, my blog is a sort of release. This last year I have grown leaps in bounds in terms of maturity, knowledge, and spirituality, and I want to thank of all you readers for you part in that growth.
There have been some interesting discussions on my blog, and I think that each person who has commented (including myself) has grown as a result of the dialogue. I may be wrong about this, but I think that people who genuinely love the truth and who genuinely love each other are able to reach agreement on many issues through the use of thoughtful, intelligent, Bible-based conversation, even if the agreement is an agreement to disagree.
I want to give some interesting stats about my blog, but due to certain people thinking it would be funny to run up my hit counter by repeatedly hitting refresh (Jesse VanValin), I do not think that the current number of people who have visited my blog is accurate. However, I do have some other interesting states. For example, there have been 158 comments by various people. In light of this, I want to encourage any of you who will continue reading this blog to participate in the discussion. If this blog will edify others, it is essential for everyone to share their experiences, thoughts, and ideas. Another interesting fact about my blog is the number of "exit-clicks" on my category "beer." There are a ton of people who click on that link, and the funny thing is, the one post under that link has absolutely nothing to do with alcohol. I have posted 188 times, which works out to one every other day. However, until 2007, my posting was spotty to say the least.
As for the future of Conquering Thirst, there is expansion in the future. I am hoping to acquire a domain name soon in order to combine all my various web efforts into one organized site. I hope to get an updated site design incorporating wordpress to create Conquering Thirst 2.0. I am actually running Conquering Thirst beta as we speak at an undisclosed location, and I am working to make it exactly how I want it. I am getting into photography in a desire to capture life experiences like Joe Thorn and Steve McCoy. So, I am hoping to combine a photo section along with a blog and other useful links and information so as to serve you, the reader, in a better way. I have considered renaming the blog to another name, but I think Conquering Thirst suits my liking. However, in case you have not read my reason for calling this blog Conquering Thirst, I would invite you to read this post that explains the name.
So, as I close this one year reflection, I want to ask any of you out there for your suggestions for the future of this blog. How can I make it better? Are there any things you would like to see me write about, or are there any books you would like me to review? Your feedback is appreciated as I seek to make this small spot on the web beneficial for everyone who stumbles upon it.
Thanks for your support! I look forward to another profitable year doing ministry in this crazy, often-annoying realm called the blogosphere.
I am nearing the end of my semester at college, and I am eagerly anticipating a summer break. This week is going to be incredibly stressful, and I do not foresee having time to come up with any original blog postings; however, I do have a few things I am working on with hopes to begin more consistent blogging once school is out. I hope to do a lot more writing on the centrality of the Gospel in Christian life, but that will not happen for at least another two weeks. However, I have been putting off studying late at night to listen to some beneficial audio resources. So, I thought I would share them with you today.
First, this sermon by Matt Chandler is very thought provoking, and it shows the heart of a pastor for his people. When I listened to it yesterday morning, I felt an insatiable desire to be a church planter who is incredibly Christ-like.
Next, this message by Tim Keller is one of the best presentations on preaching the Gospel that I have heard. For those of you wondering what the Gospel has to do with everyday life, you should seriously listen to this (it is only 40 minutes long and well worth your time).
I am becoming more and more convinced that the Gospel is the solution to recognizing how to interpret Scripture, how to live, and how to interact with postmodern, emerging culture. These messages were encouraging to me, and I hope you will find them beneficial as well.
