Tuesday, February 28, 2006

vain....so very vain

Well I don't know about this whole tagging thing, but I was going to post soon anyway. Thanks Juli. Why anyone would want to know this stuff? I have no clue.

4 jobs I've had:
Lifeguard
Swim Teacher
Assistant Interior Decorater (seriously)
Swim and Tennis Club person behind the counter

4 movies I could watch many times in a row:
Rocky (that would be like, 5 times each)
Spinal Tap
Airplane
Strange Brew

4 places I have lived:
Escondido, CA
Valley Center, CA
Medford, OR
Sanatrem, Brazil (in a few months)

4 TV shows I like to watch

Well I don't really watch TV.

4 places I've been on vacation:
Yosemite, CA
Sanatarem, Brazil
New York, NY
Santa Cruz, CA

4 websites I vist daily:
aol.com
all my blog haunts
thats about it

4 of my favorite foods:
pickles
tortilla soup
mongolian bbq
popcorn


4 singers/singing groups I can't live without:
David Crowder Band
Herbie Hancock
Jack Johnson
Earth, Wind and Fire

4 places I'd rather be than here:
Santa Cruz, CA
Santarem, Brazil
Santa Barbara, CA
I don't know I kinda like medford


Well thats it folks. I feel so much better now that its out on the table.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

no, its myspace

Well I must say I feel as though a burden has been lifted ever since I got off of myspace. Since that time I have realized more and more what a waste it is. This has also made me consider how productive and useful blogging is, though that is a whole other issue. Myspace in itself is not bad, but there are so many outlets for foolishness and 99.9 percent of the time it is used in that way. And yet it has become a cutural phenomenon, exploding in every level and age of society. Here is a excerpt from an article in businessweek.com about the myspace generation:



"A preeminent spot among these virtual hangouts is MySpace.com, whose membership has nearly quadrupled since January alone, to 40 million members. Youngsters log on so obsessively that MySpace ranked No. 15 on the entire U.S. Internet in terms of page hits in October, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Millions also hang out at other up-and-coming networks such as Facebook.com, which connects college students, and Xanga.com, an agglomeration of shared blogs. A second tier of some 300 smaller sites, such as Buzz-Oven, Classface.com, and Photobucket.com, operate under -- and often inside or next to -- the larger ones."

"Although networks are still in their infancy, experts think they're already creating new forms of social behavior that blur the distinctions between online and real-world interactions. In fact, today's young generation largely ignores the difference. Most adults see the Web as a supplement to their daily lives. They tap into information, buy books or send flowers, exchange apartments, or link up with others who share passions for dogs, say, or opera. But for the most part, their social lives remain rooted in the traditional phone call and face-to-face interaction."


Why is myspace such an attraction? Myspace has reduced communication to its cheapest form, made it okay to be somebody that you're not, and has created another way to waste time. Users can leave comments, much like on a blog, on the person's profile. These comments usually amount to nothing but childish gibberish. I would put some samples of comments in here, but most would be too vulgar or crude to post. So what is the deal? Myspace has become a "cool" thing to have. Whether you're college age, high school age, or even still in jr. high, myspace is something that you have got to have to fit in and keep in touch with your friends.

In the most recent episode of "Dateline," the topic was online sexual predators. This is nothing new in our society, but they happened to specifically mention myspace.

"When “Dateline” surfed MySpace, we found scenes of binge drinking, apparent drug use, teens posing in underwear, and other members simulating sex, and in some cases even having it. We also found less provocative pages like Shannon's was, but potentially even more dangerous. Teens listed not only their names, and addresses, but even cell phone numbers and after school schedules.
Parry Aftab, Internet lawyer and safety expert: '[It’s] one stop shopping for sexual predators, and they can shop by catalogue.
'"

I was not suprised when I saw this episode. Being that the main range of myspace users are young people, it is a candy shop for sexual predators! Not only is there access to soft porn, but kids give out personal information left and right. Here is an article from Yahoo! News:


HARTFORD, Conn. - Police are investigating whether as many as seven teenage girls have been sexually assaulted by men they met through the popular Web site MySpace.com.

The girls, ages 12 to 16, are from Middletown and say they were fondled or had consensual sex with men who turned out to be older than they claimed. None of the incidents appeared to be violent, said Middletown Police Sgt. Bill McKenna.

The social networking Web site allows users to create profiles that can include photos, personal information and even cell phone numbers.


Having said all that, I would challenge young Christians to rethink this whole myspace thing. Is it really something worthwhile? Is it helpful in our walk with Christ? When I was on myspace, I felt as though I were just like everybody else. I would leave comments that had no value, and my profile was just a very vain way of boosting my ego. I thought I would go insane if I didn't have myspace, and I am all the more happy now that I am off. I encourage all of you to seperate yourself from the world by not reducing friendship to stupid comments, but instead to challenge the norm and not do what everybody else is doing. It is a fad, and it is one that I will not be a part of.


"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. "
Romans 12:2

I suppose now I'll have to quit blogging. Oh, but I could never do that........






Tuesday, February 07, 2006

MySpace: Are We Impairing Our Capacity to Think?

Well, I haven't got around to writing the piece on myspace yet. It is good because I have had time to think it over instead of just ranting about why myspace is the devil incarnate. But I do encourage any myspace users to stop usin'. It is a fad, and a bad one at that. But that will come later. Here is a great article from yesterday's breakpoint by Chuck Colson.




Musical Mush
Are We Impairing Our Capacity to Think?


When church music directors lead the congregation in singing some praise music, I often listen stoically with teeth clenched. But one Sunday morning, I cracked. We had been led through endless repetitions of a meaningless ditty called, “Draw Me Close to You.” The song has zero theological content and could be sung in a nightclub, for that matter. When I thought it was finally and mercifully over, the music leader beamed at us and said in a cheerful voice, “Let’s sing that again, shall we?” “No!” I shouted loudly. Heads all around me spun while my wife cringed.
I admit I prefer more traditional hymns. But even given that, I am convinced that much of the music being written for the Church today reflects an unfortunate trend—slipping across the line from worship to entertainment. Evangelicals are in danger of amusing ourselves to death, to borrow the title of the classic Neil Postman book.
The trend is also true of Christian radio, historically an important source of in-depth teaching. Many stations have recently dropped serious programming in favor of all-music formats. For example, a major Baltimore station dropped four talk shows to add music. A respected broadcaster recently dropped “Focus on the Family,” claiming it had become too focused on “moral issues.”
When a Cincinnati station replaced “BreakPoint” with music, I told the station manager that believers need to think Christianly about major worldview issues. Her reply? Younger women want “something to help them cope with life.”
This view was confirmed by a Christian homemaker during a TV special on evangelicalism. She is so busy, she explained, with her kids, Bible study, cooking, and all, that she does not even get to read the newspaper. Church for her is getting her spirits lifted. Now admittedly, modern life creates enormous stress, but can’t the Church offer comfort and help people confront the culture? Of course, music is important in the life of the Church. But it cannot replace solid teaching.
The decision by Christian broadcasters to avoid moral controversies could result in the Church withdrawing from the culture as it tragically did a century ago. The great strength of radio, as with books, has been to present in-depth teaching that engages Christians cognitively. Unfortunately, thinking analytically is something Christians find increasingly difficult. According to a government study, the average college graduate’s proficient literacy in English has declined from 40 percent in 1992 to 31 percent ten years later. The study defines proficient literacy as the ability to read lengthy, complex texts and draw complicated inferences.
This is horrifying. The Gospel above everything else is revealed propositional truth—truth that speaks to all of life. Sure, the Gospel is simple enough for a child to understand. But if you want to study doctrine and worldview, you need the capacity to engage ideas cognitively. Doctrine and biblical teaching does not consist of dry, abstract notions. It is the truth that must be carried to the heart and applied. And there is no escaping that it is truth that must be learned.
When Postman published his book two decades ago, he feared television would impair our capacity to think. He was right. But can we learn from this—or are we destined to follow suit, with the Church blissfully amusing itself into irrelevance?

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