"Idol verses Ideal"

Disclaimer: I believe in the bible as the "living word". I believe it is important and necessary. I believe God influences it and uses it for his good. Please read this in the entirety and not skip over what I say.

So I was just thinking, (this is a dangerous pastime and should be avoided at all costs) and I wondered if sometimes or oftentimes we take our own guide and make it our God? I am not a bible expert, nor am I claiming to be one. In this circumstance I feel that the human side of us wants tangible solid proof of Gods assurance. That he exists and is beside us always. I am not sure that the bible is that or is supposed to be that.

Now before I make a ton of my friends worried and question me I want to be sure to say that I do feel the bible is important and a resource in our lives to understand ourselves and others better. Most importantly to be seeking God one must read the bible as it guides us in our lives. However so often do I see bible verses spewed out of context to justify a persons life. So often do I see that people treat it as if it were Jesus himself. Jesus was not a book. God is not a book.

The bible is probably the most read book of all time. Its a number one best seller! It's important history, meaningful truth, and undeniably, extraordinarily, implausible. There are things in the bible that are impossible to explain. Walls toppled without drawing a sword, whilst playing a trumpet. Gigantic stone pillars toppled by one man. Leviathans swallowing a man only to spit him up elsewhere (and he walked away from that!?). People blind from birth being able to see! People coming back to life! Oh, lets not forget its about this God fellow who sends his only begotten son Jesus to die on a cross for our sins. It is extraordinary, and very weird! How can something like this be true? Historically we find evidence of somethings here and there but two thousand years after Christ died its a little difficult to verify. The bible has also undergone several translations since then where meanings change and things get forgotten.

From an outside perspective: "This book is crazy and people actually believe in this?"

Christians have managed to put a bible in every hotel room in the country. They are reaching out to the world and handing bibles out to every person like it was candy. On the streets they bang on the bible and cry out "Repent your sins!". In court houses you swear on the bible. Its the swiss army knife of the Christian lifestyle. You can find a version and print that fits your life and matches your favorite shirt. As I said in the beginning is the bible Gods or is god our Bible? So often the bible is seen as proof that God exists.

There is no proof. Unfortunately there will be no proof. Its up to faith. The book guides people but I have trouble believing its anything more then just a guide. (Gosh, I sound like I am being blasphemous) The bible holds truth and there is no way it exists without Gods divine influence. It does not however do anything else. It holds no power without God. It is just a book without God. You could force the entire world to read a bible and without God it would never mean anything to anyone. Having the bible does NOT ever replace God.

Now I am not saying "don't read the bible", please read it. It is the defining guide to being a Christian and it is necessary to go back to. Otherwise we get lost in our misunderstanding. The journey we make towards God trusting in him and his words to bring clarity and provide for us. God uses the bible and influences our hearts. To ignore it is to ignore God. To walk without it is also likewise to walk without God.

You do not pray to a book however. Having a bible does not replace seeking relationship with God. Further more you can not justify choices you make by picking one verse or even several. If the bible is not taken in whole and digested carefully we misuse the truth we are given for our advantage. In the book of James 4:3 it states that we sin when we pray. Is it not true that we do also sin when we read? No the bible is not our idol and can not ever be, it is however our "ideal".

P.S. I know it looks like I just picked a verse at the end there and chose it to justify my speech. I am using it to explain my reasoning however, I am not going to ignore the bible as an example for how we live or must live. This idea of mine is not perfect and is subject to debate if you find fault with it please let me know I would rather have conversation then condemnation.

Christmas Music and Why I Hate it.

I walked into a store on November 1st this year. There was a song playing at the store you may have heard of it before. You may in fact even like it. It was of course “Dreaming of a White Christmas” by Bing Crosby.

Now, I have no problem with the song itself. I have no quarrel with the dude that wrote it. However I can not stand hearing it 2 months before Christmas. I am completely at a loss, I can not stand Christmas music anymore. Christmas is a time of year I run hiding from stores. I hate walking into a place and hearing the same 20 songs played over and over. 

Yeah sure, Josh Groban does one version of a silent night however having Brittany spears sing it next with a different beat does not make it a different song. Its gotten to the point for me that I feel Christmas carolers are just trying to be facetious because of the fact that christmas songs are blasted in your face for a whole two months before a specific event. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love the meaning and the hope that the holiday represents. I love the tender moments and the family together. It just feels like stores are guilting you to buy more stuff because you are supposed to spend money during Christmas time. I hate the idea that you have to do something and the subconscious attempt to guilt me into buying stuff for others or myself, leads me to aggressively fight against it. Its like stores are shoving stuff at you and saying “See this is what you should be like!” Or “These people are happy why aren’t you?”.

I wish it were easy to just block it out of my mind, unfortunately my brain has a habit of hearing everything, especially music. When I hear music I see, feel, and imagine differently. All my ideas come from listening to music. When I want to go to a different world I play movie soundtracks and instrumental pieces. When I want to hear poetry I put on lyrical stuff. When I want to feel angst I put on some teenage pop. When I want to buy something I do not ever put on Christmas music. I put that on when I want to feel close to people NOT products.

I wish I could feel happy or calm around Christmas music. I wish I didn’t feel like strangling the person who wrote the songs. It would be different if there was some sort of nostalgia factor but there really isn’t a chance to feel nostalgia about Christmas music when you hear it every year for two months at a time. There has not been a way to miss Christmas and I don’t think its been my imagination that stores just don’t let up. 

My solution is to back off of things when they get to be annoying. Take Thanksgiving, a holiday with almost a religious tradition behind the food. I love the food and would eat it when its in front of me but I avoid having a traditional thanksgiving if I can. In the case of Thanksgiving its about giving thanks for what you have and making the most of what you have. Making good food no matter what it is has been fantastic, in my opinion, better then the same old thing. Change can be a good thing.

Music isn’t the point of Christmas it’s part of a tradition that has gotten old at least for me. It has a place for certain situations and I can appreciate that. Where stores are telling me to buy more gifts and products, I think I will be making my own presents instead. I will make my own tradition and evolve the ones that are no longer working. I refuse to accept that music makes the holiday. It’s not that I am Ebenezer Scrooge, or the Grinch. I won’t stop anyone from listening to their music that they like. It might mean that I avoid parties and church when they play “that type” of music. As I said it’s just me. Someday I might go back. Someday there might be a reason to. Until then I will listen to anything but the traditional stuff.

The Irredeemable: Part 2

Its finally here! The second part of my review on villainy.

I left off with justice and punishment. In stories a villain needs to do what is appropriate to their character. Sometimes a villain does just that. In the Lord of the Rings Gollum is probably the best example of the irredeemable. (This is the books perspective not the movies) Gollum's mind is so far gone he is a pathetic image of what he once was. Possessed with the ring of power, he does what ever it takes to get it back.

Gollum is deceitful, dangerous, and deadly. He killed his best friend for the ring. The ring itself tortured him and destroyed his mind. Even if this is what he became Frodo felt pity on him. Frodo gave justice and forgiveness to Gollum offering redemption and peace, Gollum refused. But with out Gollum, Frodo would not have thrown the ring into Mount Doom.

That is where the ring itself, the soul of Sauron, backfires in its evil. It was meant to destroy people by consuming their very minds. In the end its actions and the actions of justice lead to its destruction. Gollum was possessed by the ring until the very end. He got what he wanted. The ring desired to get back to its master. By slowly corrupting people the method it thought would be the fastest, it destroyed itself.

Villains are not really the problem. The path to self-destruction is what makes them terrifying. Its what makes them sad. Suffering in their own filth, we pity them. The problem is that it doesn't look like filth. Very rarely is a villain depicted like Gollum. Most often a villain is leading other people to their deaths.

In the case of our world you wonder why leaders like Osama Bin Laden are so attractive to  follow. If Osama had practiced what he preached he would have been dead long ago by strapping a bomb onto his chest. He had an excuse, a way out that allowed him to lead others to their death while keeping his own life. While I don't think Osama received "Justice" he got what he preached.

This never makes us better or worse then others. Most often we are villains without knowing. We lead paths of destruction that will destroy us in the end. The heroes admit the mistakes and attempt to make things right. Frodo Baggins himself became a villain and nearly died for it. Villainy is subtle yet destructive it makes sense from a personal standpoint.

While I am not sure that movie villains are appropriate as the Irredeemable in children's movies, the Irredeemable do exist. They chose to destroy and to be destroyed. This does not mean that justice should not be offered. Redemption, forgiveness, and mercy are much more powerful then people perceive.

The villain is almost more important then the hero because it is them that are on the path to destruction. Only the villain choses redemption or to be Irredeemable. The hero is just supposed to offer justice. After all the hero does not need to be fixed if they are a hero they will do what is right.

The Irredeemable: Part 1

I recently watched Kung Fu Panda 2 in theaters and I found myself enjoying the movie for the visual elements but I was disappointed with the story. 

I don't want to ruin it for people so I will just focus on why I was disappointed.

The villain.

Generally you can spot the villain in stories very easily because they are overly cliche, and entirely selfish. Darth Vader from Star Wars is an excellent example of this type. He is an image of unapologetic villainy. Now most people can not relate to this so it is an easy character to hate. He is so evil that I would say most people would give up on the idea that he could be redeemed. If you thought Osama was a bad guy Darth Vader makes him look like a petty thief not even worth tracking down. 

What makes Darth Vader Interesting though is that he was redeemed. He did choose the light. He gave up his own pursuit of power and realized he had lost everything that would have made him happy. 

In Kung Fu Panda 2 and 1 for that matter the villain is quite the opposite. They are villains with some pride to be sure but they are no where near Darth Vaders level of evil. Yet they are completely unable to let go. This seems to be happening in movies more often where the villain is just never going to give up their power. Even when everything tells them "The battle is lost". In the end they always chose the path of destruction. 

They are "The Irredeemable".

I ask the question of if a person who is capable of destroying entire planets without blinking an eye of remorse can be redeemed why is it these petty villains are so beyond repair. Not to mention that these are supposed to be children's films. Personally, I hate the idea that redemption is only for the protagonist or the Hero. Maybe this is a controversial thing to say but I feel villains are never beyond redemption. 

Now does that mean a villain should not face justice for their crimes? No, but justice is not an easy answer to come by. After all what is "justice"?

In the Chronicles of Narnia, Edmond in "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe" is a villain. A traitor to his own brother and sisters. Yet when he sees what he serves he is ashamed. What is the punishment for his crimes? After all he is a villain. Well, Nothing. He gets away with a heinous crime that led to the capture of Mr. Tumnus and the Revealing of Aslan at the stone table which has probably killed them all, and, well nothing. 

In another book "The Horse and His Boy"(My favorite of the Chronicles of Narnia series) Prince Rabadash attacks the kingdom of Archenland and the justice served by his treacherous attack? He is ultimately let go. Rabadash may not seek redemption but justice felt served more by not taking his life. Now there is more to the circumstances but you get the point. 

In each book justice is forgiveness and mercy. 

By both of these examples justice feels like the least self-satisfying things and dumbest concepts ever. After all there needs to be punishment. After all people need to know that you can not get away with crimes. Yet the punishment for both of those examples is death by all rights. Ultimately both of the criminals got away with the minimum and hardly a few days in jail. 

Why is it that those books feel so much more satisfying then the movie I just watched? What is it about those examples of justice that I feel nothing more needed to happen? What makes it that the Villain got what was coming and truly could not have received any punishment more fitting?

This is getting long so here is a cliff hanger for The Irredeemable: part 2

(note: This is a short overview and there is a whole lot more detail to be had here. If you haven't seen Star Wars, or read the Chronicles of Narnia: 1st I highly recommend them, and 2nd, Where have you been? Go watch and read now!) 

Please feel free to discuss and question my thought process. I am not an authority on this just observing my feelings on the matter and exploring the idea that a villain is more interesting if redeemed.

The Reluctant Hero

Man it has been a while since I last posted. Its amazing how hard it is to get myself to sit down and write.


There are many types of heroes and they all have their own unique qualities. The reluctant hero is one I relate to a lot. I feel they skirt the line of good and evil because they make a choice about something they didn't ask for or want. The typical reluctant hero is one that receives an enormous gift and squanders it. Holding back what they have and denying that it is a gift and not a curse. In life there are so many examples but I can use my writing as one.


When I was younger I was told that I have bad handwriting. Later, I was told I could not write well and should not consider it for a profession (this person went on to make fun of my papers to the upper classes). Even afterwards, I was told to give up on script writing cause lets face it you are no good(this was on my birthday). Its kind of a miracle that I do write at all. Now given the amount of negative feedback I have received on writing I am not sure if it counts when it comes to this example but I feel I have a gift for writing which brings me to my next point. Even if I do have a gift you would think that I would use it more often.


I like to write and even more so, I like to show people what I write. I want to know what they think. Do they think its good or do I have to rewrite it? Why don't I utilize that gift?


Is it that the reluctant hero doesn't see the potential in what they are doing? Or is it that they want to avoid being responsible and held accountable? I feel it can often times be a little bit of both. They are unaware that they have the gift and when they find out they have it they will very likely do anything they can to avoid it. Once the reluctant hero knows of his/her gift they make excuses, avoiding using it, they might even go as far as running away from where they are supposed to be. This is because they know exactly what it means if they accept the fact that this gift won't go away. They didn't want it. They didn't need it. They wanted a different gift.


The gift most often ends up being exactly what they needed in life. Not the fancy car, not the quiet life on the farm, not the supermodel girl who is as shallow as they come. It ends up taking them further then they could ever imagine going. They end up impacting lives and changing the world sometimes. Its not easy though and that is probably why they are reluctant. It always seems easier to do the opposite and just walk away, unfortunately some do. Some decide to be the opposite of what the gift is for and become the villain. The villain can be a person that makes the choice to just walk away. Or they can embrace the gift they have and instead use it for personal gain at the cost of others.


In the end I am left with one logical choice if I want to be more then the reluctant hero. It means I need to step up in my life and become more then I am. Use my strength and become a hero.


Examples of reluctant heros:
Jonah in the bible
Wikus Van De Merwe, District 9
The Fantastic four, (comics)
St. Francis of Assisi
Harry Dresden, The Dresden Files
Ender, Enders Game
Gollum, the Lord of the Rings
Han Solo, Star Wars
Bilbo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings

Knight in Shining Armor

Blogging is not always easy as I am discovering. Topics do not come easy at times and I am often lazy and forget to write. But sometimes a topic just hits you. (Or in this case someone else.)

As in my original post in this blog I said "maybe I will save a beautiful princess". Well I had my opportunity tonight!

Time as I have observed is a very strange thing. It flows so slowly sometimes. Driving is often one of the places where time flows unusually slow. This was not one of those times. Pulling up routinely to Colorado Blvd. after a great film group meeting I was waiting to turn right, onto Colorado for my journey home.

Several things happened very quickly. First, as I am waiting for cars to go across the intersection I notice a red sedan turn rather close to a black sedan. Parts fly and the front end of the black sedan is crumpled. Fluid is dripping from the car.

Sitting in my car I am in shock. Trying to process what just happened and what I should do as a reaction to said event. Should I call 911 and drive off? Should I make sure this person is okay? Heroism in my opinion is not walking past what you see happening, but making a stand.

I hit the hazard lights and turned off my car. Running to the car the damage is more then I thought. The airbag has gone off. I notice its a woman in the drivers seat. Opening her door I ask her if she is "okay". She is clearly dazed and in shock.

Her car is in the middle of the road on Colorado. I tell her to put her car in neutral and to steer it while I pushed. Meanwhile a friend of hers runs up from a different car. She offers to help out with the pushing as we get it out of the intersection.

All of a sudden smoke is filling up the car. Pulling the car to the curb I tell the damsel she must exit her car-riage. Turning off the car she gets out and I finally see a beautiful young woman. Obviously upper class, she must be a princess!

Another lady (Older and a little heavier set) runs up to us. She says "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry are you okay?"

Apparently her foot had gotten stuck on the accelerator because of her flip-flops.(Don't wear them if you don't know how to use them lady) Another person arrives and is on the phone with 911. The situation is getting crowded and is stressful enough. I ask the innocent princess if she is "okay and sure she is not hurt" one last time before I head to my car to leave.

Slinking away into the night like a comic book hero I make my exit calling 911 to let them know what happened from my end of things. After getting off the phone however I kicked myself for playing the macho hero... I left without getting her phone number! Instead of acting the tough hero, I totally should have capitalized on the moment. Damsel in distress, knight in shining armor to rescue her. It was totally a recipe for fairy tale happily ever after and I totally botched it! Instead going for the "comic book hero" swoop in save the girl, swoop out before she has a chance to thank me for my heroic deeds. No wonder I don't have a date.

Roads Filled with many Dangers

What is a hero with out danger?

It comes in many forms. An antagonist or villain is what makes a hero well, heroic. It comes at unexpected times. Usually at the worst possible time and from the most unexpected things.

I looked at my clock this morning, groaning. It was a long week already and my stamina was nearing its end. Class is at nine and I have to feed horses and a dog. We are going to the "Kirkland Museum". I am excited for this because I love museums. It is going to be a most welcome break. Packing my bag I get in the car being led by my trusty GPS and Google Maps.

The trip was uneventful. Traffic was light and people didn't cut me off. All in all everything was going smoothly... Maybe too smoothly. I pretty much figured I was going to be ahead of my class. (I am just that good.)

At my destination I stepped out to look around for this museum. Brick building and gate were the only things I remembered my teacher telling me about the fabled museum. Time is ticking down. Going north there is nothing. "Hmm, thats weird." I think to myself "Maybe the museum is on Louisiana rather than Pearl St." So I walk east and then west. Something is not right so I check my GPS. "No this is the right location what was the address I put in?"

1311 Pearl St....

Counting the numbers I walk on the sidewalk 1305... 1309... 1317... Treachery! I have been led astray!

Google maps has lied to me and left me out in the middle of nowhere with no idea of how to get to my class. A mad dash to my car I glance at my cars time... 9:15, I am late! Pinching myself I find matters are worse, I am not dreaming.

Google has betrayed me but I am savvy and quick on my feet. I look up the number for the museum. I am racing against the clock now. My class was going to meet at school before heading to the museum so they will probably not get to the museum until 9:30-9:40. The fowl beast google has sent me to South Pearl. The museum is actually in between 13th and 14th street according to the voice in the phone.

Making haste I step on the pedal. Obeying the laws (sort of) and swerving around the squirrels entering the road. My time is running out. Looking at the time its 9:43 I press on. Arriving at the destination it is 9:50. It's hopeless... Parking goes smoothly but as if one betrayal was not enough my bag is stuck! Struggling with that the door seems heavier then usual.

Through super human effort and brute force, I beat them into submission. Dashing down the sidewalk... My breath is heavy... I run up the steps to the museum only to find the door is locked! Franticly I search for some hint that may remove this obstacle. A hidden switch, a password? (Or maybe a sign that reads ring bell to enter.) I hit the button and an angelic voice overhead greets me. "Come on in, you are just in time. They just got here."

I was safe. Though I was betrayed and attacked through many trials, I still had made it!

The door unlocks and I am able to see treasures beyond imagination! Although I could not take that which was not in my mind, it was wondrous. As all happy endings go I was rewarded justly. The trial of the day I passed.

My journey continues. I am reminded of my trusted GPS. If a friend so trusted can betray me what dark trials await me in the dark corridors of time? Will I lose my trust in more noble friends because of this? Only time will tell.

Diamonds amongst the gravel we tread on.

I must say driving can be one of the most bland, boring, absolutely mind numbingly disgusting waist of time things, a person can do. However it can be one of the most strangely fascinating, awe-inspiring, never want it to end, experiences one can have.

When one drives it, for the most part is about routine. We drive to work every Monday at 7 A.M.(I say we even though I am jobless at the time of writing this.) or we go to school. It is the same trip, the same time, the same cup of bad coffee and sometimes you find yourself getting cut off by the same person every morning drive.

Other times you have to drive through just plain terrible locations, like Iowa... Need I say more?

Often times especially for me as I have to drive an hour to get to Denver, I can't get over the same thing aching in the back of my mind, "I could be doing something else, rather then doing this". Or "I was supposed to have a flying car that could go to Jupiter and back in an afternoon by now. What is taking science so long?"

But there are other times in a car that I can't help but notice make life so fun.

Filling up your car is a consequence of driving.  If you drive this experience is unavoidable. This is an unknown to most, fantastic time to people watch. Most people will never notice because for some reason people have a strange "elevator syndrome" that causes them to not look at each other when they grab that petroleum pump. Thus you can take advantage of this and can often catch a person doing something quite amusing. Like a person silently rehearsing a conversation they are going to have with another person.

Other times you find yourself in a place that is majestic. Utah, Colorado, California and many other places that are not Iowa.  I just drove through Utah which is mostly desert, however, there are such cool rock formations which you just can't find anywhere else. Beautiful red rocks, archways and erosion forms it can be breath taking.

Not often, but sometimes you drive through a place, playing a song, or at a time, or with a person, and you wish it would never end. These moments can be some of the saddest or most joy-filled of your life. They are strange and rare gems of the mundane. I can't explain the experience entirely, its like dreaming yet you are wide awake. The car is, at those times, the only place that you would want to be and it wouldn't matter where you were driving.

Even if you were driving through Iowa.

I'll keep this short.

I have decided to write a small blog. This is my first one ever. Honestly I am terrified to find out how lazy I might be at updating this. My goal is that I would like to update this at least once a week and as much as once a day. Hopefully, I will develop a habit and joy out of it.

I am compelled to explain my title I would like to do it as best I can.

This blog is more about me as a man growing up wishing for adventure and finding it in odd places. Being a hero on an adventure saving a far away land is something I have always wanted. I must say paying bills and going to school is decidedly less fun and adventurous. Although maybe I am not looking at life in the right way. This blog is that discovery and adventure. I will search under every rock seeking the treasures they hold in hopes that I might find my adventure, maybe I will save a beautiful princess, fight off terrifying beasts, and find priceless riches, who knows!

It also should hopefully improve my writing and communication skills. Of which I feel I shall be eternally grateful in the future. My grammar skills might not improve much though... I guess if it bugs people I can try my best to improve what little skill I have in that area.

So my adventure begins! I do hope you will join me on this journey of "life with a little imagination".