Freakonomics, The World is Flat, and a the Geneology of Morals

If you have heard of the book and shrugged it off, you should check out Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt. This book is the result of what happens when an economist and a journalist get together and ask why things happen. Why are teachers and sumo wrestlers similar? Did Roe vs. Wade really help lower the crime rate? Does giving your kid the right name actually forcast their life? The book was a very fun read, it is only 200 pages long, and intriguing the whole way. The economist's problem solving and connection making abilities are amazing, as are his abilities to think like cheaters.

The World is Flat, a Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman is on my bedstand, good bedtime reading for me (I think my wife would kill herself reading an analysis of the factors driving globalisation before bed). It all makes sense, but leaves me asking the question, how does this growth foster justice, not injustice in places like India. Yes opportunities abound in some areas of China, Japan, and India, but he leaves some huge gaps wide open when it comes to justice. The author attempts to stay neutral in his analysis. He seems to have nailed some of the factors contributing to the rapid growth of globalisation, but seems to give a wonderfully republican freek market assessment of its good to the world. One thing is for sure, if Americans don't learn to work hard the 2+ billion people in Asia (primarily China and India) are going to give our economy a workout that may wear us down.

Finally, as I was leaving Indiana, a dear professor emeritus of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Vin Miller, gave me a copy of Friedrich Nietzsche's The Geneology of Morals. This is my first reading of Nietzsche, but I am drawn to his style and am intriguied by his reason. I think I will find myself reading more of him in the future.

A brief update, my wife and I are still unemployed... The world of endless Saturday's can get boring and we find ourselves longing for the structure of work in our days.

And a final note, the flooding of the deep south by the hurrican is tramatic and astounding. The pictures and video have left me speechless more than once as I stare with my mouth agape at the remnants of homes, lives, a unique culture.

Freakonomics, The World is Flat, and a the Geneology of Morals

If you have heard of the book and shrugged it off, you should check out Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt. This book is the result of what happens when an economist and a journalist get together and ask why things happen. Why are teachers and sumo wrestlers similar? Did Roe vs. Wade really help lower the crime rate? Does giving your kid the right name actually forcast their life? The book was a very fun read, it is only 200 pages long, and intriguing the whole way. The economist's problem solving and connection making abilities are amazing, as are his abilities to think like cheaters.

The World is Flat, a Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman is on my bedstand, good bedtime reading for me (I think my wife would kill herself reading an analysis of the factors driving globalisation before bed). It all makes sense, but leaves me asking the question, how does this growth foster justice, not injustice in places like India. Yes opportunities abound in some areas of China, Japan, and India, but he leaves some huge gaps wide open when it comes to justice. The author attempts to stay neutral in his analysis. He seems to have nailed some of the factors contributing to the rapid growth of globalisation, but seems to give a wonderfully republican freek market assessment of its good to the world. One thing is for sure, if Americans don't learn to work hard the 2+ billion people in Asia (primarily China and India) are going to give our economy a workout that may wear us down.

Finally, as I was leaving Indiana, a dear professor emeritus of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Vin Miller, gave me a copy of Friedrich Nietzsche's The Geneology of Morals. This is my first reading of Nietzsche, but I am drawn to his style and am intriguied by his reason. I think I will find myself reading more of him in the future.

A brief update, my wife and I are still unemployed... The world of endless Saturday's can get boring and we find ourselves longing for the structure of work in our days.

And a final note, the flooding of the deep south by the hurrican is tramatic and astounding. The pictures and video have left me speechless more than once as I stare with my mouth agape at the remnants of homes, lives, a unique culture.

What is rest in Christ? Sabbath, or something else?

31"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place."

I recently attended a Bible study in Waynesboro where these two verses were the focus of the study. The earlier sections of chapter 6 were referenced for context, where the disciples had gone out with the power of Christ, casting out demons, healing the sick, and doing a bunch of other wacky stuff. So it comes to this point in chapter 6, and many of us would love to stop at verse 32. Unfortunatle, you MUST read on verse 52 which reads: "52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."

As I read through this, questions were being asked, and a bunch of conversation was being had about the Sabbath, and rest, and other typical discussions on Christians being overly busy and how we need to find ways to "be" with Christ. Unfortunately, it seems this misses the heart of the passage and creates a dichotomy between these times of "being" and every other point of life. Why can't we learn to embrace every moment as a time of "being" with Christ? And ultimately, What does Mark 6 have to do with this?

So early on in Mark 6, Jesus sends out the twelve with his power to do miracles and cast out demons (which is crazy work). He tells them to only take one tunic, one staff, one pair of sandals, no food and, no money. Jesus is not sending them out on an easy mission. He gives them his power but takes away any creature comforts they may want. In the interlude of verses 14-28, John the Baptist gets beheaded, which would be a painful reminder of the seriousness of their mission, as well as an emotionally exhausting excursion back together from their mission. Next, in verse 31, Jesus calls them to rest. This sounds really nice until you keep reading. They try and get away, but Jesus then makes them work to feed the 5000 (even though they don't want to). Next, in verse 45, Jesus gets some time alone, and makes the disciples get in the boat to go ahead to Bethsada (hopefully for that rest that he had commanded). In verse 47, Jesus sees the helpless disciples flailing about in the boat during a storm, and walks out to them, on the water mind you, and calms the storm and saves the day again.

In my mind, the most important part of this whole section comes in verse 52. Their hearts were hardened, for they had not understood about the loaves. I started putting together the picture of a story being told by Mark, which starts in verse 30, and ends in verse 52. Jesus calls them to rest, but his actions and subsequent calls do not give the disciples any kind of traditional rest. Jesus, by feeding 5000 people and by calming the storm showed clearly that he was not talking about the Sabbath rest that some Christians idolize, some use as an excuse to be lazy, and others take as a serious reminder of all that has been provided for them. Jesus was talking about the rest that comes when a full reliance on his power is lived out through every action. Jesus intentionally gave the disciples tasks that they could not humanly do (feeding 5000 and rowing across the lake in a storm) so that they would have to "rest" and rely completely on the strength of Christ, the Rock of Ages. They as verse 52, did not understand. Jesus gave them two clear moments to rest in His might, and they continued to try to do this of their own volition.

Mark 6 in my reading is in no way about Sabbath rest, but about our utter reliance on Christ, both in the initial act of obedience and the "long obedience in the same direction" (to pull from Eugene Peterson). Sometimes I wonder if Christians focus so much on the quiet times with Christ that they forget about the rest of life with Christ. Sure, I want to be able to chill with Christ, but I want to be able to have him with me every day, doing what is not humanly possible, be it in Autocad, or as a staff assistant at UVA, then I will have entered the full Sabbath rest of the life of Christ woven with mine.

Moving, Reminiscing, and a Calling Postponed

I have found many times that the introduction to a book can yield a delightfully thoughtful entrance to reading. My wife and I have recently moved to Waynesboro, VA, and while unloading one of our 20 boxes of books, I came across Denis Haack's "The Rest of Success" (which I obtained from Byron Borger at some point in my 3 years working for the CCO). The very first page of the book, before the intro, the ISBN, and the Table of Contents, contained the words of J.R.R. Tolkien:

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."

I found these words to be encouraging, as I pondered the story of the Lord of the Rings. My wife and I have begun a new journey, both currently jobless, moving into a new apartment, joining a new community, searching for a new church, trying to walk faithfully through the doors God has opened for us, and not trying to knock down the closed doors.

I feel that for one of the first times in my life I am wandering, not knowing what will come in front of me next. Two months ago, I was sure that I would be attending graduate school this fall, whether that was part time or full time with an assistantship, that is now changed. Currently, my wife and I see that paying of out-of-state tuition to be an unwise decision. Viewing it this way, it would be easy to take out over 18,000 dollars in loans in the next year, but from the perspective of financial stewardship, does not make very much sense, especially if we can establish residency in the next year. So that leaves me asking, "What will I do next?" Let the wandering begin. My general knowledge of computers may move me into a job working on Autocad for a contracter in Waynesboro. I have recently applied for around 30 different staff assitant and specialist positions at UVA, and have considered doing manual labor (which seems less and less appealing every time I think about it). I think my most frequent thought about these positions has been, how will I do them faithfully, and differently? How will I be a light in the midst of Autocad? Will I become a drone, moving from place to place lifelessly, or will I learn to love my temporary vocation?

This postponed calling has given me melancholy emotions which break into sadness every once in a while. Combining with these emotions has been the recent death of Byron Borger's father-in-law to bone cancer. Byron is a faithful man that I have been blessed to know, and sadly share the life experience of losing our father's in car wrecks. Byron dropped me a quick email, which I then followed by paging through my wife's and my wedding album with my wife. The last page contains a picture of the flowers that were in memorial to my father placed next to the words of the song Rock of Ages:

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide myself in Thee
Let the water and the blood
From Thy wounded side, which flowed
Be of sin the double cure
Save me from its guilt and power

Not the labor of thy hands
Can fulfill Thy laws demands
Could my zeal no respite know
Could my tears forever flow
All for sin could not atone
Thou must save and Thou alone

Nothing in my hands I bring
Simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked come to Thee for dress
Helpless look to Thee for grace
Foul I to the fountain fly
Wash me Saviour or I die

While I draw this fleeting breath
When my eyes shall close in death
When I soar to worlds unknown
See Thee on Thy judgement throne
Rock of Ages cleft for me
Let my hide myself in Thee.

This song brings me amazing comfort in the midst of sadness. I often find myself with tears in my eyes, almost unable to finish the last verse. I am reminded of the pain that the broken world brings, and find myslef longing for wholenss and reconciliation, knowing that ultimately, it will only come with the return of Christ. Meanwhile, I must strive to be faithful, knowing that I have been given the grace to live seeking reconciliation to all around me, and to this I continue to strive.

It has been an emotion churning week, and I look forward to finding a home in Waynesboro, with the people I have recently met. Old friends made new again, and new friends to know more deeply and to serve faithfully. I long to have a keen sense of place in the midst of turbulence again, that which I felt I had achieved in Indiana, PA.