Statement of Faith

October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I find new ways to challenge my faith in the oddest of places.  Lately, though, it was a random political conversation I had with some friends on Twitter.  If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you might have missed the “Occupy Wall Street” movement sweeping across America.  It’s something I’ve only paid attention to in passing, but on the whole many of the “we are the 99%” arguments resonate with me.

Yesterday, the whole conversation started off innocently enough:

Hoping #OWS can trigger a new "Progressive Era" (except Eugenics or Prohibition; please read before criticizing): http://t.co/Vmon0wiI
October 18, 2011 11:07 am via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite
@mikeschinkel
Mike Schinkel

We quickly began discussing and debating the point.  Everything from what the Progressive Era represented as an abstract concept, to specific historical evidence and how it tied in to the inevitability of certain tyrannical and corrupt institutions. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Growth, Musings, Theology Tagged With: , , , ,

Communion and Shaving

January 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Not two things you’d typically put together in a single idea, are they?  But I’ve come to realize that the act of shaving and the Christian tradition of communion have quite a bit in common.

I start every morning with a good shave.  I wake up, splash some hot water on my face, lather, and pull out my razor.  For the past several months, I’ve also traded in my Schick Quatro for a straight razor (a Parker SR2 to be exact).  It gives me a closer shave, takes a great deal more skill to use, and helps me to start my day more awake and alert.

Probably because using the razor is inherently dangerous. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: , ,

Fear

December 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I’m afraid of heights.  No, that’s not quite right.  I’m really afraid of heights.  More so than any other thing or situation I’ve ever come across, being up high terrifies me in a way few can ever understand.

The thing about this kind of fear is that it’s irrational.  I have no reason to be afraid of heights, yet the thought of being up high frightens me intensely.  As a result, I’m uncomfortable looking out windows in high rise buildings.  I have trouble taking the elevator over the stairs in a tall building.  Even driving over a bridge gives me th creeps – I’ve never actually been able to walk across one of those grate bridges without my eyes closed. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: , , ,

When the Student is Ready …

December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

… the teacher will appear.  The goal of day 3 in the “30 Days to a Better Man” series is to find a mentor.  It’s a good reminder, actually, because I’ve been searching for a mentor for some time.  Oddly enough, it’s a lot harder to find a mentor than you’d think.  You hear the old student-teacher adage and you think it’s just a matter of staying open to the idea of being a mentee.

Not so. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: ,

The Robustness Principle

November 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Working in software, I get to learn a few rules that are specific to programming that can be easily applied to regular life at the same time.  One of the more recent ideas is known as Postel’s Law:

Be conservative in what you do; be liberal in what you accept from others.

In programming, this is called the robustness principle and reflects the idea that computer interfaces should be able to accept many different forms of information but always give you information in the same way.  Then, just about anyone can send something in to the interface, but you always know what to expect coming back out.

This is a fantastic principle for developing software – your system is flexible, creating a shallow learning curve – but there’s also a specific standard for how it works.  It’s always easier to use something when it “just works,” and even more so when it doesn’t ever surprise you at the end of the day.

At the same time, though, I find this to be a spectacular example for how a Christian should live their life. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theology Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts