I'll try to make this quick. I usually keep quiet about politics because I realize I'm not going to change anyone's mind with a tweet, post, or conversation... and it wears me out.
I do want to make a point that I think is basic to the idea of improving society by outlawing harmful things (drugs, alcohol, firearms).
Criminals are, by definition, not law-abiding citizens. This means that they have a proclivity not to obtain things in a legal manner because they do not intend to use them in a legal fashion.
Outlawing firearms or enacting stricter laws on firearms will not eliminate the problem because criminals do not adhere to the law. The problem the human race has is that we are trying to legislate safety and good behavior by addressing the symptoms and not the disease. The issue is that you cannot legislate the human heart.
Violence is not the problem, drug use is not the problem; they are symptoms of the problem. Until our nations (not just governments, but citizens) acknowledge that fact, little progress will be made in making the world a safer place, regardless of how many laws, regulations, codes and restrictions are enacted.
Now, I agree that there should be laws governing firearms, outlawing narcotics, etc., but if anyone thinks tougher laws will solve the problems caused by our sinful nature, I believe they are sadly mistaken.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Random Thoughts
I have random thoughts throughout most days and think to myself, "I should write a post about that." Unfortunately, I usually forget whatever the idea or thought was by the time I get around to writing and the opportunity is gone.
I am actually trying to come up with something brilliant to write about at this very moment. As this is supposed to be a daily blog (I've missed a few days on that, but I'm working on it) it is not too surprising that I find myself with little to write about. A lot happened today, but some of those things are not that exciting and some are not really wise to post about. I am encouraged, though. I talked to a few potential new clients, which is pretty awesome. I do need to make sure I get back into reading a few books on my shelf that I haven't gotten into in the past couple of weeks. I did start walking again yesterday after taking a week-long break. I think that overall, I am noticing a pattern that I will do things consistently for a few weeks at a time with random breaks thrown in here and there. I know I need variety, but I feel it is important to return some self-discipline to my routine.
That being said, I am going to see about reading another chapter of Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders before I go to sleep.
I am actually trying to come up with something brilliant to write about at this very moment. As this is supposed to be a daily blog (I've missed a few days on that, but I'm working on it) it is not too surprising that I find myself with little to write about. A lot happened today, but some of those things are not that exciting and some are not really wise to post about. I am encouraged, though. I talked to a few potential new clients, which is pretty awesome. I do need to make sure I get back into reading a few books on my shelf that I haven't gotten into in the past couple of weeks. I did start walking again yesterday after taking a week-long break. I think that overall, I am noticing a pattern that I will do things consistently for a few weeks at a time with random breaks thrown in here and there. I know I need variety, but I feel it is important to return some self-discipline to my routine.
That being said, I am going to see about reading another chapter of Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders before I go to sleep.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Pushing and Pulling
This week, I've decided to stop just saying I'm going to push myself to grow. I'm actually applying what I know is important and I'm seeing a difference. Sometimes it is as simple as sticking to the schedule I decide for myself in the morning.
I've been working on new creative ideas for video and motion; things that I never had the time to try when I was making three or four videos in three or four days with a two, three or four day deadline. When I was in that environment (where more times than not the negative feedback for a video I received from my employer was "It doesn't feel right. It needs to feel right, but I won't know how that feels until I see it and it works.")* I developed a hesitance to try things that I knew would take longer to learn, get right, fix or create because I was working with such tight turn-around times and under such ambiguous direction. I still loved every minute of creating in that environment (and I believe that environment ultimately made me better, more decisive and more efficient), but there was always an awareness that what I was creating was not the best I could do because of that hesitance.
I have decided to push that out of the way and it has opened up a whole new realm of creativity. I used to think, "If only I had this new effect plug-in, or 3D software, or a faster processor, my videos would be better." While those things help tremendously, when it comes down to it, the editor/artist/designer/creator is what makes all those things work together. It's kind of like music. I know of a lot of people who have very nice, expensive gear and guitars, but they don't know how to play more than three chords. That gear is not going to make them better unless they learn more chords, scales and technique.
There are a lot of less-than-ideal life-situations I am dealing with now, but I have been living with an optimistic expectance that my hope is not in my circumstances. This fact applies to this blog because if I did not hold fast to Jesus in all things, I would most likely hide in my bed all day and wouldn't care about improving, creating or doing much of anything. I am thankful for all the reasons I have to get out of bed every day. Here is a small list:
My God who loves me unconditionally
My amazing and beautiful wife
My family (extended and in-law)
My church family
Close friends
Art
Music
Freedom
*In fairness to my former employer, I received a lot of positive feedback regarding what I was producing and had the opportunity to learn an immense amount during that time.
I've been working on new creative ideas for video and motion; things that I never had the time to try when I was making three or four videos in three or four days with a two, three or four day deadline. When I was in that environment (where more times than not the negative feedback for a video I received from my employer was "It doesn't feel right. It needs to feel right, but I won't know how that feels until I see it and it works.")* I developed a hesitance to try things that I knew would take longer to learn, get right, fix or create because I was working with such tight turn-around times and under such ambiguous direction. I still loved every minute of creating in that environment (and I believe that environment ultimately made me better, more decisive and more efficient), but there was always an awareness that what I was creating was not the best I could do because of that hesitance.
I have decided to push that out of the way and it has opened up a whole new realm of creativity. I used to think, "If only I had this new effect plug-in, or 3D software, or a faster processor, my videos would be better." While those things help tremendously, when it comes down to it, the editor/artist/designer/creator is what makes all those things work together. It's kind of like music. I know of a lot of people who have very nice, expensive gear and guitars, but they don't know how to play more than three chords. That gear is not going to make them better unless they learn more chords, scales and technique.
There are a lot of less-than-ideal life-situations I am dealing with now, but I have been living with an optimistic expectance that my hope is not in my circumstances. This fact applies to this blog because if I did not hold fast to Jesus in all things, I would most likely hide in my bed all day and wouldn't care about improving, creating or doing much of anything. I am thankful for all the reasons I have to get out of bed every day. Here is a small list:
My God who loves me unconditionally
My amazing and beautiful wife
My family (extended and in-law)
My church family
Close friends
Art
Music
Freedom
*In fairness to my former employer, I received a lot of positive feedback regarding what I was producing and had the opportunity to learn an immense amount during that time.
Monday, January 21, 2013
On Family
If you know me, you most likely have heard that my cousin, Kristina Hinsdale, died in a car accident last week. My brother, Bryan, wrote a beautiful blog about her the day Kristina died. For the past three days, I was with family members, mourning, grieving and celebrating Kristina's life. I have also struggled with the same fact that my brother discusses; that my most vivid memories of spending time with Kristina are when we were kids. All this weekend, I was doing my best to remember everything I could about every interaction I had with Kristina, and I came up painfully short. I do remember her wide, bright eyes and her affinity for attempting to consume entire sticks of butter as a baby, given half a chance.
I have a very large family, and spending time with them is becoming more and more difficult. I realized last night that the last time I had seen many of them was at my aunt Virginia's funeral, who passed away a year ago today. Actually, outside of weddings and funerals, I haven't seen extended family much at all for the past ten years or so. As I sat in the living room at my aunt, uncle and cousin Martin's house, I could picture times filled with music, stories and laughter when I was a child. That living room is where I learned about music and my uncle Mark found my first acoustic guitar, which I still own and play. That room is where my grandfather, uncle and his friends would sit in a circle and play bluegrass and folk tunes into the late hours of the night.
On the way home from that living room in Belews Creek, NC last night, My wife and I were listening to my old band's CD because we are playing a reunion show in March and I'm trying to familiarize myself with the songs and parts again. As we listened, I remembered that two of the songs were written in times of grief over the loss of a friend, Alex Naden, who also died in a car accident shortly before we went into the studio. At the time, I was an EMT, a firefighter, and a 911 dispatcher, and I had developed an unfortunate and (as I'm still finding out) long-lasting method of coping with death by shutting down my emotions. It is a strange thing to admit that. That singular fact is the reason I no longer pursue fire/EMS or dispatching, as much as I enjoyed helping others in their times of loss, hurt and grief. I do not want to shut down again.
As I spent time with my family this weekend and as I listened to the songs that had been written about Alex, the emotions related to the grief I feel for the loss of Kristina grew, and my inability to fully grieve over others I've lost in the past began to melt away. As much as they can hurt, emotions are gifts from God that let us know we are alive and that we are able to love.
I was asked to be a pall-bearer for Kristina. We were all given flowers to wear on our jackets and were informed that we could place them on her casket as we walked by the family. Some wanted to keep theirs, but I had a sudden realization; I don't know when the last time was that I gave something to Kristina. This was my chance, as simple as it seems, to give her something beautiful. And in return, she lit the flame that had burned out long ago of truly grieving and being able to feel in a deep way, the pain of loss and the joy of redemption from a place of brokenness and sorrow.
There is a song that has been popular for the past several years and has been covered by several different groups and artists. It was written by John Mark McMillan, and he made a video telling the story behind the song. It is a beautiful, raw and real reflection of what I believe many of us feel when we lose a loved one.
I have a very large family, and spending time with them is becoming more and more difficult. I realized last night that the last time I had seen many of them was at my aunt Virginia's funeral, who passed away a year ago today. Actually, outside of weddings and funerals, I haven't seen extended family much at all for the past ten years or so. As I sat in the living room at my aunt, uncle and cousin Martin's house, I could picture times filled with music, stories and laughter when I was a child. That living room is where I learned about music and my uncle Mark found my first acoustic guitar, which I still own and play. That room is where my grandfather, uncle and his friends would sit in a circle and play bluegrass and folk tunes into the late hours of the night.
On the way home from that living room in Belews Creek, NC last night, My wife and I were listening to my old band's CD because we are playing a reunion show in March and I'm trying to familiarize myself with the songs and parts again. As we listened, I remembered that two of the songs were written in times of grief over the loss of a friend, Alex Naden, who also died in a car accident shortly before we went into the studio. At the time, I was an EMT, a firefighter, and a 911 dispatcher, and I had developed an unfortunate and (as I'm still finding out) long-lasting method of coping with death by shutting down my emotions. It is a strange thing to admit that. That singular fact is the reason I no longer pursue fire/EMS or dispatching, as much as I enjoyed helping others in their times of loss, hurt and grief. I do not want to shut down again.
As I spent time with my family this weekend and as I listened to the songs that had been written about Alex, the emotions related to the grief I feel for the loss of Kristina grew, and my inability to fully grieve over others I've lost in the past began to melt away. As much as they can hurt, emotions are gifts from God that let us know we are alive and that we are able to love.
I was asked to be a pall-bearer for Kristina. We were all given flowers to wear on our jackets and were informed that we could place them on her casket as we walked by the family. Some wanted to keep theirs, but I had a sudden realization; I don't know when the last time was that I gave something to Kristina. This was my chance, as simple as it seems, to give her something beautiful. And in return, she lit the flame that had burned out long ago of truly grieving and being able to feel in a deep way, the pain of loss and the joy of redemption from a place of brokenness and sorrow.
There is a song that has been popular for the past several years and has been covered by several different groups and artists. It was written by John Mark McMillan, and he made a video telling the story behind the song. It is a beautiful, raw and real reflection of what I believe many of us feel when we lose a loved one.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
What Binds our Attention
It has become one of those "kids these days" statements; technology is killing our relational and face-to-face social skills. It is true, smart phones, tablets, laptops, they are all the main way we keep in touch with most of the people we know as well as the rest of the world.
Honestly, I have reflected on what things were like before all this tech. I grew up before cell phones took off and spent most of my free time on ten acres, responsible for taking care of various livestock and winged creatures and driving tractors around.
When I have thought about what things used to be like, I've imagined people interacting, engaging in long discussions and smiling at and waving to everyone they came across. This Christmas, I noticed something that gave some insight into this curiosity. I watched "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" with Steve Martin and John Candy (in my opinion, it's a much better version of "Due Date" although I do appreciate the acting skill of Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifainakis).
In the movie, there was an establishing scene in an airport when the camera panned across the boarding area. I noticed almost everyone was staring at a newspaper, a book or a magazine and almost no one was talking to anyone. At the moment I saw this scene it hit me that the technology is not to blame. People are. We can choose to take the headphones out of our ears, set the phone down, close the clamshell, iPad case, and say hello to the person sitting next to us.
I am not basing an entire theory on one movie scene, but I think the questions we ask about the effects of technology on society and face-to-face interaction needs to be redirected toward the human condition and our tendency to entertainment and distraction over developing new friendships and engaging in meaningful, verbal conversation.
Honestly, I have reflected on what things were like before all this tech. I grew up before cell phones took off and spent most of my free time on ten acres, responsible for taking care of various livestock and winged creatures and driving tractors around.
When I have thought about what things used to be like, I've imagined people interacting, engaging in long discussions and smiling at and waving to everyone they came across. This Christmas, I noticed something that gave some insight into this curiosity. I watched "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" with Steve Martin and John Candy (in my opinion, it's a much better version of "Due Date" although I do appreciate the acting skill of Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifainakis).
In the movie, there was an establishing scene in an airport when the camera panned across the boarding area. I noticed almost everyone was staring at a newspaper, a book or a magazine and almost no one was talking to anyone. At the moment I saw this scene it hit me that the technology is not to blame. People are. We can choose to take the headphones out of our ears, set the phone down, close the clamshell, iPad case, and say hello to the person sitting next to us.
I am not basing an entire theory on one movie scene, but I think the questions we ask about the effects of technology on society and face-to-face interaction needs to be redirected toward the human condition and our tendency to entertainment and distraction over developing new friendships and engaging in meaningful, verbal conversation.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Getting the Band Back Together
In what sometimes feels like another life, I was in a band for about eight years. We played a lot of shows, went to Nashville in hopes of signing a record contract, had a song on some radio stations, and soon after arriving in Nashville decided we did not want to join the machine that is the "music industry." Long story short, some of us got married, some of us had kids, some of us moved away and we called it a day.
Becky, our bass player's (M-A-T-T) wife, decided to ask us if we would be able to play a show for his birthday, and we are doing just that. On March 23rd at a location TBD in Fredericksburg, VA and with another band to be confirmed, we will play one more show. I am both excited and a little bit nervous, but mostly excited.
Tomorrow, I have the privilege to play the guitar and help lead worship at church. It is amazing to me how God created us to be blessed by the act of glorifying Him. It is a testament that the more we do that, the more we want to and the more He reveals to us about how much He loves us.
With that, I'm actually going to do some reading and get some sleep... for the record, I've walked two consecutive days so far and I'm already feeling a difference.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Walking Day
Lately, I feel I've been hitting a bit of a wall creatively speaking. I still struggle with knowing some of the software I have well enough to fully translate what I envision in my head into a video, logo or design. I go back and forth about returning to school to get a creative arts something-or-other degree. The pros are more education and understanding of what I love doing. The cons are debt, debt, and debt. Design school is expensive. I guess it makes sense, since creative arts work is based on tried and true practices and principles combined with intangibles, imagination and a lot of time and energy. Also, I have always been one who believes that while knowing the basics and the "textbook" way, experience is a great way to learn what to do (and what not to do).
I read somewhere (probably on the all-knowing Interwebs) that walking will increase brain activity and can "jumpstart" creativity. This might explain my sudden urges to walk away from the computer and pace back and forth in hopes of coming up with something brilliant. That also might explain why some people have come up with the idea of integrating treadmills into their desks. Either way, as a part of what I am doing with this blog (that has a current readership of two people) I am going to begin walking daily. There, I said it. And for my two readers (whoever you may be), I want you to hold me to that; at least until I can afford to go to design school.
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