Graceville: Poetry, wanderlust, and a Christian's reading of life

Says who #16

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Life is a string of lessons we either reluctantly learn from or miss entirely. But only a Lifegiver can salvage what's lost and give meaning to pain. Our life is not our own inasmuch as we weren't there when it was conceived. What we lose in this life wasn't ours to own in the first place. Be glad it was once there at all.

Says who #15

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:11:00 +0000

          PHILLIP
It's puny!

          BUTCH
Hell no Phillip. Good size for
a boy your age.

(A Perfect World, 1993)

Says who #14

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:19:00 +0000

The pursuit of passion in any subject is like the filling of pollen into every cranny of the honeycomb—it's a lifetime of labour from joy!

"The Ghost of Bampfylde"

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:25:00 +0000

The ghost of Bampfylde is who I am,
By the clear, swift creeks I roam.
My loved ones lived south of the dam,
My story in the hearth of home.

The attics of boyhood hid secrets
Only the brave dared to know;
No thrills satiate the palates
Of hijacked pubescence for show!

Before boys grew up a crisis struck,
From which men were keenly made:
Damn rascals turned from shooting ducks
To chasing after girls with braids!

Without any training love debuted,
Hormones started a new trend;
But quickly came a news most skewed
Of heartbreak beyond any mend.

No-one ever told those teenaged boys
That with joy sorrow must come,
And sorrow marched without a noise
To the beats of a dead man's drum.

In their old age all these men wondered
About things they could have done.
In their rues they deeply suffered,
But none knew why, not even one.

If only they could see what we ghosts see
From beyond the graves that enslave man:
Death does not end a lifelong esprit,
Oh but a heart unbridled surely can!

So with regards to the matter of life
This is what a spirit has to say:
To end the wars of your inner strife,
Honour your love—and forgive now—today!

Haiku: Smuggled Love

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:53:00 +0000

like a smuggled torpedo
smoked in spain
my pain is no longer local

Haiku: London when he cries

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:52:00 +0000

sorry letter
c'mon, bruised pride
new air
disappearing world
rushed breakfast in
a different city

Two minds of @JeffSchweitzer

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:25:00 +0000

Schweitzer calls the gap between Christianity and science an "unbridgeable gulf", yet his theorizing of primeval times subverts his own opinion:

"Traits that we view as moral are deeply embedded in the human psyche. Honesty, fidelity, trustworthiness, kindness to others, and reciprocity are primeval characteristics that helped our ancestors survive. In a world of dangerous predators, early man could thrive only in cooperative groups. Good behavior strengthened the tribal bonds that were essential to survival. What we now call morality is really a suite of behaviors favored by natural selection in an animal weak alone but strong in numbers. Morality is a biological necessity and a consequence of human development, not a gift from God." (from Two Americas: Rationalists and Arationalists)

How convenient for Schweitzer to deploy his criticism of theists to dovetail his own faith in the undocumented human evolution of morality! Nowhere in his argument were the evidence and arguments of the best from the other side (say, Michael Behe's irreducible complexity) reasoned against or even mentioned. If this is all his article amounts to—a gross double standard in his own reasoning—at least I now know not to take Jeff Schweitzer's layman's ramblings seriously.

Haiku: The Carnival Prince

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

fairy floss machine
tired midnight in empty carnival
the clown transfigured

Haiku: Dark enclosed

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:39:00 +0000

dark enclosed
concrete garden
no way out
of a song

Says who #13

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:01:00 +0000

It never ceases to amaze that people often go out of their way to state their particular worldview that all worldview are basically the same. How self-defeating! But if you hear them carefully they are actually saying "all beliefs are wrong EXCEPT MINE!", which makes them guilty of the same alleged hypocrisy that they accuse others of. A true neutralist never speaks a single word for or against. Probe; don't parrot.

"Season"

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:43:00 +0000

You supplanted morning with a kiss:
Like a rain that never ceased;
I can't forget, to say the least,
A love as sweet as this.

You poured me wine from the dew,
And loved me in a season—
Still I can't supply a reason
For the season that is you.

Says who #12

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:18:00 +0000

The detective story differs from every other story in this: that the reader is only happy if he feels a fool. At the end of more philosophic works he may wish to feel a philosopher. But the former view of himself may be more wholesome—and more correct.

- G.K. Chesterton, Generally Speaking (1928)

Says who #11

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:36:00 +0000

The problem with contemporary Christian praise and worship is that its object defies the very thing it claims to be doing. They are songs of a desperate man denying himself the right to his God. There was a time when we used to know the object of worship when both congregation and choir sang facing the Icon. Instead of offering his veneration to his God through hymns the contemporary man offers himself the comfort of an experience through the musicians onstage. Bach trounces the modern church any day in the retelling of God's amazing grace.

A note from the future

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:10:00 +0000

My dear friend Adelaine wrote a post on her blog that nourished my parched imagination and set in motion a mental exercise in nostalgia.

Here's the big idea: If I could go back in time (and space) to slip myself a note from the future, what would I tell myself?

What does someone like me has to say to "himself minus 10 or 20 years", having lived a wonderful life many out there can't even remotely hope to have? What rues or regrets could I possibly have in my life that warrant a rewrite of my story at large?

If I ever get a chance to thwart time and space (I'm pretty sure I've just offended Einstein mid-sentence), I don't think I ever want to give the minutest detail of the future away to me in the past. Contrary to what I first thought it would do, doing so would not give me an upper hand in life—whatever I thought was important enough to justify a second attempt (which, as a good Sci-Fi flick would have it, was to happen at the exact anchor point in spacetime when and where "it" first presented itself).

Part of a well lived life consist of learning life's tough lessons the hard way. To slip myself a note from the future is like telling a school kid all the answers to the finals before he even learned any of it in class. To say the least it wouldn't have made any sense to him. And then there's the butterfly effect (no explanation of the term necessary thanks to Hollywood). What I would get after I make the round trip and pull the time machine over at the curb of Present Time will in fact be a lesser me. In both substance and quality. In the end I would have been better protected from the brutalities of life—and at the same time been made a dimwit in the truest sense of the word.

So there, one of the biggest Sci-Fi aspirations of mankind deciphered. Don't bother cracking the codes of the spacetime continuum, folks. I've figured it out and it's not worth the hassle.

Although I wouldn't mind meeting myself incognito ten or twenty years back just for the kicks. Or conduct history's first double-blinded, conscious, out-of-body experiment on oneself. Just to find out if I've really been the product of my own good opinion of myself.

A challenge to Rick Warren

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 05:24:00 +0000

Challenging Rick Warren... is it possible? So I asked myself.

The pastor from Saddleback Church, California tweeted today saying Tweet! Tweet! (not exactly, follow link to read). Though I would just as soon pass over his tweet amidst a rapid stream of tweets I follow in a day, something about what he said has to be challenged.

But I want to say something here about the guy before I unpack my challenge. I'm a fan of Rick Warren. I benefited from his book The Purpose Driven Life and I believe God is using this man mightily to advance His kingdom. For those who aren't familiar with this guy, he's the man who delivered invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration. So I just want to say that I respect this man and what he aims to achieve as my brother in Christ.

Having said that here's the challenge to Rick Warren. More than 27,000 people were following his Twitter feed as he said in one of his tweets, "Everytime u hold ur tongue when attacked or misrepresented your spiritual power grows. Humility gives u authority."

I could almost see the folks who nodded along with Rick's statement. My brothers and sisters in Christ who buy into this seemingly harmless piece of advice. But of course, they would say, that's what Jesus himself would have done! How do I know? Look, Rick gave the evidence in Matthew 27:12: When [Jesus] was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.

I get a shiver down my spine whenever a verse is plucked from the Bible and emblazoned with a be-all and end-all finality. The attitude that slaps the slogan "thus saith the Lord so nothing more needs to be said about it" on top of every Bible verse taken out of context to support our own agenda or misreading of the Bible.

However I don't believe that's what's in this man's heart. Still Rick holds Matthew 27:12 as one of the examples for Christians to keep their silence when, as he put it, "attacked or misrepresented". Let's say we give Rick the benefit of the doubt. What happens then when another verse from the Gospels is quoted where Jesus did speak out when he was attacked or misrepresented? Like the time when the Pharisees accused Jesus of breaking the law of the Sabbath in the beginning of Luke 6, or the time when Jesus answered those who tried to trap him by what he said in Mark 12:13-17?

In light of these and many other verses in the Bible that demonstrate the exact opposite of what Rick teaches, would you think Jesus himself was misrepresented when Rick say "Everytime u hold ur tongue when attacked or misrepresented your spiritual power grows" and tag Jesus' signature on the dotted line?

There's literally more to a Bible verse than being read in isolation. And it's called context. Ripped off of its context, I could make any Bible verse say whatever I want it to mean!

You read the paragraph, not just the verse. You take stock of the relevant material above and below. Since the context frames the verse and gives it specific meaning, you let it tell you what's going on (Stand To Reason). Things would clear up if only Rick Warren starts his reading of Matthew 27 at the very beginning... from verse 1 where it says: Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.

With the context in view, we now understand the real reason why Jesus was silent on this occasion. He must have known that the chief priests and the elders already had their minds made up to kill him. Doesn't that make much more sense now? In fact that also coincides with what Jesus taught his disciples earlier when he said: Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces (Matthew 7:6). Obviously Jesus thought it unwise to defend himself when attacked by a bunch of goons who weren't seeking to listen to the truth in the first place!

Therefore I believe Rick Warren was seriously mistaken when he paints an inaccurate picture of humility. The Bible urges us to speak out for the truth whenever there is a willing audience:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (1 Peter 3:15-16).

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:5-6).

There is no reason for followers of Christ to carry on a sort of victim mentality tradition whenever persecution enters the picture of evangelism. I understand where Rick Warren is coming from. He is teaching humility but he only painted half of the picture. Unlike Rick's encouragement to hold your tongue everytime so your spiritual juice overflows, it takes true spiritual discernment to know when to respond and when to be quiet. And Jesus is the best teacher to learn that from.

Here's your take-home message: Never read a Bible verse. At least read a paragraph.

Says who #10

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:40:00 +0000

"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."

- Charles Studd, English cricketer and Christian missionary

"Our Friendship", by Maycol and TS

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Our friendship is like a book I read.
I hear of you but I cannot see you.
I see you in photos and only read about the things you tell me
But I cannot see you.

Our friendship is like the sun above me.
It lights up my world and warms my heart.
When it sets on me
It is because I ask the sun to send my love to your sunrise.

"Pepi's Dress"

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:49:00 +0000

Pepi lost his favorite coat,
In which he kept his secret.
He took his apprentice by the throat
And almost blocked his gullet.

"¿Dónde está mi chaqueta?" Pepi shouted,
Not ready to loosen his hold.
For his virtue Pepi deeply doubted,
And he feared the coat had been sold.

"Perdóneme, profesor," came the weak reply,
"On my mother's grave an oath I pay,
And to you I dare not lie,
But your missus gave it away!"

So Pepi ran to the marketplace
With half a head and all seriousness.
He sought till he was red in the face
And couldn't find his beloved dress.

Then came a beggar with one glass eye
Asking Pepi to buy him a cena,
And Pepi noticed under his tattered bow tie
The velvety fabric of his chaqueta!

"¡Ay, caramba!" Pepi roared,
"¿Donde tu encontró esto?"
And the coat he at once restored
Without spending a single peso!

"No-man wants it, no-man loses -
En los desperdicios de un hombre rico.
A poor man gathers if he chooses,
And I should've hidden it under my pillow!"

For earlier today when Pepi was away
His wife had opened his bottom drawer.
She found in said coat a huge dossier
Of shameless letters from a whore!

On the courage to act

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:15:00 +0000

In the span of a normal week we find enough opportunities to be brave. But more often than not we do not step up to the plate and live out the courage that we believe is hidden in us. The things that we know to be right are the hardest to perform because we believe they are the exact same things that would bring about our downfall if we fail the test.

The moment we look out from our threshold of choice into the largely uncaring world, what we care about suddenly takes on a bright significance and trembles us to the bones. We know we are about to take a stand, to walk onstage, into the spotlight and say the line that would proclaim who we are to the onlookers of our life's drama, if unconcerned. Suddenly death doesn't seem like a bad alternative. But since the mention of death in this case is really just a melodramatic whinge with no real relevance, we withdraw to fight another day.

But then order is not yet restored by our failure to act. If this is something we genuinely care about, the pressure would only escalate until we head-on deal with it. Now here comes the question: How do you know if you are prepared for the bravest moments of your life?

You can't. So I was told. No one knows if they are brave until they have been brave. "Act first to deserve the good opinion of yourself." There is no secret in being brave, you just do it despite your fear, doubt, worry, reservations and all that. Act, and then you can tell yourself if you're brave.

Lyrics that stick #5

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:32:00 +0000

"Standin at the door of the Pink Flamingo
Cryin in the rain
It was a kind of so-so love and I'm gonna make sure it doesn't happen again
You and I had to be the standing joke of the year
You were a run-around, a lost and found and not for me I feel

Take your hands off me
I don't belong to you, you see
And take a look in my face for the last time
I never knew you, you never knew me
Say hello, goodbye
Say hello and wave goodbye..."

("Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" by David Gray)

Says who #9

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Rather than thinking aright, we throw in the towel too quick and decide nothing's ever true in its own right, and on that account saw off the branch we ourselves are sitting on. The real human progress lies not in moral relativism, but in recognizing what's universally true and beautiful, and practising it.

Says who #8

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Not many years from now, Michael Jackson will surely join the ranks of Sasquatch, UFOs, and Elvis Presley as we hear about rumoured sightings of him. Maybe we shall finally relate to Elvismaniacs of our parents' generation who believed he was still alive long after he was gone.

(from All the Little Things)

Says who #7

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:04:00 +0000

I no longer know who I am. Just who I want to become. And it's a helluva job getting there.

A postcard from Colombia

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Maicol told me in his last letter that he would really like me to visit him... Nuestra amistad es como un cuento que lei so lo escuchas pero no lo vez asi es contigo; solo te veo en fotos y leo lo que me cuentas pero no te veo verdad quisiera que vivieras a visitarme... "Our friendship is like a book I read. I hear of you but I cannot see you. I see you in photos and only read about the things you tell me but I can't see you. I would really like that you come to visit me..."

I knew this boy would go far. And he's only ten! A poet lives in this kid and he's gonna do some serious damage when he realize what he is capable of. He has asked me once before if I have ever visited Colombia. This new letter reveals the reason behind his question. He wants to meet me in person.

And meet me he shall. I've decided after reading his letter to plan for a trip to visit Maicol in Colombia. I'll write him and tell him that I'll start saving up for the trip and hopefully it won't be too long before Little Chief and I see each other.

Lots of things to do in the meantime. Besides saving up for the trip, I want to learn my Spanish beyond song lyrics and basic greetings. Although I will be accompanied by an interpreter throughout our meeting, I want to be able to comprenda firsthand, as mucho as I can, what Maicol would habla...

¡Ay, caramba! The task looks nearly impossible but for Little Chief it's worth it.

"A Little Lullaby"

noreply@blogger.com (Tin Soldier) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:46:00 +0000

I guess this is all there is to it:

Little star, little star,
How you twinkle near and far.
Have you ever wondered why
Time goes by, time goes by?

Sing along, sing my song
As you twinkle all night long.
Till I wake to sail the deep,
Time to sleep, time to sleep.

Little boy, little boy,
Though you're like a rusty toy,
The time has come when you may
Sail away, sail away.

Fight for love, all for love,
Voyage to that distant cove.
Lest you're lulled by mermaids' cry,
Sail on by, sail on by!

Little girl, little girl,
Dry your tears now, precious pearl.
Though you're let down by your fate,
Love will wait, love will wait.

Guard your heart, search your soul,
What was once part will be whole
When you see his triumphant sails—
Love prevails, love prevails!

Little boat, little boat,
In a sea of woe you float.
Time stands still as you wonder:
Home yonder, home yonder?

Surrender all, abandon all,
Journey to your port of call.
Led by a secret from eternity past—
Home at last, home at last!