I can't believe it's already time to head back to school. I am fearful that the things I have nourished during my time away will quickly come undone. There is something about living at OU that robs me of my well-being. Perhaps its being separated from my friends/family... o... I don't know. Let's make it a good year.
I'm tired. I'll write more tomorrow.
Shine On
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Truly, truly, I say to you
I woke up this morning at 7 o'clock and couldn't fall back asleep, so I decided to catch up on the most recent series of podcasts from Water's Edge. The series addresses some of the hard questions that Christians must face: how could a loving God send people to hell?; Why do bad things happen to good people?; and, the question that I have been desperately seeking answers to, Is the bible really God's word?
Ever since I became a Christian, I have had trouble believing in the credibility of the bible. My scientifically-trained mind just finds too many potential flaws in the circumstances which I perceive to have produced our current array of translations, (for instance: God is perfect, humans are flawed, and there is no way flawed humans could correctly portray God's intentions; when the manuscripts were canonized we lost a lot of material, material which should qualify as part of God's word, but may be lost forever; certain authority figures who, when deciding what was to be included and excluded from the canon, may have had some of their own interests in mind with the intent of controlling the masses, etc. the list is never-ending and ever-destructive.)
For the past eight months or so, my biblical criticisms have slowly peaked to a point where I knew that no amount of faith would satisfy my intense need for logic. I've prayed many times for God to send me someone who could give me answers. And then there was Miles. To put it briefly, Miles' talk addressed all of my questions and gave me unbelievable evidence for the credibility of the bible. The fact that over forty people, whose circumstances span the breadth of time, culture, class, age, and location, have reported the exact same stories... and that there are literally thousands of reliable documents detailing the origin and authenticity of these manuscripts... these are things that led me to deeply threaded tears of joy. I cannot believe it! The whole world seems new to me in light of all this. I can now read these stories knowing that they have not been created by some medieval priest planning to exercise control over the people by enforcing ignorance. To long-time Christians I may sound like a heretic... but for me this is hallelujah.
I read the second half of Luke and all of John today. I can't wait to keep going.
Shine bright,
Kate
Ever since I became a Christian, I have had trouble believing in the credibility of the bible. My scientifically-trained mind just finds too many potential flaws in the circumstances which I perceive to have produced our current array of translations, (for instance: God is perfect, humans are flawed, and there is no way flawed humans could correctly portray God's intentions; when the manuscripts were canonized we lost a lot of material, material which should qualify as part of God's word, but may be lost forever; certain authority figures who, when deciding what was to be included and excluded from the canon, may have had some of their own interests in mind with the intent of controlling the masses, etc. the list is never-ending and ever-destructive.)
For the past eight months or so, my biblical criticisms have slowly peaked to a point where I knew that no amount of faith would satisfy my intense need for logic. I've prayed many times for God to send me someone who could give me answers. And then there was Miles. To put it briefly, Miles' talk addressed all of my questions and gave me unbelievable evidence for the credibility of the bible. The fact that over forty people, whose circumstances span the breadth of time, culture, class, age, and location, have reported the exact same stories... and that there are literally thousands of reliable documents detailing the origin and authenticity of these manuscripts... these are things that led me to deeply threaded tears of joy. I cannot believe it! The whole world seems new to me in light of all this. I can now read these stories knowing that they have not been created by some medieval priest planning to exercise control over the people by enforcing ignorance. To long-time Christians I may sound like a heretic... but for me this is hallelujah.
I read the second half of Luke and all of John today. I can't wait to keep going.
Shine bright,
Kate
Monday, January 4, 2010
the manliest tattoo ever
Tonight was fantastic. Allie and I attended a Masquerave hosted by some of her friends from work (she's the lighting director at Medieval Times and her co-workers are all badass). Afterwards, we went to Allie's house where we ate quesadillas and drank jasmine tea with Tyler, Crissy, Tanya, and Tommy. Yet another night of refreshing friends. I'm too tired to write down all of the fun things we talked about! Maybe tomorrow... I'm trying to convince Tyler to wake up early(ish) to go to the paper store with me.. he doesn't seem interested.
I'll leave you with the manliest tattoo on earth. It's a man punching through an alligator, stepping on an octopus, holding a bear in a headlock, getting attacked by a shark, and killing a man with his teeth:
Shine on,
Kate
I'll leave you with the manliest tattoo on earth. It's a man punching through an alligator, stepping on an octopus, holding a bear in a headlock, getting attacked by a shark, and killing a man with his teeth:
Shine on,
Kate
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The Sound of Life's Sweet Bells
I had planned on going to church this morning, but my body didn't feel like waking up until early afternoon. whoops. The day was uneventful until around 5PM, when I went to Shoe Carnival to buy some boots for Utah (I'm going to the Sundance film festival on the 20th). An old boyfriend of mine, Brock, works at Shoe Carnival. After running into him, we decided to meet up at 8 to grab something to eat. It was so nice to spend time with an old friend!
It's funny how easy it is for me to get stuck viewing life through my present lens (thinking mainly of academics, career prospects, sorority obligations, and the friends I currently keep). Spending time with Brock was refreshing because it reminded me of the (unjaded) way I used to see things.. the whole world was one big sentimental experience where every day seemed to have a unique meaning. I miss how new it all was. I'm so disenchanted by my current situation. My classes are hard and tedious, and very few things seem to excite me anymore. I try to assure myself that it's just a phase ( a very long phase)... but is it? Am I permanently stuck in a state of indifference?
For me, my emotions are very important. Some people seem able to do what they do regardless of their emotional state.. but if I'm not happy (almost to the point of hyper-enthusiasm), I shut down. Lord, please reboot me!
Shine on,
Kate
It's funny how easy it is for me to get stuck viewing life through my present lens (thinking mainly of academics, career prospects, sorority obligations, and the friends I currently keep). Spending time with Brock was refreshing because it reminded me of the (unjaded) way I used to see things.. the whole world was one big sentimental experience where every day seemed to have a unique meaning. I miss how new it all was. I'm so disenchanted by my current situation. My classes are hard and tedious, and very few things seem to excite me anymore. I try to assure myself that it's just a phase ( a very long phase)... but is it? Am I permanently stuck in a state of indifference?
For me, my emotions are very important. Some people seem able to do what they do regardless of their emotional state.. but if I'm not happy (almost to the point of hyper-enthusiasm), I shut down. Lord, please reboot me!
Shine on,
Kate
Friday, January 1, 2010
Winter Wrens
Last year, I decided to put some effort into keeping a journal. I promised myself I'd record my thoughts at the end of each day, hoping to gain some clarity about what kind of person I actually am. I was doing marvelously.. until my handbag (containing the journal) was stolen in April. I was devastated... I had just been through a very difficult time in my life, all the while taking detailed notes of my sorrows and chronicling my little triumphs for hopes that my future self might be able to consult her past for some much-needed wisdom in times of need. But then my bag was stolen. I gave up.
Luckily, the internet is not as easily contained as a composition book. Writing in a blog seems like the perfect cure for last years yucky set-back. I'm excited.
Shine on,
Kate
Luckily, the internet is not as easily contained as a composition book. Writing in a blog seems like the perfect cure for last years yucky set-back. I'm excited.
Shine on,
Kate
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