The last couple of weeks I have been reading a biography of Muhammad, written by a French atheist in the 1960s (Maxime Rodinson). Overall, it is an engaging and fascinating read, though it is interesting to read an atheist attempting to define the legitimacy of Muhammad's revelations from Allah (mediated through the angel Gabriel) - he seems to think that "the Voice" which imparted "divine revelation" to Muhammad issued not from Allah (remember, author's atheist), but from Muhammad's subconscious. He mentions a few interesting incidents throughout the book in which Muhammad's revelations were uncannily convenient for the "Prophet" (revelations which subsequently enlarged Muhammad's land, prestige, or harem). This may or may not be very fair, as the author himself admits. While there are certainly instances in which any "outsider" would be immediately suspicious of the supposed qu'ranic verses which seemed to merely back up Muhammad's own opinions and desires, there are other times in which the "Prophet" received guidance from Allah that went directly against his own inclinations (especially early on). Of course, I personally disagree with the idea that Muhammad's subconscious was the only factor involved. And I certainly don't think God was sending Muhammad "revelations". Much like the "angel Moroni" that came to Joseph Smith (Mormonism), I think there were other forces at work. But this in neither here nor there for this blog posting ...
There was an incident I found quite in stark contrast with the example of Christ. Consider this story of one of Muhammad's disciples, captured by Bedouin, was sold to the people of Mecca (a city that at this time was a sworn enemy of Muhammad). In revenge for a recent battle between the two forces in which Muhammad won, the Meccans "crucified" (in Arab tradition, probably bound to a tree) this Muslim. There a young boy whose father had been recently slain by Muslims in the battle jabbed him with a spear. As he was dying, this man prayed to his god: "Allah" ... then pointing to the crowd of men, women, and children around him, "count them well. Kill them all, one by one, and let not one escape!" We don't know what Muhammad would have though of these exact words, but the "Prophet" did proclaim this man a martyr, and poets later praised him and his courage.
It strikes me, though, the stark contrast between this man and Jesus, who was nailed to a cross, scourged, and mocked, and yet who prayed to his God, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!"
There's a massive difference between the two men. One swore vengeance and called on God to be merciless. The other forgave and called on God to have mercy and save. And God listened to His Son.
23.3.07
19.3.07
Words That Bring Tears to Our Eyes
Have you ever noticed that some words are just more fun/funky to use?
For example ...
Brouhaha
("uproar")
Higgledy-Piggledy
(oh, this one was precious - after eulogizing the word "suffuse" [such a noble word ...], my prof goes right into saying, "Paul used a missionary strategy; he did not simply run around higgledy-piggledy!" I don't think I heard anything else for about five minutes ... means "confusion")
Bodkin
(technically, a sharp sword, but just fun to say in a Daffy Duck voice, "Odds, me bodkins.")
Kewl
(actually, its kinda stupid)
Accoutrement
(um, "gear, equipment" ... another Daffy Duck one ...)
Curmudgeon
(to "hit violently about the ears and head")
Esssse
(believe it or not, a real English word; plural of "ash," therefore "ashes". Pronounced "eshih" ... very, very cool ...)
Pilliwinks
(a thumbscrew for torturing people; "Bring out the pilliwinks, Quincy!")
Bumkin
(another Daffy. "Begone, bumkin!")
Any others that you can think of?
For example ...
Brouhaha
("uproar")
Higgledy-Piggledy
(oh, this one was precious - after eulogizing the word "suffuse" [such a noble word ...], my prof goes right into saying, "Paul used a missionary strategy; he did not simply run around higgledy-piggledy!" I don't think I heard anything else for about five minutes ... means "confusion")
Bodkin
(technically, a sharp sword, but just fun to say in a Daffy Duck voice, "Odds, me bodkins.")
Kewl
(actually, its kinda stupid)
Accoutrement
(um, "gear, equipment" ... another Daffy Duck one ...)
Curmudgeon
(to "hit violently about the ears and head")
Esssse
(believe it or not, a real English word; plural of "ash," therefore "ashes". Pronounced "eshih" ... very, very cool ...)
Pilliwinks
(a thumbscrew for torturing people; "Bring out the pilliwinks, Quincy!")
Bumkin
(another Daffy. "Begone, bumkin!")
Any others that you can think of?
17.3.07
Thank You For ...
Last week I celebrated my 19th birthday. As a "birthday tradition," I began the day before spending more time than usual thanking God for the many blessings He has given to me, and then read a few Psalms that were prayers of dedication to the Lord. I found it uplifting to think on all the things that God has blessed us with!
Some of the blessings that came quickly to mind that morning were my friends. That very afternoon, they surprised me by taking me out to a Chinese lunch buffet. As we were together, I was struck again by how grateful I am, and how blessed I am, to have the friends that I do - friends that so often are examples in humility, in laughter, in unselfishness, in wisdom, in godliness.
My professor (and friend) Dr. Haykin wrote an excellent article on friendship, in which he quotes a James Newton as giving the foundations to a true friendship: "If we have God for our Friend, what need we to fear, Nothing, but without his Friendship we may be looked on as the most miserable of men." Upon this cornerstone of true friendship, an early church theologian, Gregory of Nazianzus, could say, "If anyone were to ask me, 'What is the best thing in life?', I would answer, 'Friends.'"
Praise God for His friendship to us, by choosing us and saving us through Jesus Christ, and sending His Holy Spirit to be our constant Helper, Seal, Guide, and Friend as we shine with the glory of Christ on earth. God is our Friend!
And thank you, God, for granting me such wonderful friends! They are gifts from You, representations of Your bountiful kindness.
And to those of you who are reading who are my friends (not too many reading, but everyone I know of who reads this blog is my friend!), thank you for the gift of your friendship. I do treasure it, and I hope that I can strive towards being as good a friend to each of you as you have been to me.
God is kind!
Andre
Some of the blessings that came quickly to mind that morning were my friends. That very afternoon, they surprised me by taking me out to a Chinese lunch buffet. As we were together, I was struck again by how grateful I am, and how blessed I am, to have the friends that I do - friends that so often are examples in humility, in laughter, in unselfishness, in wisdom, in godliness.
My professor (and friend) Dr. Haykin wrote an excellent article on friendship, in which he quotes a James Newton as giving the foundations to a true friendship: "If we have God for our Friend, what need we to fear, Nothing, but without his Friendship we may be looked on as the most miserable of men." Upon this cornerstone of true friendship, an early church theologian, Gregory of Nazianzus, could say, "If anyone were to ask me, 'What is the best thing in life?', I would answer, 'Friends.'"
Praise God for His friendship to us, by choosing us and saving us through Jesus Christ, and sending His Holy Spirit to be our constant Helper, Seal, Guide, and Friend as we shine with the glory of Christ on earth. God is our Friend!
And thank you, God, for granting me such wonderful friends! They are gifts from You, representations of Your bountiful kindness.
And to those of you who are reading who are my friends (not too many reading, but everyone I know of who reads this blog is my friend!), thank you for the gift of your friendship. I do treasure it, and I hope that I can strive towards being as good a friend to each of you as you have been to me.
God is kind!
Andre
6.3.07
"Stars" on Stage
Ok, who can go to a Switchfoot concert and not blog about it?
As, then, you can guess, some friends and I went to Switchfoot and Copeland's concert in the bunker-like Kool Haus (the neighborhood looks like a back alley in Gotham City), their only performance in Toronto in their Great Canadian Tour. Brilliant, brilliant performance! Best concert I've been to.
First off, two friendly words of advice from a fellow-concert-goer. Regardless of the bitterly cold winds of February, never wear a heavy coat in the line going into the concert ... even if you'll be there for upwards of two hours. If you opt instead for a hoodie or its equivalent, you soar right by those poor souls who have to move into the almost-infinite line for coat-checks.
Sure, you spend the hours waiting outside shivering, desperately trying to locate feeling in all your digits (toes are the first to go). But cold can't kill you. Well ... maybe. And it can give you a nasty bronchial infection (as I have found out the hard way).
And it gets somewhat toasty when you've been in the place for three hours and you're pressed in on all sides, and everyone's jumping and singing off-key, and most people have no grasp of the novel concept of "deodorant."
But all this is a fair price to pay for staying in right at the very front of the concert! We were four feet from the fence separating us from the bands, and this brings all the benefits of the best of concert-going ... full-blast sound, an (almost) unobstructed view of the stage, and the opportunity to help the band singers body-surf (I finally found an advantage in having big hands ... when he was walking the fence and singing right over our heads, Jon picked my hand to lean on as he walked ... he had a nice ring around his finger, which I kept as a souvenir ... kidding!).
The second word of advice. If you choose the wise path of dressing light ... please, please pick reliable drivers to come and pick you up on time (still bitter, you say? nonsense!). Ours, ahem, were "clubbing" downtown as we slowly succumbed to hypothermia (actually, they were watching a movie and spent almost as much time in the cold as us, but thats beside the point).
On the bright side, we got to meet Jon Foreman in person when he came out in about a half hour and was signing autographs. We all got our tickets signed. That was pretty cool ... but not as cold as we were (ahahahaaa .... um, sorry, bad pun again ...)
Man, I thought I could keep this blog short. I haven't even talked about the concert!
I'll summarize: they played all their best stuff, in my opinion, starting with THE perfect opening head-banger, "Stars," and ending with THE perfect encore song, "Dare You to Move."
Got to hear the awesome live rendition of "Meant to Live," which is almost better than the CD, which is incredible.
"American Dream" became "Canadian Dream."
Found out they just had filmed a music video in Toronto (!!).
Had a body-surfer dropped on my head.
Watched helplessly as my friends Steven and Tim body-surfed straight over the front into the not-so-friendly arms of security (they were promptly deposited back into the roiling sea of bodies).
My friend Stephane had his first taste of alternative rock live concert and "moshing" ... incredible first taste, too.
I marveled that people below five feet did not just disappear without a trace during some of those crushing, jumping, pushing "high points."
Seeing Tim do his signature jump from the kick drum, and Jon with his tossed mic-stand and his acrobatics with a cymbal.
Watching Stephane converse with people he had never seen before like they were old friends, and not only identifying what background they were, but speaking to them in their language! ... I counted French, Arabic, Polish, Russian, and Hebrew. At that point, the rest of us were feeling antisocial and illiterate.
There are some snapshots. Wish I could rave on more, but a blog can only go on so long without getting dangerously tedious.
But you had to be there!
As, then, you can guess, some friends and I went to Switchfoot and Copeland's concert in the bunker-like Kool Haus (the neighborhood looks like a back alley in Gotham City), their only performance in Toronto in their Great Canadian Tour. Brilliant, brilliant performance! Best concert I've been to.
First off, two friendly words of advice from a fellow-concert-goer. Regardless of the bitterly cold winds of February, never wear a heavy coat in the line going into the concert ... even if you'll be there for upwards of two hours. If you opt instead for a hoodie or its equivalent, you soar right by those poor souls who have to move into the almost-infinite line for coat-checks.
Sure, you spend the hours waiting outside shivering, desperately trying to locate feeling in all your digits (toes are the first to go). But cold can't kill you. Well ... maybe. And it can give you a nasty bronchial infection (as I have found out the hard way).
And it gets somewhat toasty when you've been in the place for three hours and you're pressed in on all sides, and everyone's jumping and singing off-key, and most people have no grasp of the novel concept of "deodorant."
But all this is a fair price to pay for staying in right at the very front of the concert! We were four feet from the fence separating us from the bands, and this brings all the benefits of the best of concert-going ... full-blast sound, an (almost) unobstructed view of the stage, and the opportunity to help the band singers body-surf (I finally found an advantage in having big hands ... when he was walking the fence and singing right over our heads, Jon picked my hand to lean on as he walked ... he had a nice ring around his finger, which I kept as a souvenir ... kidding!).
The second word of advice. If you choose the wise path of dressing light ... please, please pick reliable drivers to come and pick you up on time (still bitter, you say? nonsense!). Ours, ahem, were "clubbing" downtown as we slowly succumbed to hypothermia (actually, they were watching a movie and spent almost as much time in the cold as us, but thats beside the point).
On the bright side, we got to meet Jon Foreman in person when he came out in about a half hour and was signing autographs. We all got our tickets signed. That was pretty cool ... but not as cold as we were (ahahahaaa .... um, sorry, bad pun again ...)
Man, I thought I could keep this blog short. I haven't even talked about the concert!
I'll summarize: they played all their best stuff, in my opinion, starting with THE perfect opening head-banger, "Stars," and ending with THE perfect encore song, "Dare You to Move."
Got to hear the awesome live rendition of "Meant to Live," which is almost better than the CD, which is incredible.
"American Dream" became "Canadian Dream."
Found out they just had filmed a music video in Toronto (!!).
Had a body-surfer dropped on my head.
Watched helplessly as my friends Steven and Tim body-surfed straight over the front into the not-so-friendly arms of security (they were promptly deposited back into the roiling sea of bodies).
My friend Stephane had his first taste of alternative rock live concert and "moshing" ... incredible first taste, too.
I marveled that people below five feet did not just disappear without a trace during some of those crushing, jumping, pushing "high points."
Seeing Tim do his signature jump from the kick drum, and Jon with his tossed mic-stand and his acrobatics with a cymbal.
Watching Stephane converse with people he had never seen before like they were old friends, and not only identifying what background they were, but speaking to them in their language! ... I counted French, Arabic, Polish, Russian, and Hebrew. At that point, the rest of us were feeling antisocial and illiterate.
There are some snapshots. Wish I could rave on more, but a blog can only go on so long without getting dangerously tedious.
But you had to be there!
5.3.07
And after a brief intermission ...
Well, I'm back, after a 2-month sabbatical. I apologize for the ghastly absence of, well, anything. I'm pretty sure that after 60 days of non-posting even the most dedicated reader will beginning moving on to "greener pastures." So, if you're reading this right now ... thank you, thank you, thank you for coming again; for you I will try to be more regular and consistent in my blogging for the next little while, and I hope that you'll find at least some of the content of this blog interesting, helpful, and encouraging.
As you might now, I love to hear feedback (the bigger the amp the better ... ok, bad pun), and greatly appreciate hearing from you. So, if you are still there (*slight pause ... lonely silence, pierced only by the sounds of crickets*), please feel free to comments anytime and anywhere. Whenever I read a blog, I cannot move on without reading the comments ... that way, the blog is transformed from a monologue (9 times out of 10 pretty dry and boring by itself) into a dialogue (conversations are far more interesting).
First off, some updates. New recommended links have been added, some substituted, and other deleted (either offline or no activity for ... ahem ... months). My brother has moved his purevolume site; his link to the right has been updated accordingly. Steven Kamenar at long last has a blog, which looks amazing - definitely check it out. Also added are links to our church's website, as well as to ONE, the singles ministry of Covenant Life in Maryland (great audio resources). Josh Harris has a new website too, designed by our very own Canadian blog-master Tim Challies. There you have it. Now we just need those now-not-so-wild suburban nomads to typed in a few more entries ... the world is getting too sane without them.
Voila. First blog post in months. Even if it is more technically just an intro.
I'll be back soon. Very soon.
Andre
As you might now, I love to hear feedback (the bigger the amp the better ... ok, bad pun), and greatly appreciate hearing from you. So, if you are still there (*slight pause ... lonely silence, pierced only by the sounds of crickets*), please feel free to comments anytime and anywhere. Whenever I read a blog, I cannot move on without reading the comments ... that way, the blog is transformed from a monologue (9 times out of 10 pretty dry and boring by itself) into a dialogue (conversations are far more interesting).
First off, some updates. New recommended links have been added, some substituted, and other deleted (either offline or no activity for ... ahem ... months). My brother has moved his purevolume site; his link to the right has been updated accordingly. Steven Kamenar at long last has a blog, which looks amazing - definitely check it out. Also added are links to our church's website, as well as to ONE, the singles ministry of Covenant Life in Maryland (great audio resources). Josh Harris has a new website too, designed by our very own Canadian blog-master Tim Challies. There you have it. Now we just need those now-not-so-wild suburban nomads to typed in a few more entries ... the world is getting too sane without them.
Voila. First blog post in months. Even if it is more technically just an intro.
I'll be back soon. Very soon.
Andre
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