Should anyone be allowed in the military?
If you live in the US and somehow manage to hear some kind of news lately, you’ll hear that a big debate is the repeal of the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy established by President Clinton. I started getting tired of hearing about it. In my opinion, the only people that should have a say in who is allowed in the military are the people who are actually in the military. No civilian would be affected by that policy remaining or being lifted. While considering this, my mind went to another question: why is this the issue we’re talking about?
Let me pose a second question. As a pacifist, believing that killing of any kind is wrong, shouldn’t I take the stand that *no one* should be allowed in the military? Obviously that’s absurd; only in a world where Jesus really reigns would a military be unnecessary. So then am I saying that the military is a necessary evil?
I never hear anyone in the church talking about banning the military. We holler all the time about sexual immorality, but what about the sanctity of life? Including (especially?) the lives of our enemies (Matthew 5:44). I never hear any talk in the church against the military even though to join it is to forfeit your membership in the ACC. It’s like it’s a topic we just ignore unless it pertains directly to one of us.
So I ask again – does that mean we as a church consider it to be a necessary evil? Answering that question to the positive opens up a whole host of other theological and moral issues. But answering “no” might mean we’re choosing not to do the good we know to do. I don’t have an answer, and I don’t mean this post as a criticism. It definitely has been a thought exercise I’ve been working on in my own head.
-j
*Many people like to use the wars that God encouraged or even started in the Old Testament as a justification for wars now. So called “just wars”. Everyone says war is an evil, but when they’re “just”, it’s somehow better. If there is a place where Jesus authorizes wars (aside from the Final one that He will lead), please show me.
Things I’d Like To Be Able To Live Off Of Doing
Anyone who really knows me understands that since my first mission trip a few years back, I’m not really content living my life for me. Yes, we all have moments where we prefer living for ourselves, but mostly because it’s more comfortable and less work. But I’m still not convinced I’ll live the rest of my life working for “the man”, as they say. I just can’t see it. I’m pretty certain Kathy and I would be more happy in missions.
However I don’t think the life I find myself in 10 years from now will not need an income. There are a few things I have wanted to do that I could see sustaining a life. Here are some things I’d like to do to provide an income while serving as a missionary.
1. Write a book or two
I’m not sure what about, but I think I’d love to learn how to be a good writer and then do it. A published book that people buy is a great way to have residual income after the fact. Maybe fiction, but I think I’d love to write some type of spiritual work. Quite possibly even something related to mission work.
2. Become a photographer
For a few years now I’ve found myself really interested in photography. I love the idea of capturing memories in a way that also serve as art. This isn’t the same as taking pictures. I think everyone can see the difference between a picture and a photograph. I want to do the latter more often than the former, and if I could make a bit on the side, that would be fantastic.
3. Record a CD
But that probably will never happen, so let’s move on.
4. Some type of professional internetter
Whether it’s a professional blogger (kind of like writing a book, I guess), or someone who does a web gig once in a while, this could be a fairly productive thing living outside of the US. It’s a great way to extend the usefulness of a North American income. I’m doing a job right now that if I could get two of them a year, I could live just fine in many countries. A big return on a month or so of work.
I want to be clear and say that I don’t want these things so I can be lazy. I want them to be able to sustain the expenses of life while I’m doing other work, more meaningful stuff. Plus each one is something I’d enjoy. It’s a fun thinking exercise I like to do, and I don’t know if any of them ever will, but it would be nice (and I’m actually praying about the book one). I suppose we’ll see in a few years how these could pan out!
-j
Is It Really Worth It?
If you watched the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics, and if you stayed up long enough to watch Team USA enter the arena, you no doubt saw the super-snazzy knit hat they were wearing. I immediately started scouring the web looking for it. It took me a day until I found someone who had blogged about it and posted a link.
It’s a pretty nice hat, no? If I had seen it in a store like Kohl’s, I would have snatched it up immediately. But it’s not at Kohl’s. It’s a Polo hat, and the only place I’ve seen it for sale is the official Olympic team store. The catch? It’s $75.
Seventy-five dollars? For a few yards of yarn? I mean, yeah, it’s a sweet hat, but seriously? I checked ebay, and it’s going for well over $150. So could it possibly be an investment as a collector’s item? I’d want to wear it, but I’d feel really silly spending $75 on it.
It’s probably a really well-built hat. But I could get one in roughly the same style for $10, $15 max. While the winter has been quite ridiculous this year, I’m sure it’s almost over. I wouldn’t even get to enjoy a hat like this probably until December.
But it *is* a really great hat, and it’s American. I hate materialism.
-j
I Has Internets
Things are almost back to normal.
I didn’t realize how much I had gotten used to having the internet at home again. I mean, I went over a year without it and didn’t really miss it that much. I will say it’s coming in handy.
A friend of mine let me borrow his Clearwire modem, and once I figured out how it should be used, it works! Clearwire says they don’t have service in my area, but they definitely do. It’s not *super* fast, but it works.
Now let’s get that website built.
-j
Monday296
I’ve been a member of SparkPeople for quite some time, never really sticking to it long enough to make a lasting difference. I recently bought the book and started the 28 day program to get a jumpstart, but I’m finding it’s really difficult to get the initial motivation to start the forward motion.
Browsing their forums today, I came across a fellow Viriginian who is proud of her husband’s decision to get healthy. She has done it herself, and reading his blog I found out that he’s gotten tired of letting his life slip by and made the decision to get healthy too. I’ve got my own reasons to get fit, and I feel inspired by this guy. I’m going to be keeping tabs on his blog.
It’s really hard for fat people to take advice from skinny people, especially skinny ones who have never been fat. It’s one thing to let Jillian Michaels tell me what to do – she’s made a career out of it. But skinny friends and family trying to help me out is like rubbing salt in a wound. If you’ve never struggled with weight, you can’t understand it. Unless you tried to quit smoking.
But listening to a fellow “big-boned” individual is better. We’re in it together. That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing Ed’s progress. Kinda like JC, who has also become an inspiration to me. He was my size when I had seen him last. By the time I got back from Paraguay, he was a bean pole.
I’m going to try to make this progress more public here. I need people to keep me accountable. I want Kathy to almost not recognize me when I go back for our wedding. It can happen.
-j
Film? What?
Man, I miss having a digital camera. I thought I’d be OK using a decent camera that Amy had that takes 35mm film, but I guess I had been taking for granted that what you see in a viewfinder in a digicam is generally what you will get in the photo. With this film one (apart from the lens cover not opening all the way) what you see in the viewfinder is slightly to the left of what you will get. So a perfectly centered truck becomes half a truck and the left side of a remote that was out of the frame I had established. Supposedly focused letters are not, and macro shots are terrible.
I liked being able to see the photo right after taking it. Then I would know if it was super fuzzy, washed out from the flash, or not where I wanted it in the frame. I can’t blame the camera – I realize that people have taken photos for a really long time without the ability to preview them. I just had not considered that I would need to compensate my frame. At least I have a roll and a half that i know I need to do this with.
Hopefully I will be acquiring one of these. A dear friend of mine is upgrading and I have requested the privilege of buying her old model. I’ve wanted a DSLR for a while, which is part of the reason I had left my camera in Paraguay. In doing some research, I was considering purchasing a Canon Rebel XS or Nikon D3000, but fortune smiled upon this lad. I like this idea better because I will spend less on a probably superior camera (thought it’s a bit older), and it’s a great entry into the DSLR world. Now my mediocre photography will become slightly less mediocre!
-j
Project 365
I don’t have a camera anymore, but I plan on fixing that soonish. No, it didn’t get stolen again; I gave it to my friend Marcelo in Paraguay. For now I am borrowing a camera my sister has that she got from my grandfather. The only thing is it’s a film camera, and I haven’t used one of those in easily 7 or 8 years. But it’s a good camera, and I’m up to it. It’ll be weird not being able to see the image right away.
I wanted to get into a photo project. I’m no amazing photographer, but I like to pretend I am. I read about this thing called “Project 365“, which is – much as it may sound given the context – a 365 day project in taking shots. I might just start with a Project 31 to see if I can actually do it for a month. It’ll be kind of weird because I’ll be starting it out on film until I am able to get the camera I want (I want it to be good), so the photos might be a little post-dated.
If this gets anywhere, I will post some links here.
-j
I Must Miss Paraguay
I’m having a very Paraguay day today. I started by calling Mary’s sister who lives in DC to invite her to our choir program that we’re having in Maryland this weekend. Meanwhile, I was making sopa (trying to anyway). And while I cooked, I was listening to Obedira. I even saved enough cheese to make mbeju later.
I learned that our corn meal isn’t the same as their corn meal, so my sopa turned out more like a mix between the corn bread it should be and the corn souffle they also make. It’s tasty, it’s just not what I was looking for.
While the sopa was in the oven, I decided to put together a slideshow of various photos that span the year and some change I was there. If I ever get asked to do a photo presentation, I have one now. And when friends want to see *every* photo I have, I’m ready for that too.
Now all I need is a text from Kathy and I will be OK!
-j
Happy New Year
What will we call this one? We can’t say “Oh ten” because that sounds stupid. We can’t just call it “ten”, like “ninety-nine”, because that also sounds moronic. TJ suggested “ten-spot”, which is catchy. I suppose it could just be “twenty-ten”, but that gets long winded after a while. At any rate, I welcome this new year and eagerly await all God has in store for me this year.
I’m thankful for a church family who receives me back home as if I had never left, with the exception of the questions. Matt said even though I hadn’t stepped through those doors since October 15, 2008 it was almost as if I had never left. I felt the same. Some of the faces are a bit older now, and there are a couple new ones. I’m now glad to be back participating in the Richmond crew here. And they’re excited for the new addition we’ll have, Lord willing, in a year or so.
I’m thankful for friends who can quickly come up with last-minute New Years Eve party plans and that we can enjoy the last few minutes of 2009 together and begin 2010 together. Friends that are interested in the lives of each other and really care for one another.
I’m thankful for a God who never fails me and never leaves me. To call Him faithful seems like a joke, for He is so much more. Calling Him faithful makes me feel like he owes it to me to be that way, when I know that He owes me nothing but chooses to be with me and be “faithful” as my finite mind can understand it. He is True, Sure, Everlasting, Love. He took me to Paraguay, blessed me there beyond my expectations and imagination, and brought me home. Hopefully a future post will detail some of the abundant life that God gave me during my several months. I’m thankful for every minute.
I’m thankful for a brand new year, completely unwritten, in which I can seek God’s direction for my life and pursue His path. He will remain by my side as long as I don’t stray from Him, and I am excited for the amazing life He will reveal to me this year.
Happy 2010. May it be the best yet, filled with blessings from above. If you aren’t experiencing any, give Him your life so He can begin to show you how awesome it is.
-j