A Thought

I keep finding people whom I've met at school on Facebook, and these individuals say on their profiles that they are Christians. I would have never guessed from the way they act. This caused me to wonder. Could the same be true of me? This is a simple realisation, but it is a very serious one, and will no doubt give rise to circumspect reflection on my part. In fact, this is something for all Christians to consider, regardless of age or spiritual maturity. We must always be on our guard against assimilation.

"Give us those nice bright colours..."

I've finally ventured into the realm of film photography. My weapon of choice is the Nikon F5:

This camera is really awesome. The autofocus is insanely fast, the body has the durability of an ironclad war-elephant, and the shutter speeds are, like the autofocus, ridiculously speedy. It makes my D60 seem like a toy, it really does. I can honestly say that despite the slight inconvenience of developing film, I'd much rather pick up my F5 and shoot with that as opposed to my D60. The glass I've got on the F5 is a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D, which is a really great budget prime lens:

It does a good job in lower light conditions and gives me a lot more breathing room when it comes to shutter speeds. Also, the depth of focus is incredible. Shooting wide open at f/1.8, the background is completely blurred, leaving only the subject in focus. Really great stuff. I've already shot one roll of Fujichrome Velvia 100(Not Paul Simon material, apparently):

I'm going to get it developed tomorrow, so we'll see how it turns out. I'll have a digital CD made along with the prints, so I'll be sure to post the photos on here.

A House Divided Against Itself

BBC News

Some American Christians seem to think that things are getting worse for believers in this country. And while the United States is certainly not receptive to the Church and her ways as a whole, we are in paradise compared to Europe. An entire continent, which had once been the bulwark of Christian civilisation, has now been overcome by despair and atheism. When Christians in both Europe and the United States find themselves unable to take Biblical stances on issues like abortion and homosexuality, as the Church of Scotland is on the verge of doing, we are going to have problems. If Christians allow wholesale murder to continue on their very doorsteps, without saying a word against it, how can they expect to further Christ's kingdom? As for me, I will continue to pray for the church in Africa and Asia, because when our time comes, and our churches are in need, we will have brothers and sisters in those parts of the world that were once dark. We are not immune. American Christianity is a mile wide and only half an inch deep, European Christianity is under assault, and those places which we once ministered to are now beginning to reach out towards us. We must not concede ground. Even if our nation won't listen to us, we cannot conform. As long as portions of the Church are willing to give in to post-modernism, we, as the catholic, universal church, will not be able to move forward.

420

I don't get this at all. Do stoners need to make up an arbitrary excuse to get high? Wouldn't they just get high anyways? It's really weird and I don't get it. That's like me creating an "Andrew Drinks Dr. Pepper Day." Srsly u guyz.

"Brave men tell the truth, a wise man's tools are analogies and puzzles."

If at all possible, I am going to smoke my pipe in the Eagle and Child pub when I visit Britain this summer. How brilliant is that? I think it's pretty cool. Here's the full itinerary.

Also, I've ordered a 35mm film SLR for my photography course in the fall. It's a Nikon, of course, namely the N80. I've also purchased a new 50mm Nikon lens, which should work wonderfully with the N80, as well as three rolls of Kodak T-Max 100 B&W film. I'm pretty excited.

I've acquired some new music recently, most of which is outside my usual sphere of listening, if such a sphere could indeed be identified, given my somewhat eclectic collection of artists and albums. First of all, an album which is somewhat related to my last post, Apocalyptica's "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos." Strangely enough, the title is very self-explanatory. Imagine that. Except that it's "celli." However, I digress into nitpicking. But in all seriousness, Metallica's music works very well on the cellos(celli?), and retains a great deal of the original gravity and drone-like qualities that are present in the original cuts. Overall, an excellent idea and an excellent performance. If you don't like Metallica, but like cellos(celli!), you might like this album. A side note: I've no idea how Apocalyptica went from being an awesome cello quartet to churning out that piece of whiny garbage that's on the radio right now. Bring back the cellos(CELLI)! Next up is Dan Auerbach's first solo album, "Keep It Hid." I haven't made up my mind about this one. Definitely not quite Black Keys material, but it's still Auerbach, so it's got some of the same attributes. It's too early to say, I need to give it a few more listens. I didn't like the latest Keys release all that much, so I won't be too surprised if I don't like "Keep It Hid," but because Dan is pretty much le awesome, I want to give him a chance to convince me. I've met the guy, I at least owe him that much, right? I also purchased an album by Royksopp, a duo of electronic musicians. Some interesting, laid-back electronic tunes, good for relaxing, or driving or whatnot. Nothing like the nigh perfection that was The Postal Service, which kind of bridged the gap between the things I dislike about electronica and the things that bug me about Death Cab For Cutie. But Royksopp is nice so far. We shall see.

In conclusion, this is my 100th post on this blog. Wooooo!

"Let the blow fall soon or late..."

One of the reasons I like Metallica's "Wherever I May Roam" is probably its similarity to Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Vagabond," both lyrically and musically. I'd be willing to bet that Ulrich and Hetfield had heard "The Vagabond" at least once when they wrote their song. Anyways, it's an interesting parallel.

The Vagabond

Give to me the life I love,
Let the lave go by me,
Give the jolly heaven above
And the byway nigh me.
Bed in the bush with stars to see,
Bread I dip in the river -
There's the life for a man like me,
There's the life for ever.

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;
Give the face of earth around
And the road before me.
Wealth I seek not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I seek, the heaven above
And the road below me.

Or let autumn fall on me
Where afield I linger,
Silencing the bird on tree,
Biting the blue finger.
White as meal the frosty field -
Warm the fireside haven -
Not to autumn will I yield,
Not to winter even!

Let the blow fall soon or late,
Let what will be o'er me;
Give the face of earth around,
And the road before me.
Wealth I ask not, hope nor love,
Nor a friend to know me;
All I ask, the heaven above
And the road below me.

---

Wherever I May Roam

…And the road becomes my bride
I have stripped of all but pride
So in her I do confide
And she keeps me satisfied
Gives me all I need

…And with dust in throat I crave
Only knowledge will I save
To the game you stay a slave
Rover, wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will

But I'll take my time anywhere
Free to speak my mind anywhere
And I'll redefine anywhere

Anywhere I roam
Where I lay my head is home

…And the earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
Under wandering stars I've grown
By myself but not alone
I ask no one

...And my ties are severed clean
The less I have, the more I gain
Off the beaten path I reign
Rover, wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will

But I'll take my time anywhere
I'm free to speak my mind anywhere
And I'll never mind anywhere

Anywhere I roam
Where I lay my head is home

But I'll take my time anywhere
I'm free to speak my mind
And I'll take my find anywhere

Anywhere I roam
Where I lay my head is home

But I'll take my time anywhere
Free to speak my mind anywhere
And I'll redefine anywhere

Anywhere I roam
Where I lay my head is home

Carved upon my stone
My body lie, but still I roam
Wherever I may roam
Wherever I may roam
Wherever I may wander
Wherever I may roam.

"So far as it depends on you..."

Although there are a lot of people with access to the internet who aren't very articulate, and some of them are obviously featured in this video, this is certainly telling about how Christians are perceived by hardline atheists. It is beyond me how people who claim to be followers of Christ can justify ignoring all tact and gentility, as some of us have apparently done.

On the other hand, while Mr. Dawkins does not descend into the realm of the tactless, he is very dismissive and insulting towards this Christian, who is attempting to ask Dawkins a straightforward and sincere question. If only those emails had read more like this gentleman's question.



In Romans 12, Paul gives these instructions to the church in Rome:

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

We are to speak the truth in love. Yet if we sink into hypocrisy, our words will only be met with hostility and anger.

April 8th

1652: Cape Town in South Africa is founded by Jan van Riebeeck as a supply post for the Dutch East India Company.

Smoking a pipe, the Scotsman's way.

Today was National Tartan Day, and I decided to celebrate with smoke. Earlier this afternoon, I went to my tobacconist and purchased a tin of Presbyterian, as seen here:

(Click to enlarge)


Seeing as I am a faithful Scots Presbyterian(albeit somewhat removed), I thought this would be a fitting way to mark the day. Upon opening the tin, I noticed that the smell was rather like the Windsor, but not quite so strong. Still savoury, since it is an English blend, but a tad more fruit-like than Windsor.



The tobacco packed easily and smoked well, despite the fact that today was rather windy. The smoke was good, I enjoyed it. The flavour wasn't anything mindblowing, but it seems like a solid everyday sort of tobacco, good for a walk, a talk, or a read. Vincent's Torment is still my favourite. It's smooth and burns incredibly well. However, I have a feeling that Presbyterian will definitely be showing up quite often in my tobacco rotation.

"Give to me the life I love, let the lave go by me..."

And so it begins. I've officially registered for the Fall semester. I'll be taking three history courses, a decision which I pray does not bring about my premature death. It's an interesting mix. There's Roman Civilization, Modern Europe, and Historiography. I think Roman Civilization will be a lot of fun, since I've met the professor before, and she herself seems like a lot of fun. So, we'll see. I expect historiography to be a challenge, especially in the writing department, but my writing style is very structured and to-the-point, so it may be just the ticket. Modern Europe... not sure what to expect. Well, actually, I am. Enlightenment-blah-modernism-blah-Western-civilization-is-evil-blahblahblah. I hope to be pleasantly surprised. Please? Latin III will be taught by a different professor than my previous two Latin courses, which surprises me. I'm sure it'll be fine, just different. Lastly, there's Film Photography, which is more or less an indulgence on my part. But it'll be good for my technique and it should be fun. Also, I'll continue to take voice lessons. All told, this adds up to a glorious 18 hour courseload. Wish me luck.

"All I ask, the heaven above, and the road below me."