Pardon me while I wax theological

I've been doing some thinking lately. I mean, I haven't really reached many conclusions or really thought incredibly deeply, but let's just say that I've been scratching the surface of something so deep that I couldn't possibly fully understand it if I made it my full time job to seek out the answers.

Life situations have brought me to a place where I feel the need to examine the HOWS of Christianity. I've been living this faithful Christian life for about 12 years now, and it's really easy to get stuck in the rituals and the habits without remembering why we do them and as is true of many things, when things become habit we stop thinking about them, and just get busy doing them.

I'm not saying I'm super Christian. I'm actually far from it. Sometimes I'm more like the hypocrites, reciting empty prayers out of habit, while forgetting to love the One I'm talking to.

But, I've been thinking. What does this life changing faith mean? If we believe that there is a God Who is in control of the universe, and if we believe that although He is busy with things like keeping the earth in orbit, He still takes time to listen to our "God bless Mommy and Daddys", then what does this mean practically in our lives?

There is something to be said for letting that truth sink into our hearts. Sometimes feeling loved by the God of the universe makes us feel truly lovely and makes us more loving people. Sometimes feeling that kind of love is the catalyst for change and for action. Unfortunately, however, when faith becomes habit, it's too easy to get into the mentality of "God loves everyone, but I'm His favorite."

And what horrendous acts are done out of this kind of faith! We can promote ourselves, and become the center of our own universes to our heart's content as long as we're operating under this faith that says that I'm the favored child.

My main question here is this: What does this life changing faith have to do with the way we treat others? What are we doing for those who are suffering? Are we showing that we know Jesus by our actions?

Sometimes I wonder if God would be more pleased with Christian acts done with the right motives than He is with hearing me recite off my "God bless Mommy and Daddy"s.

I don't know what this means in my life right now. I believe that there must be a cause for me to fight for... not for the sake of being one of those people who fights for causes, but because it's the right thing to do... because I'm so in love with the One Who loves others that I have to love others to. And if this is true of me, then it must be true for all believers.

Using a To-Do List

First of all, I'm thrilled that unless I want to, I don't have to leave my house until Monday morning. I have a weekend with absolutely nothing planned outside of small group tomorrow afternoon (don't worry guys, I'll shower and put on fresh clothes for you :) ). This is a huge difference from next weekend, in which I'm possibly overbooked, so it's nice to have a relaxing one to prepare myself.

To attack the many thing I needed to accomplish today I made a to-do list earlier today. Do you make to-do lists? I'm definitely a list maker, but my problem is that often just making the list makes me feel accomplished enough and takes the stress off of my mind and onto the paper.

At work this isn't a problem, because I know that I must finish what's on my list, but at home I can always wait until tomorrow.

I have slept on and off most of the day, but have gotten very little done on my list.

Artamatic!

OK, so if you're a DC area local and an art fan, and haven't checked out Artomatic, you need to go. Now.

I went tonight to see one of the performances there, and while I didn't take the time I would have liked to look at all seven floors (yes, folks, that's right, seven) of art in all of it's many medias, the taste I got was amazing. I'm looking forward to going back at some point.

Apparently it closes on July 5th, so hurry!

www.artomatic.org

What I'm Reading Part I

I am reading many, many books right now. More than I can really read productively, but here's the list:

Musicophilia

Churched

1984

Blue Like Jazz

Through Painted Deserts


So, if you don't want spoilers, don't read these posts. :)

Musicophilia is a book that I got for Christmas this past year. I've been reading it on and off, and although it's not light reading it's very interesting, and matches together my loves for music and psychology quite well. It talks about cases of people who have had brain injuries and then show a strange ability or interest in music. Also, it talks about what causes songs to come to our minds, how we hear music, how some people can hear entire symphonies in their heads while others can only hear melodies. If you're looking for an intense look into the affect music has on our minds, check out Musicophilia.

An Email from a Friend

A friend wrote this in an email that i received today. Dang, this makes me feel good. What words of encouragement have you recieved recently and why did they mean so much to you?

It was nice to see you... You looked so nice. I think some of these changes have been good for you even though it must have been really hard at the time. The haircut and makeup and your pretty outfit looked really hot. (I'm not making a pass at you, I swear!!) I just wanted to tell you that. Keep it up! Seriously, you looked like you had been on one of those makeover shows...I almost didn't recognize you!

What I'm Watching

Well, besides hosting Antapalooza in my room for the last week and a half, (and despite the fact that I'm slightly afraid of them, ants are still fairly fascinating), I've been watching some good TV lately. Here's what I'm watching:

Monday nights, 10:00 PM, A & E: Obsessed. My friend Marquis turned me onto this show. It's a documentary about people with obsessive compulsive disorder. Every week they follow two people as they go through cognitive behavioral therapy.

Wednesday nights, 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Fox: So You Think You Can Dance. I've been watching this show since the first season. I always wish I could dance when I watch this. I watched it with my roommate for the first time last week. When she realized that it was two hours long, she said, "That's like a movie!"

Thursday nights, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Fox: So You Think You Can Dance results show

Saturday nights, 9:00 PM, CBS: Harper's Island. It's probably very cheesy, but I've been watching all of the episodes. A group of family and friends returns to Harper's Island where there was a murder 6 years ago. One by one, people are killed off. Who's the killer? Who's the next to die? How will they be killed?

What I'm Listening To

I've recently been turned on by a couple of friends to pandora.com.

When creating my very own radio stations, it asked me to name a song or an artist, and the first one I could think of was a song that I had had in my head for weeks, Part Time Lover. I didn't realize that they use your first search to name your station, so my station name is now Part Time Lover Radio. It was too funny to change.

I've noticed that sometimes the selections they play for me make me feel like I'm shopping in Old Navy, but here's some of what I've been listening to this morning:

See You On Rooftops- Neil Halstead

Theologians- Wilco

Black Tambourine- Beck

Hey Ya!- Outkast

A Little Better- Gnarls Barkley

Praise You- Fatboy Slim

Currently playing is Skinny Dippin' Girl by Joe Purdy.

I love my music, but if I didn't love it, it wouldn't be my music, would it? What are your favorite artists? What's your pandora.com radio station?

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK

I have returned to the world of blogging.