Sunday, April 20, 2008
Quick Update
My exercise in spiritual discipline is going well, though I'm having mixed results. I stayed perfectly on schedule for the first half of the week, but during the second half got off schedule and would miss either the meditation or the Scripture reading every day. I've stayed on schedule with the calls to prayer, though. Here's the lowdown on every element so far:
Calls to Prayer - These range from annoying to very worthwhile. Sometimes I'll find myself in the middle of doing something and won't want to stop to pray, so that sucks. But forcing myself to do it, as well as getting up early just for that purpose, has at times been very humbling, and it feels like there is a real connection with God.
Scripture Reading - This has actually been going the best of everything, as long as I remember to do it. It usually takes around 45-60 minutes, but it's worth it. I've got several online commentaries that I've started using. I've discovered that commentaries are extremely helpful if you're like me and question the origin/meaning of the original Greek test and wonder what Jesus' words would have meant to people at that point in time. Usually I focus on 5-10 verses every day. I've working through the Sermon on the Mount at the moment. So far, it's been a very enlightening experience.
Meditation - This hasn't been going as well as I had hoped. I've discovered it's difficult to meditate at night because sometimes there's a lot of noise out in the hall and other times I start to fall asleep doing it. I wish I knew specific techniques and things I could do to stay focused. I'm gonna stick with it though and hope it gets better.
Saturday Fasting - I did this yesterday, and it sucked. It was the most difficult time fasting I've ever had. I slept until 2, and woke up starving. I had resolved that I wouldn't eat anything until 9 PM, and it was tough to get through the day. One thing's for sure though - it did keep my mind focused on the sacrifice and on God. I can see the benefits.
All in all, things are going pretty well, and I'm not going to make any drastic changes to the routine.
***
I've spoken with a couple friends in China. It's interesting how they're handling all the protests. Basically, there's now a ton of pro-China propaganda going on (as one would expect) and a lot of national pride. Which is good, in my opinion. At the moment many people are considering boycotting Carrefour (a French grocery store chain) since there are protests in France to boycott the Olympics and the Olympic torch. Also, people are very upset about the comments made by Jack Cafferty on CNN, as they rightfully should be.
Personally, I think the Tibet issue is one that will never be solved, so it's pretty pointless to protest and boycott at this point. Both sides are right, because both sides come to the issue with different assumptions. I'm still pro-China, and I'm still going to be rooting for them in the Olympics come August.
Quotes of Da Moment:
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'Fuck the lemons,' and bail."
--Forgetting Sarah Marshall
"Hollywood has raped my dreams."
--me, after watching The Forbidden Kingdom
Calls to Prayer - These range from annoying to very worthwhile. Sometimes I'll find myself in the middle of doing something and won't want to stop to pray, so that sucks. But forcing myself to do it, as well as getting up early just for that purpose, has at times been very humbling, and it feels like there is a real connection with God.
Scripture Reading - This has actually been going the best of everything, as long as I remember to do it. It usually takes around 45-60 minutes, but it's worth it. I've got several online commentaries that I've started using. I've discovered that commentaries are extremely helpful if you're like me and question the origin/meaning of the original Greek test and wonder what Jesus' words would have meant to people at that point in time. Usually I focus on 5-10 verses every day. I've working through the Sermon on the Mount at the moment. So far, it's been a very enlightening experience.
Meditation - This hasn't been going as well as I had hoped. I've discovered it's difficult to meditate at night because sometimes there's a lot of noise out in the hall and other times I start to fall asleep doing it. I wish I knew specific techniques and things I could do to stay focused. I'm gonna stick with it though and hope it gets better.
Saturday Fasting - I did this yesterday, and it sucked. It was the most difficult time fasting I've ever had. I slept until 2, and woke up starving. I had resolved that I wouldn't eat anything until 9 PM, and it was tough to get through the day. One thing's for sure though - it did keep my mind focused on the sacrifice and on God. I can see the benefits.
All in all, things are going pretty well, and I'm not going to make any drastic changes to the routine.
***
I've spoken with a couple friends in China. It's interesting how they're handling all the protests. Basically, there's now a ton of pro-China propaganda going on (as one would expect) and a lot of national pride. Which is good, in my opinion. At the moment many people are considering boycotting Carrefour (a French grocery store chain) since there are protests in France to boycott the Olympics and the Olympic torch. Also, people are very upset about the comments made by Jack Cafferty on CNN, as they rightfully should be.
Personally, I think the Tibet issue is one that will never be solved, so it's pretty pointless to protest and boycott at this point. Both sides are right, because both sides come to the issue with different assumptions. I'm still pro-China, and I'm still going to be rooting for them in the Olympics come August.
Quotes of Da Moment:
"When life gives you lemons, just say 'Fuck the lemons,' and bail."
--Forgetting Sarah Marshall
"Hollywood has raped my dreams."
--me, after watching The Forbidden Kingdom
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 4/20/2008 11:13:00 PM 
